Instant Pot Pakistani Chicken Curry with Potatoes
This Authentic Pakistani Instant Pot Chicken Curry (Aloo Murghi ka Salan or Aloo Chicken) recipe includes bone-in chicken and potatoes and requires less than 30 minutes of total prep time. It has simple ingredients, minimal chopping, and no complicated steps. Bonus: The potatoes and chicken cook at the same time!
“This dish is absolutely delicous and so simple to make! Thank you!”
Rebecca
Classic Pakistani Chicken Curry
If you’ve ever wanted to taste a simple chicken curry you’d find in a typical Pakistani home, this is it. It’s authentic in that most Pakistani and Indian households have some version of it.
There’s always the browning of the onions, the stir-frying of the chicken (called ‘bhoon-na‘), the addition of garlic, ginger, tomatoes, and green chili peppers (order varies from family to family). And of course, we have the usual suspect spices like turmeric, red chili powder, etc. Garnish with cilantro and garam masala.
What I’ve done here is taken this homestyle, beloved chicken curry and adapted it to the Instant Pot so it’s easier, simpler, and much more 2020.
How to make Pakistani Chicken Curry (Murghi ka Salan) in an Instant Pot
To make this chicken curry with potatoes in an Instant Pot, you brown the onions and stir-fry the chicken just like you would over the stovetop. But after that, it’s a dump-and-go situation.
The best part? There’s no sautéing at the end. You just manually release the pressure and garnish. I’ve added the perfect amount of liquid so that the end curry has just the right consistency. Of course, if you prefer more or less ‘curry’, just adjust the water quantity.
To save time and effort, this recipe uses your food processor to chop the onions, then tomatoes. I’ve found that the rough purée of tomatoes gives a wonderful texture. Of course, you could just manually chop the ingredients, but I love making this easy curry even easier. When I’m feeling lazy, I chop my green chili peppers (this makes them a tad spicier), cilantro, and even garlic/ginger in there.
Adding Potatoes to the Chicken Curry
I grew up eating this chicken curry with potatoes, and to me, the potatoes are as essential as the chicken. They make it more wholesome, textured, and somehow complete. (For more potato recipes check out my collection of 10 (Aloo) Potato Recipes.)
In the traditional method of cooking, when the chicken is just cooked through, you add the potatoes and cook until they’re completely tender.
In this recipe, the potatoes get cooked alongside the chicken, so we’re only pressure-cooking once! I know what you’re thinking – the potatoes will be way overdone. And you’re right, they are pretty well done. But that’s just how we like them. Plus, we are cutting them into large chunks, so they’ll hold up well (more on that below).
How to cut potatoes for this curry:
Of course, there is no exact science to cutting your potatoes. But since you are pressure cooking them alongside the chicken, they’ll need to be cut into large chunks so they stay intact. How you cut the potatoes depends on the size of the potatoes.
- If you’re using 3 small potatoes, you can just quarter them (cut lengthwise, then widthwise).
- For 2 medium potatoes or one large potato, quarter the potato lengthwise, then cut into large (about 2″) cubes.
If you prefer smaller cubes of potatoes, you can still use them by cooking the chicken first and then adding the potatoes. For bone-in chicken, you’d cook the chicken for 8 minutes, then add the potatoes and pressure cook another 2-4 minutes, depending on their size. For another great chicken curry with potatoes check out my Coconut Chicken Curry with Paste.
Using Boneless Chicken instead of Bone-in for Instant Pot Pakistani Chicken Curry
If you want to make this with boneless chicken (chicken thighs, breast, or tenders), you certainly can.
I suggest these changes if you’re using boneless chicken:
- Pressure Cook for 6 minutes on high pressure instead of 12 minutes.
- Reduce the liquid to 3/4 cup instead of 1.
- Feel free to cut the potatoes in smaller chunks if you prefer.
How to Double the recipe
If doubling the recipe, use the same amount of ingredients including water (unless you’re using boneless chicken – see above). Also, though you’ll have to increase the sauté timings but keep the cook time.
What should you serve with this Chicken Curry?
We grew up eating this chicken curry atop a bed of basmati rice with green peas. It was a simple, yet complete meal I’d always be delighted to see on the dinner table. Of course, you can also serve it with roti, naan, or any other bread. To add some crunch and freshness, you can make Kachumber Salad or chop up some vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions to serve alongside.
If you’re looking for more Instant Pot recipes, be sure to check out my Instant Pot Recipes Roundup.
