Spicy Instant Pot Thai Chicken Curry

Spicy Instant Pot Thai Chicken Curry is made with creamy coconut milk and Thai red curry paste for a super flavorful (and spicy!) chicken curry. Make it in the Instant Pot and dinner is ready in under 30 minutes!

After sharing SEVEN Instant Pot chicken breast recipes on the blog last month, and showing you how you can assemble them ahead and freeze, I’m going through each recipe and photographing the end product.

You can check out the Honey Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Breasts and the Instant Pot Creamy Lemon Chicken Breasts, and today I’m sharing this delicious Spicy Instant Pot Thai Chicken Curry!

We absolutely love Thai curry in our house, but sometimes all the prep work can take the fun out of it. By prepping the chicken and sauce ahead, you are cutting a significant amount of prep time out. You can chop up the veggies while the chicken & sauce cook, making this one seriously easy Thai chicken curry recipe!

Don’t forget to pin this recipe to save it for later!

How to make this Thai chicken curry recipe in the Instant Pot

Making this Thai chicken curry recipe in the Instant Pot is slightly different than cooking it on the stove top.

First, we cook our chicken in the coconut milk with some red curry paste, fish sauce and brown sugar on high pressure for 8 minutes.

• Does the coconut milk break in the Instant Pot? I was 99% sure it would, but to my surprise it didn’t! I use a good quality, full fat coconut milk (Thai Kitchen is my fave), and haven’t tried lite coconut milk in the Instant Pot.
• Want to add extra flavor? Sautee some aromatics in a bit of olive oil before adding the rest of the ingredients. Shallots, garlic and ginger would all be great additions. If you have lemongrass or lime leaves, these would also be a great way to add even more dimension to the Thai red curry sauce!
• Can I make this recipe in the slow cooker? Sadly, no. I have tried many times to master this Thai red curry recipe in the slow cooker, but the coconut milk separates, making this not possible.

Second, we remove our cooked chicken from the Instant Pot and allow it to rest. Turn the Instant Pot to sautee and we are now going to cook our veggies for 3-5 minutes. I used bell pepper and red onion slices, and snap peas in this recipe, and cooked them until they were slightly softened.

• What other vegetables can we use in Thai curry? You can go wild here. Bok choy, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and many more would be great in this recipe. Note you will need to cut hardy veggies like carrots, broccoli and cauliflower quite small to get them to soften.

Third, we slice the chicken and add it back to the pot. Squeeze some fresh lime juice and mix it all in. Serve with rice and spoon that delicious Thai coconut curry sauce over everything! You can add some fresh Thai basil or cilantro leaves if you’d like, or just enjoy it as is.

How to assemble this Thai chicken curry recipe ahead and freeze it

Chicken breast freezer packs are a staple in my freezer and are an absolute lifesaver during busy weeks! This spicy Thai chicken curry recipe is easily converted to a freezer pack recipe:

• Assemble the boneless skinless chicken breasts, coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar and red curry paste in a gallon sized freezer bag
• Squeeze out as much air as possible.
• Freeze flat for up to 3 months.

So incredibly simple! When you’re ready to cook, you will need to thaw completely before placing everything in the Instant Pot and cooking as directed above.

Tips and Equipment for Thai red chicken curry:

• I used my 6 quart Instant Pot; this recipe has not been tested in an 8 quart or mini
• make sure you use heavy duty freezer bags if you are going to make freezer packs
• I have tested with both Thai Kitchen and Cock brand red curry paste
• you can swap for boneless skinless chicken thighs but will need to adjust cook time to 10 minutes
• I have not tested cooking these from frozen however it may be possible
• Looking for more chicken breast recipes? Check out these 7 Chicken Marinade Recipes You Can Freeze, and this sequel with 7 (more) Freezer Friendly Chicken Breast Marinades.  And of course, the 7 Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipes post

Print

Spicy Instant Pot Thai Chicken Curry

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Spicy Instant Pot Thai Chicken Curry is made with creamy coconut milk and Thai red curry paste for a super flavorful (and spicy!) chicken curry. Make it in the Instant Pot and dinner is ready in under 30 minutes!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Thai

Servings: 4

Calories: 482 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (roughly 1 lb)
• 13.5 oz coconut milk (400 mL; I use full fat)
• 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar (reduce if you don't like a sweet curry)

After cooking

• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 4 cups vegetables sliced (bell peppers, red onion and snap peas pictured)

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients not listed 'after cooking' in a 6 quart Instant Pot. 

2. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.

3. Do a quick pressure release (release the pressure immediately after the Instant Pot beeps).

4. Remove the chicken from the IP and set aside to rest.

5. Select 'sautee' and add in the lime juice and vegetables. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes.

6. Slice the chicken and add back to the Instant Pot. 

7. Serve with rice.

To Make Freezer Packs

1. Combine all ingredients not listed 'after cooking' in a gallon size freezer bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible.

2. Freeze flat for up to 3 months.

3. Thaw completely before cooking as directed above.