Thai Instant Pot Yellow Curry with Chicken has the perfect combination of flavors: creamy coconut milk, Thai yellow curry paste, chicken, potatoes, and carrots. To top it off, curry powder gives this Thai yellow curry its unique taste. This Thai yellow curry recipe is soul-nourishing comfort food perfect for any time of year.
Table of Contents
Introduction
I’ve had many requests for an Instant Pot Yellow Curry recipe but I just didn’t get a chance to share one until now. I think you’re going to love this Instant Pot chicken curry with potatoes and carrots.
It’s very important that you get good quality and authentic ingredients if you want to replicate the flavors of your favorite Thai restaurant. Please read my Instant Pot Thai Red Curry recipe post to find out more about my quest to create a recipe for the perfect Thai Red Curry, first on the stovetop and then the pressure cooker!
When I used to make Thai Yellow Curry on the stovetop, I didn’t add extra curry powder. I found that the yellow curry paste gives the curry amazing and authentic flavor. But when I make this curry in the pressure cooker, I like to add that extra curry powder because pressure cooking can dull some of the spices.
I love to serve Thai curries with Jasmine rice rather than long grain, basmati, or even brown rice. I feel that Jasmine rice is best for soaking up the curry – it tastes so good!!
This pressure cooker Thai yellow curry recipe can be made quickly and easily, even on a busy weeknight. I always keep coconut milk and curry paste in my pantry and I use whatever meat and vegetables I have on hand.
[Read More: Instant Pot Pot-in-Pot Cooking Method to cook rice and curry together!]
All my Thai recipes are as delicious and easy as this curry, but with different flavors! Yellow curry and Massaman curry are on the milder side and Green Curry is the spiciest, with Red Curry somewhere in the middle.
Here are some Thai recipes you might like to try out
– Instant Pot Thai Red Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Massaman Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Panang Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Green Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Peanut Noodles
– Instant Pot Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Gai)
– Instant Pot Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang)
– Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Yellow Curry Paste
To make this curry taste like a restaurant-quality curry, you’ve got to get the right curry paste. There are two brands of Thai curry pastes that I really like: Maesri (which I like best) and Mae Ploy.
These brands have a much more authentic flavor than the most common brand found in regular grocery stores in the US.
If the curry is too spicy at the end, add some more coconut milk when you’re cooking the vegetables.
Spiciness
When I use Maesri, I use 3 tablespoons of paste, but with Mae Ploy, I use 2 tablespoons because I find it to be spicier. Adjust to your tastes.
If the curry is too spicy at the end, add some more coconut milk when cooking the vegetables. The level of spice in the recipe as written is medium spicy. Vary the spice by adding more or less Thai yellow curry paste.
Curry Powder
Curry powder can lose its freshness if kept for too long. So if you have a jar of curry powder that’s been sitting in your cabinet for ages, you should try and get a fresh jar.
Lime Leaves
Lime leaves (also known as k-lime, makrut or kaffir lime leaves) add unique flavor to Thai curries.
You can find them at Asian grocery stores. I highly recommend using them. They keep very well in the freezer!
I like to scrunch up the lime leaves and bruise them before adding them to the curry. This releases the oils from the leaves and adds a stronger flavor.
If you can’t find lime leaves, add an extra teaspoon or two of lime juice. Taste as you go.
Thai Basil
Thai yellow curry recipes vary widely. I like to use lime leaves but I don’t use Thai basil in this curry. If you’re used to the flavor of Thai basil in your yellow curry, feel free to add some in at the end, after pressure cooking.
Fish Sauce
I use Red Boat brand of fish sauce. It’s more pricey, but very good quality.
There’s no substitute for fish sauce. It adds that depth of flavor, the umami, to the curry. But for vegetarians, I’ve had readers recommend the Fysh brand of sauce. I have not tried it. You may need to add a little extra.
Palm Sugar
Thai yellow curries at Thai restaurants can vary in the amount of sweetness, so feel free to adjust the quantity of sugar.
Palm sugar is more authentic to a Thai curry than brown sugar is. However, I frequently use brown sugar without sacrificing taste.
Coconut Milk
I frequently get questions about the coconut milk curdling after being pressure cooked in the Instant Pot. Yes, it will appear to be curdled when you open the Instant Pot. But once you stir it up and cook the vegetables in the curry sauce, the curry should be very smooth.
It’s important to buy good-quality coconut milk. I have had less-than-perfect Thai curry when I’ve used lower quality brands and/or light coconut milk. I use full-fat coconut milk. My two favorite brands are Aroy-D and Chaokoh.
Meats and Tofu
You can easily substitute other meats or tofu for the chicken, but you’ll have to adjust the cooking time – here are some approximate times. Note: the timing for meat is for bite-size strips!
- Pork shoulder: 8 minutes Natural Pressure Release (NPR)
- Beef chuck: 12 minutes NPR
- Extra-firm tofu, cubed: 2 minutes, Quick Release (QR)
Vegetables
I sometimes choose to decrease the quantity of chicken and double the quantity of vegetables, so we eat less meat and more veggies.
Doubling the Recipe
You can double all the ingredients in the recipe and pressure cook for the same amount of time. Just make sure your ingredients don’t go past the 2/3-full mark.
