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Instant Pot Chicken Curry

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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 at home, from scratch in no time.

Indian Instant Pot chicken curry with potatoes with cilantro on top in white bowl on straw placemat

[August 2018 Update: After receiving comments and suggestions from readers, I’ve recently tweaked this 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!]

If I had to pick my favorite Instant Pot Indian recipe, this is it!  For those of you who’ve been following my blog, you might remember my mom’s Indian chicken curry (stovetop) recipe.  As much as I love that recipe,  I also love the Instant Pot version of Indian chicken curry and so does everyone I share it with – it’s comfort food; just add some rice or naan and that’s a meal right there.

One of the first dishes I wanted to try out when I first got my Instant Pot was my mom’s Indian chicken curry.  If you’re looking for a delicious Instant Pot Indian recipe that’s sure to please, you’ve found it!  Many people who’ve only had Indian food in a restaurant may be surprised to see Indian chicken curry with potatoes.  But potatoes are a common addition to chicken curry made in Indian kitchens.  Give it a try!

Adapting family favorite recipes to the Instant Pot is easy enough if you can figure out the amount of water and the time to cook. Sometimes I get it on the first try and sometimes I have to tweak it a bit.  My ever-patient family sometimes has to eat the same thing a few days in a row! But you’re lucky, because we’re doing the research and you get to try out the tested recipe.

Anyone who loves Indian curry recipes is going to love this Instant Pot Indian chicken curry recipe.  My favorite way to eat this Indian chicken curry is with rice and papadum (thin crisp wafers).  I like to crumble the papadum into the rice and curry!

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 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.

– If possible, use a homemade garam masala, preferably ground fresh.   If you don’t have your own garam masala, here’s a quick way:

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.

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Instant Pot Chicken Curry Ingredients

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Ingredients 1 collage - butter, cinnamon, bay leaves, cumin seeds, spices, salt, garam masala Instant Pot Chicken Curry Ingredients 2 - onions, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, chicken, water, potatoes, cilantro

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Step-by-Step guide

Indian Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps 1 collage - saute, cinnamon bay leaves cumin in ghee, onion garlic ginger

  • 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.

 

Indian Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps 2 - tomato paste, cancel, added spices

  • 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.

 

Indian Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps 3 -saute, added chicken, broth

  • Press Saute again to turn on Instant Pot.
  • Add chicken pieces, stir to coat with spice mixture.
  • Add 1/2 cup water.

 

Instant Pot Duo Manual mode 9 minutes collage - close lid, press manual, press - or +, display shows 9 - Paint the Kitchen Red

  • 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).

 

Indian Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps 5 collage - On, float valve up, L0:00

  • 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’.

 

Indian Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps 6 collage - towel used to turn steam release handle, float valve down, open instant pot with cooked chicken

  • 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.

Indian Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps 7 collage - open added potatoes, close lid, manual, 6 minutes

  • 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).

 

Indian Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps 5 collage - On, float valve up, L0:00

  • 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’.

 

Indian Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps 8 collage - use towel to turn steam release handle, float valve down, open added blended cashews, saute

  • 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.

 

Indian Instant Pot Chicken Curry Finished in open Instant Pot with cilantro on top

  • Turn off Instant Pot, sprinkle Instant Pot Indian chicken curry with cilantro and serve with rice, bread or naan.

Instant Pot Indian Chicken Curry in a white bowl on a straw background; garnished with chopped cilantro

Instant Pot Chicken Curry

This Indian Instant Pot chicken curry is flavorful and creamy and is sure to please any Indian Curry lover.

Print
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 321 kcal
Author Paint the Kitchen Red

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. Add tomato paste mixed with 2 Tbsp water and stir.
  3. Saute until tomato paste is cooked, about 3 minutes. If it sticks to the bottom, add another tablespoon or two of water.
  4. Press 'Cancel' to turn off Instant Pot, otherwise spices can burn when you add them.
  5. Add coriander, turmeric, black pepper, cayenne, salt and stir till fragrant.
  6. In 'Saute' mode, add chicken pieces and stir to coat with spice mixture.
  7. 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)
  8. Do a Quick Release.
  9. Add cubed potatoes and garam masala to chicken and stir gently.
  10. Cook in 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' mode for 6 minutes. (Make sure steam release handle is in Sealing position)
  11. Do a Quick Release.
  12. Add cashew paste, stir the chicken curry and heat through in 'Saute' mode.
  13. Turn off Instant Pot, sprinkle chicken curry with cilantro and serve with Instant Pot basmati rice, bread or naan.

