This Instant Pot Thai Red Curry with Chicken is just delightful! It makes a perfect meal when paired with Jasmine Rice, and it comes together so quickly in the Instant Pot. To make it a real one-pot meal, cook rice and Thai red curry together using the Pot in Pot method! Perfect for a busy weeknight meal.
Thai cuisine is one of my all-time favorite cuisines. For the longest time, we just went to restaurants to get our Thai fix. And if I ever did attempt to make Thai food, the flavor was not even close to what my favorite restaurants served, and so I just didn’t bother.
Finally, I found out that the secret to making great tasting Thai curries is to use the right kind of curry paste. The kind I had been using is the one commonly found in most American grocery stores. Changing brands made a BIG difference to the taste of the curries.
There are two brands of Thai curry pastes that I really like: Maesri (which I like best) and Mae Ploy.
To take this Instant Pot Thai Red Curry to the next level, do try and find either of these curry pastes at an Asian grocery store near where you live and if you can’t, of course, there’s always amazon.com. Please note that Mae Ploy is a bit spicier than Maesri.
There are two more ingredients you should try and get when you visit your Asian grocery store: Lime leaves (also known as k-lime, makrut and sometimes kaffir lime) and Thai basil. They add unsurpassed and unique flavors to this Instant Pot Thai Red Curry.
One other thing I discovered about Thai food is that Thai curries taste best with Jasmine rice. There’s something about Jasmine rice that soaks up the curry and just enhances the flavors.
Regular white rice, basmati rice, and brown rice just don’t taste the same. Here’s my recipe for Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
For the coconut milk in this Instant Pot Thai Red Curry, I use the regular fat content, and don’t opt for the light variety – again, there’s a taste difference.
This recipe is the Instant Pot version of my Thai Red Curry.
Thai food purists would say that Thai food shouldn’t be pressure cooked. I’m guessing you’re here because you just want to make a Thai curry in your Instant Pot and don’t care about rules! And pssst, guess what?! This curry is just wonderful cooked in the Instant Pot. I’m not kidding – it’s really tasty.
It comes together so quickly, and it’s my go-to dish on really busy days. I always keep coconut milk and curry paste in my pantry and I use whatever meat and veggies I have on hand. I hope you give it a try.
Oh, and to make life really easy, check out my easy-to-understand, step-by-step article on Pot-in-Pot cooking – it shows you how to make this curry and rice together. At the same time!
Click below to see all my Thai recipes!
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 Thai Red Curry with Chicken.
Instant Pot Thai Red Curry with Chicken – Ingredients
Instant Pot Thai Red Curry with Chicken – Step by Step Instructions
- Press ‘Saute’.
- Stir together red curry paste and 1/2 can of coconut milk and saute until mixture is bubbly, a minute or two. *
* Use a splatter screen if necessary, to guard against splatters from the coconut milk.
- Press ‘Cancel’ to turn off Instant Pot.
- Stir in chicken, remaining coconut milk, and chicken broth.
- 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 ‘4’ (4 minutes) *
* Note: if your chicken pieces are bigger, then you’ll need to add on a few minutes of cooking time.
- 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 4 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’.
- To open the Instant Pot, first 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 handle.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
- Press ‘Saute’.
- Stir in fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, bell pepper, carrot, onion, bamboo shoots, and lime leaves.
- Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Don’t overcook, as the vegetables will continue to cook in residual heat.
- Taste and adjust with more fish sauce, brown sugar or lime juice.
- Stir in the Thai basil leaves.
- Serve with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
Instant Pot Thai Red Curry with Chicken
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 246 kcal
This Instant Pot Thai Red Curry with Chicken is delightful (and addicting!) It makes a perfect meal when paired with Jasmine Rice, and comes together so quickly in the Instant Pot. Perfect for a busy weeknight meal.
Print
Pin
Rate
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Thai red curry paste preferably Maesri or Mae Ploy brand
- 14 oz. (1 can) regular-fat coconut milk
- 1 lb boneless chicken breasts or thighs sliced into thin bite-size pieces
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce more to taste
- 2 tsp brown sugar or to taste
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 cup red and/or green bell pepper cubed
- 1 cup carrots sliced
- 1/2 cup onion cubed
- 1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots
- 4 lime leaves slightly bruised *
- 12 Thai Basil leaves
Instructions
- Select Saute and stir in red curry paste and 1/2 can of coconut milk until mixture is bubbly, about a minute or two.
- Press Cancel.
- Stir in chicken, remaining coconut milk, and chicken broth.
- Close the lid and pressure cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes.
- Do a Quick Release of pressure and open the Instant Pot. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Stir in fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, bell pepper, carrots, onions, bamboo shoots, and lime leaves.
- Press 'Saute' and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. (Be sure not to overcook. Vegetables will continue to cook in the residual heat.)
