Keto Butter Chicken (Instant Pot Recipe) (2024)

Keto Butter Chicken is a low-carb dish made in the Instant Pot to give you perfectly tender chicken and a rich, creamy sauce flavored with warm, aromatic spices.

This Keto Instant Pot Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani) is a recipe Melinda and I have been working on for a while. Whenever we have a girls’ night out, you’ll find us at our favorite Indian restaurant with an order of vegetable samosas, butter chicken, and garlic naan.

With the start of the new year, we wanted an Instant Pot version of our favorite dinner, AND we wanted it to be low carb and keto (bye, bye vegetable samosas and garlic naan! We’ll miss you!)

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Why Keto Butter Chicken?

In the world of keto, where fats are friends and carbs are carefully counted, finding a dish that’s both comforting and compliant can be a challenge. Enter Keto Butter Chicken. Not only is it packed with protein and healthy fats, but it also carries the aromatic spices and luscious texture that make Indian cuisine a global favorite.

This Indian butter chicken recipe is naturally low carb so we didn’t have to make any major changes changes. Though a lot of recipes add cornstarch to thicken their butter chicken sauce, it isn’t necessary. Setting your Instant Pot to saute after it has finished pressure cooking will thicken the sauce up perfectly!

New to using an Instant Pot? Make sure you read our beginner’s guide on “How to Use an Instant Pot” to get started!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Chicken thighs – We useboneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces. This gives you a flavorful, tender piece of chicken with a good balance of fat and protein.
• Tomato – Both tomato sauce (make sure it has no added sugar) and tomato paste make up the base of this sauce.
• Curry – Red curry paste is made with a blend of warm, aromatic spices. It gives a big boost of flavor.
• Spices – Any Indian-inspired dish requires some bold spices. Garam masala, ground ginger, smoked paprika, and salt take the sauce to the next level.
• Aromatics – Onion and garlic are sauteed with the chicken to add a depth of flavor.
• Fats – Butter and heavy cream are added to the sauce to give it that rich, creamy flavor and silky smooth texture.
• Chicken broth – A little chicken broth thins out the sauce and helps to thin the sauce and ensure that you don’t get the dreaded Instant Pot burn warning.
• Cilantro – This is simply a garnish. If you aren’t a fan of cilantro feel free to skip it.

How to Make Keto Butter Chicken in the Instant Pot:

Step 1 – Saute. Set your Instant Pot to SAUTE. Add the butter, onion and garlic. Saute for approximately 5 minutes until the onions are tender. Press OFF to cancel the saute.

Step 2 – Broth. Add the chicken broth and use a spatula or spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to get up all of the little browned bits. This will help reduce the likelihood of the burn warning.

Step 3 – Add the rest. Add the chicken, tomato sauce, tomato paste, red curry paste, garam masala, ground ginger, salt, and smoked paprika to the Instant Pot.

Step 4 – Cook. Lock the lid in place and turn the pressure valve to seal it. Set to HIGH PRESSURE for 7 minutes.

Step 5 – Natural release. When the timer goes off turn the Instant Pot off and let it do a natural release for 5 minutes. Then carefully flip the valve to VENTING and let the remaining steam out of the pressure cooker.

Step 6 – Remove chicken. Remove the lid and using a slotted spoon remove the chicken from the sauce and set aside.

Step 6 – Add cream. Add the heavy cream to the pot and, using an immersion blender puree the sauce until smooth.

Step 7 – Thicken sauce. Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE and stir the sauce while simmering for 7-10 minutes, or until it thickens. Turn OFF saute.

Step 8 – Put it all together. Add the chicken back to the sauce and stir everything together.

Step 9 – Serve. Serve the butter chicken over your favorite low carb option and garnish with cilantro.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Chicken Breast Instead of Chicken Thighs?

The short answer is yes, BUT the dark meat gives this recipe so much more flavor, and it is even more moist and tender. It also helps keep your macro ratios of fat to protein in check. I highly recommend using dark meat if you can.

Is Keto Butter Chicken spicy?

In general butter chicken isn’t a spicy dish. It has a low level of heat with a lot of warm spices that give you a rich flavor. That being said every curry has it’s own makeup so the level of spice will be affected by the level of spicy in the red curry paste you choose. If you want to add a little extra spice you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper.

How can I thicken the sauce without carbs?

Though a lot of recipes add cornstarch to thicken their butter chicken sauce, it isn’t necessary. Setting your Instant Pot to saute after it has finished pressure cooking will thicken the sauce up perfectly!

Can I make this dairy-free?

Absolutely! Use coconut milk and dairy-free butter alternatives.

What Do I Serve With Keto Butter Chicken?

• Cauliflower Rice
• Zucchini Noodles
• Sauted yellow squash
• Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash
• Keto Naan Bread

How to Store and Reheat

Refrigerator: Let the butter chicken cool completely then place in an airtight container. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Freezer: Let the butter chicken cool completely then place it in an airtight container. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Reheating: When reheating, do so gently on the stove or in the microwave, adding a little extra cream or butter to revive the sauce’s creamy texture. This approach ensures the dish remains delicious and retains its consistency, making your keto meal prep both convenient and enjoyable.

Note: If you are reheating frozen keto butter chicken we suggest letting it thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator before reheating. This will make the reheating process faster and give you the best results.

Want More Keto Instant Pot Recipes?

• Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup
• Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork
• Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Soup
• Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Instant Pot Collard Greens
• Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash
• Keto Instant Pot Cabbage Rolls

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