Instant Pot Chicken Curry
A very pleasantly inviting authentic Indian chicken recipe, this chicken curry is made in an Instant pot and requires only 5 minutes of pressure cooking! A comforting dish that's full of warm spices. Pairs perfectly when served with rice or with a piece of naan.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 323kcal
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 5 cloved garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 (13.6 ounce can) unsweetened coconut milk, full fat
- 1 (14.5 ounce can) fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1.5 Tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Start off by cutting the chicken breasts into 1-½ inch cubes.
- Place the meat in a gallon-sized Ziplock bag and add in the curry powder, chili powder, white pepper, garam masala, and salt. Seal the bag and mix well to combine ensuring that each piece has been evenly seasoned with spice rub. Set aside.
- Turn the instant pot to "Saute" mode. Pour in the olive oil and allow it get hot, about 3-4 minutes. Add the chopped onions, garlic, and ginger to the hot oil and saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the seasoned chicken and saute for 5-7 minutes, ensuring you move them around at least once. Once browned, remove and set aside.
- Next, add in the coconut milk, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and can of fire-roasted tomatoes. Stir until well combined.
- Add the seasoned chicken back in and stir until combined. Turn it off by selecting Cancel. Securely place the lid, ensuring the vent is closed.
- Select the Manual mode and set it to cook for 5 minutes on high pressure. After 5 minutes, do a quick release and when the pin drops, remove the lid. The chicken curry sauce will be very liquidy. To thicken, remove ½ cup of the sauce and place it in a small bowl. Add 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch to the sauce and whisk until combined.
- Set the Instant Pot back to the Saute mode. Slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture and whisk constantly until the the sauce thickens. Once the desired consistency has been met, you are ready to serve.
Notes
- I find it easier to mix the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl before pouring them in the plastic bag. This will help provide more of an even spread.
- Using a spatula, scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any drippings from the bottom. Those loosened drippings provide a lot of flavor to the dish!
- I used chicken breasts in this recipe but you can substitute thighs if you prefer.
- Using shrimp instead of chicken is also a great choice. Shrimp curry is quite tasty and only requires a 3 minute pressure cook.
- I often get asked how long I need to pressure cook the chicken for this recipe. It only takes 5 minutes to pressure cook. That may like a short cook time but remember, it takes the Instant Pot a bit of time to reach the high pressure status before it will start the 5 minute countdown.
- If your Instant Pot is prone to getting a burn notice, make sure you do a thorough job of scraping the dripping from the bottom of the pot.
Nutrition
Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 892mg | Potassium: 933mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 157IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 2mg