Recipe 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.
  • ** 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 Facts
Instant Pot Chicken Curry
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 321 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g 34%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 125mg 42%
Sodium 670mg 28%
Total Carbohydrates 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 3g
Protein 19g 38%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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!

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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 skip the takeout and make this easy and quick chicken curry at home, from scratch. #instantpot #chickencurry #indian #curry
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hi Neena,

    First, it’s so lovely to see how active people are here in sending questions, and how active you are in replying to them. This is my first time on your blog and I’m really touched by the community engagement on display!

    Second, I’m curious whether you prefer to chop the chicken pieces or leave them whole, and if you remove the bone when serving. I’ve cooked with bone-in chicken, but only in instances where I’ll be shredding the chicken off the bone. Thanks in advance!

    Reply

    • Oh, thank you so much for your kind words, Emily! I do love my readers and I get so much joy from other people making my recipes and liking them! re: the chicken curry, I always prefer bone-in chicken because of the flavors coming from pressure cooking the bones. The chicken should be cooked almost to fall-apart consistency, but not the shredding stage. If I have smaller thighs, they do sometimes separate from the bone, and I discard the bones. But ideally, I would serve them bone-in and whole. When my mom makes this curry on the stovetop, she uses a meat cleaver and cuts the pieces into smaller pieces but I don’t do that.

      Reply

  5. I love your Red Thai Curry recipe so I’m pretty sure I’ll love this one too, but I do have one question. You offer a couple of different directions for cooking chicken chopped in bite-size pieces. Is your best suggestion to pressure the chicken and the potatoes together for 4-5 minutes or cook the chicken separately for 5, then add the potatoes and cook on saute mode? I’m concerned that the chicken will overcook this way. I plan to use breast meat.

    Reply

    • Hi Linda, mmmm I think cooking potatoes on Saute would take too long. Sorry if I gave confusing suggestions. If I were doing it, I would cook the bite-size chicken and potatoes for 4 minutes, do a quick release, and then cook on Saute mode for a bit if the potatoes aren’t done yet. I have a feeling they’ll be cooked fine.

      Reply

  6. Made this tonight and it was delicious! I made it exactly as the recipe with the homemade cashew paste which really thickened it. My family thought it was a bit too spicy for them, so the next time I will make it with 1/2 of the Indian chili powder…The heat was perfect for me.

    Reply

  7. Hi Neena!

    Is this more similar to a North Indian chicken curry or a South Indian one (i.e. Kerala style)? I am looking for a Kerala chicken curry for the IP and stumbled upon this but wanted to double check before I tried it out !

    Reply

    • Hi there Lisa, I would say it’s more South Indian style because it’s basically the recipe my mom has made for my whole life. A basic homemade chicken curry. I also have the non-IP version on the site, slightly different. Back before I exclusively started posting Instant Pot recipes 🙂 Thanks for visiting the blog!

      Reply

      • Thanks for your response Neena! I tried the recipe today and it was beyond delicious and exactly what I was hoping for. I added a green chili, some extra potatoes, curry leaves, and probably 1/4 can of coconut milk and it was perfect. I also used fresh tomatoes. Next time I will use my 6qt which never gives me any problems. This time I used the 8qt and it always gives me burn messages for some reason no matter what I do.
        Thanks again for the recipe… looking forward to trying more from your site!

        Reply

  8. Hi!
    If I want to use small pieces of boneless skinless chicken, how long should I cook it for before and after adding potatoes in the instant pot?

