Butter Chicken Soup in the Instant Pot

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This warming recipe has all the great taste of your favorite Butter Chicken but in the form of a cozy soup made right in your Instant Pot. Loaded with tender chicken, rice and potatoes, this Butter Chicken Soup is topped with crunchy chickpeas, greek yogurt and a spicy cilantro puree.

If you haven’t noticed, I love to turn classic recipes on their head and create fresh new ways to enjoy them. This new, Butter Chicken Soup is no exception. Butter chicken is probably one of my favorite foods to order when out at an Indian restaurant and I loved the idea of modifying the recipe to turn it into a soup. I know what you’re thinking, isn’t Butter Chicken already kinda…soupy?! Yes. Butter Chicken is known for having a super saucy consistency. However, this soup recipe thins out the sauce a bit and cooks the chicken with a variety of vegetables and rice in a single pot. In fact, it’s made right in an Instant Pot so it’s even easier!

Two Garnishes that Make this Soup Special

Spicy Cilantro Puree

What makes this recipe extra tasty are the garnishes. They not only make a bowl of this soup look beautiful, but they add extra flavor, spice and texture to the dish. First up is a spicy cilantro puree. This is my version of a classic Indian Green Chutney. Made with fresh cilantro, basil, lime juice and jalapenos, a little bit of this punchy sauce goes a long way. I like that it really lets each person doctor their bowl of soup up to their preferred level of spiciness.

Curry-Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

The other key garnish to this soup is curry-spiced roasted chickpeas. It just seemed wrong to put soup crackers on this Butter Chicken Soup. It was just begging for something special to give this recipe a little crunch. Roasted chickpeas were a natural solution. I jazzed these up with some curry powder and garam masala to add even more flavor to this dish. If you don’t want to make your own, feel free to buy your favorite store-bought crispy chickpeas. I recommend Saffron Road’s Bombay Spice Crunchy Chickpeas. They’re perfect with this soup.

How to Make Butter Chicken Soup

Making this soup couldn’t be easier. I love that it can be ready in about an hour and is made in the Instant Pot for super quick clean up. Here’s how to make this Butter Chicken Soup in six simple steps.

Step 1: Chop & Saute Vegetables

Begin by chopping and dicing all of the vegetables. Then, with the Instant Pot on its saute setting, cook the onions and carrots for 4-5 minutes until softened. Next, add the potatoes, tomato paste, garlic, ginger and dried spices. Stir to combine.

Step 2: Add Broth, Chicken and Rice

To the instant pot, add the vegetable (or chicken) broth long with the chicken breasts. Add the uncooked jasmine rice to the Instant Pot.

Cooking Tip: I recommend not stirring the ingredients together once you add the rice to the Instant Pot. In testing, I found that the rice had a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pot and would cause a “burn” error. By adding the rice last and letting it sit on top of the vegetables and chicken you can bypass this issue. Just make sure the rice is fully submerged under the broth.

Step 3: Cook

Put the lid on the Instant Pot, lock it and close the steam valve completely. Using the manual setting, set the pressure to “normal” and put 12 minutes on the timer. It will take the machine 10-15 minutes to pressurize.

Step 4: Roast the Chickpeas

While the soup cooks, roast the chickpeas. Rinse and drain the canned chickpeas and then pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Drizzle with olive oil and then season with the spices. Toss to coat the chickpeas evenly and then arrange in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the chickpeas into a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Then toss the chickpeas gently and roast for an additional 15-20 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. The chickpeas will crisp up as they cool.

Step 5: Make the Cilantro Puree

While the chickpeas roast and soup cooks, make the spicy cilantro puree. In a food processor, combine the cilantro, basil, lime juice, zest, jalapeno peppers and olive oil. Puree until smooth and then transfer to a bowl for serving.

Tip: If you want your puree to be thinner, add additional olive oil and/or lime juice until the desired consistency is reached.

Step 6: Shred the Chicken

When cooking time on the instant pot has completed, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then open the pressure valve to realese any remaining steam. remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board and shred using two forks into large bite-sized pieces. Return the shredded chicken to the instant pot and stir everything together.

Step 7: Add Remaining Ingredients and Serve

To finish the soup, set the machine back to sauté and bring it to a simmer. Add the coconut milk, yogurt, butter and peas and stir till everything is well-combined and the butter is melted. Let cook for 3-5 minutes until the peas are tender.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the cilantro puree and roasted chickpeas. I also like to top each bowl with additional yogurt, sliced jalapeños and fresh chopped cilantro for extra color and flavor.

I hope this soup warms your soul when the weather is chilly. If you try this soup, please give the recipe and rating and leave me a comment below with your thoughts. I would also love to see your kitchen creations so snap a photo and tag me on social media—it’s @frydaeblog and #frydaeblog absolutely everywhere!  Thanks so much for visiting and I hope you enjoy. Happy Frydae!

Want More Instant Pot Meals?

Try this Cabernet Braised Pot Roast Rigatoni or this tasty Red Pepper Chicken Puttanesca next.