Sanaa-Inspired Instant Pot Butter Chicken!

January 10, 2018cookwcharacter

I got the Instant Pot for Christmas, after having broken the previous electric pressure cooker I’d been given before I got to use it fully.

I LOVE this thing. I think I’ve used it almost every day since we got home from Christmas!

I also really, REALLY wanted to try and recreate the amazing butter chicken I had over the summer at Sanaa. Seriously, if you’ve never been there and you’re headed to WDW, you really must try it. Its just. So. Good!

Sanaa Butter Chicken
The Butter Chicken at Sanaa with Dhaal. So, SO good!

So I made Naan bread in the morning (I’ll post that recipe a bit later) with tamarind chutney from the recipe Sanaa was kind enough to share. Then in the afternoon I looked at the recipe for butter chicken… and realized I didn’t have quite all the ingredients it called for.

Normally this isn’t a big deal. Go out, get the missing thing, come back and cook. However, I live in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, and we just got about 10″ of snow. For us, this is tantamount to having like 2 feet. Things were icy and gross, and the temperature outside was in the single digits. I wasn’t going anywhere outdoors unless I had to.

Instant Pot Butter Chicken
The garden is under quite a bit of snow!

So I improvised. And it actually turned out pretty good! Its not Disney level of awesome – it never is outside of the world – but it was really good and a totally acceptable substitute. I may make some changes next time, but I really enjoyed this. Considering the husband has been eating the leftovers without complaint, I think he liked it too.

I turned my instant pot onto saute, and sauteed a large diced onion, a teaspoon of minced ginger, and three cloves of garlic, also minced, in about 3 tablespoons of ghee. You could also use butter. I just happened to have the ghee handy.

Then I added a can of tomato paste and stirred that in, as well as about a half teaspoon of turmeric, and 2 teaspoons of garam masala. I added the tomato paste and then cooked it for another minute, before dumping in the chicken breasts I’d cut into chunks.

I added an entire bottle of tikka masala I’d bought especially for making the butter chicken a couple months ago, and then filled the jar with water and mixed that in.

Seal up your instant pot and set to 8 minutes.

Once it says its finished, I waited about 10-15 minutes to let it vent naturally. You can open the top and turn on saute again to thicken the sauce more, but I really enjoy things a little saucy. I added a cup of heavy cream, and I think I’d add about a half a cup of Greek yogurt. I added the yogurt to my bowl as a topping, but it made it so much creamier and silkier, I think I’d add it straight into the sauce next time.

I served it with white rice, and it made a really delicious meal.

Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 

This is a great dish for a rainy day!

Course: Main Course, Main Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 4 people
Author: cookwcharacter
Ingredients
  • 2-3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" chunks
  • 4 tbsp ghee or butter
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 tsp ginger, grated
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 12 oz jar tikka masala
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 12 oz water
  • 1 c heavy cream
  • 1/2 c greek yogurt
Instructions
  1. Turn the instant pot to the saute setting. Add your ghee or butter and the onions, garlic, and ginger and saute for 2 minutes, until they start to soften. 

  2. Add the garam masala, turmeric, and salt. Stir in and then add the tomato paste.

  3. Add the chicken, the jar of tikka masala, sugar, and water. Stir in until all is combined, then secure the lid, and set the instant pot to 11 minutes.

  4. When the instant pot says its done, allow the pressure to release naturally for about 10 minutes (or you can release if you're in a hurry). 

  5. Remove the lid after the pressure has released, and stir in your heavy cream. You can also stir in the Greek yogurt, or you can wait and add it to taste individually. Serve with rice and enjoy!

quick rating

 

 

5 Comments

  • Kiz

    January 10, 2018 at 9:52 pm

    What a fun blog! I’m going to show this to my daughters who LOVE to cook!

    1. cookwcharacter

      January 11, 2018 at 10:17 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it and that you stopped by! I hope that your daughter likes it as well! Thanks!

  • Raleah Harper

    December 9, 2018 at 10:40 am

    What is tikka masala & where do you get it

    1. cookwcharacter

      February 9, 2019 at 5:31 pm

      Tikka Masala is a spice blend, and you can usually find it in some grocery stores (I think I’ve seen it before in Harris Teeter and Kroger) or online. 🙂 I’m sorry for the late reply!

  • April

    October 17, 2021 at 4:40 pm

    Looks yummy & very easy. I love my instant pot, too. I keep saying I need to buy a couple more “pots” to go in it so that I can use it to cook both rice & the main dish.

    Maybe I missed it… but what was the substituted ingredient and what ingredient was originally called for?

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