Easy Indian Chicken Curry - Instant Pot, Stove Top
Easy Indian Chicken curry is a dish from North Indian cuisine. This delicious one-pot chicken curry is made with basic ingredients and comes together in under 30 minutes. Perfect for weeknights dinner!
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks, skin removed
- 1 medium onion, red or yellow
- 4-6 cloves garlic
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 2 green chili, adjust to taste
- 1 inch ginger
- 4 tablespoon oil
WHOLE SPICES
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
DRY SPICES
- ½ tablespoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon dried mango powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder, adjust to taste
- 2 teaspoon garam masala, adjust to taste
FOR GARNISH
- handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- ½ cup water, or as needed
Instructions
- In a small blender jar, make a fine paste of onion, garlic by adding 2 tablespoon of water. Keep it aside.
- In the same blender jar, make a puree of tomatoes, green chili, ginger by adding 2 tablespoon of water. Keep it aside.
- Remove the skin from the chicken drumsticks and keep it aside.
- Turn ON Saute mode on "High". When it displays "HOT", add oil. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, saute for 15 seconds.
- Add onion - garlic paste. Saute for 3 - 5 minutes or until the moisture has almost evaporated.
- Add tomato - green chili - ginger paste, dry spices - coriander powder, red chili powder, dried mango powder, turmeric, and salt to taste.
- Saute for 5-7 minutes or until the sauce comes together and you can see the oil separates from the sauce.
- Add the chicken, toss it in the sauce. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Add just enough water to cover the chicken. Chicken will also release its own juices when cooked. So you don't need to add a lot of water.
- Turn ON Pressure cook / Manual mode (high) and set the cooking time for 10 minutes. Followed by a natural pressure release, around 15 minutes.
- Turn ON Saute mode (high). Add some garam masala, some fresh lemon juice, bring it to a boil. Simmer the sauce until desired consistency. Note: The sauce thickens as the curry cools down.
- Garnish with some handful of fresh cilantro and enjoy this Easy Indian Chicken Curry with some rice, roti, naan or paratha.
Notes
- You can choose to chop the veggies or make a paste. If using the paste, make sure to cook it properly. Paste tends to stick to bottom, quite often, so keep scraping the pot few times, to avoid any burnt bottom.
- Saute the sauce until it comes together and you can see the oil separates from the sauce.
- This is called "bhuna masala", means cook the sauce down until the oil separates from the sauce. This is a secret to this flavorful curry.
- It is important to deglaze the pot, add water and deglaze the pot. If there is any sauce sticking to the bottom, you might end up having "BURNT" sign while cooking the curry.
- I prefer bone-in chicken. You can use chicken of your choice, thighs, whole chicken cut into small pieces.
- Adjust the cooking time depending upon the size of the chicken pieces.
- Recipe uses chicken drumsticks and these cook perfectly in the recommended time.
- Adjust the spiciness by adding less green chili, red chili powder or garam masala to suit your taste. I used Thai green chili for this recipe, which are quite hot.
- Dried mango powder is optional, it adds a nice tangy flavor to the curry. You can also use some fresh lemon juice in the recipe. Adjust to taste.
- PRO TIPS FOR EASY INDIAN CHICKEN CURRY - please refer to the post earlier.
- FAQ ABOUT EASY INDIAN CHICKEN CURRY - Please refer to the post earlier.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
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KEYWORD
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