More Chicken Curry Recipes:
Authentic Chicken Korma
Pakistani Chicken Karahi (Easy & Authentic)
Baked Tandoori Chicken Curry
Coconut Chicken Curry with Potatoes
Instant Pot Pakistani Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 medium (~180 g) yellow onion, roughly chopped to fit in food processor
- 1 medium (~140 g) tomato, roughly chopped to fit in food processor
- ¼ cup neutral oil, such as avocado or grapeseed
- 1 lb bone-in, cut up, skinless chicken (See notes for boneless), cleaned and excess skin removed
- 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/3 inch ginger, crushed
- 1 small green chili pepper, stem removed and thinly sliced
- 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 2 (320 g) small russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
Whole spices
- ¼ tsp whole coriander seeds, roughly crushed, optional
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 5 whole black peppercorns
- 2 whole cloves
Spice Powders
- ½ tsp mild red chili powder, or to taste
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp cumin powder
- ¼ tsp coriander powder
After cooking
- 2 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped
- ¼ tsp garam masala
Equipment
- Food Processor (Optional)
Instructions
- Place the onion in a food processor and use the pulse function to chop it finely. Remove and set aside. In the same food processor, add the tomatoes and chop into a rough purée.
- Select the high Sauté setting on the Instant Pot. Once hot, add the oil and onions and sauté until the onions turn lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté until the raw smell disappears, about 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan with 2 tbsp of water. Add the chicken and fry it until it changes color, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan if it starts to stick to the bottom. Add the whole spices, ground spices, salt, green chili pepper, and tomato. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, then add the potatoes along with 1 cup of water, or more, depending on how much curry you want. Mix well.
- Cancel Sauté to turn off the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting and cook at High Pressure for 12 minutes*. Allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Open the lid and taste and adjust salt. Garnish with garam masala and cilantro. Stir gently as the potatoes will be very tender. Serve with rice, roti, or naan.
41 Comments on “Instant Pot Pakistani Chicken Curry with Potatoes”
Such a great recipe and the taste reminded me of my childhood! I used boneless thighs and appreciate the recipe modifications. Only thing I left out was the chilli and the biggest win is that my toddler approved it! Thank you once again for this fabulous recipe
Hi Maria, Love to hear that you enjoyed the recipe and that it was toddler approved!
12 minutes seemed like a long time potatoes are done in 4 minutes. My dish tasted good but looked a little pulverized not sure if anyone else had that happen or if I did something wrong?
Hmm they are supposed to be quite tender. But if cut in large chunks, they shouldn’t be pulverized. You can try cooking the chicken first, then the potatoes, similar to my Aloo Gosht.
Always comes out great. I swap the potatoes out for home grown greens (collards, kale, chard etc). Delicious.
oh yum! Will have to try that sometime. Thanks for sharing!
Hi I’m wanting to double the recipe and I’ve read the comments and confused if we double the water to 2 cups for 2 lb chicken with bones
Yes, you’ll double the water with 2 lb chicken.
If I’m using a combination of drumsticks with bone and boneless thighs (also I doubled the recipe), do I still cook for 12 minutes in instant pot? Also, how would I adjust the water?
Yes, 12 minutes. As long as using the weight, you’ll use same amount of water, of course considering your preference.
If I’m using a combination of drumsticks with bone and boneless thighs (also I doubled the recipe), do I still cook for 12 minutes in instant pot?
I don’t make Pakistani food often, as my mother in law is an amazing cook, but I had some Pakistani guests over this weekend and made this salan for them and it was a hit!! I left out the tomato which I didn’t have and used the chicken breast following your notes. When it was done cooking it was a little watery for me so I left it on sauté and reduced for 5-8 minutes and it thickened up perfectly. Thank you Izzah for measuring and testing Pakistani recipes for those of us westerners who can’t cook by feeling!!! 😁
I’m very happy to help out. Thank you, Jelena!
Hi,
I am really excited to make this. I had kne question.Do you double the water if you’re doubling the recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Reema, Yes – unless you’re using boneless chicken, you can double the water.
Doubled the recipe this morning and it was excellent! Tasted exactly how my mom makes it. The only changes I made were:
– left out garam masala
– added chickpeas instead of potatoes
– used pre-prepared gravy that I’d frozen for most of the base
This is going into my permanent rotation, Izzah. Thanks for giving me a starting point for many recipes when my mom’s answer to “what did you put in this” is usually “the usual spices.” 😂🤦🏽♀️😭
Love the changes. Lol @ the usual spices. so relatable. I love hearing when I’m able to help recreate mom’s! Thanks so much for sharing!
WoW! Got home late from work, had only whole cloves so subbed ground spices for the others. Totally messed up and put onions and tomatoes in food processor together. Even though I messed it up, the flavors were EXCELLENT!!! The finished product tasted so good .. can’t wait for lunch tomorrow ;). So glad I found your site! Looking forward to making so many more of your wonderful looking recipes! Best regards ~
Thank you, J! I’m so happy you enjoyed it still. I hope you get a chance to try more recipes 🙂