This authentic and easy Instant Pot chicken curry is a delicious family recipe. The Instant Pot pressure cooker makes the chicken so tender and flavorful! Now you can skip the takeout and make this easy pressure cooker chicken curry recipe at home, from scratch, in no time.
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Serve this chicken curry Instant Pot recipe over Instant Pot Jasmine rice, Instant Pot brown basmati rice, and roasted cauliflower or Instant Pot aloo gobi on the side.
Authentic chicken curry uses individual spices such as cumin, coriander, and turmeric, and not curry powder. This allows each recipe to have unique and custom flavors.
My mom’s chicken drumstick curry with potatoes was the first recipe I wanted to make when I got my Instant Pot. This delicious curry is from the South Indian state of Kerala, and it’s made with chicken and potatoes.
As much as I love the stovetop version (which is amazing!), I love making this chicken curry Instant Pot pressure cooker recipe because it’s so convenient.
Pressure cooking allows the chicken to cook quickly and retain its moisture, resulting in a flavorful and tender chicken curry dish. For another delicious curry-flavored recipe, try my chicken curry soup which can be made in the Instant Pot or stovetop.
Another family recipe (this one from my mother-in-law) is a pork vindaloo Instant Pot version.
Try Another Chicken Curry Instant Pot Recipe…
- Panang Curry is a delicious Thai peanut chicken curry with curry paste, chicken, vegetables, and spices.
- Inspired by Butter Chicken, cashew butter chicken curry is a healthier version with a rich, creamy tomato-based sauce.
- Chicken Tikka Masala is a super easy restaurant-quality creamy chicken curry with a heavenly aroma and taste!
For more chicken recipes, head over to my list of amazing Instant Pot chicken recipes!
❤️ WHY THIS IS THE BEST INSTANT POT CHICKEN CURRY RECIPE
- This is a family recipe, and it’s the real deal – an authentic Indian chicken curry. My recipe is made with potatoes.
- It’s customizable – you can use boneless skinless chicken, omit the potatoes, and add more veggies.
- This Indian chicken curry is healthy and suitable for most diets.
- This is a comforting, hearty recipe that is sure to please curry lovers.
- You can make this curry on a weeknight or for a special occasion.
🧂 Easy Chicken Curry in Instant Pot- Ingredients
- Ghee is great if you can get it. Butter is a good substitute. You can also use vegetable oil or coconut oil. To make homemade ghee, try my Instant Pot ghee recipe.
- Cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and cumin seeds are cooked very briefly. Make sure they don’t burn!
- The spices include coriander powder, turmeric, salt, pepper, and Kashmiri chili powder, which is a less spicy but colorful chili powder. Substitute a smaller amount of cayenne pepper with some paprika for color.
- Garam masala (and all spices, really!) is best when it’s fresh, so if you have some that’s been in you cabinet for a long time, get a fresh batch. The best option is your own homemade garam masala. It smells divine!
- Red onions have a lot of flavor and are typically used in curries. Yellow onions are a very good alternative.
- You can use ginger garlic paste or minced ginger and garlic.
- I like to use tomato paste because my mom uses it. However, you can use fresh or canned tomatoes (drained). Give the tomatoes a quick whirl in a mini food processor or mini blender.
- Chicken thighs work best in the Instant Pot.
- Chicken broth or chicken stock will add more flavor to the curry than just water, and you can use either.
- Potatoes add a heartiness to the curry. I like to use Yukon gold potatoes. To omit, cook the chicken at one stretch for the total time since you don’t need to add the potatoes.
- I love to add plenty of cilantro to garnish.
More details in the recipe card at the bottom of this post
💡 Recipe and Ingredient Tips for Making Perfect Chicken Curry
- I use bone in chicken thighs and drumsticks because they are so flavorful!
- If using boneless whole thighs, pressure cook chicken for 4 minutes and potatoes for 6 minutes for a total of 10 minutes.
- If using cubed chicken, add the chicken pieces and potatoes together and cook for 5 minutes.
- Take the time to get the onions nice and golden brown. It may take some time, but it’s totally worth it! Add a bit of broth to deglaze if you find the onions getting burned in parts, or reduce the saute temperature.
- To save time, I frequently make the onion mixture ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days, till I’m ready to use it.
- Deglaze the Instant Pot really well before adding the broth.
- I like to thicken the gravy with cashew butter or cashews blended into a paste. I also use cream, coconut milk, coconut cream to make a coconut chicken curry.
- For chicken saag, I add in some frozen spinach at the end and let it heat through on Sauté mode.
- The recipe isn’t too spicy. Feel free to add more chili powder.