- Taste and adjust with more fish sauce, brown sugar or lime juice.
- Stir in the Thai basil leaves.
- Serve with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. minced garlic, cut vegetables, etc.
- Use a
splatter screen, if necessary, to guard against the coconut milk bubbling up. - Thai curries are generally eaten with rice. If you're not planning on eating the curry with rice, you might need to adjust the salt by reducing the quantity of fish sauce.
- You can choose to substitute the vegetables with your choice e.g. green beans, zucchini, sweet potatoes, and you can also increase the quantity of vegetables.
- My chicken was thinly sliced. If your pieces of chicken are larger, you'll need to add on a few more minutes of cooking or just do a natural release of pressure.
- * lime leaves also referred to as k-lime, makrut or kaffir lime leaves
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 705mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g
Have You Made This Recipe?I love seeing your Photos! Tag Me on Instagram @PaintTheKitchenRed or tag #paintthekitchenred.
Thank you for visiting Paint the Kitchen Red. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please don’t use any content without prior written permission. If you’ve made this recipe and would like to share it with your friends, please link back to this recipe. Thank you!
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
Dottie Palamara
This is my very favorite IP recipe. I judge all recipes by this one & nothing compares. I’m having dinner with kids & grandkids for first time in a year (outside, though). With a six-cup IP, can I double the recipe or should I do two separate batches? Thank you in advance
Paint the Kitchen Red
Dottie, that’s so wonderful to hear. I’m very happy for you and your family! Yes, you can double the recipe – I do it in my 6 quart. Same cook time.
Gabriel
This came out perfect! I will definitely be making it again.
I didn’t add the sugar and it was still delicious.
Paint the Kitchen Red
I’m really glad to hear that, Gabriel. Thanks for commenting.
Kristina
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for months, but can not find Thai basil leaves anywhere. Would regular basil work, or should I just omit that ingredient?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Kristina, absolutely! Don’t omit, use the regular basil. I do sometimes.
Lisa W
This is a go to recipe and comes out absolutely perfect in an instant pot.
Although this recipe doesn’t require any modification , I do add in garlic and use coconut cream instead of coconut milk only because I love how silky the sauce is after. In addition I zest some of the lime in the sauce and in the rice as well. Lastly I pour a splash of mirin along with the chicken broth.
All in all this is super flavorful and very fragrant!
PS if you can’t find kaffir lime leaves try reaching out through your neighborhood channels (i.e. Nextdoor) it’s how I get mine. Just pick and toss in Horray!
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve shared it with many.
Lisa
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you, Lisa! Also, I’m happy to have you share your tips and substitutions.
Ed
If you do manage to find some they also freeze well for future use!
Paige
Just made this dish in the Instapot (following Neena’s recipe) and it was fabulous! It was easy to follow/prepare and the whole family loved it. It will surely become a family favorite!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Paige, thanks for taking the time to comment. I’m beyond thrilled that you chose to cook this recipe for your family! One of the many pleasures of this blog is hearing from people all over the world, and once in a while, from someone I knew a long time ago!
Matt
Flavors are there! Would like the sauce to be a bit thicker and not so runny. I added a bit of cornstarch to help thicken but is was still runny. Suggestions?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Matt, you will probably be able to get away with not adding the broth/water. Also, you could try adding coconut cream.
Momo
I make the sauce thicker by adding a chopped+peeled sweet potato with the chicken. It turns out amazing!
Justin
Awesome recipe! I’m new to my instant pot and needed some guidance on how to make one of my favorite dishes, Thai red curry! If you have the time and ingredients I recommend sautéing the onions with garlic and ginger and then moving forward with the rest of the steps. Keep on cooking!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Justin, I’m glad you like it. You’ll love all the other Thai curries as well so do give them a try if you can 🙂
Tisa
Wow! Wonderful recipe! Better than most restaurants! I only had the mae ploy paste and yes a little too spicy for me, I may try 2 tbsp instead of 3 next time.. I used mushrooms and red peppers.. Perfect explanations for a beginner thank you!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Tisa – thank you for your comment and I’m excited you got to try it out.
Miriam
This is tasty, but it is definitely adjusted to typical American tastes. For those who like spice, I would suggest doubling the amount of curry paste, and/or adding a Thai Hot pepper or similar hot pepper (just remember to remove it before serving).
Paint the Kitchen Red
Miriam, since my readers’ (and my family’s) tastes span the gamut of spice tolerance, I go somewhere in the middle. I’m glad you were able to adjust the recipe to suit your tastes.
Tisa
Hi , I’m new to the IP . Can I use this recipe with the duo evo plus? Thai is my favorite, I’m so excited to try! Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Tisa, yes you sure can – I make it all the time. You’ll love the recipe – make sure you get the right ingredients 🙂