Whole30 Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Healthy Butter Chicken, cooked together in the Instant Pot with White Basmati Rice
Or, serve your Whole30 Butter Chicken with Cauliflower Rice instead for a completely Whole30 meal!
Ingredients
Whole30 Butter Chicken Flavorings:
- 3 Tbsp ghee
- ⅔ cup onion
- 5 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 1 Tbsp curry powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 cinnamon stick
Chicken Thighs & Sauce:
- 1½ lbs boneless chicken thighs cut into pieces (or chicken breast, if preferred)
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk to add after pressure cooking
- chopped cilantro to stir in at the very end
Rice:
- 1¼ cups basmati/long-grain white rice
- 1¼ cups cold water
Alternative: Whole30 Cauliflower Rice
- drizzle of oil
- ⅔ cup onion diced
- 6 cups cauliflower rice fresh or frozen
- salt to taste
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Add ghee, chopped onions, garlic, ginger and spices to the pressure cooker.
- Press the ‘SAUTE’ button and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly—don’t let it burn!
- Add chopped chicken thighs and tomato sauce, mixing to integrate.
- (Skip this step for Whole30 meal with cauliflower rice.) To make instant pot butter chicken and rice, place a steam rack into the bottom of the cooker, tall enough so it’s not crushing your chicken. Place a heat-proof bowl or container on top of rack. Fill bowl with uncooked long-grain white rice and cold water.
- Close lid and cook on manual setting at high pressure for 6 minutes. (See note below about manual setting on different pressure cookers.)
- Turn off heat and flip Quick Pressure Release switch to release steam for 10 minutes.
- Carefully open lid—watch out for steam! If making butter chicken with rice, use oven mitts or towels to protect hands as you remove the bowl of cooked rice and steam rack.
- Stir coconut milk into butter chicken until integrated. Press ‘SAUTE’ button and simmer uncovered for 5-10 more minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Add chopped cilantro and stir to integrate.
- Store Whole30 butter chicken separately from rice or cauliflower rice to store for meal prep purposes.
- Serve cooked chicken with rice or cauliflower rice and enjoy!
- Yields 1½ lbs butter chicken and ~3½-4 cups cooked basmati rice (4 servings total).
To make Whole30 Cauliflower Rice:
- Heat oil in a pan and saute onion for 3-4 minutes.
- Add cauliflower rice and cook over medium 6-10 minutes, until tender.
- Season to taste with salt, or any other seasonings you prefer. Stir in parsley.
- Allow to cool and store separately from butter chicken for meal prep.
- Yields 4 servings.
Notes
*NOTE: I have a Crock-Pot brand pressure cooker, not an Instant Pot brand cooker. They both do the same thing, you’ll just need to know how to use the “manual” setting on whichever pressure cooker that you have. On my Crock-Pot pressure cooker, I access the manual setting using the “BEANS/CHILI” button. If you’re unsure about your machine’s manual setting, refer to its instruction manual or check out the brand’s website!
607 calories | 29g fat | 50g carbs | 4g fiber | 3g sugar | 36g protein
500 calories | 32g fat | 19g carbs | 8g fiber | 8g sugars | 37g protein
Net carbs per serving: 5g
Nutrition for Instant Pot Butter Chicken and Rice meal:
Per 6 oz butter chicken & ~1 cup cooked basmati rice, yields 4 servings607 calories | 29g fat | 50g carbs | 4g fiber | 3g sugar | 36g protein
Nutrition for Whole30 Butter Chicken & Cauliflower Rice meal:
Per 6 oz butter chicken & ~1½ cups cauliflower rice, yields 4 servings500 calories | 32g fat | 19g carbs | 8g fiber | 8g sugars | 37g protein
Nutrition for Paleo & Whole30 Butter Chicken only:
Provided below per serving of ~6 oz butter chicken only, yields 4 servings.Net carbs per serving: 5g
Nutrition
Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 28g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g