HOW TO AVOID THE BURN MESSAGE
- Try using boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of bone in chicken.
- Add an extra ¼ to ½ cup of broth or water and make sure the liquid gets to the bottom, below the chicken pieces.
- Deglaze really well, and make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Lower the Saute temperature if you need to.
- Don’t sauté the tomatoes. Instead, add them on top of the chicken, without stirring.
- Place a low trivet in the inner pot and put the chicken pieces on the trivet. This allows the liquid to have full contact with the pot. What is a trivet?
❓ FAQS
Yes, double the recipe without any change to the cooking time. To avoid the burn message, use boneless chicken cut up into 1 to 2 inch pieces. See tips for more details.
Due to the minimal quantity of liquid in this recipe, if you halve the recipe don’t decrease the quantity of liquid – keep it the same – and keep the cooking time the same. At the end you may need to heat the curry in Saute mode to reduce the curry sauce.
Prepare the chicken and potatoes on the stovetop and transfer to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or 3 to 4 hours on high.
📝 How to Make Chicken Curry in the Pressure Cooker (Step by Step Instructions)
- Saute whole spices, onions, and tomatoes.
- Saute spices, add chicken and broth.
- Pressure cook and release pressure.
- Cook potatoes, add cashew butter, and garnish.
Saute Whole Spices, Onions and Tomatoes
- Melt ghee or butter and add cinnamon, cumin seeds, and bay leaves. Stir until fragrant, being careful not to burn, about 30 seconds.
- Add the chopped onions, garlic, and ginger. Saute the onion mixture until it’s a deep golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes. If you find the onions sticking to the bottom, deglaze periodically with a couple of teaspoons of broth or water.
- Add tomato paste mixed with water to the Instant Pot.
- Saute until the tomato is cooked, about 3 minutes. The oil will separate from the tomatoes. If it sticks to the bottom, add a tablespoon of water.
Saute Spice Powders and Add Chicken
- Press Cancel to turn off the Instant Pot. The spices will cook in the residual heat. Add coriander, turmeric, black pepper, chili powder, salt.
- Stir spices until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Deglaze the pot with a tablespoon of water or broth so there’s nothing stuck to the bottom of the inner pot.
- Add the chicken and stir to coat with the spice mixture.
- Add broth or water. Make sure the liquid reaches the bottom of the pot, and gets under the chicken. If needed, place the chicken on a trivet.
Program the Instant Pot and release pressure
- Close the lid.
- Program the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high pressure for 9 minutes.
- The display will go from On to 9:00. The float valve will go up after a few minutes. The display will count down to 00:00.
- Do a quick release of pressure. Once the float valve goes down, the lid can be opened.
Note: If you’re using boneless chicken, pressure cooking instructions will be different. See details in tips or recipe card.
Cook Potatoes, Add Cashew Butter, and Garnish
- Stir in cubed potatoes and garam masala. Pressure cook for another 6 minutes. If you want the potatoes to be more firm, reduce the cook time to 4 minutes.
- Do another quick release of pressure and open the lid.
- Carefully stir in cashew paste or cashew butter to make the chicken curry creamy. Cook chicken curry in Saute mode, stirring occasionally, until desired consistency.
- Press Cancel and transfer the chicken to a serving dish. Garnish the pressure cooker curry chicken with cilantro. Serve with white rice, brown rice, naan, or cauliflower rice.
♨️ Stovetop Directions for Chicken Curry
To make this recipe on the stovetop:
- Saute whole spices.
- Saute onion, garlic, and ginger.
- Saute tomatoes.
- Saute powdered spices.
- Stir in broth, chicken, and potatoes.
- Simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
- Stir in cashew butter, if using.
- Garnish with cilantro.
See the stovetop version of chicken curry for detailed instructions.
Instant Pot Chicken Curry Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon ghee or butter
- 1 bay leaf large
- 2 inch cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 cups onions chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ½ tablespoon coriander powder
- ¾ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ¾ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or cayenne (to taste)
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 3 lbs chicken thighs or drumsticks bone-in, or 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs (whole)
- 2 cups potatoes cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth or water *
- 1 ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoon cashew butter or ground cashews (cashew paste) **
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- In Saute mode, melt ghee or butter. Add cinnamon, cumin seeds and bay leaf and stir till fragrant, being careful not to burn.
- Add onions, garlic and ginger, and saute till deep golden brown, about 7 to 12 minutes. If you find the onions beginning to burn, deglaze with a teaspoon or two of broth.
- Mix tomato paste with 2 tablespoons of water and add to the onions.
- Saute until the tomato is cooked, about 3 minutes. You should notice that the oil starts to separate from the tomato. If it sticks to the bottom, add another tablespoon or two of water.
