This Instant Pot Chicken Curry with Vegetables was the very first recipe I cooked in my seven-gadget wonder cooker. Seventeen minutes after I started browning the chicken (and yes, you can brown the meat right in the Instant Pot!) dinner was done and I became an official Instant Pot super fan.
In all fairness, the entire dinner took more than 17 minutes from start to finish. Because you do have to chop the vegetables and whirl the sauce in the blender. But still, this is one of the easiest and fastest curry dinners I have ever made. The hands on prep time is only 15 minutes, so you can have the whole dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. It’s the PERFECT dinner for busy weeknights.
Stretch Your Instant Pot Chicken Curry Out with Chickpeas
Stretch Your Instant Pot Chicken Curry Out with ChickpeasIf you have our book, you know I am always looking for creative ways to work in my once daily bean serving (I make it a point to eat one serving of beans a day—here’s why!) And believe it or not, beans taste delicious in curry. I’m not so sure all beans would work, but chickpeas are absolutely amazing.
Adding beans gives a great fiber and plant-based nutrition boost to the whole meal, they blend right in with everything else and they help stretch the dinner out quite a bit. If you add the beans you should definitely have leftovers for the next day. I use canned chickpeas and then just rinse and drain and stir them in at the very end. Easy peasy.
Don’t Have an Instant Pot? Cook Your Curry in the Slow Cooker!
If you don’t have an Instant Pot then you can always cook your Chicken Curry in a conventional slow cooker. If you decide to cook it in a slow cooker then the only thing you need to change is the cooking method.
How to Cook Your Chicken Curry Dinner in a Slow Cooker
- Season the chicken lightly with salt on all sides. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and brown for about 3 minutes each side. Remove chicken from the skillet with a slotted spoon and transfer to a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker.
- Add the carrots, red bell pepper and onion to the skillet and sauté for about 5 or 6 minutes, until vegetables start to soften. Transfer the vegetables to the slow cooker and stir in the sauce.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 5 or 6 hours or on high heat for 2 ½ hours. Once chicken is cooked through and vegetables are soft, stir in beans (optional). Garnish with cilantro and serve warm.
Looking for More Clean Instant Pot Recipes?
I wish I could say I have a bunch, but since I am super late to the Instant Pot party I only have this one Instant Pot Stroganoff Recipe (it’s dairy free!) I promise to share more Instant Pot recipes SOON though.
Next on my “must make” list is this Instant Pot Minestrone from 101 Cookbooks….
For those of you with food allergies and food sensitivities, it’s helpful to know this Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff recipe meets the following dietary restrictions:
Egg Free / Grain Free / Bean-Free Option (Don’t add the garbanzo beans) / Gluten Free (use gluten free soy sauce instead of Namu Shoyu) / Paleo Friendly / Dairy Free /
Instant Pot Chicken Curry with Vegetables
This Instant Pot Chicken Curry with Vegetables skimps on time but not on flavor! Thanks to the Instant Pot, you can get an incredibly delicious curry dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 17 minutes
- Total Time: 27 minutes
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste (see notes below)
- 4 medjool dates, pitted
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons unpasteurized soy sauce (such as Namu Shoyu)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 cloves garlic
For the Stew
- 1 ½ pound pasture-raised chicken thighs, trimmed of all visible fat
- Pink Himalayan salt, for seasoning chicken
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 5 carrots, cut into thin strips
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into thin strips
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (optional)
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
For the Sauce
- Put the ingredients in the order listed above in a high speed blender. Process until smooth. Set mixture aside. (Note: sauce can be prepared up to 3 days in advance.)
For the Stew
- Season the chicken lightly with salt on all sides. Select the “SAUTE” setting on the Instant Pot and heat the oil. Add the chicken and brown for about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Add the vegetables and stir in the sauce.
- Turn the “SAUTE” mode off. Close and lock the lid of the Instant Pot. Select “PRESSURE COOK” and adjust the “+” or “-” button to 12 minutes of pressure cooking time.
- When the time is up, open the pressure cooker using the “QUICK RELEASE” valve. Stir in the beans (optional) and garnish with cilantro. Serve warm.
Notes
You can find red curry paste at any Asian market. But I use Thai Kitchen brand red curry paste because it is super easy to find at just about any supermarket. Look for it in the Asian section of your grocery store.
Jason says
LOVE this recipe! We add/sub in butternut squash, mushrooms, white sweet potatoes, and cubed tomatoes. Also we lower the cook time to 7 min so the vegetables are a little firmer. Thanks for your blog!
Ivy Larson says
Hi Jason! SO happy to know you liked it so much! Thank you for taking the time to let me know =) I’m also so happy to know it still cooks the chicken in 7 minutes (because I too had wanted the vegetables to be a bit firmer!)
OregonKaye says
I made this last night from your handwritten recipe that your originally posted. Oh My Gosh! My entire family loved it, had seconds, and asked when I could make it again. Once again, Ivy, you have a hit on your hands. Keep ’em coming! Thanks.
Ivy Larson says
Awww, thank you SO much for such positive feedback! It always makes me so happy to know people are really making my recipes =) Sometimes you feel like you are just typing recipe after recipe into thin air lol. I am SO glad everyone liked it!!