    Thanks

    Reply

    • Hi Anu, if you’re using small pieces of boneless skinless chicken, you can cook the potatoes and chicken together for 4 minutes – it makes the recipe really simple. The potatoes may need to be cut a bit smaller to account for the reduced cook time (from 6 to 4 minutes.) Experiment and adjust next time. Thanks for your question.

      Reply

  9. I’ve made this 3 times now, and it’s definitely the best curry I’ve ever made. I made it with boneless skinless breasts, and peanut butter because that’s what I have.

    Its amazing. Thank you so much for this recipe.

    Reply

  10. This was my first Instant Pot recipe and it was absolutely fabulous. Thank you for the detailed instructions and images, they were extremely helpful for this IP newbie. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!!!

    One question – when making the cashew paste, do we use raw or roasted cashews? I wasn’t sure so subbed the cream instead, but would like to try it with the cashew paste next time. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Kaitlin – so glad you liked it, and I’m sure you’re going to love your IP even more as you make more dishes! I use raw cashews, but you could use roasted as well. Cashew butter works well too. Thanks for your comment!

      Reply

  11. Thanks for the great recipe. I’ve made it twice now & both times it was awesome. One question if I wanted to cook basmati rice at the same time PIP would I add it when I add potatoes and just add a 10 minute NPR?

    Reply

    • Hi Becky – Thanks for your comment! Cooking the basmati at the same time will probably overcook the potatoes if you do NPR – but you could cut the potatoes up into bigger pieces. Or just forgo the potatoes and instead add spinach after cooking is complete and let it cook in saute mode for a couple of minutes. I use spinach sometimes when I make this.

      Reply

  12. I love curry, but have never cooked anything. However last night I dreamt that I made chicken curry in my I P
    So, I have many questions. But, first thank for allthe time and effort I know it took to give such detailed instructions. I truly appreciate it.
    Questions… What is the masala that you make? Is that combination of spices what makes a curry flavor? Without even looking I know I don’t have those things in my cupboard. However, for whatever reason I don’t and I don’t know why I do have curry powder. Can I substitute that?
    Would celery and green peppers work in this dish?
    I am making myself hungry. I can’t wait to try this, and eagerly wait your answers. Thank you so much!

    Reply

    • Hi Trudy – lol, gotta follow your dreams! The word ‘curry’ is actually the equivalent of ‘gravy’ or ‘sauce’ or ‘dish’ in India. Curry powder is a creation by the British, who colonized India, to duplicate the flavors of the curries they tasted in India. Most Indians don’t use curry powder, but rather the individual spices like cumin, etc. Different types of curries require different combination of spices. So to answer your question, you could probably substitute a tablespoon or two of curry powder and it would come out tasting good, although not the same as with the separate spices. I wouldn’t use celery, but you can use green peppers, mushrooms, spinach, peas, sweet potato, etc…. but not all of those require pressure cooking, some you would just cook in saute mode at the end. Check your Instant Pot manual for cooking times. Good luck, and feel free to ask any followup questions.

      Reply

  13. Hi, I’ve attempted this recipe twice now and both times I’ve gotten the dreaded burn sign. I have the 6qt IP and not the 8 qt one. The second time I even increased the liquid to 1 cup and made sure the pot was properly deglazed. Very frustrating, so I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong. I guess maybe next time, I won’t mix the water into chicken and tomato paste liquid to make sure there’s enough thin liquid at the bottom. My IP experience has been severely affected by all the burn signs I keep getting. Ugh

    Reply

    • I’m so sorry you’ve been having so much trouble, Jasleen – how frustrating. Is it happening with other recipes too and also is it a pretty new IP? Can you try a water test with 1 cup water and see if you get the burn? Your plan might work well but you could try this (just a little more work), along the lines of what you were saying:
      – Go up to the stage of adding the spices and frying them briefly.
      – Remove everything and set aside.
      – Deglaze
      – Add the broth (increase to 1 cup)
      – Add the chicken
      – Add back the spices
      – Proceed with the recipe

      Not sure if that will help – keep me posted if you have a chance! Good luck.

