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    Home / Recipes / Dinner / Keto Instant Pot Butter Chicken

    Keto Instant Pot Butter Chicken

    January 7, 2019 by Keto Cooking Christian 14 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, see Disclosure.
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    Tender and juicy chunks of chicken with a delectable creamy Indian sauce that's super easy to make in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker!

    butter chicken with cauliflower rice
    Easy Keto Dinners eBook 3D cover

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    Jump to:
    • What's in Instant Pot Keto Butter Chicken
    • How to Make Keto Butter Chicken
    • What is Butter Chicken?
    • How Do I Store Leftover Keto Butter Chicken?
    • Can I Freeze Low Carb Butter Chicken?
    • Is Butter Chicken Keto?
    • Substitutions for Keto Butter Chicken
    • More Keto Instant Pot Recipes

    If you've never had butter chicken before, this is a great recipe to try!  It's made right in your Instant Pot and it couldn't be any easier!  

    butter chicken with fork holding up some

    The sauce is rich and creamy with a signature butter chicken flavor from garam masala, Serve it with this Cilantro Cauliflower Rice (minus the lime) for a complete meal.  

    closeup of butter chicken and cauliflower rice in dish

    This is varies from the authentic recipe, but it's an excellent low carb butter chicken version! Garnish with some fresh chopped cilantro and you have a beautiful and tasty dish!

    What's in Instant Pot Keto Butter Chicken

    • Chicken
    • Chicken stock
    • Butter
    • Tomato paste
    • Heavy cream
    • Mascarpone cheese
    • Garlic
    • Ginger
    • Ground turmeric
    • Ground cinnamon
    • Garam masala
    • Smoked paprika
    • Cilantro
    • Mild flavored oil
    • Salt and pepper

    *Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

    How to Make Keto Butter Chicken

    Turn your Instant Pot to the sauté setting.

    Add the oil and chicken to the pot and sear the chicken for a few minutes. Once it has browned a little on each side, remove from the Instant Pot and set it aside.

    Instant Butter Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

    Add in the ginger and garlic and half the butter, then sauté for about 20 seconds, careful not to burn it!

    Instant Butter Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

    Next, in goes all the spices and allow to toast for another 20 seconds, while stirring.

    Instant Butter Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

    Pour in the water, chicken stock, tomato paste, give it a good stir. Put the chicken back in and stir again, scraping up all those brown bits of goodness on the bottom of the pot.

    Instant Butter Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

    Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, do a quick release on the pressure.

    Remove the chicken and set aside.

    Instant Butter Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

    Stir in the heavy cream, mascarpone cheese and the rest of the butter, then whisk to combine.  Add the chicken back in and turn the Instant Pot back onto the sauté setting.

    Instant Butter Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

    Cook for 7-10 minutes, uncovered, stirring often.

    Instant Butter Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

    Right before the Keto Butter Chicken is done, go ahead and make your cauliflower rice. Serve with the chicken and sauce over the top.

    Instant Butter Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

    For a final touch, garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy!

    butter chicken with fork holding up some

    What is Butter Chicken?

    Traditional Butter Chicken is an Indian dish that gets it unique flavor from a tomato, buttery creamy sauce and garam masala, a typical Indian spice blend.

    And while the traditional recipe takes a good but of time to make, this Butter Chicken recipe, is cooked in the Instant Pot and can be ready in no time.

    How Do I Store Leftover Keto Butter Chicken?

    Low carb Butter Chicken will keep in the fridge for several days. To reheat, but warm it in a skillet on top of the stove.

    butter chicken with cauliflower rice

    Can I Freeze Low Carb Butter Chicken?

    You sure can, which makes this Butter Chicken recipe excellent for a meal prep idea. Just place leftovers in air tight container and store in the freezer for up to a couple of months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat in the microwave or stove top until warmed.

    If you like this as a meal prep ideas, check out 25 Keto Meal Prepping Ideas for additional tips.

    Is Butter Chicken Keto?

    This Butter Chicken recipe is a low carb and Keto friendly version. With only 9 net carbs per serving, anyone on Keto or low carb diets will be able to enjoy this dish without all the extra carbs.

    closeup of butter chicken and cauliflower rice in dish

    Substitutions for Keto Butter Chicken

    • If you don't have homemade chicken stock, a good quality Chicken Bone Broth makes an excellent substitute.
    • If you're unable to find garam marsala, you can use curry powder. Though they do have different flavors, curry powder will work well if needed.
    • This low carb Butter chicken recipe is served over cauliflower rice in place of regular rice, but feel free to serve it with any low veggie of your choice.
    • Mascarpone cheese gives the sauce a rich and creamy texture. If you can't find Mascarpone, you can use cream cheese. It will have a few more carbs so be sure to take than into account.
    Instant Pot DUO80 8 Qt 7-in-1 Multi- Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer

    The Instant Pot model that I have is the Instant Pot DUO80 8 Quart 7-in-1 Multi- Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer

    More Keto Instant Pot Recipes

    • Instant Pot No-Bean Chili
    • Easy Instant Pot "Roasted" Chicken
    • Instant Pot One Hour Chicken Stock
    • Best Instant Pot Roast with Gravy
    • Instant Pot Chicken Marsala
    • Instant Pot Ropa Vieja
    • Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
    • Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
    PIN Instant Pot Butter Chicken - Keto and Low Carb
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    FREE 20 EASY KETO RECIPES EBOOK

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    butter chicken with cauliflower rice

