In the world of keto, where fats are friends and carbs are carefully counted, finding a dish that’s both comforting and compliant can be a challenge. The ketogenic diet is a low carb, high fat diet that many people use for weight loss. The diet restricts high carb foods like grains, bread, starchy vegetables, fruits, and desserts, allowing your body to burn fat for fuel instead. If you follow this eating pattern, aim to limit your carb intake to 20-50 grams per day and get around 60% of your daily calories from fat (1). To achieve this, it’s helpful to have some tasty and easy keto-friendly recipes on hand. Cooking keto is great and all, but sometimes you just do not have the time to make a complicated meal. That is where pressure cookers and slow cookers come in really handy.
Using an Instant Pot, which is a combined pressure cooker and slow cooker, is an easy and quick way to make keto dishes. Getting to use fun cooking gadgets without having to spend a ton of time in the kitchen is a win for everyone. There are several Instant Pot® options, and the best one depends on how you’re going to use it. I have the Instant Pot® IP-DUO60, but each of the models has something great to offer. Many recipes can easily be adapted to be used in a pressure/slow cooker even if they weren’t originally designed for it.
Keto Butter Chicken
This Keto Instant Pot Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani) is a recipe Melinda and I have been working on for a while. Whenever we have a girls’ night out, you’ll find us at our favorite Indian restaurant with an order of vegetable samosas, butter chicken, and garlic naan. With the start of the new year, we wanted an Instant Pot version of our favorite dinner, AND we wanted it to be low carb and keto (bye, bye vegetable samosas and garlic naan! Keto Butter Chicken is a low-carb dish made in the Instant Pot to give you perfectly tender chicken and a rich, creamy sauce flavored with warm, aromatic spices. This Indian butter chicken recipe is naturally low carb so we didn’t have to make any major changes changes.
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs - We use boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces. This gives you a flavorful, tender piece of chicken with a good balance of fat and protein. The short answer is yes, BUT the dark meat gives this recipe so much more flavor, and it is even more moist and tender. It also helps keep your macro ratios of fat to protein in check.
- Tomato - Both tomato sauce (make sure it has no added sugar) and tomato paste make up the base of this sauce.
- Curry - Red curry paste is made with a blend of warm, aromatic spices. It gives a big boost of flavor. That being said every curry has it’s own makeup so the level of spice will be affected by the level of spicy in the red curry paste you choose. If you want to add a little extra spice you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper. In general butter chicken isn’t a spicy dish. It has a low level of heat with a lot of warm spices that give you a rich flavor.
- Spices - Any Indian-inspired dish requires some bold spices. Garam masala, ground ginger, smoked paprika, and salt take the sauce to the next level.
- Aromatics - Onion and garlic are sauteed with the chicken to add a depth of flavor.
- Fats - Butter and heavy cream are added to the sauce to give it that rich, creamy flavor and silky smooth texture.
- Chicken broth - A little chicken broth thins out the sauce and helps to thin the sauce and ensure that you don’t get the dreaded Instant Pot burn warning.
- Cilantro - This is simply a garnish. If you aren’t a fan of cilantro feel free to skip it.
Instructions
- Saute: Set your Instant Pot to SAUTE. Add the butter, onion and garlic. Saute for approximately 5 minutes until the onions are tender.
- Broth: Add the chicken broth and use a spatula or spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to get up all of the little browned bits. This will help reduce the likelihood of the burn warning.
- Add the rest: Add the chicken, tomato sauce, tomato paste, red curry paste, garam masala, ground ginger, salt, and smoked paprika to the Instant Pot.
- Cook: Lock the lid in place and turn the pressure valve to seal it. Set to HIGH PRESSURE for 7 minutes.
- Natural release: When the timer goes off turn the Instant Pot off and let it do a natural release for 5 minutes. Then carefully flip the valve to VENTING to let the remaining steam out of the pressure cooker.
- Remove chicken: Remove the lid and using a slotted spoon remove the chicken from the sauce and set aside.
- Add cream: Add the heavy cream to the pot and, using an immersion blender puree the sauce until smooth. You can skip the immersion blender if you don’t have one, it just gives the sauce a smoother texture.
- Thicken sauce: Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE and stir the sauce while simmering for 7-10 minutes, or until it thickens. Turn OFF saute. Though a lot of recipes add cornstarch to thicken their butter chicken sauce, it isn’t necessary. Setting your Instant Pot to saute after it has finished pressure cooking will thicken the sauce up perfectly!
- Put it all together: Add the chicken back to the sauce and stir everything together.
