Instant Pot Chicken Curry: Easy Thai Coconut Curry

Instant Pot Chicken Curry is the perfect Thai curry when you don’t have the time, energy, or emotional capacity to stand at the stove stirring a pot while everyone asks what’s for dinner! It’s your new weeknight hero!

It’s creamy, cozy, full of bold Thai curry flavor, and made with Thai curry paste, coconut milk, chicken, and whatever veggies are hanging out in your fridge waiting to be useful.

And the best part? You can have Thai curry comfort on the table in about 30 minutes. Dinner rescue mission accomplished!

What Is Instant Pot Chicken Curry?

Instant Pot chicken curry is a fast, cozy Thai-inspired curry made by sautéing Thai curry paste, adding coconut milk, chicken, veggies, and seasonings, then pressure cooking everything until the chicken is tender enough to shred.

It gives you that rich Thai curry flavor without needing to babysit a pot on the stove. The Instant Pot does the heavy lifting, which is exactly what we need on a busy weeknight!

In Thailand, curry is often simmered gently with coconut milk, curry paste, meat, fish sauce, and a little sweetness to balance everything out. This version keeps those Thai flavors but uses the Instant Pot to make it faster and easier for real life.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Authentic Thai-inspired flavor taught to you by a Thai cooking class instructor
• Easy weeknight dinner that tastes like you worked harder than you did
• Flexible recipe that works with red, yellow, green, panang, or Massaman curry paste
• A great way to use up kale, onions, or whatever veggies need to be rescued from the fridge

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Ingredients You’ll Need

• 3 tbsp to 1/2 cup Thai curry paste – This is where the flavor party starts! Use less if your curry paste is spicy, and more if you are using a milder paste like Massaman curry paste.
• 4 chicken breasts, or 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs – Chicken thighs are our favorite because they stay extra tender and juicy in curry, but chicken breasts work too.
• 1 onion, thinly sliced into strips (optional) – Adds sweetness and texture as it cooks down into the curry.
• 3 cups kale, or any other veggie in the fridge – Kale is sturdy and holds up well, but you can use bell peppers, green beans, carrots, spinach, zucchini, or whatever needs to be used up.
• 13.5 oz can coconut milk – The creamy base that makes Thai curry so comforting. Thai coconut milk is best if you can find it!
• 1–2 tbsp fish sauce, to taste – Adds that salty, savory Thai depth. Start with less, then add more at the end.
• 1–2 tbsp brown sugar, to taste – Balances the curry paste, fish sauce, and spice.
• 1–2 tbsp tamarind paste, optional – I recommend this if you are using Massaman curry paste because it gives that tangy depth that makes Massaman so good.
• Cilantro, Thai basil, and/or green onions – Fresh herbs on top make the whole bowl feel bright, and fresh.

How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Curry

Step 1: Sauté the curry paste

Turn on the Instant Pot’s Sauté function. Add 1 tbsp cooking oil and 3 tbsp to 1/2 cup Thai curry paste, depending on your spice preference.

Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.

Step 2: Add the coconut milk

Open the 13.5 oz can coconut milk. If there is a thick layer of coconut cream on top, scoop that into the Instant Pot first and stir it with the curry paste.

Then add the rest of the coconut milk and stir.

If your coconut milk is all liquidy, no worries dear! Just pour in the whole can and stir it with the curry paste.

Step 3: Add chicken and veggies

Turn off the Sauté function.

Add 4 chicken breasts, or 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 1 thinly sliced onion, and 3 cups kale or veggies of choice.

Stir everything together so the chicken and veggies are coated in the curry sauce.

Step 4: Pressure cook

Secure the lid and cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes.

If your chicken is frozen, cook for 15 minutes, or a few minutes longer if the pieces are large or frozen together.

Release the pressure naturally or manually.

Step 5: Season and shred

Add 1–2 tbsp fish sauce, 1–2 tbsp brown sugar, and optional 1–2 tbsp tamarind paste if using Massaman curry paste.

Shred the chicken and stir everything together. Taste and adjust until it’s creamy, savory, a little sweet, and full of curry flavor.

Step 6: Garnish and serve

Sprinkle with cilantro, Thai basil, and/or green onions.

Serve hot with jasmine rice and enjoy that cozy Thai curry bowl like the weeknight dinner champion you are!