    Keto Instant Pot Butter Chicken

    If you've never had butter chicken before, this is a great recipe to try!  The sauce is creamy, with that signature flavor from garam masala, served with cauliflower rice.
    5 from 4 votes
    Author: Julianne
    Servings 6
    Print Pin
    Save RecipeSaved!
    PREP 10 minutes mins
    COOK 20 minutes mins
    TOTAL 30 minutes mins

    RECIPE VIDEO

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 pounds chicken breasts, diced
    • ½ cup chicken stock
    • ½ cup water
    • ¼ cup butter, softened and divided
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
    • ½ cup heavy cream
    • ⅓ cup mascarpone cheese
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
    • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 2 teaspoons garam masala
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • ¼ cup fresh cilantro, divided
    • 2 tablespoons mild flavored oil
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Turn the Instant Pot to the sauté setting.  Add the oil and chicken to the pot and sear the chicken for a few minutes, then remove.  Sauté the ginger and garlic in half the butter for about 20 seconds, careful not to burn it!   Then add in all the spices and allow to toast for another 20 seconds, while stirring. 
    • Pour in the water, chicken stock, tomato paste and add the chicken back in. Scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 10 minutes, then quick release the pressure.
    • Remove the chicken and set aside.  Stir in the heavy cream, mascarpone cheese and the rest of the butter, then whisk to combine.  Add the chicken back in and turn the Instant Pot back onto the sauté setting.  Cook for 7-10 minutes, uncovered, stirring often.
    • Once the cauliflower rice is cooked, serve with the chicken and sauce over the top.  Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!  Store leftovers in the fridge for a few days or freeze.

    Recipe Notes

    *Macros are for the butter chicken alone, so be sure to adjust for what you decide to serve it with.

    *Make sure to scroll up and read the post for substitutions, additions and helpful tips for making this recipe.

    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Indian
    Calories 374kcal
    Nutrition Facts
    Keto Instant Pot Butter Chicken
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    374
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    24
    g
    37
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    14
    g
    88
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    3
    g
    1
    %
    Sugar
     
    1
    g
    1
    %
    Protein
     
    35
    g
    70
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    *Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. You can verify it using the nutrition calculator of your choice. All data is based on net carbs, without sugar alcohol: Swerve, Erythritol, Monk Fruit or Allulose.

    © Copyright for Keto Cooking Christian LLC. Please use the share buttons to share on social media, but please do not copy/paste the recipe.

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    Filed Under: 30 Minutes or Less, Chicken, Dinner, Instant Pot, Posts, Recipes Tagged With: best keto recipes, best low carb recipes, butter chicken instant pot, easy keto instant pot recipe, easy keto recipes, easy low carb instant pot recipe, easy low carb recipes, gluten free recipes, keto, keto butter chicken, keto diet, keto recipes, ketogenic diet, low carb butter chicken, low carb recipes

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 4 votes

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Bev

      August 10, 2023 at 3:24 pm

      How could I do this in a crockpot?

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        August 11, 2023 at 6:26 pm

        I have never made this in the crockpot, but I am sure would make it the same way you do other crockpot chicken recipes.

        Reply
    2. Lana Marie McQuown

      December 19, 2021 at 1:07 am

      5 stars
      This was delicious. I was excited to see an Indian dish without coconut milk, because it seems like a lot of the Keto dishes have the same flavor profile. This is a keeper. I made ketoserts Roti to go with it, which I highly recommend to soak up all that saucy goodness. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe with us.

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        December 19, 2021 at 2:17 pm

        You are so welcome! I am thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed it.

        Reply
    3. Ceras

      August 12, 2020 at 7:09 pm

      5 stars
      Made it in a Ninja Foodie. Used the same ingredients and the same cooking time settings as the Instant Pot.

      The taste was sublime and paired well with cauliflower rice seasoned with garlic and lime. The addition of the half bass avocado used as the edible decoration increases the protein and fat count.

      Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        August 15, 2020 at 9:00 am

        Looks fantastic, glad you liked it!

        Reply
    4. Liz

      August 22, 2019 at 10:50 pm

      Looks delicious! I don't have an instapot but would like to attempt this recipe. What are your recommended cook times using a slow cooker or on the stovetop?

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        August 23, 2019 at 7:25 pm

        Hi Liz,
        I'm not too sure about a slow cooker, since I rarely use that function on my IP. If you make it stovetop, you can cook it about 45 minutes or so and that should work. I hope that helps!

        Reply
    5. Robin

      May 28, 2019 at 4:11 pm

      5 stars
      I randomly came across this recipe doing a web search and decided to try it out - it was absolutely delicious! Indian is my favorite type of cuisine, and this was my very first time making Indian food at home. It was super yummy. Thank you for sharing your recipe! 🙂

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        May 28, 2019 at 6:01 pm

        Hi Robin,
        I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it and you are most welcome!

        Reply
    6. Jane

      April 06, 2019 at 10:15 pm

      My instant Pot is not the same as yours. Is the pressure cook button the same as the Manuel button? Also what temperature should it be cooked at medium or high.

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        April 06, 2019 at 10:44 pm

        Hi Jane,
        Yes, you can use the manual button and cook them on high pressure.

        Reply
    7. Rene

      January 23, 2019 at 6:33 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you so much for sharing! I made this tonight and it was a hit!

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        January 23, 2019 at 7:03 pm

        Hi Rene,
        Awesome! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it and thanks for stopping by to let me know 🙂

        Reply

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    Julianne Walser KCC

    I'm Julianne, welcome! I offer tasty and indulgent Keto and Low Carb recipes that will never leave you feeling deprived!

    More about me →

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