This flavorful chicken curry is perfect for a week night meal. Fresh flavors and a curry spices come together beautifully in this dish. And all it takes is less than 10 minutes of hands on time!
Make ahead meals are a big time savor on busy weeks. It is comforting to sit down to a warm home cooked meal occasionally. Recipes like these are tailored for these kind of days. It is easy to make with a few pantry staples. It is pretty much error proof ?.
In India there are many versions of chicken curry. Curries from the south differ from the northern regions significantly. This curry is based on the flavors of the south – few spices, green chilies (if using), and coconut milk. Oh another thing there is no curry powder either !!!
This weeknight chicken curry is one pot dish – so technically the entire meal can be made in 2 pots (there goes my one pot meal pitch!). Make this in your instant pot or pressure cooker and rice on stove top /rice cooker at the same time. 10 to 15 minutes of hands on time is all that is needed for the entire meal!
So this rice and curry bowl is my comfort food. And the one of the best parts is that I can serve with without worrying about gluten, dairy or nut allergies .
Wait a minute – isn’t coconut a nut ? Well FDA classifies it as a tree nut , but it is in fact a fruit. This might explain why there are so few instances of coconut allergies.
What do I serve this with this curry ?
You can serve this with any rice or flat bread. For a little fancier version try these sides.
Before you start these are the things you need –
Chicken, Spices, Veggies , coconut milk , Instant pot/Pressure cooker
Chicken
I make this curry with boneless chicken breasts or thighs. You could make these with bone in meat as well – in that case you might want to increase the pressure cook time to about 10 minutes.
Spices
As I mentioned earlier there is no curry powder in this dish. One or 2 whole cloves and cardamom along with cayenne, coriander and turmeric completes the dry spice list. The base of this curry is made with onions , ginger and garlic. If you prefer a little tang add a tomato to it as well. You could experiment with more spices like garam masala or bay leaf , or cinaamon as well.
Like these flavors in chicken ? You might want to try
Veggies
To be honest chicken curry does not need veggies, but adding the veggies makes me feel better (the real reason they are there). 2 cups of frozen mix vegetables is my choice . When using a mix of peas and carrots or any of the vegetables that you like with ca bit of crunch, you can add it to the curry after the chicken s done cooking. Often times the residual heat is enough to cook the veggies , but if you are opening the cooker after the contents have reached room temperature , heat it up the curry up after adding the veggies.
Alternately add them to the pot along with the chicken. When using larger chunks of veggies like potatoes, big chunks of fresh carrots , definitely cook these with the chicken.
Coconut Milk
Coconut milk gives this curry its creaminess. If using bone in meat the curry will have some body even before adding the coconut milk. Coconut milk adds more richness to the curry and mellow and binds together all the flavors.
Try it once , and this home made chicken curry bowl will be part of your weeknight meal rotation.
Here is the recipe for easy weeknight chicken curry.
Easy Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- 1 - 2 Onion 1 ½ C chopped
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- ½ Inch Fresh Root Ginger
- 2 - 3 Cloves
- 1/4 Tsp Cardamom Seeds
- ½ - 1 Tsp Cayenne to taste
- ½ Tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tsp Coriander powder
- 2 C Frozen Mixed Vegetables
- 1 C Full Fat Coconut Milk
- 2 Tbsp Oil Notes
- 1 Tsp Sea Salt To Taste
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Chop the onions, grate or mince the ginger and garlic.
Instant Pot
- Turn on Instant Pot. Press ‘saute’ and wait for it to turn hot. Add oil and cardamom and cloves. Wait for about 30 seconds for the spices to heat up and be fragrant. Add the chopped onions , ginger and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes stirring once or twice until the vegetables are softened.
- Add the dry spice powders spices and 1 tsp salt. Mix and sauté for about 1 more minute.
- Add the chopped chicken stir to coat with the spicy inion mixture. Add the veggies and turn off the sauté mode .
- Add ½ C water and close the lid. Set the vent to 'SEALING' and press “MANUAL” button. Set pressure to high and adjust timer to 5 minutes.
- When cooking is done wait for the pressure to be released naturally (Notes). Open the lid and press “SAUTE” button. Add the coconut milk mix and cook for 1 minute (longer if the curry needs to be thicker).
Stove Top pressure cooker
- Follow the instructions for instant opt till you close the cooker. Once the cooker reaches high pressure lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off and let it cool until the pressure comes back to normal. Open the lid and add the coconut milk. Reduce to desired thickness.
- Serve with rice!
Notes
- This was made in a 6qt Instant pot.
- Follow the directions for your pressure cooker. Never fill more than the recommended level.
- When in a hurry , wait for 10 minutes after cooking is complete before releasing the pressure.
- If using bone in pieces increase the pressure cook time to 7 to 10 minutes.
- I prefer to use coconut oil in this recipe, any flavorless oils will work great.
- Optionally you can add Garam Masala along with the spices.
Important: Nutrition Values are estimates. Actuals vary based on ingredients and serving size.
Looking for more instant pot recipes ? Try These
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