Instant Pot Thai Yellow Curry with chicken. A quick weeknight curry sweetened with coconut milk and spiced with Thai yellow curry paste.
Extra coconut cream. Mmmmm.
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Why You'll Love Thai Yellow Chicken Curry
Continuing on my series of pressure cooker Thai Curries, it's time for instant pot Thai yellow curry. Yellow curry is sweeter than other Thai curries - it has extra coconut cream in the cooking. (And, If you're suspicious that I'm just working my way along the Thai curry shelf at my local Asian market, you're right. Yellow was the next can on the shelf.)
As much as I love dark meat chicken, I went with chicken breast in this curry. Yellow curry usually has potatoes, and I didn't want to overcook them. (And the kids were asking for chicken breast instead of thighs. I went wrong somewhere in my parenting.)
Other than that, this is a pretty standard Thai yellow curry instant pot recipe:
- Soften the aromatics (onions, peppers, garlic, and ginger)
- Fry the coconut cream and curry paste
- Stir in the coconut milk and main ingredient (chicken, potatoes)
- Pressure cook, then quick release
- Stir in the tender vegetables (zucchini) and simmer until done
The kids were big fans of this curry - it's not as hot as other Thai curries, which made it a big hit with the heat-sensitive kids in the family. (Though they did eat around the zucchini.) Looking for a mild curry to bring in the doubters in your family? Try a yellow curry.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced thin
- 2 medium red bell peppers, trimmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ inch piece of ginger, peeled and crushed
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Cream from the top of 2 (13.5-ounce) cans of full-fat coconut milk
- ½ cup yellow curry paste (a whole 4-ounce can)
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ pounds Petite Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
- The liquid from 2 cans of coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (plus more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (plus more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (plus more to taste)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch thick half-moons
Garnish and Sides - Minced cilantro
- Minced basil (preferably Thai basil)
- Lime wedges
- Jasmine rice
How to Make Instant Pot Thai Yellow Curry Chicken
Sauté the aromatics
Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker until shimmering. (Use Sauté mode adjusted to high in an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.) Stir in the onion, red pepper, garlic, and ginger, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt, and sauté until the onion softens, about 3 minutes.
Fry the curry paste
Scoop the cream from the top of 2 cans of coconut milk and add it to the pot. (Stop when you hit the thin coconut liquid, and save it for later.) Stir the curry paste into the coconut cream in the pot. Cook, stirring often, until the curry paste darkens, about 5 minutes.
Everything in the pot
Sprinkle the chicken with the kosher salt, add it to the pot, and stir to coat with curry paste. Stir in the potatoes and then the reserved coconut milk liquid, fish sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar.
Pressure cook the curry for 5 minutes with a quick pressure release
Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC or for 4 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook-custom mode in an Instant Pot). Quick release the pressure in the pot.
Finish the curry
Remove the lid from the pressure cooker, then set it over medium-high heat (Sauté mode adjusted to high in an electric pressure cooker.) Stir in the lime juice and the zucchini, and simmer until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Serve the curry with Jasmine rice and (optional) minced cilantro and basil on the side.
Recipe Tips
Coconut milk: Buy cans of full fat coconut milk, and don't shake them before you open them. You want the solid layer of cream on the top and the liquid underneath. That lets you fry the coconut cream with the curry paste, then add the liquid later. (If the coconut milk is shaken up, and there isn't a thick layer of coconut cream on the top, scoop out the top â…“rd of the can and add it to the pot.)
Lite coconut milk: If you have to use low-fat coconut milk, skip the "fry the curry paste" step - you won't have enough coconut milk fat to fry the paste. Pour the cans of lite coconut milk into the pot, add the curry paste, and stir until the curry paste mixes with the coconut milk. Continue with the "everything in the pot" step, skipping the "reserved coconut milk liquid" because it's already in the pot.
Curry Paste: I use Maesri curry paste because a single 4-ounce can is perfect for a pressure cooker curry. If you buy your curry paste in a larger tub, use 8 tablespoons.
Chicken Thighs: Want to substitute chicken thighs? (I know I do!) Increase the cooking time to 10 minutes at high pressure in an Instant Pot or other electric PC or 8 minutes in a stovetop PC.
Serving Suggestions
I always serve Instant Pot yellow chicken curry with jasmine rice to soak up the curry sauce. I also serve the curry with the garnishes I list in the recipe: a lime cut into wedges, fresh cilantro leaves, and fresh basil leaves, preferably Thai basil, if you can find it. (I have a hard time finding Thai basil in my area.) Another common topping is crushed peanuts, which add a nice, crunchy bite to the curry.
Storing Leftovers
Leftover curry keeps for a few days in the refrigerator or six months in the freezer. When I have enough left over for another meal, I store the curry on its own in 4-cup containers.