      Reply

  14. Hi again Neena, thanks for your prompt reply! I ended up buying only skinless drumsticks today, and the total weight is about 1.5 lb. I am going to try your recipe with this quantity of chicken, as the drumsticks look very big and it’s just for myself and my husband to enjoy 🙂

    I wanted to ask if I should be setting the Poultry mode for 15 minutes still or should I use a shorter amount of pressure cooking time since I am using half the quantity of chicken given in your recipe?

    Looking forward to hearing back from you, and I will let you know how your recipe turns out after I’ve tried it 🙂

    Reply

  15. Hi Neena,

    Thank you for this recipe! It looks very authentic, and my mom cooks potatoes with chicken too, but she finds it hard to give me exact measurements.

    I want to try this recipe out next week with 2 lbs of chicken – a pound each of bone-in thighs and drumsticks. Before I do, I want to ask a silly question because I do not usually buy bone-in chicken.

    1 Can I chop the bone-in thigh pieces into half across its width using a large meat knife so it cooks well with the drumsticks? I am not sure how people chop their bone-in thighs.

    2 Can I keep all the measurements for the other ingredients the same for 2 lbs. of chicken?

    3. If I am using fresh tomatoes instead of tomato paste, can I dice 2 medium tomatoes instead?

    Thanks so much for your help and for answering everyone’s questions so patiently. I’m loving your site!

    Reply

    • Hi Dhanya – thanks for your question. Funny you should ask about cutting chicken thighs up – that’s what my mom does with things and drumsticks; she says it allows the juices from the bone to penetrate the curry 🙂 You can cut them in half with a sharp meat cleaver (careful!) Yes, I would keep all the other ingredient quantities the same. Yes, you definitely can use 2 diced tomatoes. If you have the time, fry them after browning the onion mixture till the oil separates – that will give the curry a deeper flavor. Add a tablespoon or two of broth or water if it starts sticking to the bottom. I love to help, so feel free to pop in anytime 🙂

      Reply

  17. Neena,

    My wife (Becky from LoveToBeInTheKitchen.com) and I have been waiting to get an Instant Pot so we can try your recipes. We finally got one for Christmas, and this will be the first we try! We’ve loved getting to know you better at the blogger meetups and through your blog. I just know this recipe will be a guaranteed hit. Thank you for sharing a part of your life with us through your recipe!

    Reply

  18. Hi I tried the recipe in my IP. When I opened the pot to add the potatoes and garam masala after 15 mins there was a brunt layer at the bottom. I added the chicken broth as recommended so not sure why it still burnt. Any recommendations or tips for next time?

    Reply

    • Hi Sharmila, do you have an 8 quart by chance? And did the Instant Pot seal properly? Did you deglaze the pot before adding the broth? I would add 1/4 cup more broth next time. and make sure the pot is deglazed. Let me know if you have further questions.

      Reply

  19. Could I double the recipe in my 8-quart instant pot pretty easily or do you recommend cooking two batches separately? I’ve made this once before and now I’m cooking it for a bigger group!!! So tasty!

    Reply

    • Hi Aruna – I think you should be able to double. The only caveat is that the chicken shouldn’t crowd the bottom of the pot such that there’s no circulation of liquid. You might be safer adding a little extra liquid?

      Reply

  20. This was delicious! I added chick peas and used heavy cream as recommended in the recipe as a substitute for the cashew paste. It was sooo good!! Will make this again for sure. Thanks for posting

    Reply

    • Hi Rhonda, not at all. This is just something I grew up; my mom makes chicken curry this way. You can add spinach, or any other vegetable. If you do use a quicker cooking vegetable, I would just do a quick or natural release on the chicken, add the vegetable and boil till cooked. Otherwise you might get a mushy vegetable. Thanks for your question.

      Reply

  22. I’m currently making this for the second time – my southern family including 4 kids all love it! They don’t like to deal with chicken bones so I used boneless and used the recommended cooking time of 10 minutes. It’s perfect! Thanks for a great go-to Indian curry recipe. I plan to try more of your recipes.

