Sometimes you want to make a dish, and you think you have all the things, and then dinner rolls around and you look in your fridge…. and you don’t have all the things.

That, my friends, is when you improvise. 

I know improvising on a recipe makes a lot of people nervous.  Especially if they don’t cook a lot.  They worry if they stray even a little bit from what is written on the page they will totally destroy the meal.  I understand that fear but being a slave to a recipe can be boring and exhausting.  It’s ok to experiment a little and make substitutions when needed.

The one exception to this rule: baking.  ALWAYS follow baking recipes to the T because you might actually destroy the outcome if you don’t. 

When I set my mind to making butter chicken and then realized I didn’t have a lot of the things including the most important part, the chicken, I had to switch a few things around to make it work.  I had turkey tenderloin, so that made an appearance.  I was low on ghee (the other main component of the dish), so some leftover bacon grease helped stretch what I had.  And I was completely out of onions, so green onion tops came to the rescue.

Is it a traditional butter chicken?  Nope.  But it was a mighty tasty meal and one that my husband told me I could make again.  That is always a good thing in my book.  So if you want to give my non-butter chicken a try, let me know what you think!

Instant Pot Butter Turkey- serves 5-6 

Calories: 318 Total Fat: 16.07 g Carbs: 4.34 g Fiber: 1.9 g Protein: 39.46 g

• 1 pound turkey tenderloin, cut into strips
• 1/4 cup green onion tops, sliced
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 2 oz ghee
• 2 oz bacon grease OR lard (or you could use 4 oz ghee)
• chopped cilantro, optional topping

1. Place the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, water, and all the spices in a blender and combine until smooth.  Set aside.
2. Turn on the saute function on the Instant Pot.  Add a little olive or coconut oil and sear the turkey tenderloin pieces.  Add the green onion tops and pour the tomato sauce over the turkey.
3. Cancel the saute function and put the lid on the pot.  Make sure the valve is turned to sealing and pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.  Once done, natural release for 10 minutes and then quick release any remaining pressure.
4. Remove the turkey pieces to a large bowl.  Turn on the saute function again and add the ghee, lard/bacon grease (if using), and the coconut milk.  Stir and keep at a low bubble.
5. Shred the turkey pieces and return to the Instant Pot.  Stir and let everything cook for another few minutes.  Serve over rice, Coconut Garam Masala Cauliflower Rice, pasta, or spinach like I did!  Top with chopped cilantro if wanted.