Additions and Substitutions

• Chicken substitute: Boneless pork, or stew beef.
• Thai curry paste substitute: Malaysian curry paste, Indonesian curry paste, or Japanese curry paste.
• Coconut milk substitute: Coconut cream mixed with a little water, or heavy cream
• Kale substitute: Spinach, bell peppers, green beans, broccoli, zucchini, carrots, baby corn, really anything you need to use up in the fridge
• Fish sauce substitute: 1/2 tbsp soy sauce + 1/2 tbsp vinegar of choice (except balsamic) + a pinch of salt, or coconut aminos.
• Brown sugar substitute: Palm sugar, or white sugar
• Tamarind paste substitute: A squeeze of lime juice, or leave it out
• Slow Cooker method: Don’t have an instant pot? Try my Slow Cooker Chicken Curry Recipe instead!

Tips for the Best Instant Pot Chicken Curry

• Use Thai curry paste if you can. Thai brands usually have a deeper, more authentic flavor than many American grocery store curry pastes. Maesri and Mae Ploy are two common ones I love using.
• Adjust the curry paste to your spice level. If you are using red, green, yellow, or Panang curry paste, start with 3 tablespoons if you aren’t sure how spicy it is. If you are using Massaman curry paste, you can usually use closer to 1/2 cup because it’s much milder.
• Don’t skip sautéing the curry paste. This little step makes a big difference! It helps bloom the spices and gives your curry a richer flavor.
• Use chicken thighs for the juiciest curry. Chicken breasts work, but thighs stay more tender and are our family favorite for curry.
• Taste at the end. Curry paste brands vary so much in salt, spice, and flavor. Add fish sauce, and sugar after pressure cooking so you can balance the flavors.
• Add delicate veggies after cooking. If you are using spinach, zucchini, or thinly sliced bell peppers, stir them in at the end so they don’t get too soft.

Behind the Instant Pot Chicken Curry Recipe

Lately, my favorite place to shop has been my pantry and fridge. You feel me?

Sometimes I buy fun things, like Korean pancake mix, and then somehow it gets wedged behind my flour and sugar, hidden in the abyss of my pantry until months later I dig it up like lost treasure and rejoice because now I know what’s for dinner.

On one of my recent fridge-scrounging, what-in-the-world-can-I-make-for-dinner nights, I found my giant container of Thai Massaman curry paste that I needed to use up, but had totally forgotten about.

But I didn’t have time to do a lot of prep.

So I knew tonight would be Instant Pot chicken curry!

Even though I didn’t have the usual small waxy potatoes that typically go with Massaman curry, I decided to use it anyway.

Usually when I make Thai curries, I try to make them as authentic as possible, mainly because we miss Thailand. Any time we eat Thai food, I’m hoping to travel back to the streets of Thailand, with my taste buds at least.

But desperate dinner times call for desperate dinner measures!

So I grabbed the Thai Massaman curry paste, Chao Koh coconut milk, sliced an onion, and got out four chicken breasts.

I turned on the Instant Pot’s sauté function and stir-fried the curry paste with a little oil until it smelled amazing. Then I added the coconut cream, that thick layer you often find at the top of legit, unshaken Thai coconut milk, stirred it into the curry paste, then added the rest of the coconut milk, chicken, and veggies.

High pressure for 10 minutes, and dinner was on its way.

If I’m using kale, I like adding it before pressure cooking because it softens and makes it much easier to get into my kids. But you can also stir it in at the end if you want it more fresh.

If we have carrots, we love adding those with the chicken because they bring a lovely hint of sweetness. And if you have green onion, cilantro, or Thai basil, sprinkle some on top at the end for that fresh, pretty, extra tasty finish.

But if you don’t have all the extras, no worries dear. Keep it simple!

That’s what I love about this recipe. It may not be made just like a traditional Thai curry, but it still gives you that creamy, cozy, Thai curry comfort with barely any effort.

And sometimes that’s exactly what dinner needs to be.

A little shortcut. A little pantry treasure. A little coconut curry steam rising from your bowl.

And just enough Thailand to refresh your spirit at the end of a long day.

Instant Pot Chicken Curry Frequently Asked Questions

Want more cozy Thai dinners?

• Slow Cooker Massaman Curry– A warm, comforting Thai spice blend perfect for rich curries.
• Quick Thai Salmon Red Curry – Creamy, bold, and weeknight-friendly.
• Chicken Pad Thai – An easy to understand, authentic Pad Thai recipe that I teach in my Thai cooking classes.
• 35 Popular Thai Dishes – Your guide to Thailand’s most beloved recipes.

Let’s stay in touch dear!

And if you want to learn how to make it in person, come join one of my Thai cooking classes in Boone, NC!

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If you make it, I want to see! Take a pic and tag me on Instagram @thaifoodie!

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