    Reply

  23. Hello! This is fast becoming my favorite curry recipe. I have one question, though. I would like my curry to have more “sauce,” without diluting the flavor. Since I’ve already made the curry with the chicken and potatoes, is there a way I can just make more sauce to add to the leftovers? Maybe on the stovetop? Should I just fry the aromatics and spices like in the recipe, add liquid and voila? Thanks.

    Reply

  24. Just made chicken curry and it was delicious, i follow the recipe as u wrote. At the end i just added Some spinach instead of the cilantro..

    Reply

  25. This recipe looks fabulous! I’m very new to the Instant Pot so appreciate such detail with how to use it. I’m finding there’s quite a learning curve. One question: Do you have an idea about how long I would cook it with boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into smaller pieces? Thanks! I’ll be following you for sure for Instant Pot recipes.

    Reply

  26. Tried this last night. Good. Wasn’t knock your socks off or anything but was good for dinner. I got the overheat error so I ended up needing to add a heavy 1/4 cup more stock to get it to come to pressure. So at the end I boiled a bit to get the liquid to reduce then stirred in some half & half w/tapioca flour to thicken and added a bit more garam marsala, salt & lemon juice to wake it up.

    Reply

  27. I tried it and I LOVED IT!!! (Oh and my husband loved it too!!!)
    We halved the recipe (so yields 3 servings) cos there were only two of us but we ended up eating everything anyway!
    Thanks so much for your DETAILED recipe. Makes first-time instant pot users like me so much easier!!!
    :> Looking forward to trying more of your stuff!!

    Reply

    • Hi Pei, I’m really glad you liked it. I hope you get to try out more recipes, and please keep the comments coming – I always like feedback. You could reduce the quantity of chicken but keep the spices at the same level too if you wanted it to be more flavorful and/or spicy. Enjoy your new Instant Pot!

      Reply

    • I have used sweet potatoes before when we were on a low-carb kick 🙂 and it was good but yes, a bit sweet (not too much). I really like to use spinach too instead of potatoes sometimes if you’d like to try that. Of course, adjust cooking time as needed. Good luck!

      Reply

  30. We tried this once and it was delicous, but we had omitted cashew pastebecause we didn’t have any. Can we substitute with Almond butter because that is something we readily have in the house.

    Reply

    • Hi Sandra, you can definitely substitute almond butter. The taste will be different, but good. Sometimes I use cashew and sometimes I just use thick coconut milk or cream. You’re mainly adding these to thicken. So the curry is very versatile.

      Reply

  31. This was delicious! Thank you! I’ve been a non cook my whole life but got the instant pot 2 months ago and have been inspired. Found your recipie and gave it a try based on all the excellent reviews. Outstanding! My 2 year old loved this too. I used chicken legs and those worked well. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Thanks again for your clarity and good taste.

    Reply

  32. Neena – I recently discovered your site and I am OBSESSED. I made this today and the red curry chicken a few days ago and both were insanely amazing.

    Thank you for this site! Can I request a lamb biryani instapot recipe in the future???

    Reply

    • Hi Aruna! Thank you so much for the kind words. When I get comments like your’s, it makes my day! I will add your request to my list. I don’t dash out recipes on this site – I can barely manage a recipe a week; it takes me time to find something I and my family love, and then post it. There are many epic fails before a winner recipe 🙂 So I will work on the lamb biryani recipe and hope you’ll see it sometime this fall.

      Reply

  33. This was great! I used frozen chicken breasts and increased the time as a previous reader had done. Also, I have a sweet tooth, so we always put crema de coco (as is used in pina coladas) to make it tastier. Water chestnuts, California blend veggies, and cashews made the whole thing wonderful. Thanks again for your recipe!

    Reply

  34. I made the recipe this evening, with the only change being that I substituted natural peanut butter (all ground peanuts, no added fat) for the cashew paste. It was very good! The chicken was very tender and flavorful, as were the potatoes and other ingredients in the sauce. However, I never did get the sauce to thicken, even after boiling it on the Sautee setting for 20 minutes. Perhaps next time I’ll use slightly less water and corn starch as a thickener. Also, the curry flavor was not as infused into the chicken as I am used to from enjoying curry chicken in authentic Indian restaurants. Is the curry infusion into the chicken that Indian restaurants achieve only possible with slow cooking rather than the faster cooking that the Instant Pot allows? Again, it’s a great recipe, but I would like to learn how to make it even better!

