Pressure Cooker Coconut Curry Chicken

Name: Pressure Cooker Coconut Curry Chicken
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 3 to 4 ripe tomatoes, halved through their equators; 3 tablespoons ghee, unsalted butter or safflower oil; 3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil; 2 cups finely chopped onions; 6 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or minced; 2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 1 3-inch cinnamon stick or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 8 cardamom pods, lightly crushed with the flat side of a knife, or 1 teaspoon ground cardamom; 2 teaspoons ground coriander; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks; 1 to 2 teaspoons garam masala, to taste; 1/2 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk; Cooked basmati rice, for serving (optional); Plain yogurt, for serving (optional); 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

By Melissa Clark

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 5(2,548)
Comments: Read comments

The highly spiced coconut sauce here is so good, you’ll want to slather it on anything! And it’s a great and adaptable medium for cooking other proteins — not just chicken. Try cubes of lamb, fish fillets, or chunks of pork. Or, if you prefer boneless chicken breasts to thighs, use them here, pressure-cooking them for 2 minutes instead of 4.

When serving, tell your guests to be aware of the cardamom pods so they don’t accidentally bite into one—or use the ground cardamom instead. And note that brands of garam masala vary in terms of their chile content, so some are hotter than others. If you’re unsure how hot your mix is, add it gradually to the pot, tasting as you go.

This is one of ten recipes from Melissa Clark’s ‘Dinner in an Instant: 75 Modern Recipes for Your Pressure Cooker, Multicooker, and Instant Pot’ (Clarkson Potter, 2017).

Melissa Clark’s ‘Dinner in an Instant’ is available everywhere books are sold. Order your copy today.

Featured in: To Transform Your Weeknight Cooking, Turn On the Instant Pot

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

3 to 4ripe tomatoes, halved through their equators
3tablespoons ghee, unsalted butter or safflower oil
3tablespoons virgin coconut oil
2cups finely chopped onions
6garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or minced
2tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1teaspoon cumin seeds
13-inch cinnamon stick or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
8cardamom pods, lightly crushed with the flat side of a knife, or 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2teaspoons ground coriander
1tablespoon kosher salt
1teaspoon ground turmeric
¼teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼teaspoon black pepper
2½pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 to 2teaspoons garam masala, to taste
½cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
Cooked basmati rice, for serving (optional)
Plain yogurt, for serving (optional)
3tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Set a box grater over a bowl. Starting with their cut sides, grate the tomatoes through the large holes of the box grater so the tomato pulp falls into the bowl. Discard the skins. Measure out 2 cups of tomato purée.
Step 2
Using the sauté function, heat the ghee and the coconut oil in the pressure cooker. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring often to encourage even browning, until they are caramelized, 12 to 18 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger and cumin seeds; cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon and cardamom and cook for another minute. Then stir in the coriander, salt, turmeric, red pepper flakes, black pepper and finally the tomato purée.
Step 3
Add the chicken to the sauce, cover and cook on low pressure for 4 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. If the sauce seems too thin, use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a bowl and then simmer the sauce on the sauté setting until it has thickened to taste. (Note that the coconut milk will thin the sauce down further.) Stir in the garam masala and the coconut milk, and let the curry sit for 20 minutes for the flavors to meld. Serve with the rice and yogurt, if desired. Garnish with cilantro.

Tip

If you’d rather use a slow cooker, cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or on low for 4 to 5 hours, adding the coconut milk during the last hour.

Ratings

5 out of 5

2,548 user ratings

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Comments

jnalv7 years ago

Fantastic, and forgiving! In my haste & hangriness, I dumped in the whole can of coconut milk (triple the amount!) and it still turned out fantastic with no further finageling. Pro-tip: a good ole 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes is — as always — an awesome time-saver here, but make sure to stir in ~1/2 cup of water so that there's enough steam for the pot to come up to pressure. And have the can open at your side when the spices go in; they can scorch quickly.

DougC7 years ago

It's worth noting that the "release pressure naturally" can take up to half an hour (in addition to the 4 min cook time). Would be good to spell that out up front so you don't start just 10 minutes before your guests show up!

Diane7 years ago

Used an InstaPot. Followed exactly. Used 4 tomatoes, stick cinnamon and 1.5t of garam masala. This was the best Indian curry I've had outside of London or Mumbai! Well worth the prep. Mis en place.

Bianca2 weeks ago

This is the best Korma I've ever made, and I've made a few. Followed recipe almost exact. Used 1/4 chicken tenderloin and 3/4 thigh. Cut recipe in half, but used full amount of tomato and coconut milk. I did remove chicken and simmer sauce to reduce. This tasted like it was from an excellent restaurant. Thanks!

Julie1 month ago

Careful of the salt, 1 tablespoon of salt was way too much and I love salt

Aleta2 months ago

Phenomenal dish. Made as given- I thought about adding the whole can of coconut milk, but decided not to and I’m glad I didn’t, as it would have made it a little too rich I think. The flavors of this dish were unreal, such depth. I did use a can of petite diced tomatoes instead of whole ones, because, winter.

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