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Chicken thukpa served with ramen noodles, veggies and some bok choy and spring onions on the side
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Instant Pot Chicken Thukpa

A super flavourful broth, lots of juicy shredded chicken and crunchy veggies and hot, slurpy ramen noodles - this Chicken Thukpa is like a hug in a bowl. Making this in the Instant Pot makes it fast and easy, so it's perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Course Main Course, Soups
Cuisine Nepalese, Tibetan
Diet Halal
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 people
Calories 385kcal
Author Richa

Ingredients

Chicken Stock

  • 4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
  • 250 Grams Chicken Thighs bone-in, skinless (3-4 thighs)
  • 1 Medium Onion diced
  • 3 Stalks Celery chopped
  • 1 Cup Mushrooms quartered
  • 1 Teaspoons Salt
  • 1 Star Anise optional
  • ½ Teaspoon Coriander Seeds
  • 1 Teaspoon Whole Black Peppercorn
  • 8 Cups Water

Chilli Paste

  • 10 whole dried Red Chillies
  • 1 Cup Water
  • ½ Cup Oil
  • 1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce
  • 1 Teaspoon Sugar
  • 1 ½ Teaspoon Salt
  • ½ Teaspoon Vinegar

Thukpa

  • 2 Tablespoons Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Garlic minced
  • ½ Tablespoon Ginger minced
  • ½ Cup Bok Choy stalk and greens separated, diced
  • ½ Cup Cabbage shredded
  • ½ Cup Carrot Julienned
  • 1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce
  • ½ Teaspoon Vinegar
  • 1 - 2 Teaspoons Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons Spring Onion greens, chopped for garnish
  • 1 ½ Cups Noodles cooked

Instructions

Instant Pot Chicken Stock

  • Turn on Instant Pot to SAUTE mode on medium heat. Once the monitor displays hot, add oil to the inner pot and allow it to heat up slightly. Add chicken pieces and allow it to brown for 3-4 minutes, turning them over once they have lightly seared. Lightly sprinkle with salt.
  • Add onion, celery, mushroom and sprinkle some salt. Stir and lightly sauté for about a minute. Add star anise, coriander seeds and peppercorn. Mix to combine. Continue to sauté for 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms have slightly browned. Add water, stir and close the lid.
  • Press CANCEL and choose MANUAL on HIGH pressure. Set the timer to 30 minutes and turn the pressure valve to Sealing. Once the timer beeps, allow it to naturally pressure release for 15 minutes then turn the pressure release valve to Venting and allow the remaining pressure to release. Strain the stock (reserving the chicken) and keep the stock aside for later.
  • Separate the chicken pieces. Using two forks, shred the chicken and keep aside. Remove the bones and discard.

Chilli Paste

  • Soak dried red chillies in boiling hot water for 30 minutes or until soft. Remove the chillies and blend into a coarse paste.
  • Add oil to a frying pan on a low flame and allow it to become slightly hot. Add the chilli paste and fry for 10-12 minutes while stirring continuously. Ensure the raw smell goes. Add sugar, soy sauce and salt. Add the vinegar and stir. Keep aside.

Thukpa

  • Turn on Instant Pot to SAUTE mode on medium heat. Once the monitor displays hot, add oil to the inner pot and allow it to heat up slightly. Once oil is hot, add garlic and ginger and sauté for a minute.
  • Next add the bok choy stalks, cabbage and carrot and sauté for another minute. Add the strained stock and mix to combine.
  • Add soy sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir to ensure it is well combined. Add the bok choy greens and give it a stir. Add shredded chicken and allow this to simmer for 2 minutes. Then turn off the Instant Pot by pressing CANCEL.
  • To assemble, place cooked noodles in a bowl. Pour chicken thukpa soup on top with bits of chicken and veggies. Drizzle with chilli oil and serve hot.

Video

Notes

  1. Nutritional Info: The nutritional info is calculated using only half the chilli oil, because you won't end up using the whole thing
  2. Vegetable Thukpa: To make this vegetarian, omit the chicken from the stock. Follow instructions as is. In the end, raw tofu can be added to include some protein
  3. Sear the chicken in oil before adding any other ingredients to lock in the juiciness. We highly recommend using bone-in chicken thighs for stock. Chicken thighs can withstand the longer cooking time as opposed to breasts. And that’s why the meat remains really juicy and succulent.
  4. Fry the onions, celery and mushrooms with the chicken to get some colour on them.
  5. Strain out the stock with a fine sieve so that any debris gets filtered out.

Nutrition

Calories: 385kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 2326mg | Potassium: 360mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2418IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1mg