    Reply

    • Hi Tom, thanks for your comment – no worries, I always like feedback! I think you should try and use less water next time, because it should not have been that liquidy. It’s a fine balance having enough water to reach pressure but not so much that it’s too watery. Having too much liquid is one of the top reasons for having a dish taste insipid. Maybe your chicken released a lot of liquid – was it frozen beforehand? Having a thicker sauce while pressure cooking would infuse more flavor into the chicken. Your tastes might also call for upping the spices. Also, this curry tastes really great the next day. Hope that helps and I’d love for you to try it again!

      Reply

      • The chicken I used (4 large bone-in thighs) was fresh, not frozen. I will definitely add less liquid next time. We enjoyed it tonight, and I bet next time we’ll enjoy it even more. Thanks so much for the recipe and especially the very clear directions in it!

        Reply

  35. I’ve just bought an instant pot and came across your chicken curry recipe. I’m using a 1kg of chicken boneless thighs , could you please tell me how much of the other ingredients to use to the weight of chicken because your recipe uses 1 and half kg of chicken. I’m going to cook this today . Thankyou.

    Reply

    • Hi Lorna – You can keep the measurements the same. My recipe is for bone-in chicken and you’re using boneless so I think it will work just fine. I make this recipe with boneless thighs and use the same quantities. Just reduce the cooking time. Good luck!

      Reply

  36. This was the first recipe we made in our new Instant Pot. Used boneless chicken thighs and cooked them for 11 minutes. Thickened sauce at the end with about 2tbsp fat free plain Greek yogurt. Served chicken and sauce over white rice. Let me tell you – it was amazing!!!!!! The whole family loved every bite! Thank you for creating and sharing this recipe. We will definitely try your other Instant Pot recipes! 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

    Reply

    • I’m so glad you liked it, Katie! Thanks for commenting – it really makes my day to hear from people like you. Please check in again when you try another recipe. If you like Thai curry, check out the Instant Pot Thai Red Curry. It’s really yummy and one of my favorites.

      Reply

  37. Best curry chicken I’ve every had. Boneless chicken thighs also works well.
    Feel like I’m in India cooking with your mom when I make this recipe. Thank you for sharing your family recipe.

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  38. I can’t wait to try this recipe. It looks SO good! I really appreciate the details on using the Instant Pot with this recipe. So many recipes are difficult for those of us who are newer to the pot, because we don’t know what the abbreviations are, or we don’t know what buttons to push. I had to do a lot of research to find out that on the Lux, the manual is always on high.

    On the cilantro topic, my husband adores it! He asked me why I don’t like it. I said I don’t dislike it, but the only thing I can think of is that it reminds me a little of soap. I later read that 10% of people think it tastes like soap, and it’s genetic. I also wonder if there are other things the 10%ers have in common. Just a curiosity nerd!

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    • I hope you like the recipe! I keep posting the step by step instructions on all my recipes because I know there are always new IP users out there. It’s a time-consuming process, but I feel it’s much appreciated by people like you – thank you for commenting! I hardly ever cook anything on Low pressure, so I don’t think you’re missing out with the Lux model. And yes, although I can’t imagine cilantro tasting like soap, I get that people actually feel that way!

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  39. I really liked the recipe. I may have added too much spices but still liked it very much. Any reason you add garam massala after cooking? I am thinking of trying this as add all spices in beginning and see how it turns our after sauteing the spices and onion to make the recipe even simpler. Any recommendations for any chutneys that would go well with this that can be ordered from Amazong?

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    • Hi Ika – I somehow missed your comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the curry. We typically add garam masala closer to the end of cooking because it retains the flavors. Actually it would be even better to add it to this curry after cooking the potatoes, while it’s simmering. If you wish to add it with the other spices, you can do that, but sprinkle a little more towards the end of cooking. I don’t normally serve chutney with this curry but you could do a nice cucumber raita – a yogurt relish.

