Quick and Easy Instant Pot Thai Red Curry with Chicken

Are you craving for some delicious curry?  But don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen to make it?  Do you have an electric pressure cooker or an Instant Pot?  If so, I have THE recipe for you!  My Quick and Easy Instant Pot Thai Red Curry with Chicken will have you enjoying a nice bowl of curry in less than an hour.    

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Looking for an easy Papaya Salad recipe? Give my Quick and Easy Papaya Salad Recipe a try.

If you haven’t gotten yourself an Instant Pot.  Do yourself a favor and get one ASAP.  It’s a staple in our household and a huge time saver.  We can turn frozen meat into a nice meal in less than 1hr.  That’s a huge deal for busy households. 

There are many versions and sizes of Instant Pots out there.  Before purchasing one, you should consider the size of your family and preferences in aesthetics. I have three growing boys and our family of five have very healthy appetites, I could not get anything smaller than an 8 qt.  This is the one I have and love.

If you have a smaller family, you can choose between a 4qt or 6qt. Here’s a list of different models of 6qt Instant Pots:

1. Instant Pot DUO60 6qt 7-n-1 – This is a more standard and affordable model.  I know many people who have this model and love it.  You have multiple buttons that feature different cooking methods.

2. Instant Pot Ultra 6qt 10-in-1 – This is similar to what I have.  If you prefer fewer buttons to make for an easier clean up (like me), this will be a good one for you.  There is one main dial button plus a screen showing different features of cooking. To select your feature or preference, simply turn the dial until your preference is highlighted, then press the dial button and cook away.

3. Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 9-in-1, 6qt  – This model is for those who don’t want to be bothered with manual programming. It is nearly fool-proof with its 48 one-touch programs. 

4. Instant Pot DUO Crisp Pressure Cooker 11-in-1 with Air-Fryer, 8qt – This is the model I really want, but already have an Instant Pot and an air fryer that I love.  This model can do everything an Instant Pot does, PLUS air fry your meals.  

I can go on and on about Instant Pots and why I love them, but we know why you’re here… You want the recipe for this quick and easy Instant Pot curry with chicken.  So let’s get to it!

INSTANT POT THAI RED CURRY WITH CHICKEN

Serves 6-8 people

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes | Cook Time: 10-20 minutes | Total:  30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of 14oz Regular fat coconut milk (my mom likes Chaokoh, I prefer organic – Native Forest)
• 4 Tbsp Thai red curry paste (I like using the Maesri brand)
• 1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces (frozen or thawed) *
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth (I make my own)
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce (I like Megachef – it’s milder, less pungent, and NO MSG!)
• 2-3 Tbsp raw sugar (Support fair trade companies! – Wholesome Sweeteners)
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 cup sliced bellpepper (red or green)
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup okra (cut in half or thirds)
• 1/2 cup sliced onions
• 1-2 cups of peas (frozen or fresh)
• 5 keffir lime leaves (fresh is best, but dried or frozen works too.  Just soak your dried leaves in hot water for 5 minutes and watch it come to life! Try to get local and avoid cargo shipments from overseas!  Make sure you bruise your lime leaves to release its oil before you toss it in your pot.)
• 1/4 cup of almond butter (or peanut butter if no one is allergic)
• Lots of Thai basil leaves (sorry, there’s no replacement for fresh Thai basil here)
• Cilantro to garnish

Instructions:

1. Set your Instant Pot to “Saute”.  Pour 1 can of coconut milk and add your red curry paste.  Stir with a wooden spoon.  Let this boil for a few minutes.  This helps cook out the curry paste and coconut milk.  Then press “Cancel”.
2. Add your chicken (or your choice of protein), the second can of coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce, and sugar.  Stir.
3. Close your Instant Pot.  Make sure your steam release button is in the “sealed” position.
4. Set your Instant Pot to “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” for 5 minutes.  Hit “Start”.  (PLEASE NOTE: It takes your Instant Pot some time to reach the ideal pressure to cook.  Mine takes about 15-20 min.)
5. When the timer goes off, it is time to give your Instant Pot a Quick Release (refer to your manual; with mine, I just push down the pressure release button until all the pressure or steam is released). Remove your lid.
6. Stir in your lime juice, bell peppers, carrots, okra, onions, lime leaves, peas, and almond butter.
7. Press “Saute” and let your vegetables cook for about 5 minutes.  Try not to overcook the vegetables, or else they will turn really soft.
8. Taste your curry.  Want it sweeter?  Add sugar.  Want it more savory?  Add salt.  Need it to be more acidic?  Add lime juice.  Once your curry taste just right, add your Thai basil.  Stir.
9. Serve with jasmine rice or rice noodles. Garnish with cilantro or more Thai basil. Enjoy!

You can easily turn this quick and easy Instant Pot Thai red curry with chicken recipe into a vegetarian version by replacing meat with beans, chicken broth with vegetable broth, and fish sauce with mushroom seasoning.  Also, use vegetables YOU prefer in curries.  Just remember to add tougher/thicker vegetables in before you add your lighter/thinner vegetables.

Time Saving Tip: Before freezing your meat, consider cutting them to desired portion sizes first.  This eliminates the need to cut or separate your meat once it is thaw.

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Stay healthy. Stay Warm. Stay Safe.

Peace & Blessings to you all!

Bahry & The Boys