Oh man, it’s back to reality! We got home around 9pm last night after 24 hours of travel back from Bora Bora – we traveled by boat, plane (x3), and car (x2). It was exhausting, no doubt. But, uneventful and on time, so there’s no complaints on my end! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in terms of my ability to sleep seeing as by 11:30pm EST, it was only 5:30pm in Bora Bora.
But, I slept right on through until 7:30am EST, no issues at all. It is so bizarre being in a house without kids or the dog, but we’ll be gaining back all the ladies today, all 3 of them. I’ve missed them all so much!
If you missed my trip recap, here’s the blog post. It’s long! Want just the pics? Head on over to IG. I’m sun-kissed and so thankful for an incredible trip, especially one with such good food! I was just listening to Dietitians Dish (yes, my podcast) where my co-host, Gina, recently did an episode with her husband, Nick, all on their recent trip to Disney.
As Mark told me during our trip: Nicole, you know we’re going to have to do Disney. Sigh. So I guess the podcast tips were helpful and that’s something we’ll secretly start looking into. I’ll say not a word to my kids until it’s a done deal, that’s for sure!
One of the things I love most about vacation is the ability to get away from all things domestic for a period of time. I love to cook, but NOT cooking I love a lot, too. Ha! I didn’t blog, I didn’t cook, I didn’t do much of anything other than enjoy and read. And food was certainly one of the parts of our trip we enjoyed the most. The resort had many offerings and one of the meals we loved most was the Indian night. All we had to choose was garlic or regular naan – love the simplicity!
Butter chicken was one of the items on the menu and it was delicious! That said, this authentic butter chicken recipe made in the Instant Pot has been passed along among my friend group and perfected by them and lightened up a bit by me. We’ve made it twice now and it won’t be the last. A very simple meal that’s huge on flavor! Enjoy!
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
This authentic butter chicken meal is ready in 30 minutes or less!
Ingredients
- 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp minced ginger root or ginger paste
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 3 tsp garam masala, divided
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4 Tbsp butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek (optional)
- 6 cups steamed basmati rice, for serving
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- Place diced tomatoes, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, smoked paprika, salt, cumin, and 2 teaspoons garam masala in the slow cooker and stir well. Place chicken on top and gently press into the sauce to partially submerge.
- Secure the lid and pressure cook on HIGH for 10 minutes. Perform a natural pressure release.
- Remove the chicken and use an immersion blender to puree the sauce. Alternatively, remove to a blender and blend with the lid slightly vented; return to slow cooker.
- Set to the LOW simmer setting; add the remaining 1 teaspoon garam masala, butter, half and half, and fenugreek; mix well.
- Chop or shred the chicken into 1 to 2-inch pieces, as preferred, and return to the instant pot to heat through for 1-2 minutes before serving over rice and topped with cilantro.
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from Twosleevers
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 cup rice with ~1 cup chicken and sauceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 472Total Fat: 14.7gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 860mgCarbohydrates: 51.3gFiber: 2.5gSugar: 3.0gProtein: 35.3g
Wanting more Instant Pot meals that are quick, easy, and best in the IP? Voila!
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta
- Insanely Easy Instant Pot Taco Pasta
- Mac and Cheese with Ham and Peas
- Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
- Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Weekly Menu: April 10th – 14th
- Sunday: something from the freezer with blueberry cobbler
- Monday: Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa
- Tuesday: burgers and balsamic-marinaded veggies on the grill
- Wednesday: Pressure Cooker Bowtie Pasta with Peas with steamed broccoli
- Thursday: out for me/spaghetti with “chicken parm” using Aldi’s red bag chicken 😉
Be well,