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  40. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe. My husband got me an instant pot in February, but I was not able to find a good recipe until I found yours.
    Your recipe was so easy to follow with step by step pictures. I had no trouble making this chicken curry. The chicken curry came out just perfect. I will definitely try your other recipe soon. Thank you so much!!

    Reply

    • You’re so welcome. I’m glad you found a recipe you like, because the Instant Pot has changed my life (I use it every day) and I hope you’ll feel the same way soon! Please check back in when you try another recipe 🙂

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  41. This is a fabulous recipe. I have been making curries for years and with my instant pot, I’ve been struggling to get mine “authentic” enough — this one does the trick! I omit the potatoes in favor of other carbs, but this is the real deal. Well done!

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    • That’s fantastic Melissa! Thank you for the kind words. I sometimes add ‘saag’ (spinach) to the dish at the end and just let it cook through. Very tasty and healthy too. I also find that this curry tastes best the next day.

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  42. I bought the new instant pot ultra and it doesn’t have a poultry button. Any suggestions what I should do?

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  43. Just came across the site looking for a chicken curry recipe to try out in my new Instant Pot! Thank you so much for this step-by-step tutorial! Many put recipes outthere but don’t tell you which settings to use high or low pressure and that’s frustrating for a newbie!

    Thank you 🙂

    P.S. I actually did paint my kitchen walls tomato red in my first apartment! It was the best 🙂

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  44. Fantastic recipe! I made this today with boneless chicken thighs and heavy cream in place of the cashew cream and it was amazing! I also added some frozen peas at the end during saute mode. Great recipe, thanks!

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  45. Hi! This looks fantastic! I’m wondering what I would do for timing if I want to leave the chicken out. I was going to add veggies in it’s place like cauliflower and perhaps some tofu. Would I still cook the spices together before I put in the potatoes and garam masala? Thanks for any tips you can offer.

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    • Hi Fran – yes, cook the onions, tomatoes and then spices so they can ‘fry’ in the butter/oil. Then add your veggies and cook for the appropriate amount of time. So in case of potatoes and cauliflower, cook the potatoes for 5 minutes and quick release. Then add cauliflower and cook for 0 minutes, quick release (I find that cauliflower gets too soggy otherwise). If it’s undercooked, just cook in Saute mode till done and the next time you make it, you can adjust the timings. This spice ‘masala’ is very versatile and can be used for any meat or vegetable dish. Feel free to ask if you have further questions!

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  47. I tried your chicken curry with minor modifications. Used skinless chicken legs cut in half and coconut milk to thicken the curry. Used curry leaves instead of cilantro. Came out excellent. Thanks for doing the homework with the instant pot which made it easy for us to follow the recipe.

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  48. This was wonderful! I also threw in some chicken breasts with it, which were delicious with the chicken thighs. My kids liked it with plain yogurt on top. Such a flavorful meal

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  49. Just made this and it was delicious. A keeper recipe for sure that will be added to my meal rotations.
    I had to make sure to save some for my 2 year old for tomorrow because I know she is going to love it too.

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  50. Hi, I recently discovered your blog and I Love it!! You make recipes so easy to follow. I wish I could just cook with you in the kitchen :). Please keep posting. It would also be great if you could do different dal recipes and khichidi.

    I am planning on using diced boneless chicken thighs for this recipe. Should I cook it for 10mins, and then cook it again with the potatoes? I wasn’t sure if that would be too much cooking time for the chicken. I have kids, so it’s easier for them to eat smaller pieces of chicken. Thank you!! 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Shristi, thank you so much for the comment! It really means a lot. If you’re using bite-size pieces of chicken, I would try to do 6 minutes, and then add the potatoes as usual. You might need about 1/4 cup of broth or water if you find that it’s not pressurizing when you cook the chicken. Good luck!