Splatter Screen
When you’re sauteing the coconut milk with the curry paste, the mixture can bubble up and splatter. I like to use a splatter screen to cover the inner pot during the saute process.
Burn Message
If you regularly encounter the ‘burn’ message, feel free to add 1/4 cup of broth when pressure cooking the coconut milk. (I frequently do this not because of the ‘burn’ error but just because I don’t like to waste the remnants of coconut milk in the can; I add a bit of broth to the emptied can, swirl it around and use a spoon or silicone spatula to scrape out all the coconut milk.)
[Read more: Instant Pot Burn Message]
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, Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide, or Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
Instant Pot Thai Yellow Curry – Ingredients
- Chicken
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Yellow curry paste
- Brown sugar
- Lime juice
- Carrots
- Fish sauce
- Curry powder
- Lime leaves
- Coconut milk
How to Make Thai Yellow Curry in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Turn on Saute Mode
- Saute curry paste and coconut milk
- Add curry powder and rest of coconut milk
- Stir in chicken and potatoes
- Pressure cook
- Quick-release pressure
- Add vegetables and seasonings and saute
Turn on ‘Saute’ Mode
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the Saute function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the Saute function and press Start.
Saute Curry Paste and Coconut Milk
- Stir together yellow curry paste and 1/2 can of coconut milk and saute for about a minute. Use a splatter screen if necessary, to guard against splatters from the coconut milk.
Add Curry Powder and Rest of Coconut Milk
- Add curry powder and stir until mixture is bubbly and oil begins to separate, about two to three minutes. *
- Select Cancel and stir in remaining coconut milk.
Stir in Chicken and Potatoes
- Stir in chicken and potatoes.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 3 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in Sealing position
- Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads 3 (3 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 3 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 3 minutes (00:03).
Press Start.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- Instant Pot display will change to On.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display L0:00 or 00 00 and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the DUO
- Move the steam release handle to Venting. Steam will come out of the steam release handle.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the ULTRA
- Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
Add Vegetables and Seasonings and Saute
- Select the Saute function.
- Stir in fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, onions, carrots, 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 the residual heat.
- Taste and adjust with more fish sauce, brown sugar or lime juice.
- Serve with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
Thai Instant Pot Yellow Curry with Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 Tbsp Thai yellow curry paste preferably Maesri or Mae Ploy brand *
- 14 oz. coconut milk (1 can), preferably Aroy D or Chaokoh brand
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 1/2 cups Yukon gold potatoes about 2 medium, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce more to taste
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar or to taste
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1/2 cup onion cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup carrots sliced
- 4 lime leaves slightly bruised **
Equipment
Instructions
- Select ‘Saute’ and stir together yellow curry paste and 1/2 can of coconut milk in the inner pot for about a minute.
- Add curry powder and stir constantly until mixture is bubbly, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Press ‘Cancel’.
- Stir in remaining coconut milk, chicken and potatoes.
- Pressure cook on High Pressure for 3 minutes.
- Do a Quick Release of pressure (QR) and open the Instant Pot.
- Stir in fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, onions, carrots, and lime leaves.
- Select ‘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.
- 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. - * I use 3 Tbsp of Maesri brand or 2 Tbsp of Mae Ploy brand.
- ** lime leaves also referred to as k-lime, makrut or kaffir lime leaves
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips
Nutrition
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
If you loved this recipe, please give it a five ⭐ rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!
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Caren
The dish tastes great! I made the curry with extra firm tofu, which I added at the time the chicken would’ve been added. I twice got burn notices – I believe from the tofu sticking – so I recommend waiting to add the tofu along with the vegetables. I used carrots and green beans, and left out the onion (family members are sensitive to onion). The curry was super flavorful and delicious.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Caren, thanks for sharing your experience. I have a feeling you needed to thin out the coconut milk to pressure cook the tofu. But tofu cooks so quickly that I think cooking it afterwards is s a perfect option.
Carole McCracken
I made this recipe last evening and really enjoyed it. I put leftovers in fridge but noticed today the curry dish is very thick with little liquid left. I like more “sauce” for the rice so think I will add more coconut milk next time. Would I add the milk before pressure cooking it, or just near the end before putting it on saute?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Carole, the curry does thicken upon refrigeration but when you heat it, it should thin out a bit. What I would suggest is that you add the extra coconut milk after pressure cooking, as needed. You can also add 1/4 cup of chicken broth.
Carole
Thanks for the suggestions – I just finished the left overs so nothing went to waste, haha. I will add the extra coconut milk next time though.
Jessica
This was absolutely delicious! My whole family loved it!!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Jessica, thank you for letting me know – I’m so glad to hear you liked the recipe 🙂
Jeef
You changed my life.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Wow, thank you – that’s quite an endorsement!
Carly Newsam
First time I made this dish. Was a bit too spicy, so I know to add more coconut milk next time. Thanks for the recipe!!! It’s very delicious.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for your comment, Carly! I’m glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Denise
Fantastic recipe! I did add an extra can of coconut milk, along with a bit more of the curry paste because my husband loves to have a lot of sauce for his rice. Turned out perfect!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Denise, I’m really happy to hear that you liked the recipe. For some folks, extra coconut milk also works to make the curry less spicy 🙂