Instant Pot Thai Green Curry Chicken

Thai food always has a way to my heart and stomach…

…the complex adventurous flavors that excite your taste buds

…the irresistible burst of fragrance that lingers long in your mouth

…the mysterious mouthfeel – that crunch, meaty, or tender bite, with smooth, hearty, and creamy sauce 

We were blessed to work with 2 Thai restaurateurs, especially the one we worked closely with for over a year. We’re proud that her restaurants were awarded by the Thai Government!

More importantly though, it was her story & strong passion for Thai food that deeply touched us.

Living in the poorest region of Thailand, Isaan, she never had the chance to go to school.

When she was 12, she left her hometown to help run a food cart on the busy streets of Bangkok.

“I love cooking. Because I had no formal education, cooking is all I know, and cooking is all my life!”

She opened our eyes to so much more delicious Thai food and exotic ingredients than the ever popular Pad Thai, Thai Curries, and Pineapple Fried Rice.

I fell in love with her sweet & smooth Thai Milk Tea, addictive Tom Yum Goong Soup (Hot & Sour Prawn Soup), spicy North Eastern Thailand specialty Isaan Lettuce Wrap (Yom Nam Khao Tod), creamy sweet Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niaow Ma Muang)…and so much so much more~!

And we learnt that creating amazing Thai food with the perfect taste is quite difficult, because it requires careful balancing of all 6 flavors, spices, and textures.

We are ready! Are you?

Let’s make some delicious Instant Pot Thai Green Curry Chicken!! 😀

You’ll Enjoy Instant Pot Thai Green Curry Chicken Because:

• Very appetizing & addictive to eat: I gobbled one spoonful after another!
• Exciting flavors & fragrance: such depths & well-balanced yet bold flavors
• Flavorful & tender chicken paired with crunchy veggies
• Rich & smooth curry with thick and full body

Step-by-Step Guide: Instant Pot Thai Green Curry Chicken

Ingredients for Instant Pot Thai Green Curry Chicken

• 4 chicken quarters (~3.5lb), separated into thighs and drumsticks
• 1 tablespoon (14g) coconut oil
• 2.5 – 3 tablespoons (37.5g – 45g) Thai green curry paste
• 4 cloves (10g) garlic, crushed
• 1 (28g) shallot, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) fish sauce
• 2/3 cup (167ml) 100% unsweetened coconut milk –  this is the best tasting one out of the 4 brands we tried as we were developing our recipes. It’s not diluted, no additives, stabilizers, thickeners, gums, or preservatives.
• Optional: ¼ cup (63ml) unsalted chicken stock
• 1 – 2 tablespoons (15g) palm sugar
• 3 kaffir lime leaves
• Garnish with 8 – 12 fresh Thai basil leaves

Optional Ingredients:

• 6 (200g) Thai Eggplants, halved – if you cannot find Thai Eggplants at your local Asian stores, you can substitute it with regular eggplants, or you can grow them yourselves. hehe~ We’ve provided the Amazon link for purchasing the Thai Eggplant Seeds 😉
• 1 – 2 stalks Bamboo shoot, sliced
• 70 grams spinach
• 1/4 red bell pepper

Why Store-bought Thai Green Curry Paste?

Homemade Green Curry Paste is not that difficult to make, but the process is labor-intensive. Plus, it’s often difficult to source all the required authentic ingredients.

Heck, Jacky & I were like on The Amazing Race going after those cute little Thai Eggplants!!

Thus, many people (even those in Bangkok!) often buy store-bought curry pastes.

Pro Tip #1: Green Curry Pastes are often packaged in cans or plastic tubs, such as the one shown in above photo. You should be able to find them in Asian markets or on Amazon.

Pro Tip #2: Different brands will vary in their spiciness and flavors, so ensure to adjust it to your desired taste.

Tools for Instant Pot Thai Green Curry Chicken

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Fat Separator

Preparation

First crush the garlic, roughly chop the shallot, slice the bamboo shoots, and cut the red bell pepper.

Then, separate the chicken quarters into thighs and drumsticks (as shown in below photo).

Pro Tip: if you’re using Eggplants, don’t halve them in the beginning because they tend to oxidize (turn brown when exposed to air) quite quickly. So, cut them right before you plan to put it in the pressure cooker.

Prepare Instant Pot

Heat up your pressure cooker over medium heat (Instant Pot: press Sauté button).

Make sure your pot is as hot as it can be (Instant Pot: wait until indicator says HOT).

Sauté Thai Green Curry Paste

Add 1 tbsp (14g) of coconut oil and 2.5 – 3 tbsp Thai green curry paste into the pressure cooker. Sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add chopped shallots and crushed garlic into the pressure cooker and sauté for another 1 ½ minute.

Pro Tip: If the curry starts to stick to the bottom of the pot, leave it as long as they don’t burn. We will deglaze the yumminess in Step 3.

Deglaze the Pot

Pour 2/3 cup (167ml) coconut milk into the pressure cooker and fully deglaze the pot with a wooden spoon.

Add in 2 tbsp (30ml) fish sauce, 1 tbsp (15g) palm sugar, and 3 kaffic lime leaves.

Pro Tip: If your coconut mixture looks really thick, you can add in ¼ cup (63ml) unsalted chicken stock to help it get up to pressure. It was fine for us to leave it out.

Mix well.

Pressure Cook Chicken

Add the chicken into the pressure cooker.

Pro Tip #1: Ensure to spread out the chicken pieces in 1 layer and avoid stacking or too much overlapping, as that will affect the cooking time.

Pro Tip #2: If you like your eggplants really soft, you can layer the Thai eggplants on top now. If not, you can halve the eggplants while the Pressure Cooker is natural releasing the pressure, and cook them in Step 5.

Close the lid and cook:

• Pressure Cooking Method: High Pressure for 8 minutes, then 10 minutes Natural Release

Open the lid carefully.

Add Remaining Ingredients

Set the chicken pieces aside in a large serving bowl.

Pro Tip: If you think the green curry sauce is too oily, use a Fat separator to remove 90% of the oil.

Heat up your pressure cooker over medium heat (Instant Pot: press Cancel and Sauté).

Add Thai eggplants and cook until desired firmness (for a few minutes).

Stir in sliced bamboo shoots, 70g spinach, ¼ red bell pepper and let them cook for another minute.

Taste & Adjust Seasoning

Taste the green curry and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce or palm sugar if necessary.

Stir in 8 – 12 fresh Thai basil leaves.

Serve Instant Pot Thai Green Curry Chicken!

Place the vegetables and green curry in a large serving bowl with the chicken.

Serve the Instant Pot Thai Green Curry Chicken immediately over Instant Pot Coconut Rice! 🙂

Time to make Thai Green Curry Chicken in Instant Pot!

Looking for other Instant Pot Curry Recipe?

• Pressure Cooker Japanese Beef Curry