Classic Pakistani Chicken Curry
If you’ve ever wanted to taste a simple chicken curry you’d find in a typical Pakistani home, this is it. It’s authentic in that most Pakistani and Indian households have some version of it. Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get recipes & tips every week! There’s always the browning of the onions, the stir-frying of the chicken (called ‘bhoon-na‘), the addition of garlic, ginger, tomatoes, and green chili peppers (order varies from family to family). And of course, we have the usual suspect spices like turmeric and red chili powder. Garnish with cilantro and garam masala. What I’ve done here is taken this homestyle, beloved chicken curry and adapted it to the Instant Pot so it’s easier, simpler, and much more 2020.
Aloo Chicken in the Instant Pot
Here’s what makes this recipe easy: brown the onions and stir-fry the chicken just like you would over the stovetop. But after that, it’s a dump-and-go situation. The best part? There’s no sautéing at the end. You just manually release the pressure and garnish. I’ve added the perfect amount of liquid so that the final curry has just the right consistency. Of course, if you prefer more or less curry or salan, just adjust the water quantity. But keep in mind that IP pressure cooking retains water, so you don’t need much more than 1 cup. To save time and effort, this recipe uses your food processor to chop the onions, then tomatoes. I’ve found that the rough purée of tomatoes gives a wonderful texture. Of course, you could just manually chop the ingredients, but I love making this easy curry even easier. When I’m feeling lazy, I chop my green chili peppers (this makes them a tad spicier), garlic/ginger, and even cilantro in there.
Adding Potatoes to the Chicken Curry
I grew up eating this chicken curry with potatoes, and to me, the potatoes are as essential as the chicken. They make it more wholesome, textured, and somehow complete. (For more potato recipes check out my collection of 10 Potato Recipes.) In the traditional method of cooking, when the chicken is just cooked through, you add the potatoes and cook until they’re completely tender. In this recipe, the potatoes get cooked alongside the chicken, so we’re only pressure-cooking once! I know what you’re thinking – the potatoes will be way overdone. And you’re right, they are pretty well done. But that’s just how we like them. Plus, we are cutting them into large chunks, so they’ll hold up well (more on that below).
How to Cut the Potatoes (so they hold up!)
Of course, there is no exact science to cutting your potatoes. But since you are pressure cooking them alongside the chicken, they’ll need to be cut into large chunks so they stay intact and maintain their texture. How you cut the potatoes depends on the size of the potatoes:
If you’re using 3 small potatoes, you can just quarter them (cut lengthwise, then widthwise). For 2 medium potatoes or one large potato, halve or quarter the potato lengthwise, then cut into large (about 2″) cubes.
If you prefer smaller cubes of potatoes, you can still use them by cooking the chicken first and then adding the potatoes. For bone-in chicken, you’d cook the chicken for 8 minutes, then add the potatoes and pressure cook another 2-4 minutes, depending on their size. Similar recipes: Aloo Gosht (with IP instructions), Stovetop Chicken Curry, Coconut Chicken & Potato Curry
Using Boneless Chicken instead of Bone-in for Instant Pot Pakistani Chicken Curry
Here’s how to make this recipe with boneless chicken (chicken thighs, breast, or tenders):
How to Double the recipe
If doubling the recipe, use double the amount of ingredients including water (unless you’re using boneless chicken – see above). Also, though you’ll have to increase the sauté timings, do not increase the pressure-cook time.
Serving Suggestions
We grew up eating this chicken curry atop a bed of basmati rice with green peas. It was a simple, yet complete meal I’d always be delighted to see at the dinner table. Of course, you can also serve it with roti, naan, or any other bread. To add some crunch and freshness, you can make Kachumber Salad or chop up some vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions to serve alongside. If you’re looking for more Instant Pot recipes, be sure to check out my Instant Pot Recipes Roundup.
More EASY Chicken Curry Recipes:
Pakistani Chicken Karahi (Easy & Authentic) Baked Tandoori Chicken Curry Chicken Jalfrezi Chicken Shashlik
