Pressure Cooker Chicken Curry

Chicken curry made in a pressure cooker - It is an Indian chicken curry recipe made with chicken cooked in onion and tomato-based sauce in just 30 minutes. This chicken curry is flavored with basic Indian spices like turmeric, chili powder, coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom. In this recipe post, I share how to make chicken curry in a pressure cooker on the stovetop and Instant Pot.

About this Pressure Cooker Chicken Curry Recipe

This is a quick & easy chicken curry recipe for beginners. To make this curry, the chicken is marinated first. Then in the pressure cooker, a flavorful sauce is made with onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, and a fragrant blend of powdered spices. Marinated chicken is then combined with the sauce and pressured cooked. Serve this delicious Indian chicken curry with Roti, or steamed rice.

This pressure cooker chicken curry is easy to customize. It's not just delicious, it's also perfect for meal prepping! Make a big batch of this flavorful chicken curry, let it cool, and store it in the fridge for easy lunches or dinners up to 2 days. Freeze your curry in an airtight container for a month of flavorful convenience.

If you like this recipe, you might also like these other amazing Indian chicken curry recipes

• Dhaba style chicken curry (in Pressure Cooker)
• Chicken Bhuna Masala
• Chicken Chettinad
• Kolhapuri Chicken Curry
• Chicken Korma
• Hyderabadi Chicken Masala
• Restaurant-style Chicken Curry
• Andhra Chili Chicken

Chicken Curry Ingredients

Here's a list of ingredients you'll need to make this chicken curry in pressure cooker.

• Chicken - I have used chicken with bones. It tastes great. You can use chicken thighs, drumsticks, or curry-cut chicken.
• Curd/yogurt - Use fresh curd or yogurt. It keeps the chicken soft and moist. It also makes the chicken curry creamy.
• Red chili powder - I have used a combination of two different red chili powders here. Spicy red chili powder for marinating the chicken and Kashmiri red chili powder while making the chicken curry. Kashmiri red chili powder gives a bright red color to the dish and is not spicy. If you do not have it simply skip adding it. You can add any chili powder but adjust the quantity per the chili powder's spiciness.
• Ghee/clarified butter - It is an optional ingredient. It adds some richness to the gravy. You can substitute it with butter or skip it completely.
• Green chilies - Skip adding it if you prefer less spicy.
• Tomatoes - I have ground fresh tomatoes in the mixer to make the paste. You can substitute it with canned tomatoes or tomato passata.

For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.

FAQ

How to make Pressure Cooker Chicken Curry

1. In a mixing bowl, combine chicken with all the ingredients mentioned under marinating the chicken (in the recipe card). Cover and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker over medium heat.
3. Add the whole spices and sauté for 30 seconds.
4. Next, add onions and sauté until onions are translucent.
5. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chilies. Sauté until raw smell from ginger-garlic leaves.
6. Add turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala powder and salt. Be careful while adding salt as we have already added salt while marinating the chicken.
7. Stir and cook until the masala starts to leave oil from the sides.
8. Add the tomato paste and cook until the masala starts to leave oil from sides.

   

9. Next, add the marinated chicken, stir to combine and cook it for 5 minutes.
10. Add 1 cup of hot water, combine and cook until the gravy comes to a boil.
11. Now, cover and cook for 2 whistles.
12. Let the pressure settle down completely. Open the lid.
13. Chicken curry is ready to serve. Garnish with coriander leaves.

    

Tips to make perfect chicken curry in pressure cooker

• Marinate the chicken - It keeps the chicken soft and juicy and adds a nice flavor after pressure-cooking. However, if in a hurry you can skip this step.
• Use bone-in chicken for the best flavor.
• The curd/yogurt should be thick. I recommend adding hung curd or yogurt for a creamy chicken curry. You can put a muslin cloth over a strainer and pour curd/yogurt over it. Set this aside for 15 minutes. Use that curd/yogurt to marinate the chicken.
• Ghee enhances the flavor and adds richness to the chicken curry.
• Cooking each ingredient until the masala starts to release oil helps to develop the flavor.
• Kashmiri red chili powder gives the chicken curry a bright red color.
• Pressure cooking releases liquid quickly, so the chicken curry might seem thin at first. However, it will thicken as it simmers after releasing the pressure. This chicken curry will thicken after 10-15 minutes.

