Instant Pot Butter Chicken: Paleo, Whole30, Keto, Easy

This Whole30 instant pot butter chicken couldn’t be easier to make. It’s Paleo, gluten-free, keto and takes under 30 minutes from start to finish. This low carb, dairy-free, and totally delicious Indian inspired dish is a simple recipe but packs a ton of flavor and only has a cook time of 10 minutes in the instant pot. It’s a great recipe for meal prep or for getting dinner on the table quick.

I love butter chicken. Love it. It’s traditionally made with dairy products, so to make this Whole30 and paleo version, we’ve had to swap it out for coconut milk. So while this won’t be an exact replication of butter chicken, it is a great alternative for those who eat Whole30, dairy-free and gluten-free that was inspired by the real Indian dish.

The flavor is rich and buttery, and while it uses many spices, it is not spicy. Typically made on the stovetop, butter chicken in the instant pot will be your go-to method after you make this. It’s all contained in one pot, very little hands on time so you’re not standing over the stove, and only takes 30 minutes from start to finish.

Whole30 Instant Pot Butter Chicken Ingredients

To make this recipe, I prefer to use chicken breasts because when diced, they keep their shape better when pressured cooked than thighs do. Thighs tend to shred when cooked in the instant pot because thighs are so much more tender and juicy. That being said, if you don’t mind that the chicken may shred instead of staying diced, thighs do tend to absorb more flavor than chicken breasts. You can use either, depending on your preference.

You’ll also need half of an onion, minced ginger, minced garlic and a can of tomato sauce. A can of unsweetened, full fat coconut milk and a little bit of ghee are also called for. The only other ingredients are a handful of different spices. Those spices are what make up a bulk of the ingredient list.

There’s a few spices that may not be so common if you haven’t cooked much Indian food before, such as garam masala, coriander and turmeric but they are easily found at almost all grocery stores or Amazon. All of the spices and the canned items in the butter chicken are also available for a discount online from Thrive Market, which is where I get pretty much all of my pantry goods and staples.

How to Make This Whole30 Butter Chicken Recipe

This Whole30 and low carb butter chicken recipe really could not be easier to make. There’s only 3 simple steps. It’s a quick and easy process, and keeping it all contained to one pot in the instant pot makes clean up as simple as the cooking process!

You’ll first start by heating the ghee with the instant pot on sauté mode. Once it’s hot, just throw in the minced garlic, minced ginger and diced onion. Saute these together quickly, just for a few minutes, until the onion has softened and the garlic and ginger is fragrant.

At this point, you’ll add in the diced chicken pieces, tomato sauce, lemon juice and canned coconut milk. Give it a quick stir, and then add the spices into the instant pot. Once all of the spices are in, stir it well to combine them with the chicken, tomato sauce and coconut milk.

Put the lid onto your instant pot, and cook the butter chicken on manual high pressure for 10 minutes. Make sure the valve on the lid is set to “sealing”. It will take about 10 minutes for the instant pot to come to pressure before the cook time will start to count down. Once the cook time is finished, do a quick release of the valve to let off the steam. Then simply remove the lid from the instant pot, give it a stir and serve your Whole30 butter chicken.

Serving and Storing Instructions

For serving the instant pot butter chicken and keeping it Whole30, you can add it alongside of cauliflower rice or broccoli rice, cauliflower mash or mashed potatoes. It’s also great with roasted vegetables such as broccoli or a baked potato. If you’re not keeping it low carb or Whole30, basmati rice and naan are always a great choice to enjoy all of that buttery rich sauce with.

To store your butter chicken, first let it cool completely. Then you can either store it all together in a large container with an air tight lid, or portion it out into individual meal prep containers for using the leftovers as lunches, or just quicker reheating. The chicken is good in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

You can reheat the Whole30 butter chicken in the microwave for a few minutes, or dump it into a small skillet over medium-high heat on the stovetop. This can also be frozen, but the coconut milk may separate. If that happens, just stir the sauce really well to reincorporate it together.

Other Gluten Free and Whole30 Instant Pot Chicken Recipes You’ll Love:

• Instant Pot Whole Chicken
• Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
• Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
• 5 Minute Chicken Meatballs & Marinara
• Instant Pot Cashew Chicken
• Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks
• Instant Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

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