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–+ servings
pressure cooker chicken curry served with sliced onion rings
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5 from 5 votes

Pressure Cooker Chicken Curry

A simple and heartwarming chicken curry that comes together very quickly in the pressure cooker and uses just pantry staples. Perfect weeknight meal!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Gluten Free, Halal
Servings: 4 portions
Author: Richa

Equipment

Ingredients

For chicken marination

  • 450 gms bone-in chicken curry cut
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves
  • ½ cup whipped curds plain unsweetened greek yoghurt
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

For chicken gravy

  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 whole red chilli
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • 1 cup sliced onion 130 gms
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes 70 gms
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon cardamom powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves

Instructions

Marinate Chicken

  • In a bowl, add all ingredients mentioned under chicken marination and mix well. Set aside for 10 minutes while you prep everything else.

Cook Chicken

  • Heat ghee & oil in a pressure cooker or instant pot and add cumin seeds, bay leaves, whole red chilli, cinnamon stick and onions and cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the onions are a light golden brown.
  • Add ginger garlic paste & fry for a minute.
  • Add tomatoes, red chilli powder, salt and saute it for 2 minutes till the tomatoes start to soften. Add 2 tablespoons of water and cover the pressure cooker & cook for just 1 whistle and switch off the heat. If using an instant pot, cook for 1 minute.
  • Remove pressure manually and turn on the pressure cooker.
  • Add marinated chicken & toss on high heat for 3-4 minutes. This helps the curd cook and prevents it from splitting.
  • Add 1 cup hot water, close the pressure cooker and cook for 3 whistles. After the first whistle, reduce the flame to low and cook for another 2 whistles. (See note 5). If using an instant pot, cook for 7 minutes on high pressure. Let the pressure release naturally.
  • Once the pressure has released, add cardamom powder, pepper powder and garam masala powder and bring to a quick boil. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve.

Video

Notes

 
  1. Use bone-in chicken for best results. However, it will taste good with boneless chicken too.
  2. Marinating the chicken adds flavour to the gravy.
  3. Using ghee enhances the flavour and aroma of the gravy. But just oil works too.
  4. Kashmiri red chilli powder gives the curry a bright red colour. If you can’t find it, use half the amount of red chilli powder. Regular chilli powder is spicier than Kashmiri chilli powder.
  5. Pressure cook on high till the first whistle goes off. Then reduce the flame to low and pressure cook for 2 more whistles and turn off the flame.
  6. Curry tastes best if you let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving

Nutrition

Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 472mg | Potassium: 443mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 708IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 2mg