If you’re craving a tasty Thai red chicken inspired curry this pressure cooker version is about to become your new favourite.
With tender chicken, vibrant vegetables, and a creamy coconut-based sauce, this Thai inspired dish is perfect for busy weeknights or when you fancy a homemade weekend curry instead of a takeaway.
What You’ll Need
The ingredients below are enough to serve four people, feel free to adjust according to how many you are cooking for, just remember to always stick to the minimum liquid levels for your pressure cooker model. I have made this in the Ninja Foodi 15-in-1 Multicooker where the minimum recommended liquid level is 250ml.
For more concise instructions or to print out the recipe please head to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Chicken
Use either four chicken breasts or 8 small boneless thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces.
Vegetables
You can be flexible with what vegetables you prefer. I like to add a red pepper, sugar snap peas and baby corn. Alternatively you could add courgette, aubergine, green beans or any colour peppers.
Curry Base
Thai red curry paste (my favourite brand is Mae Ploy, available in a few shops but I find it easier to buy on Amazon). The quality of the curry paste you use will make all the difference to the end result, this particular brand for me tastes the most authentic and you don’t need to use as much to get the required heat and flavour.
Coconut milk – I used a 400ml tin of full fat coconut milk
Chicken or vegetable stock – I make up 150ml of stock with hot water and one stock pot or cube
Fish sauce – I used 1 tbsp
Brown sugar – I used 1 tbsp
Aromatics
I used two cloves of crushed garlic and about 1 tbsp of grated ginger. You can use fresh garlic and ginger or some of the handy chopped frozen ones. Although I didn’t on this occasion, I do usually use a chopped onion too.
I also used the juice of half a lime, if you have them you can use 2 kaffir lime leaves instead. Likewise, if you have lemongrass you can also add a stick or two, but don’t worry too much if you don’t have any.
To Finish
You can optionally garnish with some fresh chopped coriander. Serve with rice, jasmine if you have it, if not any white rice.
Making It
First, set your pressure cooker to the sauté function—and add a splash of oil and let it heat up. Once it’s hot, add in the chopped onion and cook for a few minutes until it starts to soften. This releases its sweetness and adds a great base flavour.
Next, add the chicken pieces to the pot. Stir them around so they start to brown slightly. We’re not looking to fully cook them at this stage—just getting a little colour on the outside to help lock in flavour.
Now it’s time to add the red curry paste. Stir it in and let it warm up for a minute. This helps release all those amazing flavours. If you notice anything sticking to the bottom of the pot, pour in a small splash of the hot stock and use a wooden or silicone spatula to scrape it off. This step is important because anything stuck to the bottom could trigger a burn warning once the pressure cooking begins.
Turn off the sauté function, then add the garlic and ginger, followed by the coconut milk.
Stir in the fish sauce and sugar before pouring in the remaining stock to ensure the curry has the right consistency, then add your choice of chopped vegetables, such as peppers, baby corn and sugar snap peas. Finish with the juice of half a fresh lime, and if available, add some lemongrass for an extra fragrant touch.
Give everything a good stir so the flavours combine.
Secure the lid and set your pressure cooker to high pressure for 6 minutes. It will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure.
Once the cooking time is up, carefully perform a quick pressure release following your pressure cooker’s instructions. Remove the lid and check the consistency of your curry. If it’s a little thin, don’t worry—just switch the sauté function back on and let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes to thicken up.
Serve the curry over a bowl of fluffy jasmine rice (or any white rice you prefer) and optionally garnish with some fresh coriander. Optionally squeeze a little more lime juice over the top.
And that’s it, a delicious, homemade pressure cooker red curry in no time. Enjoy!
Craving more quick pressure cooker recipes? Check out my other favourites here and don’t forget to share your creations with me in the comments or on social media!
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Tikka
- Pressure Cooker Chilli Con Carne
- Pressure Cooker Beef Stew
- Pressure Cooker Beef Curry
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Casserole
- Pressure Cooker Bolognese
- Pressure Cooker Cajun Chicken
Pressure Cooker Thai Red Chicken Inspired Curry
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Liana’s Kitchen running.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs
- 3 tbsp Thai red curry paste see note 1
- 1 tbsp grated ginger see note 2
- 2 cloves garlic see note 2
- 400 ml tin coconut milk
- 250 ml stock chicken or vegetable
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- Juice of half a lime
- xx sugar snap peas see note 3
- xx baby corn see note 3
- 1 red pepper chopped
Instructions
- Set your pressure cooker to the sauté function. Heat some oil, then add the chopped onion and cook until it begins to soften.
- Add the chicken and cook until sealed.
- Add the red curry paste, and stir until softened and the chicken is coated. If there is anything stuck to the base of the pot, pour a little of the hot stock in and use a wooden or silicone spatula to scrape it off. It's important that nothing is stuck to the base of the pot when you set off the pressure cooker.
- Switch off the sear function.
- Add the garlic, ginger, coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, coconut milk, stock, vegetables and lime juice. If you have some, add the lemongrass at this point too.
- Mix well to combine.
- Secure the lid and set your pressure cooker to high pressure for 6 minutes.
- Once the cooking cycle is complete, carefully perform a quick pressure release following your pressure cooker’s instructions.
- Remove the lid and check the consistency. If it is too thin switch on the sear function and leave it to simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes or until it is at your desired thickness.
- Ladle the curry over white rice (jasmine works well). Garnish with fresh coriander and an optional extra squeeze of lime for that zesty finish.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an estimate.