This Easy Chicken Curry is a dump and cook meal that is full of flavor and packed with proteins and veggies. Make it in the slow cooker or Instant Pot!
Instant Pot Chicken Curry
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Dump and cook meals like this Chicken Curry are the best! No babysitting a pan of food, just throw it all in and then you’ve got a delicious, healthy, filling dinner the family is sure to love.
I developed this recipe when I was stumped for what to make a dinner guest that needed something gluten free AND dairy free. Yes, grilling meat and having sides would have been easy but we still didn’t have a grill and I didn’t want to make something where I had to make substitutions because let’s face it, they are substitutions for a reason- they’re not as good. But this ethnic dish is naturally free of dairy and gluten products and tastes A-freaking-MAZING! I’m usually all about the butter, cream, and cheese, but you don’t miss it at all in this dish because thanks to the coconut milk, it still has that creamy texture to the sauce.
This dish is packed with so many good-for-you ingredients. It’s loaded with sweet potatoes which are not only great for you but man they really give this dish flavor and the sweetness is a very welcome bonus. After cooking, the sweet potatoes kind of become one with the sauce. About half the potatoes end up breaking down which helps to thicken the sauce. If you prefer lots of sweet potato chunks, make sure to cut them larger.
The chickpeas and spinach that you throw in at the end are not a necessity but they’re delicious and healthy, so why not?
You can make this meal in either the Instant Pot or slow cooker so use what you have, prefer, or have time for.
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Curry:
Add all the liquid ingredients to the pot and then mix in the spices, garlic, and ginger. Then you can mix in the sweet potato, onions, and chicken. Top with the lid, close the vent, and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes followed by an 8 minute natural release.
Once the chicken is done, shred it. Add in the cornstarch mixture, chickpeas, and spinach and cook until thickened. Then add back the chicken and then serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.
How to make Slow Cooker Chicken Curry:
Just like the Instant Pot method, you’ll mix together all the liquid ingredients and spices in the slow cooker and then add in the sweet potatoes, onions, and chicken. Cook it for 4-5 hours on low and then pull out the chicken to shred. Before you get to shredding the chicken, turn the slow cooker up to high heat, add in the cornstarch mixture and chickpeas. Add the shredded chicken and cook for about 30-45 minutes. Stir in the spinach and let it cook until wilted. Dinner is ready!
What to serve with Chicken Curry?
Curry is best served over rice. You can use white or brown.
Since this is an Indian dish, serving naan as a side works perfectly. You can find naan at the grocery store (even Costco!) or make your own. Fresh Naan is AMAZING! If you have leftover you can use it to make little pizzas another night.
HERE ARE A FEW MORE ETHNIC CHICKEN RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS SWEET POTATO CHICKEN CURRY:
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker– As much as I love my slow cooker, you can make things way faster (1/8 the time!) in the pressure cooker. It’s truly amazing! You can make anything in it from soup to rice to fall-off-the-bone tender ribs.
Knife Set– I got this when I got married almost 8 years ago. I use them multiple times a day and they’re still going strong!
Slow Cooker– This is very similar to the one I use but it has the addition of a lockable lid which is awesome for when you are transporting food for a party or pot luck, especially soup.
Instant Pot Chicken Curry Video:
Easy Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 15 ounce can coconut milk, full fat
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon tumeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teapsoon cayenne pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 4 cups)
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
- 2 cups fresh spinach, packed
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- Rice, cooked
- Cilantro
Instructions
For the Instant Pot:
- Place tomato sauce, coconut milk, and chicken broth in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Mix in the seasonings, garlic, and ginger. Add the sweet potatoes, onions, and chicken. make sure everything is submerged in the sauce. Top with lid and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes followed by an 8 minute natural release and then a quick release.
- Take the chicken out and shred it on a cutting board into bite size chunks.
- Set the Instant Pot to "saute" function. Mix the cornstarch with water and then add to the curry along with the chickpeas, and fresh spinach. Simmer for about 3 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Mix the chicken back in and then turn off.
- Serve curry over rice and garnish with cilantro.
For the Slow Cooker:
- Place tomato sauce, coconut milk, and chicken broth in the bottom of the slow cooker. Mix in the seasonings, garlic, and ginger. Add the sweet potatoes, onions, and chicken. Make sure everything is submerged in the sauce. Top with lid and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Remove chicken, shred and add back with cornstarch mixture, and chickpeas. Cook on high for 30-45 minutes. Stir in the spinach and let sit until wilted.
This looks absolutely delicious!! I love curry chicken!
Thanks Holly! It’s one of my favorite dinners.