Panjabi Chicken Curry
Cooking in yogurt adds a tangy taste to curry, and this combination of spicy, creamy, and tart gives this Punjabi chicken curry its distinctive flavor. A problem with this is that if cooked under pressure, the yogurt will separate. But this version uses the Soup button on the Instant PotĀ® to keep the yogurt together in a full-flavored, thick, and rich sauce. Serves 6. Total time: 50 minutes.
ā±ļø Prep: 15 minš³ Cook: 35 min
Ingredients
| 1 | onion, peeled and quartered | |
| 2 tablespoons | 30 ml | ginger-garlic paste (or 1 tablespoon each minced ginger and garlic) |
| 2 | tomatoes, quartered | |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | Greek yogurt |
| 2 tablespoons | 30 ml | cornstarch |
| 1 teaspoon | 5 ml | salt |
| 1/2 teaspoon | 2.5 ml | ground cayenne pepper |
| 2 teaspoons | 10 ml | ground turmeric |
| 2 teaspoons | 10 ml | garam masala, divided |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | water |
| 1 1/2 pounds | 680 g | boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into large bite-size pieces |
| 10 ounces | 285 g | fresh spinach, chopped |
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, place the onion, ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes, yogurt, cornstarch, salt, cayenne, turmeric, 1 teaspoon of garam masala, and water. Blend until smooth.
- In the inner cooking pot of the Instant PotĀ®, arrange the chicken. Pour in the sauce.
- Lock the lid into place. Select Soup and adjust the pressure to High. Cook for 8 minutes.
- When the cooking is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick-release any remaining pressure.
- Unlock and remove the lid. Remove the chicken to a cutting board.
- Select SautƩ and adjust for medium heat. Add the spinach to the sauce. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, cut it into smaller pieces, and add it back in. With the lid off, allow the sauce to simmer and thicken and the spinach to cook down.
- Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of garam masala and stir.
- Serve with rice, cauliflower rice, naan, or with mashed potatoes for a unique combination.
Tip: Though I call for bite-size pieces of chicken thighs, feel free to use your preferred cut of poultry in this recipe. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time per the cooking chart.
PREP TIME: 15 minutes. SOUP: 8 minutes high pressure. SAUTĆ: 5 minutes. RELEASE: Natural 10 minutes, then Quick.