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      • Thanks Neena! I actually made it today and it turned out awesome! I had bigger pieces of diced chicken, and I cooked it for 10 mins. Maybe a little less would’ve been good too, but my family loved it! I don’t usually add potatoes to my chicken curries, but it tasted great the way you had it.

        Thanks again! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!! 🙂

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  51. Making this right now and found that 1/2 c liquid wasn’t enough to get to pressure using boneless thighs (it’s what I had available). Just popped it open and added more chicken broth. Waiting to see if that was enough.

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  52. Just made this recipe with frozen chicken breast & changed the cooking time to 30 minutes manual to accommodate for the frozen meat. Otherwise, kept to your recipe. Had signifant liquid due to the meat being frozen, but burned off half the liquid via the Sauté mode as you suggested. Turned out delicious & the meat was incredibly tender & easily shredding. Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m new to the instant pot & cooking Indian cuisine for myself since my mother doesn’t live close. I look forward to making more of your recipes. Thank you!

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    • That’s wonderful! Thank you for sharing info about how long it took to cook frozen chicken for the curry. I know what you mean about mom being far away – there’s nothing like mom’s cooking! I miss my mom’s cooking too.

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  53. Hello, I’ve read a few of your recpies and have noticed that you often list cilantro an an ingredient in your indian dishes. My girlfriend hinks cilantro tastes like soap; can you recommend a different herb as a substitute for these dishes?

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    • Good question. But a difficult one 🙂 I don’t think anything substitutes for the taste of cilantro. I’ve heard that some people are genetically predisposed to not liking the taste. I would just leave it out, and sprinkle it on individual servings if it’s a curry dish where it’s added at the end.

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      • As one of those who cannot tolerate the taste of cilantro, I use parsley. It is the go-to substitute for folks like us. And yes, it has been proven to be genetic. Anxious to try this recipe – sans cilantro, of course! 🙂

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        • So strange how the human body works! Can’t even imagine not liking cilantro! I put it in everything (to a fault!) Since cilantro is actually from the coriander plant, I wonder if coriander seed/powder has the same effect on you… Keep me posted on how the recipe turns out, and thanks for checking in.

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  54. Made this tonight. WONDERFUL! I’ve made the stove top version and loved it, but I think this is even better. The chicken just falls off the bone. And the spices…perfection.
    I noticed that you omitted the mustard seed… I have to say it was delicious even without the mustard seed.
    Thank you Neena for another memorable meal and making my family think I’m a good cook.

    Reply

    • Thank you for the kind words, Monica -so glad I can help out in a small way! I did omit the mustard seeds because I do that sometimes to change up the flavor. You can definitely add them in at the beginning, just use a good cover to prevent splatters!

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  55. I had chicken thighs and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with them. I had all of the ingredients on had and can’t wait to eat it, it smells so good. Thank you for sharing.

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  56. I just love curries, especially in the colder winter months or when it’s dreary and raining out. I don’t have an instant pot, maybe one day I’ll get one! But it looks like the ingredients for the sauce would be great for a slow cooker too, so I can’t wait to give it a try!

    Reply

    • Alison, I have a stove-top version of the same recipe. There’s a link on this post. Maybe you can try that one out. But yes, I think you can definitely use the slow cooker. You might need to up the spices maybe?

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  58. This recipe looks the real deal. I love a good chicken curry. I’ve always made mine the old fashioned way but I recently got a stovetop pressure cooker. I can’t justify getting rid of a brand new pressure cooker to get an instant pot (wish I’d known about them before I got my pressure cooker). Do you think the times in the instant pot would be the same as on a pressure cooker? The idea of a homestyle curry this fast is really appealing…

    Reply

    • Romain, I used to use a stovetop PC, and I think you can reduce the time in my recipes by about 15 to 20%. If it’s undercooked, just bring up to pressure and cook for another couple of minutes. I would go by the timings in your PC manual. I think the recipe will turn out great – but you will notice it’s more liquidy at the end, so you’ll have to thicken… Let me know how it turns out!

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  60. Cashew paste! I will need to look into this and find it! 😀 Thanks for this wonderfully comforting curry recipe. I am so excited to try this.

    Reply

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