Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken from Two Sleevers

Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken - made December 15, 2022 from Two Sleevers 

1 14-ounce can canned tomatoes

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 teaspoons minced ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 pound chicken thighs, boneless or bone-in

To finish

4 ounces butter, cut into tablespoons

4 ounces heavy cream

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 - 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1. Place all ingredients in instant pot in order listed until the chicken thighs. Mix well then add chicken. Seal lid and set instant pot to cook on high for 10 minutes. Let natural release for 10 minutes.
2. Remove chicken from instant pot and blend remaining sauce with immersion blender. Let cool for 10 minutes then add butter, heavy cream, garam masala and cilantro, setting on manual. Whisk to combine. Add chicken back in. Serve hot with rice.

There's a restaurant in the Bay Area, CA called Amber India that served the best naan and butter chicken. I don't have a tandoor oven and no plans to stick my hand inside a 500-degree one to slap a piece of naan dough against the side to bake (been there, done that, thanks culinary school) but I can make butter chicken, thanks to this easy Instant Pot recipe.

Traditional Indian cooks might be horrified (or not) at this hack of their dish but my Instant Pot and my air fryer are my codependency partners in my cooking crimes so there you have it. I've had this recipe for awhile but not the spices so I had to wait until I made a big Penzeys buy to get the spices I needed. I don't know how authentic this butter chicken is and it's not quite Amber India standard but I thought it was good. The spices aren't overpowering at all and are quite subtle. One recipe does make a lot of sauce so I had to use twice the chicken for this dish.