This authentic Indian Instant Pot chicken curry is a delicious family recipe. Made with bone-in chicken, the Instant Pot cooks up tender chicken with lots of flavor. Now you can skip takeout and make this easy chicken curry recipe at home, from scratch in no time.
[August 2018 Update: After receiving comments and suggestions from readers, I’ve recently tweaked this Instant Pot Indian Chicken Curry recipe. The pressure cooking time for chicken before adding potatoes has been reduced from 15 minutes to 9 minutes. This is assuming you’re cooking the dish as written, with potatoes added to the chicken and pressure cooked an additional 6 minutes. The recipe has been tested with the changes!]
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Tips
– One of the changes I made for the Instant Pot version is to use bone-in chicken. I feel that bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks cook so well and quickly in the Instant Pot, and are so flavorful.
If you’d like to use whole boneless chicken, you can reduce the chicken cooking time to 10 minutes total. If you want to cut up the chicken, you can cook the potatoes and chicken together for 5 minutes.
– The other change I made was that I added a thickener at the end, because the curry was not thick enough for my taste. The Instant Pot allows dishes to cook with hardly any water loss, so the end result is not as thick as when cooked on the stove.
You might like it just fine, so feel free to omit this step. You can thicken the Instant Pot chicken curry in one of two ways: either by cooking down the liquid in saute mode at the end, or by adding a thickener.
I chose to add ground up cashew nuts, which I do with the stove-top version also. This is a trick my mom taught me. You can add coconut milk, coconut cream, heavy cream or purchased cashew butter, if you prefer.
– Before beginning pressure cooking, make sure you deglaze the inner pot so there’s nothing stuck to the bottom or you can have trouble with the Instant Pot pressurizing.
– I sometimes like my potatoes be firm and so I reduce the second pressure cooking time to 3 minutes. The chicken is cooked just fine.
– If possible, use a homemade garam masala, preferably ground fresh. If you don’t have your own garam masala, here’s a quick recipe:
- 1 1/2 tsp whole cloves (1 tsp powdered)
- 2 inch piece of cinnamon stick (1 tsp powdered)
- 30 cardamom pods (1 tsp powdered)
- 1/4 nutmeg (1/2 tsp powdered)
- 1 tsp fennel seeds (1 tsp powdered)
- 2 pieces star anise (1 tsp powdered)
Grind in a coffee grinder or mix powders together and store in a cool dry place. The aroma is heavenly!!
If you enjoy Indian food, you can try my other Instant Pot Indian recipes like Instant Pot Indian Beef Curry and Instant Pot Aloo Gobi | Indian Cauliflower with Potatoes.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Quick Start Guide or the Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to make Instant Pot Indian Chicken Curry.
Instant Pot Chicken Curry Ingredients
Instant Pot Chicken Curry Step-by-Step guide
- Press ‘Saute’.
- Melt butter and add cinnamon, cumin seeds and bay leaves and stir till fragrant, being careful not to burn.
- Add onions, garlic and ginger, and saute till golden brown, about 7 minutes.
- Add tomato paste mixture to the Instant Pot and stir.
- Saute until tomato paste is cooked, about 3 minutes. If it sticks to the bottom, add a tablespoon or two of water.
- Press ‘Cancel’ to turn Instant Pot off, otherwise spices can burn.
- Add coriander, turmeric, black pepper, cayenne, salt and stir till fragrant.
- Deglaze the pot with water or broth so there’s nothing stuck to the bottom of the inner pot.
- Press Saute again to turn on Instant Pot.
- Add chicken pieces, stir to coat with spice mixture.
- Add 1/2 cup water.
- Close Instant Pot Lid, and make sure steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Press ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’ and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘9’ (9 minutes).
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down from 9 to 0; it will switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0;00’.
- Do a Quick Release: move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’. I like to place a folded towel over the steam release handle and move it to the venting position. Remove the towel after turning the knob.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
- Add cubed potatoes and garam masala to Instant Pot.
- Close Instant Pot Lid and make sure steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Press ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’ and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘6’ (6 minutes).
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down from 6 to 0; it will switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0;00’.
- Do a Quick Release of steam.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Open Instant Pot and add cashew paste to the Instant Pot chicken curry and stir to combine.
- Press ‘Saute’ and heat through.
- Turn off Instant Pot, sprinkle Instant Pot Indian chicken curry with cilantro and serve with rice, bread or naan.
Instant Pot Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter or ghee
- 1 large bay leaf
- 2 inch cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 cups onions chopped fine
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp minced ginger
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 Tbsp coriander powder
- 3/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp Kashmiri chili powder or cayenne (or to taste)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 3 lbs chicken thighs or drumsticks bone-in
- 2 cups potato cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup water or chicken broth
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 2 Tbsp cashew paste **
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In 'Saute' mode, melt 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 golden brown, about 7 minutes.
- Add tomato paste mixed with 2 Tbsp water and stir.
- Saute until tomato paste is cooked, about 3 minutes. 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, cayenne, salt and stir till fragrant.