How to make Instant Pot Chicken Curry

• Start with marinating the chicken with the ingredients given in the recipe card. Set it aside for 30 minutes.
• Heat the instant pot in sauté mode and add oil and ghee. Toss in the whole spices and let them sizzle for 30 seconds, releasing their fragrant aroma.
• Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes or until translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chili and sauté for 2 minutes or until onions turn golden brown. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
• Add spice powders and saute for 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and sauté for another 2-3 minutes or until oil starts to release from sides while stirring at regular intervals.
• Add the marinated chicken and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Do not skip this step, as it adds lots of flavor to the curry.
• Pour in the water and stir it with the chicken, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot for extra flavor (deglazing). Close the Instant Pot lid, select 'Pressure Cook' on high pressure, and set the timer for 5 minutes.
• Cook until the timer goes off. Let the pressure be released manually using the quick release method.
• Garnish your Instant Pot Chicken Curry with fresh cilantro and serve it hot with your favorite sides.

Variations that you can try

• To make South Indian chicken curry in pressure cooker - add some curry leaves while sautéing onions. Once the chicken is cooked, add some coconut milk, bring it to a gentle boil, and serve.

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5 from 5 votes

Pressure Cooker Chicken Curry

Pressure cooker chicken curry - Quick and easy Indian chicken curry recipe made in pressure cooker. Chicken is cooked in onion-tomato based gravy in just 30 minutes. This chicken curry is flavored with basic Indian spices. Serve hot with Roti or steamed rice. In this recipe post, I share how to make chicken curry in a pressure cooker on the stovetop and Instant Pot (Check out the instant pot instructions in the notes).

Course Main

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 380kcal

Author Preeti

Equipment

• Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

For marinating the chicken

• 500 gram chicken
• ½ cup curd/yogurt
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• salt to taste

For the chicken curry

• 2 tablespoon of oil
• 1 teaspoon ghee/clarified butter optional
• 1 bay leaf
• 1- inch cinnamon
• 4 cloves
• 2 green cardamoms slightly open it and add
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 onions chopped
• 2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
• 2 green chilies slit
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder If using any other chili powder, add as per taste.
• 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
• salt to taste
• 2 tomatoes grind to a fine paste

Instructions

How to make Pressure cooker chicken curry

• In a mixing bowl, combine chicken with all the ingredients mentioned under marinating the chicken (in the recipe card). Cover and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
• Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker over medium heat.
• Add the whole spices and saute for 30 seconds.
• Next, add onions and saute until onions are translucent.
• Add ginger-garlic paste and green chilies. Saute until raw smell from ginger-garlic leaves.
• Add turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala powder and salt. Be careful while adding salt as we have already added salt while marinating the chicken.
• Stir and cook until masala starts to leave oil from the sides.
• Add the tomato paste; cook until the masala starts to leave oil from sides.
• Add the marinated chicken, stir to combine and cook it for 5 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of hot water, combine and cook until the gravy comes to a boil.
• Now, cover and cook for 2 whistles. Let the pressure settle down completely. Open the lid.
• Chicken curry is ready to serve. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Video

Notes

To make Chicken Curry in the Instant Pot 

• Start with marinating the chicken with the ingredients given in the recipe card. Set it aside for 30 minutes.
• Heat the instant pot in sauté mode and add oil and ghee. Toss in the whole spices and let them sizzle for 30 seconds, releasing their fragrant aroma.
• Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes or until translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chili and sauté for 2 minutes or until onions turn golden brown. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
• Add spice powders and saute for 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and sauté for another 2-3 minutes or until oil starts to release from sides while stirring at regular intervals.
• Add the marinated chicken and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Do not skip this step, as it adds lots of flavor to the curry.
• Pour in the water and stir it with the chicken, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot for extra flavor (deglazing). Close the Instant Pot lid, select 'Pressure Cook' on high pressure, and set the timer for 5 minutes.
• Cook until the timer goes off. let the pressure be released manually using the quick-release method.
• Garnish your Instant Pot chicken curry with fresh cilantro and serve it hot with your favorite sides.

Tips to make Pressure Cooker Chicken Curry

• Marinate the chicken - It keeps the chicken soft and juicy and adds a nice flavor after pressure-cooking. However, if in a hurry you can skip this step.
• Use bone-in chicken for the best flavor.
• The curd/yogurt should be thick. I recommend adding hung curd or yogurt for a creamy chicken curry. You can put a muslin cloth over a strainer and pour curd/yogurt over it. Set this aside for 15 minutes. Use that curd/yogurt to marinate the chicken.
• Ghee enhances the flavor and adds richness to the chicken curry.
• Cooking each ingredient until the masala starts to release oil. It helps to develop the flavor.
• Kashmiri red chili powder gives the chicken curry a bright red color.
• Pressure cooking releases liquid quickly, so the chicken curry might seem thin at first. However, it will thicken after 10-15 minutes.
• Make sure to add hot water to the gravy while pressure cooking it. Hot water will maintain a steady temperature while cooking. The chicken will cook well and will remain soft and moist.