Mom's Chicken Curry - Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Mom's Chicken Curry is a homestyle Indian curry made with boneless chicken pieces cooked in a fragrant spice blend with onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, and whole spices in an Instant Pot. The curry has a moderately spiced, savory sauce with bright notes from lemon juice and freshness from cilantro. Pressure cooking yields tender chicken with rich flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken boneless, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- 3 tablespoon ghee or oil
- 1 green chili pepper small, chopped (optional)
- 1 inch ginger finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 onion medium sized, finely chopped
- 2 tomato medium sized, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup cilantro to garnish
Whole Spices
- 1 black cardamom Moti Elaichi
- 2 bay leaf Tej Patta
- 6 cloves aka Laung
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds aka Jeera
Spices
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder dhaniya powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder ground, aka Haldi powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cut the boneless chicken into small pieces, about 1-2 inch in size.
- Heat the instant pot in Sauté mode and add oil to it. Add the whole spices and sauté for 30 seconds to get the aroma.
- Add the chopped green chili, onions, ginger and garlic to the pot and sauté for 4 minutes until they turn golden brown. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and spices. Sauté for another 4 minutes, while stirring at regular intervals.
- Add the chicken and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Do not skip this step, as it adds lots of flavor to the curry.
- Then add the water and stir it with the chicken. Deglaze and scrape off anything stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Change the instant pot setting to manual/pressure cook mode on high for 5 minutes.
- When the instant pot beeps, quick release the pressure manually. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Garnish with cilantro and chicken curry is ready to serve.
Notes
- Whole spices add aroma but can be omitted for simplicity.
- Use chicken thighs or bone-in chicken with increased pressure cooking to 7 minutes.
- Adjust spice by omitting green chili or substituting paprika for Kashmiri chili powder.
- The curry sauce is not thick like restaurant style; thicken with cashew paste or cream if desired.
- Recipe created for a 6qt Instant Pot DUO60 model; adjust timing for other models.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 268
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 268kcal | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 8g | 3% |
| Protein | 25g | 50% |
| Fat | 14g | 22% |
| Saturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Cholesterol | 101mg | 34% |
| Sodium | 765mg | 32% |
| Potassium | 633mg | 13% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 730IU | 15% |
| Vitamin C | 17.7mg | 20% |
| Calcium | 29mg | 3% |
| Iron | 1.2mg | 7% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.