It takes less than 40 minutes to prepare this delectable Chicken Potato Curry in the Instant Pot. It's full of authentic flavors from whole spices, as well as tender pieces of chicken and potato. This curry is low carb, gluten-free, and dairy-free, making it a healthy weeknight meal to serve over rice or with naan!
Potatoes are a staple in Indian and Pakistani cuisine, and are frequently added to chicken curry recipes such as this one. Potatoes make the meal more hearty, and taste amazing when they absorb all the flavors from the sauce. You can even add carrots to this recipe, by cutting them into large pieces similar to the potato. They will cook well, and add even more nutritional value to this satisfying meal!
This Indian Chicken Potato Curry has a simple onion base, and is not as creamy as say, Chicken Tikka Masala. Most Indians leave these creamy curries for restaurants, and home cooked curries are usually simple and lighter like my Mom's Chicken Curry, Keema Curry, and Shrimp Masala Curry.
Ingredients for Chicken Potato Curry
Chicken- This curry is typically made with bone-in chicken, however I used boneless chicken thighs because my young daughter prefers them. If you use bone-in chicken, see my notes below for different cooking instructions.
Potatoes- They add to the heartiness of the curry, and absorb all the goodness of the wonderful fragrant spices!
Ginger, Garlic, Onion, Cilantro, & Lime Juice- This combination of flavors is very common in many Indian recipes and adds to the fresh, authentic feel of this curry.
Whole Spices- Cardamom, bay leaf, cloves, black peppercorns, and cumin seeds, to be specific. Using whole spices adds to the authentic, fresh flavors in the recipe, but if you'd like to simplify it, you can skip using them and instead increase the quantity of Garam Masala. If you don't like having whole spices in the final dish but still want the flavors, try adding them to a spice pouch that you can easily remove before serving.
Green Chili Pepper- You can skip this if you're not a fan of spicy foods! Add kashmiri red chili powder and adjust the amount to taste; you can use paprika if you don't have this on hand. I personally have not made mine too spicy, but it is very easy to adjust to your own spice level.
How to cook Chicken Curry with Potatoes?
- Cut boneless chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- In a bowl, add the chicken and spices. Mix well, and let it rest for about 20 minutes.
- Heat the Instant Pot in Sauté mode, add oil, and then the potatoes. Saute while frequently stirring for about 3 minutes. Then remove the potatoes and set aside. We are doing this, so the potatoes get a bit crispy on the outside and hold their shape when cooked with the chicken.
- Now add the whole spices, and sauté for about 30 seconds to get the aroma.
- Add the green chili, onions, ginger, and garlic, and sauté well while stirring frequently.
- Add in the chicken, and sauté again until the outer skin turns white, about 4-5 minutes. This sauteing is key to getting the amazing flavors in this curry!
- Then add water to deglaze, and make sure nothing is sticking at the bottom of the pot.
- Add the potatoes; there is no need to stir these in. We are not stirring, as the potatoes will cook quickly during this cooking time.
- Now cook the curry under high pressure.
- Then open the pot and stir in the lime juice and garnish with cilantro. The curry is ready to enjoy!
Using bone-in chicken
The cooking time for bone-in chicken is higher, and the potatoes can turn to mush if they are cooked along. Hence if you're using bone-in chicken, don't add potatoes at the start.
Instead, pressure cook the chicken for 6 minutes, quick releasing the pressure when it's done. Open the Instant Pot, add the chopped potatoes, and then pressure cook for another 3 minutes. This ensures that the bone-in chicken is properly cooked, and has a nice, tender texture!
Variations
- Try adding carrots or green peas along with the potatoes to this Chicken Curry. Cut the carrots in large sizes similar to potatoes.
- Replace potatoes altogether with sweet potatoes for an Indian Chicken Sweet Potato Curry!
- Add coconut milk or heavy cream at the end to make the curry thicker and more creamy.
- You can also add cashew paste or cashew butter for taste.
More Chicken Curries You'll Love
If you want to try more curry recipes, try out some of my other favorites!
Instant Pot Chicken Potato Curry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Chicken boneless, cut into 1-2 inch pieces, see notes for bone-in chicken
- 3 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
- 1 Green Chili Pepper small, chopped (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon Garlic minced
- 2 cups Onion finely diced
- 1 cup Water
- 1 Potato cut into 1.5 inch cubes, about 7oz
- 1 teaspoon Lime juice
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ¼ cup Cilantro to garnish
Whole Spices (can be added to a spice pouch)
Spices
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder) optional
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin (Jeera powder)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the chicken and all the spices. Mix well, and let it rest for about 20 minutes.
- Heat the instant pot in Sauté mode and add oil to it. Add the potatoes. Sauté while stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Then remove the potatoes and set aside.
- Add the whole spices and sauté for 30 seconds to get the aroma.
- Add the chopped green chili, onions, ginger and garlic to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes until they turn golden brown. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
- Add the marinated chicken and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Do not skip this step, as it adds lots of flavor to the curry.
- Then add the water and stir it with the chicken. Deglaze and scrape off anything stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Layer the potatoes on top of the chicken. No need to stir.
- Change the instant pot setting to pressure cook (manual) mode on high pressure for 4 minutes. (see notes for bone-in chicken)
- When the instant pot beeps, quick release the pressure manually. Stir in the lime juice and garam masala.
- Garnish with cilantro and chicken curry is ready to serve.
Notes
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Maria says
This is maybe the 3rd or 4th recipe of yours I've tried and 100% success every time. I made this as-is and the flavors and (and smells!) hit the spot. I may try this again and throw in some frozen spinach or cauliflower rice at the end because who doesn't need more veggies? 🙂
Meeta Arora says
Hi Maria - So glad you enjoyed the curry! Thank you for sharing back.
Ami Gandhi says
This was definitely a keeper recipe. Super easy and flavorful and the whole family loved it. The only change I made was adding a bit of tomato paste at the end to help thicken the sauce.
Piping Pot Curry says
Hi Ami - That makes me really happy. Thank you for sharing it back 🙂
Emily says
Do you suppose I could replace the chicken in this recipe with chickpeas and carrots? Your recipe for the curry sauce looks the best out of all the recipes I've looked at!
Meeta Arora says
Hi Emily - I do think chickpeas and carrots would work great in this recipe. Here is my vegetable korma recipe which you might also enjoy - https://pipingpotcurry.com/vegetable-korma-instant-pot/
Sid says
Is this supposed to have tomato paste
Meeta Arora says
Hi Sid - You can add 1-2 tablespoon tomato paste to the curry after pressure cooking if you like. I typically cook this curry only in an onion based gravy. Hope you enjoy the curry!
Josh says
wow this came out great, thanks so much!
Piping Pot Curry says
Hi Josh - That's great! Thank you for sharing back 🙂
C. Thykkuttathil says
Good flavour, offering an abundance of chicken and potatoes. My ten year-old son and I followed the recipe but it was very thin and watery at the finish. Not to our liking. So I drained the sauce curry gravy into a saucepan. Then, I made a slurry with cornstarch and added it to the contents of the saucepan. We simmered it on low for two minutes. Added back into instapot after it thickened. My family thought it was better than the original thin curry gravy. Again, it’s just our personal preference. Thank you for sharing this recipe...We’ll definitely try it again.
Meeta Arora says
Thank you for sharing back your feedback and the changes you made!