5 Ingredient Instant Pot Curry Chicken

Curry Chicken is going to be your new favorite weeknight dinner. If you’re looking for a warm and cozy, noodle-ful dinner or quick meal, this quick and easy curry chicken is for you. 

Curry chicken

Curry chicken is beloved across the world. If you’re wondering about the origin of curry chicken, it’s from India, but the Indian diaspora across the world has adapted curry and its flavors to make hundreds of regional curry chicken varieties, and Japan is no different. In Japan, curry is a favorite of adults and children alike as a comforting, hearty homestyle dish.

Japanese curry

Curry was brought to Japan via the British. Soon after, it was adapted to the ingredients and tastes of the Japanese, making it a unique curry. Curry in Japan is served in multiple ways. The most popular ways to enjoy curry include: over rice, curry udon, curry soba, katsu curry, dry curry, maze curry, soup curry, and curry bread. Because it’s so prevalent, there are multiple regional curry variations as well, such as soup curry, a kind of Japanese curry popular in Hokkaido.

Soup curry

Soup curry, while inspired by traditional Japanese curry, is completely different. Unlike the thick stew of a regular Japanese curry, soup curry is thin, and, like the name implies, a soup. The soup, dashi-based, is flavored with classic Japanese flavors like soy sauce and mirin, and seasoned with curry. Instead of using a curry flour roux to thicken the soup, the soup is thickened either through simmering or coconut milk. In Hokkaido, the soup curry is served with chicken (either crispy or braised) and a large amount of vegetables. 

The ingredients you need

onion - sliced onions add sweetness and crunch to the curry soup.

chicken - boneless, skinless chicken thighs are easy to shred and because they have more fat than chicken breast, they’re never dry, always juicy.

yellow curry paste - curry paste is all the ingredients that go into curry (garlic, chiles, ginger, lemongrass, shallot, spices) made up into a paste that you can buy at the store. It hugely cuts down on prep time and you don’t have to buy a bunch of different ingredients.

coconut milk - coconut milk is going to add flavor and body to the soup. Get a can of full fat coconut milk, not coconut water.

Bachan’s Original Barbecue Sauce - this is what’s going to give this chicken curry soup a huge hit of umami flavor. Because we’re using so few ingredients, you want your seasoning to be on point and Bachan’s Original Barbecue Sauce is going to do just that by adding just the right mix of depth. You get fresh green onion, ginger and garlic; traditionally brewed Japanese soy sauce; sourced straight from Japan aged mirin; and organic rice vinegar.

How to serve Japanese chicken curry

If you have access to udon, this is what you’ll want to serve this chicken soup curry with. The thick noodles coated in umami-curry sauce are perfection. You can find vacuum-sealed packs of udon in the Asian aisle at most major grocery stores, but if you have access to an Asian grocery store, do yourself a favor and pick up a package of frozen udon. Frozen udon is fresh udon that has been cooked and flash frozen. They’re worlds better than the ones you’ll find on the shelf.

Rice, pasta, or ramen

If you don’t have udon, any carb will do and be delicious. To be honest, Japanese curry is often served with rice or even spaghetti. Curry ramen is another favorite that’s super easy to do: just open up a pack of your favorite instant noodles, discard the flavorings, and you’ll have a beautifully complex meal that’s basically made from scratch.

What kind of chicken should I use?

This recipe uses boneless, skinless chicken thighs for ease of shredding, but you can also use bone-in, skin on chicken thighs for extra flavor. If you do, add an extra 2 minutes to the pressure cooking time. You can also use chicken breast. Thighs tend to be more forgiving to overcooking, which can more easily happen in the Instant Pot, but if you want a leaner meat, chicken breasts are a good choice.

How to make curry chicken in the instant pot

Sauté - start off by slicing some onions and then turning the Instant Pot onto sauté mode, medium heat. Add a bit of oil and cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant.

Sear - when the onions are soft, push them to the side and sear the chicken thighs for 1-2 minutes per side, or until golden.

Pressure Cook - Add the curry paste, coconut milk, and Bachan’s Original Barbecue Sauce, as well as water then pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.

Reduce - When the 5 minutes are up, quick-release the pressure and remove the chicken thighs. Slightly reduce the soup on sauté high, stirring occasionally. While the soup is reducing, shred the chicken thighs.

Enjoy! Add the chicken thighs back into the soup, taste and adjust with more Bachan’s Original Barbecue Sauce. If desired, add frozen udon directly to the soup and cook until heated through and serve hot.

What to serve with curry chicken

This curry chicken soup is begging for noodles and you should absolutely serve it with udon. That being said, of course you can serve it with rice. Some simple stir fried vegetables or grilled veggie skewers would be an amazing side as well.