Instant Pot Peanut Chicken Curry [marvelous one pot meal to feed a crew]

Can you believe how many amazing Instant Pot recipe there are out there? Looking for something that will feed a crew? This Peanut Chicken Curry in the Instant Pot is it!

I have a question – have you ever heard people saying that cooking in an Instant Pot is not really cooking? I’ve heard some of my friends that are passionate about cooking say that. But it really baffles me. I mean, take for example, this excellent Peanut Chicken Curry recipe. You still have to measure out the spices for this recipe no matter how you are cooking it. You still have to dice the and chop the vegetables like you would. The Instant Pot just makes the cooking time of this recipe faster, that’s all!

Yes, it’s a ton of ingredients, but if you get all your spices together, it isn’t that much work. This instant pot chicken curry recipe is so fragrant and savory but don’t worry about spice, it is rather mild. The first time I made this for a group, there were a couple friends who don’t like spicy foods at all, so they were a little intimidated to try it. They know how much I love spicy food and thought I’d make it extra spicy, especially given that this has the name “curry” in it. But really the peanut butter in this chicken curry recipe is what mellows it out so much. Even though I do put a poblano pepper in it, it isn’t all that spicy. The peanut butter actually gives it a slightly creamy consistency. If you would like it more spicy, I’d recommend using a jalapeno pepper instead of a poblano pepper and leaving in all the seeds.

 

Spices to add to this Peanut Chicken Curry

 

I love the spices in this Peanut Chicken Curry recipe! As I mentioned above, you can sub a jalapeno pepper for additional spiciness and you could go a tad higher on the amount of cayenne pepper if you want, but I wouldn’t go more than 1 teaspoon.

1 tablespoon kosher salt (you can add more to taste)

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

 

 

Other ingredients for this marvelous Instant Pot Peanut Chicken Curry recipe

2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces (could also sub chicken tenderloins)

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup ketchup

3/4 cup unsweetened natural peanut butter (really important to use the natural peanut butter- none of that extra sugary stuff, okay?)

1 large yellow onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced (I use a microplane instead of hand chopping my garlic)

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (again use a microplane)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 pound zucchini, cut into small cubes

1  bell pepper, cut into fairly large chunks (red will give it a nice color but any will do)

1 green poblano or jalapeno pepper, diced

For garnish

1/2 cup roasted peanuts,

Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

 

One pot meals are the best, aren’t they? That’s truly one of the best things about the Instant Pot. You can saute your meats and vegetables prior to cooking right in the same pot like you do. And can I tell you a secret? If I am going to be serving the “meat” part of a dish over rice, I’ll put the rice in right after I cook it, that way I only end up washing one cooking dish.

 

Directions for the Instant Pot Peanut Chicken Curry

1. Mix salt, coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl.
2. Set Instant pot on saute mode.
3. Place chicken pieces in a pot and add 1/2 of the spice blend. Mix together thoroughly to coat each surface with spice blend. Let cook for 2 – 3 minutes.
4. Add the onion and garlic and ginger and saute another 2-3 minutes
5. Add zucchini, red bell pepper, poblano pepper, broth and peanut butter and other remaining ingredients to the pot. Stir to mix. Stir in remaining spice blend; cook and stir one minute. Set instant pot to pressure cook for 8 minutes. Let natural release for 10 minutes. Serve over basmati rice.

So you don’t HAVE to put the peanuts or cilantro on top of the dish prior to serving. I know I’ve made it several times and simply forgotten these items, but it makes the dish so much prettier when you are serving with the verdant cilantro and the crunchiness of the peanuts.

 

Wow – it really doesn’t get much easier than this peanut chicken curry instant pot recipe when it comes to something that is crowd pleasing. It definitely is a must for any peanut lover!