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Fast and easy Instant Pot Chicken Curry is tender, juicy chicken covered in a rich, creamy curry sauce full of authentic flavors. In less than ten minutes of hands-on time, you will have a wholesome, comforting meal that the whole family will love. Plus, I love that it is low-carb and dairy-free!
I love this Instant Pot Green Chicken Curry! It is a hearty and filling meal for the whole family, and even kids love it. This is a warm and comforting meal to serve any time of the year, but it is especially perfect for fall or winter evenings. You can also easily boost the meal by adding veggies or serving it alongside rice or naan bread.
You may also like my Indian Chicken Curry recipe or my Thai Green Chicken Curry.
Ingredients needed
Below is a list of ingredients you will need. You can find full measurements with instructions further down below in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Boneless and skinless chicken breasts: chicken thighs work as well. I like chicken breasts more because they are leaner.
- Coconut milk: To keep this dairy-free, I used coconut milk. This is the milk that’s in the can and not the one you drink.
- Mild curry powder (green or yellow): I used green. But use what you have on hand.
- Low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
- Lime juice: In a pinch, lemon will work.
- Coconut sugar: brown sugar will work too.
- Red chili: This can be optional and left out for a less spicy option.
- Garlic cloves and Fresh Ginger: You must use fresh here and not powder. Made a huge difference.
- Onion: Cooking onion or white sweet onions will do.
- Fresh Cilantro and Basil for garnishing.
- Optional: cooked jasmine rice
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Curry
- Turn the Instant Pot on.
- Add ingredients. First, place the chicken, curry powder, soy sauce, lime juice, coconut sugar, chopped onions, red chili, minced garlic, and ginger in the instant pot. Then pour the coconut milk into the pot.
- Cook. Net, cover, and secure the lid. Press MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK and set to 10 minutes.
- Serve. Once the time is up, manually release the pressure and carefully take the lid off. Then serve with the cooked rice if desired, and garnish with fresh cilantro and basil leaves. Enjoy!
Common Questions
Jasmine rice or brown rice are great options to serve with Instant Pot chicken curry. Rice soaks up the curry sauce so well. You may also use quinoa, bulgur, barley, couscous, or farro. For a low-carb option, try cauliflower rice.
Yes, vegetables go well with chicken curry. Try adding bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, or peas.
Store your chicken curry in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes, you can store any leftover chicken curry in an airtight container and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for a few hours. Then reheat in the microwave or on the stove and serve with fresh rice.
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Instant Pot Chicken Curry (Easy & Dairy-Free)
Ingredients
- 7 ounces coconut milk, blended if needed, ½ of a 14.5 ounce can
- 1 tablespoon mild curry powder, green or yellow
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce, or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 red chili, seeded and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
- 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
- 1 small onion, diced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup fresh basil
Optional:
- cooked jasmine rice, to serve with
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on.
- Place the 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 tablespoon mild curry powder, 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon coconut sugar, 1 red chili, 4 garlic cloves (minced),1 small onionand 1 tablespoon ginger in the instant pot. Then pour the 7 ounces coconut milk into the pot.
- Cover and secure the lid. Press MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK and set to 10 minutes.
- Once the time is up, manually release the pressure and carefully take the lid off. Serve with cooked jasmine rice if desired, and garnish with ¼ cup fresh cilantro and ¼ cup fresh basil equally among 4 servings. Enjoy!
Stove-top Instructions
- Mix coconut milk, curry powder, soy sauce, lime juice, sugar, red chili, garlic, and ginger in a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Heat a pot over medium to high heat. Add chicken and onion, sauté for 5 minutes.
- Immediately add in the prepared milk mixture, stir well.
- Cover and cook on low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thickened.
- Transfer the curry to a serving bowl. Garnish with cilantro and basil leaves. Serve with rice and enjoy!
Notes
- Coconut milk: Use unsweetened coconut milk.
- Curry powder: Yellow curry powder tends to be slightly sweeter, while green tends to be a bit brighter. Both are mild and work well in this recipe.
- Lime juice: Use freshly squeezed lime juice for the best flavor.
- Red chili: Try a Fresno Red Chili Pepper or a red jalapeno.
- Ginger: Use a spoon to peel the skin off the ginger, then grate on a Microplane. You can freeze the extra ginger root and grate it from frozen for future recipes.
- Set the steam valve to “sealed” and don’t move it until finished cooking. If the steam valve is open, the Instant Pot won’t be able to build enough pressure to cook the chicken.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Rena,
Thanks for this lovely recipe. I look forward to trying it. I only just bought my instant pot and they are not as popular in Ireland so I don’t have many friends who have one. So I’m a little confused. I can see it’s 10 mins prep, 10 mins cook & then I’m not sure if I can eat right away or I need to leave it sit for 25 mins or I need to switch to another setting for 25 minute?
Thanks a mill!
Aisling
Yes. Just let it sit and let the pressure release.
If I’m making on a Ninja Foodi using the pressure feature, should I be cooking on high?
Hi there. I am not familiar with the ninja foodi. But I assume it’s similar to the instant pot. And yes HIGH should be fine.
Hello!
How many servings does this make?
4 servings
Can this recipe be adapted to “regular” cooking? Meaning not for instant pot? I love curry, but I don’t have an instant pot.
Hi. Yes the instructions on how to cook on your stovetop are also included
Mine was tasty but the sauce was runny not thick. What did I do wrong?
Thank you. Did you make any changes to the recipe ?