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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, it cooks up tender and has lots of flavor.

Instant Pot chicken curry portrait
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 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!

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.  This Instant Pot Indian chicken curry is sure to please anyone who loves Indian curry recipes.

One of the changes I made with the Instant Pot version is to use bone-in chicken. I feel bone-in chicken just cooks so well in the Instant Pot, is so flavorful and so quick.  If you’d like to use boneless chicken, you can reduce the chicken cooking time to 10 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 cream or purchased cashew butter, if you prefer.

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, do try and read the Instant Pot Manual / Beginner’s Quick Start Guide blog post first and then come back here to learn how to make Instant Pot chicken curry. 

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Instant Pot Chicken Curry Ingredients

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Ingredients Part 1 Instant Pot Chicken Curry Ingredients Part 2

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Step-by-Step guide

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps Part 1

  • 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.

 

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps Part 2

  • 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 ‘Keep Warm/Cancel’ to turn Instant Pot off, otherwise spices can burn.
  • Add coriander, turmeric, black pepper, cayenne, salt and stir till fragrant.

 

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps Part 3

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

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps Part 4

  • Close Instant Pot Lid, and make sure steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
  • Press Poultry and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ’15’ (15 minutes).

 

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps Part 5

  • 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 15 to 0; it will switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0;00’.

 

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps Part 6

  • Do a Quick Release: move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’ by placing a folded towel over the steam release handle and move it the venting position.
  • When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
  • Press ‘Keep Warm/Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.

 

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps Part 7

  • 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’ and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘6’ (6 minutes).

 

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps Part 7

  • 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’.

 

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Steps Part 8

  • 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 .

 

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Finished

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

Quick Video: How to Make Instant Pot Indian Chicken Curry

instant-pot-chicken-curry-portrait

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Instant Pot Chicken Curry

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 6

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

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In 'Saute' mode, melt butter. Add cinnamon, cumin seeds and bay leaf and stir till fragrant, being careful not to burn.
  2. Add onions, garlic and ginger, and saute till golden brown, about 7 minutes.
  3. Add tomato paste mixed with 2 Tbsp water and stir.
  4. Saute until tomato paste is cooked, about 3 minutes. If it sticks to the bottom, add another tablespoon or two of water.
  5. Turn off Instant Pot, otherwise spices can burn when you add them.
  6. Add coriander, turmeric, black pepper, cayenne, salt and stir till fragrant.
  7. In 'Saute' mode, add chicken pieces and stir to coat with spice mixture.
  8. Add 1/2 cup water or chicken broth and cook in 'Poultry' mode for 15 minutes. (Make sure steam release handle is in Sealing position)
  9. Do a Quick Release.
  10. Add cubed potatoes and garam masala to chicken and stir gently.
  11. Cook in 'Manual' mode for 6 minutes. (Make sure steam release handle is in Sealing position)
  12. Do a Quick Release.
  13. Add cashew paste, stir the chicken curry and heat through in 'Saute' mode.
  14. Turn off Instant Pot, sprinkle chicken curry with cilantro and serve with Instant Pot basmati rice, bread or naan.

Notes

** 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.

Courses Main Dish

Cuisine Indian

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 chicken piece with gravy

Amount Per Serving

Calories 321

% Daily Value

Total Fat 22 g

34%

Saturated Fat 8 g

40%

Unsaturated Fat 3 g

Cholesterol 125 mg

42%

Sodium 670 mg

28%

Total Carbohydrates 14 g

5%

Dietary Fiber 2 g

8%

Sugars 3 g

Protein 19 g

38%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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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Instant Pot Chicken Curry - Creamy, delicious, Indian Instant Pot chicken curry is made with bone-in chicken, cooks up so tender, and has lots of flavor. From Paint the Kitchen Red


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Reader Interactions

Comments

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

  7. 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!
      Reply

  9. 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?
      Reply

  10. 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.
    Reply

  11. 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!
      Reply

  12. 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?
    Reply

    • 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.
      Reply

      • 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! :)
        Reply

        • 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.
          Reply

  13. 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!
    Reply

    • 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.
      Reply

  14. 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.
    Reply

    • Thanks for the feedback. Yes, with the Instant Pot it is sometimes trial and error. You did the right thing, I hope you were able to enjoy the end result. Maybe next time start with 3/4 cup broth. And of course, I have to ask: you're sure the pot was sealed properly?
      Reply

      • When I checked on it, it was counting down but had not come to pressure (had only gone about 2 min like this). Still turned out amazing and was a big hit. I didn't have the cashew paste on hand so thickened with corn starch and the flavors were out of this world and the hubby didn't complain on the amount of extra cause.
        Reply

  15. 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!
      Reply

      • 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!! :)
        Reply

  16. 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.
    Reply

  17. 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
    Reply

  18. 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.
    Reply

  20. 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.
    Reply

    • 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!
      Reply

  21. 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!

    Reply

  22. 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 :)

    Reply

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

  24. 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!

    Reply

    • 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.
      Reply

  25. 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 :)
      Reply

  26. 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?

    Reply

    • 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.
      Reply

  27. 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!
    Reply

    • 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!
      Reply

  28. 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.

    Reply

  29. 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

  30. 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

  31. 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

  32. 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

  33. 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

  34. 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

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