Healthy Instant Pot Butter Chicken with Cashew Butter
Instant Pot Cashew Butter Chicken is an irresistible recipe inspired by butter chicken, but without the extra calories. The succulent pieces of chicken are spiced to perfection and cooked in a rich and vibrant tomato sauce. This is a quick and easy recipe that’s perfect for a weeknight!
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon ghee
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 cardamom pods
- 5 ground cloves
- 2 cups onion chopped
- 2 tablespoon ginger minced
- 2 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper or serrano - (optional), slit lengthwise
- 2 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste!
- 2 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (dried methi)
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (⅔ kg) cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
- ¾ cup low sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup yogurt
- 1 cup tomato sauce [See Note 1]
- 2 tablespoon cashew butter
- 1 Tbsp gram flour or chickpea flour
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Select Saute and allow the Instant Pot to heat up. Once the inner pot has heated up, add ghee.
- Once the ghee has melted, add cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves and stir until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
- Stir in onion, ginger, garlic, green chilis and saute the onion mixture until onions are rich golden brown. This may take 10 to 15 minutes. Be patient and don't let the onions burn. **
- Press Cancel. The spices will cook in the residual heat.
- Stir in coriander, cumin, chili powder, turmeric, salt, fenugreek and honey. Deglaze with a small amount of broth if you find that the spices are burning.
- Stir the spices with the onion mixture for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the chicken and broth. Scrape the bottom of the inner pot to make sure there are not brown bits stuck to the bottom.
- Add yogurt and stir till combined.
- Add tomato sauce on top but DON’T stir. This prevents sealing issues and the burn message
- Close the lid and pressure cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR). This usually takes 15 minutes. Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot. [See Note 2]Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods
- Select Saute mode and stir in the cashew butter, gram flour, and garam masala.
- Heat through until thickened, stirring frequently, about 1 or 2 minutes.
- Press Cancel and stir in chopped cilantro.
- Serve with toasted naan or basmati rice.
Stovetop Instructions
- Heat ghee over medium heat in a large saucepan or dutch oven.
- Once the ghee has melted, add cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves and stir until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
- Stir in onion, ginger, garlic, and green chilis and saute the onion mixture until onions are rich golden brown. This may take 10 to 15 minutes. Be patient, and don't let the onions burn.[See Note 2]
- Add the tomato sauce and saute until the tomatoes lose their raw color and the ghee starts to separate from the tomato. It will look like a paste.
- Add coriander, cumin, chili powder, turmeric, salt, fenugreek, and honey. Deglaze with a small amount of broth if the spices are burning. Stir for 30 seconds or until the spices are fragrant.
- Increase heat to medium-high, add chicken, and stir to coat. Fry until chicken pieces lose their pink color and start to lightly brown. Add some broth to deglaze, as needed.
- Add the yogurt in batches, stirring after each addition, to prevent curdling.
- Stir in the broth, and bring everything to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Stir in cashew butter and garam masala, and heat through. [See Note 4]. Remove from heat and garnish with chopped cilantro.
Video
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. cut up chicken, chopped onion, etc.
- A cashew substitute in butter chicken is almond butter or coconut cream. There will be a change in flavor, though.
- [Note 1]: American tomato sauce (called tomato passata in the UK), not tomato ketchup. Use ¾ cup if you prefer to have a less bold tomato flavor. The flavors do mellow if you wait a day.
- [Note 2]: If the onion sticks to the bottom or burns, add a tablespoon of broth to deglaze and continue sauteing. Do this as often as needed until the onions are cooked properly.
- [Note 3]: If you’re short on time, it’s perfectly okay to do a 10 or 15-minute natural release i.e. wait for 10 or 15 minutes and release pressure.
- [Note 4]: The besan (chickpea flour) is used to thicken the Instant Pot version of the curry. You may omit it for the stovetop version.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 969mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g