- In 'Saute' mode, add chicken pieces and stir to coat with spice mixture.
- Add 1/2 cup water or chicken broth and cook in 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' mode for 9 minutes. (Make sure steam release handle is in Sealing position)
- Do a Quick Release.
- Add cubed potatoes and garam masala to chicken and stir gently.
- Cook in 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' mode for 6 minutes. (Make sure steam release handle is in Sealing position)
- Do a Quick Release.
- Add cashew paste, stir the chicken curry and heat through in 'Saute' mode.
- Turn off Instant Pot, sprinkle chicken curry with cilantro and serve with Instant Pot basmati rice, bread or naan.
Notes
- Recipe has been modified to pressure cook the chicken for 9 minutes rather than 15 minutes before adding the potatoes for a further 6 minutes.
- At 6 minutes, the potatoes cook very well. You can reduce the cooking time to 3 minutes for firmer potatoes.
- ** To make cashew paste, blend 1/4 to 1/3 cup cashews with water to make a thick (like peanut butter) paste. Substitute cashew paste with cashew butter or heavy cream or coconut cream. You can also thicken the curry by cooking down the liquid at the end, in 'Saute' mode. If you prefer a thin curry, you can omit the thickener altogether.
- 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.
Nutrition
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.
If you loved this recipe, please give it a 5 Star rating in the comment section below and/or share on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you!
You might also like to try:
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| Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala | Instant Pot Chicken Curry Soup | Instant Pot Biryani |
Stephanie
This was delicious! My husband said it’s just like his uncle’s chicken in India. I didn’t have any potatoes but didn’t miss them. I added a little extra of all of the spices as we like things flavourful.
Paint the Kitchen Red
That’s wonderful to hear, Stephanie! Thank you for the comment.
Barbara
This has been my go to chicken curry recipe for the past 6 months and we have one every week! Tbe whole family love it and I’ve recommended it to many friend with great feedback. It never fails, has such a wonderful authentic taste and is so easy to prepare, much nicer than resturant varieties. I haven’t tried it but wonder if this recipe could be used for lamb instead of chicken or would otther spices be needed. Anyway great cooking and thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you so much, Barbara! I love sharing my family recipes with y’all! I use this base recipe for mattar paneer, shrimp… but haven’t made lamb. I feel it would taste great. I normally cook stew-sized lamb pieces for about 15 minutes and feel a natural release is best. So for the potatoes, either omit or add some pan-fried potatoes in at the end. Or turn on saute mode and add some chopped spinach at the end.
Linda
This was just absolutely delicious!! The flavor was authentic and total comfort food!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks Linda! I just finished leftovers last night – I feel this curry tastes even better the next day or later 🙂
Sreelekha Sashidhar
Tried the recipe and loved it!
Reminded me of mom’s chicken curry:)
Paint the Kitchen Red
Sreelekha, so great to hear from you! I’m so glad you tried it out 🙂 I just made this recipe 2 days ago – one of those standbys that I can make now with my eyes closed. Probably the only one that I don’t need to look at the recipe for! Yes, but nothing compares to mom making it for you, right?!
Beth
This may sound dumb, but where’s the actual curry in this recipe?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Beth, no dumb questions on this blog – you’re probably asking something someone else is thinking of too 🙂 So, in Indian cooking, the word “curry” generally refers to a dish with gravy. When the British colonists left India, they wanted to take back a spice mix that would replicate the flavor of the curries in Indian and that was the origin of “curry powder” which is sometimes referred to as “curry” in the west. Every Indian household has different spice combinations that are similar to the spices in this recipe, with some dishes having fewer and other dishes have more spices. In India, it is rare to use a generic curry powder. Hope that helps explain things!
Pete
My go to curry recipe for pressure cooking – love it. Normally add a couple of extras like mustard seeds and whole dried chilies. Love the cashew cream.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you so much for your comment, Pete! Wait up – a similar, yet different (!) curry is coming up next week. I love it and hope you’ll try it out 🙂
Jeff
I appreciate the details and pictures for the instant pot! I will be trying this recipe tonight :D. Very thorough walk through!!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hope you enjoy it, Jeff!
Nat
Hello! Just bought my first IP today and I’m excited to make YOUR recipe my first 🙂 I got all the lingos and know I can get garam masala at Sprouts… one question, what’s deglazing??? I grew up eating Japanese curry (inspired by Indian curry… potatoes and all!!) and I now cook it for my husband and kids. Our fave dish. Hands down. But I’m going to put on my big girl pants and try your recipe and cook curry from scratch! (Japanese curry is made from curry paste cubes/bouillon)
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hey Nat, deglazing is when you add small amounts of clear liquid like water or broth to a hot stainless steel pan and scrape to incorporate all the brown and crusty bits into the liquid and have them become part of the sauce. If you don’t do this, the Instant Pot sensors can have trouble sensing the contents of the inner pot and you can get the ‘Burn’ error. Hope you like the recipe.