Recipe: Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken

Pressure cookers are a staple in Indian home kitchens for a reason. They get curries, dals, rice, and more on the table in 1/3 of the time it would take in a regular pot, while preserving maximum flavour and nutrients. This recipe for Butter Chicken, designed for the Fissler pressure cookers, is a great example of that.

Excerpted from the cookbook The World of Pressure Cooking, published by Fissler. Photo by Mathias Neubauer.

Serves 4

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Marinade:

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste*
1–2 tsp ground cumin
1–2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp lemon juice
200g yoghurt (10% fat)
Salt

For the Chicken: 

800g chicken breast fillets
2 onions
80g butter
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cardamom 
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cloves
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste*
1.5 tsp garam masala
200ml chicken stock
400g chopped tomatoes
1.5 tsp paprika
100g cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste

*Mix equal parts grated ginger and grated garlic to make ginger-garlic paste. (We like using a Microplane Fine Grater for this.) For this recipe, you will need one tablespoon each of grated ginger and garlic to make two tablespoons of ginger-garlic paste. Half the ginger-garlic paste will go in the marinade, and the other half in the curry.

Method

  1. Put the ginger-garlic paste in a shallow dish. Add the ground cumin and mix together with the remaining spices. Add the lemon juice, yoghurt and some salt and stir well.
  2. Pat the chicken breast fillets dry and remove the skin if necessary. Cut the chicken into 2–3 cm pieces and place in the marinade. Mix well, cover with cling film, and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight.
  3. The next day, peel and finely dice the onions; set aside. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade; set aside. 
  4. Heat half of the butter in your pressure cooker. Sear the chicken all over in portions until browned, then remove and set aside. Lightly sauté the onions in the remaining fat, sprinkle the sugar on top, and leave to caramelise slightly and turn golden brown. Add the cardamom, cinnamon and cloves and cook for approximately 1 minute. Add the remaining butter, ginger-garlic paste, and garam masala. Continue frying for another 1–2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Add the chicken stock to deglaze the pan, then stir in the chopped tomatoes and paprika. Leave to simmer in the open pot for 5–10 minutes. Finally, stir in the cream and add the chicken back into the pot.
  6. Close the pressure cooker with the lid.

    If using the Vitavit    : Set the pressure regulator to setting 2, and put your hob on high heat. When the yellow ring appears, reduce the heat to low. Wait until the green ring appears. Then, set a timer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the pressure cooker from the heat, quick release the steam (by carefully pushing the valve with a wooden spoon), and open the lid. 

    If using the Vitaquick: Set your hob to high heat. As soon as the first white ring appears, reduce the heat to low and set a timer for 10 minutes. Remove the pressure cooker from the heat, quick release the steam (by carefully pushing the valve with a wooden spoon), and open the lid.
  7. Season with salt, pepper and 1 pinch of cayenne pepper. Serve with basmati rice or naan. 

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