This easy Instant Pot Butter Chicken with Saffron Rice is a restaurant-quality one-pot meal ready in 30 minutes, featuring tender chicken in a creamy tomato sauce along with saffron-flavored basmati rice.
Rinse the rice 2-3 times until the water runs clear. Soak the rice while you assemble the sauce. In a small bowl add saffron and a tablespoon of water and microwave for 20-30 seconds. Keep aside.
Preheat the Instant Pot on Saute mode. Add ghee or oil and ginger garlic paste, and saute for a minute. Add tomato sauce and spices and stir well. Cancel saute.
Add ¼ cup water and use that to deglaze the pot. Scrape off any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add chicken pieces along with ½ cup water, and stir.
In an oven-safe bowl, combine drained rice, water, soaked saffron, oil, salt, and slivered almonds.
Place a trivet in the pot and place the rice bowl on top of that. Close the lid. Pressure cook on high for 6 minutes with the vent set on sealing position.
After the cooking time is done, wait 5 minutes then release the pressure manually. Open the lid after the pin drops. Remove the rice and fluff with a fork.
Turn on SAUTE. If the sauce appears runny, reduce it by simmering for a few minutes. Now add heavy cream, or coconut milk (for dairy-free), and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until it integrates with the sauce and thickens to your liking.
Check for seasoning. Optionally, stir in honey or sugar if the sauce tastes acidic. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with saffron rice!
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Notes
Rinse the rice. This rids it of excess starch to create a fluffier texture. Soaking it while you assemble the sauce also ensures softer results.
Add the dairy after cooking. Heating dairy can sometimes cause curdling. It's better to add it after pressure cooking.
Make it dairy-free by using coconut milk. I recommend full-fat coconut milk for the best results.
The sugar is added to cut the acidity of the tomato sauce, but feel free to leave it out. The result will still be delicious.
Make it vegetarian. You can easily swap the chicken out for tofu or paneer to make this curry vegetarian. For best results, cook the sauce along with rice add the tofu/paneer pieces along with cream, and simmer for a few minutes.
Water Quantity: If you are using an 8qt cooker or your cooker frequently gives the burn error, add an extra ¼-½ cup water. If the sauce is too runny after pressure cooking, reduce it using the saute mode.
Note: The nutrition facts below are my estimates and include white basmati rice. If you follow any diet plan, I recommend cross-checking with your preferred nutrition calculator.