- Press Cancel to turn off Instant Pot. Otherwise, spices can burn when you add them.
- Add coriander, turmeric, black pepper, chili powder, salt and stir till fragrant.
- Add the chicken pieces to the pot and stir to coat with the spice mixture. Make sure there's nothing stuck on the bottom of the inner pot. This is very important!
- Add chicken broth or water.
- Close the lid and Pressure Cook on High Pressure for 9 minutes. If using boneless chicken thighs, pressure cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
- Do a Quick Release of pressure. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods].
- Open the lid and carefully stir in the cubed potatoes and garam masala. ***
- Close the lid and Pressure Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes. ****
- Do a Quick Release of pressure. Press Cancel.
- Open the lid and add cashew butter, stir the chicken curry and heat through in Saute mode, until thickened. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.
- Press Cancel, sprinkle chicken curry with cilantro and serve with Instant Pot basmati rice, brown rice, bread or naan.
Notes
- * Some people get the Burn message with bone-in chicken, and others don’t. If making the recipe with bone-in chicken, add an extra ¼ cup of broth if you’re prone to getting the burn notice.
- ** Cashew paste is used to thicken the curry. To make cashew paste, blend ¼ to ⅓ cup of cashews with very little water to make a thick paste similar to peanut butter. You can substitute cashew paste with cashew butter. If you prefer a thin curry, omit the thickeners altogether. You could also thicken the curry by cooking down the liquid at the end, in Saute mode.
- *** The garam masala can also be added at the very end when you’re heating through on Saute mode. This makes the flavors bolder.
- **** At 6 minutes, the potatoes cook very well. Reduce the cooking time to 3 minutes for firmer potatoes.
- If you want to use boneless skinless chicken cut into bite-sized pieces, pressure cook both the chicken and potatoes together for 5 minutes on high pressure and do a quick release of pressure. There’s no need to cook the chicken and potatoes in two stages.
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chopped onions, minced garlic, diced chicken, etc
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips, including homemade garam masala.
- To make coconut curry chicken, add ¼ to ½ cup of coconut milk at the very end and heat through.
- To make a rich and creamy curry like butter chicken, add ¼ cup of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of butter at the very end and heat through.
Nutrition
Thank you for visiting Paint the Kitchen Red. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please don’t use any content without prior written permission. If you’ve made this recipe and would like to share it with your friends, please link back to this recipe. Thank you!
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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More Instant Pot Indian Recipes
Sunil Desilva says
I have made this several times and it never fails. Love this recipe!
Neena Panicker says
Hi Sunil, thank you so much for your support through the years! I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe.
Danni says
A question – what changes to be made if using frozen chicken drumsticks?
Looks like a great recipe otherwise..
Neena Panicker says
I don’t think I’ve ever cooked this with frozen chicken. I would add a few more minutes to the cooking time (maybe 2 to 3 more minutes?)
Sunil Desilva says
Wonderful recipe! Thanks as always Neena!
Neena Panicker says
Sunil, thank you for your comment. I appreciate you!
Eileen says
This was delicious! The only change I made (because I like chicken thighs to be fall off the bone tender) was to cook this an additional three minutes. I removed the skin after cooking and served with Jasmine rice (and we wished we had naan to soak up the delicious sauce). Otherwise, no changes here, I’ll try a few more of your recipes!
Neena Panicker says
Eileen, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for commenting.
Flydyl says
Meh. Nothing special. Mine came out with so-so flavours and dry chicken
Neena Panicker says
I’m sorry it didn’t work for you. If you used chicken breasts, they can turn out dry. If it’s too liquidy, that can dilute the flavors.
Pat says
This recipe is not good. You NEVER pressure cook in an instant pot with less than a cup of water. I followed your recipe and got cremated food.
Neena Panicker says
Pat, I’m sorry you had trouble with the recipe. You can add more water to avoid the issue.
anil says
I don’t know how to cook. I just followed your easy instructions and created a delicious chicken curry in very little time. Yum! The local take away is going to lose some business unfortunately. 🙂 Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Anil, bravo! I’m thrilled that you were able to cook this curry easily – thank you taking the time to share.
Anil says
Hey Neena, would a marinade make any difference to this dish?
I’m going to try your Rogan Josh or lamb Biryani next.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Anil, yes you can definitely coat the chicken with a dry rub (same ones used in the recipe) and keep it overnight or a few hours. I’m in the process of updating the biryani recipe to make the instructions more clear, should be done in a couple of days.
