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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➡ If you’re new to Kerala cooking, start with my Kerala Cooking Basics guide for ingredient tips, shopping advice, and more authentic recipes.
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.
Sunil says ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have made this several times and it never fails. Love this recipe!
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.
❤️ 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.
➡ 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.
Ingredients and Tips
🧂 Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Curry
💡 Ingredient and Recipe Tips
🧈 Fat: Ghee is ideal for authentic flavor. Substitute with butter, vegetable oil, or coconut oil. Try my Instant Pot ghee recipe for homemade!
🌶️ Whole Spices: Cook the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and cumin seeds very briefly – don’t let them burn!
🥄 Ground Spices: Kashmiri chili powder is mild but colorful. Substitute with a smaller amount of cayenne pepper plus paprika for color. The recipe isn’t too spicy – feel free to add more chili powder to taste.
🥣 Garam Masala: Homemade garam masala smells divine and tastes incredible. If using store-bought, try and get a fresh batch if yours has been in the cabinet for a long time – it makes a difference.
🧅 Onions: Red onions provide authentic curry flavor. Yellow onions work as a good substitute. Take the time to get the onions nice and golden brown – it’s totally worth it! Learn about all the different ways to brown onions!
🍅 Tomatoes: Tomato paste works great (it’s a family tradition!). Fresh or canned tomatoes (drained) also work – pulse in a mini food processor or blender first.
🍗 Chicken: I use bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks for maximum flavor! For boneless whole thighs, pressure cook the chicken 4 minutes, release pressure, then add the potatoes for 6 minutes (10 total). For cubed chicken, add the chicken pieces and potatoes together and cook 5 minutes.
💧 Liquid: Chicken broth or stock adds more flavor than water. Deglaze the Instant Pot really well before adding the broth.
🥔 Potatoes: Yukon gold potatoes add heartiness. To omit, cook the chicken for the total time without adding the potatoes partway through.
🥛 Thickening: Thicken the gravy with cashew butter or cashews blended into a paste. Use cream, coconut milk, or coconut cream for a coconut chicken curry variation.
🥬 Spinach Variation: For chicken saag, add frozen spinach at the end and heat through on Sauté mode.
⏰ Time Saver: Make the onion mixture ahead and store it in the fridge up to 3 days until ready to use.
🌿 Garnish: Add plenty of fresh cilantro for an authentic finishing touch.
🔥 Burn Message: Some people report that they get the Burn Message with this recipe. Here are a few ways to avoid the burn message:
- Try using boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2 inch pieces instead of bone in chicken. Pressure cook the chicken and potatoes together for 4 minutes. There’s no need to release pressure partway through to add the potatoes.
- 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.
I don’t recommend reducing the quantity 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 Indian Chicken Curry
⏲️ Instant pot Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
♨️ Stovetop Instructions
- 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 2 inch cubes
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth or water [See Note 1]
- 1 ½ teaspoon garam masala preferably homemade
- 2 tablespoon cashew butter or ground cashews (cashew paste) [See Note 2]
- 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. [See Note 3]
- Close the lid and Pressure Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes. [See Note 4]
- 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
- Note 1: 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. Another option is to use boneless skinless chicken cut into 2-inch pieces, pressure cook both the chicken and potatoes together for 4 to 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.
- Note 2: 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 or adding heavy cream or coconut cream (See below).
- Note 3: The garam masala can also be added at the very end when you’re heating through on Saute mode. This makes the flavors bolder. Try my homemade garam masala.
- Note 4: At 6 minutes, the potatoes cook very well. Reduce the cooking time to 3 minutes for firmer potatoes.
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chopped onions, minced garlic, diced chicken, etc.
- 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
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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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Fran N says
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.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
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!
Fran N says
Thank you so much!!!
becky Davis says
Will this be good with skinless boneless thighs?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Becky, it would work fine, but make the chicken cooking time 10 to 12 minutes, depending on how large the pieces are.
Shanthini says
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.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks for the feedback, so glad you liked it – and you are most welcome!
Emily says
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
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Glad it worked for you, Emily! In India, we serve plain yogurt with most meals and sometimes stir it in with curry and rice. Your kids have the right idea!
Savvy Family Travels says
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.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
I’m so glad you liked it! Your two year old sounds like she likes all types of foods – good job, mom!
Shristi says
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!! 🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red says
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!
Shristi says
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!! 🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Great! Glad it worked out. My mom always makes chicken curry with potatoes 🙂
Donna says
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.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
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?
Donna says
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.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Yay! So glad it worked for you Donna. And thanks again for sharing your experience.
Chris Lewis says
I made this with boneless, skinless, chicken thighs and it worked perfectly with 1/2 cup of stock.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Easy and quick!
Jay says
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!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
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.
Joseph V Sweredoski says
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?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
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.
Debbie says
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! 🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red says
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.
Ika says
I absolutely hard cilantro when i first tried it but now love it
Monica says
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.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
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!
T. says
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.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
That’s wonderful -I hope you enjoy the chicken curry! And that’s pretty impressive that you had all the ingredients on hand – that never happens to me LOL!
Alison @ The Sunday Glutton says
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!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
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?
Alyssa @ A Bite of Inspiration says
Looks delicious!! I love chicken curry! I’ll have to try this soon!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks Alyssa!
Romain says
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…
Paint the Kitchen Red says
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!
Mikaela says
Warm curry is exactly what we need here in Denver to combat the snow!!! Looks ah-mazing!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks Mikaela – just as cold and dreary here!
Joyce says
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.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
You’re welcome! Cashew butter works just fine too.
Marie @ Yay! For Food says
I love chicken curry and your recipe looks so amazing! I think I may need to get an Instant Pot now that you’ve shown me how easy it is to use!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Not a bad investment…
Erica Schmidt says
I love, love, love curry! This is a great recipe, very detailed. Pinning for later!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
So glad – keep me posted on how it goes.
Riva says
This looks delicious! The instant pot looks so fast and easy; I have got to try one!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
The nice thing is you can turn it on and leave it – that’s pretty convenient for when you’re shuttling kids around!
Barbara Schieving says
Looks delicious! Glad you’re having fun with your Instant Pot 🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you Barbara! I am having fun with it. The other day I actually used my stove and it felt weird!
Donna says
This was pretty good but it took me a very long time to make it I probably prepped for close to an hour. What I was disappointed in was not seeing the amount of cream to put into to thicken it. That would be helpful I think, I’m not sure if I put in too much which would have diluted the taste of all of those yummy spices
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Donna, the cream is just a suggestion to substitute for the cashew, which is what I usually use. You would use about the same quantity i.e. a couple of tablespoons. One shortcut I take sometimes is to chop the onion, garlic and ginger in a mini food processor.