- Serve: Add the chicken back to the sauce, stir together, and serve with a garnish of cilantro.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Let the butter chicken cool completely then place in an airtight container. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- Freezer: Let the butter chicken cool completely then place it in an airtight container. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: When reheating, do so gently on the stove or in the microwave, adding a little extra cream or butter to revive the sauce’s creamy texture. Note: If you are reheating frozen keto butter chicken we suggest letting it thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator before reheating. This will make the reheating process faster and give you the best results.
Keto Instant Pot Crack Chicken
Keto Instant Pot Crack Chicken is my ultimate quick and easy dinner. When you are craving easy cheesy comfort food, it doesn't get any better than this Instant Pot Crack Chicken keto-style! It is quick to make and even quicker to disappear. Chicken is perfectly seasoned, coated in a creamy cheese sauce, and topped with crispy bacon. It is perfect served with a green salad, zucchini noodles, or over cauliflower rice.
Ingredients
- Bacon: Make sure you read the label and choose a sugar-free brand.
- Chicken broth
- Cream cheese
- Parsley
- Dill
- Chives
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- Grated cheese
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to high saute and add the bacon to the pot. Cook until the bacon is crispy. Remove from the pot.
- Add the chicken broth to the pot and then the chicken.
- Place the cream cheese on top of the chicken and then sprinkle with the parsley, dill, chives, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set to seal. Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes.
- Do an instant release. Remove the chicken from the pot and use forks to shred.
- Stir the cream sauce and add the cheese to the pot. Place the lid back on the pot and allow it to sit until the cheese melts. Stir again.
Tips
- This recipe is really rich, so a little goes a long way. I like to serve it with a simple side salad or over cauliflower rice.
- Adjusting the Consistency of The Sauce: If you would like a thicker sauce, you can add ½ teaspoon of xanthan gum to the cheese sauce before returning the chicken and bacon to the pot.
- Chicken Choices: Feel free to make this recipe with chicken thighs. I haven't found adjusting the time is necessary.
Storage
Yes, it is a great recipe to keep on hand in the freezer. I recommend dividing it into individual portions and freezing it for up to three months.
Read also: Mediterranean Diet, Instant Pot Style
Other Instant Pot Keto Recipes
Here are 14 keto recipes you can make in an Instant Pot.
- Instant Pot breakfast casserole with sausage: Considering you can throw together eggs, meat, and cheese in no time, it’s incredibly easy to make a keto breakfast in the Instant Pot. This breakfast casserole with sausage is ready in 35 minutes and requires only 4 ingredients. It makes 6 servings and contains less than 1 gram of carbs per serving. Plus, eggs are an excellent food to enjoy at breakfast. They’re loaded with filling protein and provide several nutrients, including choline, which is vital for brain and nervous system health (2).
- Instant Pot sous vide egg bites: If you’re not a morning person or need to eat breakfast on the go, make these low carb egg bites in your Instant Pot. They’re freezer-friendly and easy to reheat. Made with eggs, cream, cheese, and bacon, each bite provides only 1 gram of carbs and 11 grams of protein. You can modify the recipe to include non-starchy vegetables like broccoli or bell peppers. This adds a good dose of vitamin C and fiber, which can aid digestive health (3).
- Instant Pot cheesy buffalo chicken lettuce wraps: Buffalo sauce and chicken is a winning culinary combo, and lettuce wraps are a great way to enjoy this duo on the keto diet. With the help of the Instant Pot, you can have perfectly cooked buffalo chicken in under 30 minutes. Pile it on top of crunchy romaine leaves, and your low carb lunch is ready to serve. The recipe makes four servings, each of which has 2 grams of net carbs. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting the grams of fiber from the total carb count. They’re typically used to add up daily carbs on a keto diet.
- Instant Pot low carb taco soup: Enjoy all of the best flavors of tacos in soup form - without the high carb tortillas. Low carb taco soup is made with ground beef, cream cheese, and cream, making it a filling, keto-friendly lunch option. It even has some veggies in the form of diced tomatoes and chili peppers. Making taco soup in the Instant Pot reduces the cooking time and yields enough for the entire family. Each serving has 7 grams of net carbs. What’s more, beef has an abundance of nutrients, including vitamin B12, which supports a healthy nervous system (5).
- Low carb Instant Pot egg roll bowls: If you love take-out egg rolls, try making deconstructed egg rolls in a bowl in the Instant Pot. They boast similar flavors but aren’t deep fried. Plus, they can fit into a keto diet. These low carb Instant Pot egg roll bowls can be made in advance for easy lunches throughout the week, with each bowl containing only 8 grams of net carbs. This recipe is also loaded with veggies, including cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, and green onions, all of which provide fiber. Eating more fiber can help reduce constipation, a common side effect of the keto diet (1).
- Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi: With ingredients like white wine, garlic, and lemon juice, it’s flavorful and keto-friendly. Each serving has 7 grams of net carbs. Shrimp is a nutritious lean protein that’s great to use in keto meals. It contains healthy fats and is a good source of selenium, an essential mineral that protects your body from oxidative damage that can otherwise contribute to disease (6).
- Instant Pot lemon-dill salmon and asparagus: Fish is a healthy protein source to enjoy on the keto diet, and the Instant Pot can cook most types of fish in minutes. With only 10 minutes of cooking time, this keto-friendly salmon and asparagus recipe is sure to be a winning meal on busy nights. It yields 4 servings, each with 5 grams of total carbs and 3 grams of net carbs. Eating more salmon has health benefits, too. Salmon is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and omega 3 fatty acids that may help prevent heart disease (7).
- Instant Pot chicken and mushrooms: Creamy chicken and mushrooms is a comforting and satisfying meal, and it can be on the table in just 30 minutes with the help of the Instant Pot. The ingredients in this Instant Pot chicken and mushrooms meal are basic yet delicious - and low in carbs. The recipe makes 6 servings, which is ideal for feeding the whole family, and each serving has under 3 grams of carbs. Plus, mushrooms provide important nutrients, including B vitamins that assist with energy metabolism in your body. They also contain several beneficial compounds that may protect against cancer and other diseases (8).
- Keto pot roast: Pot roast is typically a time-intensive dish, but with the Instant Pot, you can prepare a keto-friendly roast in about an hour. This keto pot roast features tender beef chuck, which is high in fat and protein, paired with a variety of non-starchy veggies. The recipe yields 8 servings, each of which has only 3 grams of net carbs. The veggies - zucchini, cauliflower, onions, celery, and peppers - provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Radishes, which contain compounds that may have antidiabetic effects, take the place of potatoes (9). Here is another great keto pot roast recipe if you like to experiment with different versions.
- Instant Pot sour cream pork chops: The Instant Pot makes it incredibly easy to cook perfect pork chops in no time. That’s one reason why these sour cream pork chops are a great option for a quick dinner on busy nights. Sour cream contributes additional fat and a tangy, creamy flavor, helping keep the net carbs at 5 grams per serving. Besides being an excellent source of protein, pork provides a variety of micronutrients. It’s one of the best dietary sources of thiamine, a water-soluble B vitamin necessary for extracting energy from food (10).
- Keto Instant Pot blueberry muffins: While snack foods are often associated with carbs, you can still enjoy delicious snacks on a keto diet. These Instant Pot blueberry muffins use coconut flour and erythritol, a sugar alcohol that’s subtracted from the total fiber content, to keep the carb content low. Each muffin has only 2 grams of net carbs, making them a perfect keto treat to enjoy between meals. Blueberries are one of the few keto-friendly fruits, provided you eat them in small portions. What’s more, eating blueberries is linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes (11).
- Instant Pot keto spinach artichoke dip: Spinach artichoke dip is typically made with high fat ingredients, and with a few tweaks, it can fit into a keto eating plan. Artichokes contain an abundance of health-promoting compounds known as polyphenols, which may help protect against heart disease (12, 13). Instant Pot spinach artichoke dip takes only 25 minutes to prepare and yields 10 servings, each of which has 6 grams of net carbs. Serve this dip with low carb veggies, such as cauliflower florets.
- Instant Pot keto cheesecake: On the keto diet, you can still have your cake and eat it too. Instant Pot cheesecake, made with high fat, keto-friendly ingredients, is a decadent sweet treat. It’s hard to believe that each slice has only 8 grams of net carbs. While this recipe is to be enjoyed in moderation, it still has some nutritional value. The dairy products contribute calcium, potassium, and vitamin A.
- Instant Pot keto English muffin: The keto-friendly Instant Pot possibilities don’t stop at meals and snacks, as you can also use this multicooker to make keto-friendly bread. These keto English muffins are made with cream cheese, butter, eggs, coconut flour, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings. Each muffin has about 4 grams of net carbs. To make a nutritious meal or snack, top a muffin with smashed avocado and hard-boiled eggs. The avocado will provide heart-healthy fats and fiber, while the eggs contribute satisfying protein.
Read also: Flavorful Keto Pot Roast
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