Ling says
Can this be done on the stove? If so how long? Does it need more liquid?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Ling, you can make it on the stovetop. This is the original recipe: https://www.paintthekitchenred.com/indian-chicken-curry/ There are a few differences (e.g. mustard seeds and quantity of spice) but almost the same recipe.
M says
Hi Neena, I made this tonight for my husband and brother in law. Let me tell you this curry WAS SO GOOD!!! Thank you 😊
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Wow, thank you so much for those kind words! I’m so happy to hear this – it’s a special recipe!
Annie says
I made a few mistakes but it is still delicious! I didn’t feel well today so I didn’t cook each saute step as long as directed. I ended up adding spinach after turning off the instant pot and just leaving it a few minutes. This is DELICIOUS! Thank you
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you, Annie! I hope you’re feeling better but I’m really glad you enjoyed the recipe!
sb says
Came out tasty!
I used skinless boneless thighs, cooked 5 minutes first section, then 6 minutes with potatoes.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you for taking the time to comment – much appreciated!
Michael says
Question – this recipe looks really good. I am going to use a whole chicken and cut it up. The question is how easy after cooking and cooling will the chicken come off the bone? I like to debone with the chicken after cooking to make eating the curry easier.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Michael, the chicken becomes quite tender with the given times but if you add an extra 2 to 3 minutes, it should be fall-apart consistency. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Michael says
I ended up cooking the chicken for 10 minutes and letting it sit for 10 before pressure release. Worked great. Love your recipe! While it still takes a long time to do everything, using the Instantpot saved a lot of stovetop time. Thanks so much!
Jennifer H says
I just made this tonight and my husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn’t have any cashews so I left the cashew paste out but I found I didn’t need it. It has a nice amount of heat and kick of spice and the flavors were very good. I also added a cup of chopped carrots at the same time as when you add the potatoes and it was nice to have the extra veggies. Thanks for a great recipe, perfect for a cold winter dinner!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Jennifer, I’m glad you like the recipe and thank you for sharing your modifications!
Sofia says
Delicious and easy! As someone new to cooking Indian food this recipe is the only one that has been easy to follow. Loved the result. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you for commenting, Sofia – glad you liked the recipe.
Krista says
Call us crazy but we aren’t big fans of potatoes around here and often substitute them for sweet potatoes – Do you think that would be doable in this recipe?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Krista, my husband much prefers sweet potatoes to potatoes, so I get ya! Sweet potatoes cook much faster so I would cook them for much less time – like 1 or 2 minutes.
Ricky says
This recipe is absolutely perfect! My whole family and friends love this delicious recipe.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Ricky, that thrills me since it’s my very first Instant Pot recipe 🙂
Jeanie says
Very delicious! Will definitely make this again. Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you, Jeanie – I’m so glad you like the recipe!
Dennis J Chmiel says
Are you kidding? I sent this recipe to may printer and was horrified to see that it printed out 14 pages (both sides). That’s just crazy. Will never use this site again, never.
Dennis
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Dennis, I’m sorry to hear that. You can click on ‘Printable recipe card’ from the table of contents and the recipe card has a print button. That gives you the ability to print the recipe card which is only 2 pages long. I’m guessing you were printing the entire blog post.
Kristin says
It’s so good but I get burn notices every time I make this. 🙁 Sometimes it “cooks through” and sometimes it doesn’t. Adding more liquid and scrapping the bottom before setting it to pressure cook doesn’t help.
I keep making it and just “preheat” like three times through and it kinda works anyway.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Kristin, thanks for your comment. I’m surprised that even adding extra liquid doesn’t help. Here’s what I think you might want to try: don’t add the tomato paste until the end and put it on top without stirring in. Another idea is to use cut-up boneless chicken thighs. And pressure cook chicken and potatoes together for 4 to 5 minutes. Also, if I may ask, what model and size IP do you have?
Janet says
This was an excellent dish. I used four large chicken thighs (some fat trimmed off). Total weight was 1 1/2 lbs. The sauce I made just as written because we wanted lots of it for our Naan. You do have to give the IP your full attention during the saute phase, as it will burn quickly. At the end, I used about 1/4 c. of half and half. Can’t wait to have the leftovers for dinner tonight!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Janet, I’m so glad that you liked the recipe and thank you for taking the time to share your tips.
Annie says
If I have the Instant Pot Mini, should I just cut the recipe in half? And if so, do I cut the cooking times in half?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Annie, when you cut a recipe in half, you keep the same cook time. The only thing about this recipe is that it uses a minimal amount of liquid and when you halve that, you might not have enough to bring the Instant Pot to pressure. So add some extra broth. You can also use diced boneless chicken thighs (less chance of a Burn message) and cook chicken and potatoes for 4 to 5 minutes.