Or, when I want some make-ahead freezer lunches, I put a scoop of rice and the curry in a 2-cup container and pop it in the freezer for later. When I want lunch, I microwave a container for 5 minutes. Voila! Curry lunch.
Instant Pot Thai Yellow Curry Recipe
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Description
Pressure Cooker Thai Yellow Curry with Chicken. A quick weeknight curry, sweetened with a lot of coconut cream and spiced up with Thai yellow curry paste.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced thin
- 2 medium red bell peppers, trimmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ inch piece of ginger, peeled and crushed
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Cream from the top of 2 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk
- ½ cup yellow curry paste (a whole 4 oz can)
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ pounds Petite Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
- The liquid from 2 cans coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (plus more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (plus more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (plus more to taste)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 medium zucchini, cut into ½ inch thick half moons
Garnish and Sides
- Minced cilantro
- Minced basil (preferably Thai basil)
- Lime wedges
- Jasmine rice
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker until shimmering. (Use Sauté mode adjusted to high in an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.) Stir in the onion, red pepper, garlic, and ginger, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt, and sauté until the onion softens, about 3 minutes.
- Fry the curry paste: Scoop the cream from the top of 2 cans of coconut milk and add it to the pot. (Stop when you hit the thin coconut liquid, and save it for later.) Stir the curry paste into the pot. Cook, stirring often, until the curry paste darkens, about 5 minutes.
- Everything in the pot: Sprinkle the chicken with the kosher salt, add it to the pot, and stir to coat with curry paste. Stir in the potatoes and then the reserved coconut milk liquid, fish sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar.
- Pressure cook the curry for 5 minutes with a quick pressure release: Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC or for 4 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook-custom mode in an Instant Pot). Quick release the pressure in the pot.
- Finish the curry: Remove the lid from the pressure cooker, then set it over medium-high heat (Sauté mode adjusted to high in an electric pressure cooker.) Stir in the lime juice and the zucchini, and simmer until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Serve the curry with Jasmine rice and (optional) minced cilantro and basil on the side.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
Don’t shake the cans of coconut milk – you want the solid layer of cream on the top and the liquid underneath. That lets you fry the coconut cream with the curry paste, then add the liquid later. (If the coconut milk is shaken up, and there isn’t a thick layer of coconut cream on the top, scoop out the top ⅓rd of the can and add it to the pot.)
I use Maesri curry paste, because a single 4 ounce can is the perfect amount for a pressure cooker curry. If you buy your curry paste in a larger tub, use 8 tablespoons.
Want to substitute chicken thighs? (I know I do!) Increase the cooking time to 10 minutes at high pressure in an electric PC, 8 minutes in a stovetop PC.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Thai
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Pressure Cooker Thai Green Curry with Chicken
Pressure Cooker Massaman Curry
Pressure Cooker Thai Red Curry with Beef
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos
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Michelle
Delicious! We are going to make it again but realized we are all out of curry paste. Can yellow curry powder be used instead? Perhaps a bit more since powder is less intense than the paste?
Mike Vrobel
I've never tried it. If you do, let me know how it goes.
Susan
Made this once before and it was fantastic and easy.. We liked it so much I’m making it for my husband’s birthday. I used reduced fat coconut milk and it was great.
Chrissy
I ordered those Maesri curry pastes and made this a year ago. It was fantastic! However, shortly after trying it, my husband and I switched to a keto diet and it was off limits. After staring at those cans of curry paste in my pantry forever, I decided to modify this and give it another go. This time we skipped the rice, potatoes and brown sugar. I switched out one of the red peppers for an extra zucchini and added a bag of frozen cauliflower florets, thawed. It was just as wonderful as I'd remembered! The technique is solid and the flavors are fantastic. Now I need to explore your other recipes to use up my red and green curry pastes! Thanks for a great dinner!
katie
Whole family, even picky daughter, loved this!
Michelle Gillespie
Restaurant worthy recipe. I used chicken breast but next time will try chicken thighs. Mae Ploy yellow curry. This is a keeper! Thank you so much.
Julie
We really enjoyed this recipe. The potatoes are fantastic in this curry! Thanks for the recipe.
Mike Vrobel
You're welcome!
Mike in Austin
Looks great, Mike! Both the new look of the site and the recipe. I've taken several Thai cooking classes and all of the teachers recommended Maesri curry! I pick up an assortment of styles when I buy it. Keep up the great work!
Mike Vrobel
Thanks, Mike! You didn't get a chance to take classes at Madame Mam's, did you? When I went down to Austin for my day job, the guys took me there specifically for the Thai food. (And it was worth it - great curry.)
Scott
No mention of the potato in the text. Had to watch the video.
Mike Vrobel
Thanks for letting me know - fixed it!