Pressure Cooker Chicken Korma
- Total Time
- 35 minutes, plus 2 hours' steeping
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- ¼cup heavy cream
- A very generous pinch of saffron threads, plus more if you can afford it
- 6skinless, bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
- 1¼teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- Black pepper
- ¼cup peanut or olive oil
- 3tablespoons golden raisins
- 3tablespoons slivered blanched almonds
- 5whole green cardamom pods
- 1medium stick cinnamon
- 1medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 4garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
- 1tablespoon ground coriander seeds
- 2teaspoons ground cumin
- ½cup plain yogurt
- ¼ to 1teaspoon chile powder, to taste
- ½teaspoon garam masala
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
539 calories; 42 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 29 grams protein; 546 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat cream in a microwave or in a small pot on the stove, then add the saffron. Set it aside for 2 hours to draw out the saffron color.
- Step 2
Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Set the sauté setting on the electric pressure cooker to high. Add in oil; wait a few seconds and stir in the golden raisins. When they’re plump (it will only take a few seconds), transfer them with a slotted spoon to a small bowl.
- Step 3
Add almonds into the oil. Stir. Once they’re golden, 30 seconds to 1 minute, transfer them with the slotted spoon and to the bowl with the raisins.
- Step 4
Add cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. Brown chicken, 2 to 3 pieces at a time, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer them as they’re finished to a bowl or plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Step 5
Stir onions into the pot and cook until starting to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in ginger and garlic, and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in coriander and cumin. Add a few tablespoons of water and scrape up what you can from the bottom of the pot.
- Step 6
Return all the chicken pieces and their liquid to the pot. Stir in yogurt, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir in 1¼ teaspoon salt, chile powder and ½ cup water.
- Step 7
Cover and cook at low pressure for 6 minutes, then release the pressure manually.
- Step 8
Remove the lid, then turn on the sauté function on low. Cover with the glass lid or loosely with the regular lid, and simmer gently to meld the flavors, 7 to 10 minutes.
- Step 9
Stir in garam masala and saffron cream; taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve garnished with the raisins and almonds.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Roald
I really don't see the advantage to using a pressure cooker/instant pot for this recipe other than reducing the total cooking time by a moderate amount. You are still browning then removing the chicken, chopping and sauteing onion/garlic/spices, returning the chicken to the pot to cook through, and then reducing the sauce. I'd always use a high-sided cast iron skillet or dutch oven for this type of recipe.
A. Cleary
This can be simplified. Don't bother to brown the chicken. Saute the onion & garlic. Add cardamom, cinnamon & other seasonings & cook until fragrant (2 minutes or so). Add the chicken & a bit more than 1/2 c. water. Cook on high for 8 minutes. Quick release, stir in yogurt. The almonds can be browned in a separate pan while the chicken cooks. Also, you can cook rice in a separate container placed on top of the chicken. They'll both be ready at the same time.
Kathleen
The Instant Pot may only save a few minutes in cook time but it saves a lot of clean up. All the sautéing on the stovetop creates grease splatters that I'm not in the mood to clean up after dinner. The Instant Pot keeps all the mess inside the pot for a much faster and easier clean up.
Brian
I commute 3 hours a day. A "moderate" time-savings is the difference between a nice homemade dinner and a microwaved frozen entree.
Sara
You can of course cook this on the stovetop, but you will likely find that if you use a pressure cooker that the flavors have melded together more completely.
Boston Mom
You need to temper the yogurt. If you put it in all at once, it will curdle and separate so you end up with white globs. Adding yogurt in small bits at a time allows it to blend without separating and giving you a creamy look and taste to your curry. Saffron is always steeped- not sure if the heat or fat draws out the color and flavor.
Celia Regan
The pressure cooker keeps the meat incredibly moist and tender. Much easier clean-up as well. No spattering on the stovetop or counter.
dougvli
Well, aren't you cool! Meanwhile, my "skanky" Instant Pot cost about $80 vs. probably $1500 for your overpriced new toy.
MsMcK
YUM. Made just as specified and loved it. The saffron flavor was subtle but amazing. And i was really grateful for the ease & simplicity of the InstantPot. No other way I could make this for a weeknight meal, as I am a full-time working Mama. As another reviewer said: if you dont want to use a pressure cooker, use another recipe. The title makes it clear, and it’s annoying to have to sift through notes that simply quibble with the cooking method.
Laura
Do you leave cinnamon stick and cardamom pods in pot through entire cooking cycle? Or just while browning chicken?
wl110
Agreed. I made it tonight without using the pressure cooker, which would have saved maybe 6 minutes. In any case, it was delicious!
Diane
Brian, I agree. The hands-off time and keep warm function help me make a real dinner on my schedule. Plus, OK, I love the thing.
Bob
My thoughts exactly. The first six steps are exactly the same as they'd be without a pressure cooker. The next two steps combined take 17 minutes, plus time to get the pot up to pressure, and in a typical recipe like this you'd only need 25-30 minutes simmering on the stove. So I'm not even sure there's even a modest time savings.
Neal
What is the minimum size pressure cooker for this recipe please?
Susan
What size instant pot? 3 qt?
I should have read the notes.
Ugh. Why use a pressure cooker? Thin sauce and too much of it. Curdled yogurt - had to fish it out Waste of saffron in this dish Surprise to find it was bland. I ignored my gut on this and trusted the recipe. Lived and learned. Perhaps a sandwich for dinner instead.
Helen
Made this exactly as described in the recipe and it easy, flavorful and delicious. Also very easy clean up using the pressure cooker. A keeper.
Wendy
Double the spice
Albertype
This was delicious…next time I will give the chicken a real sear in a hot cast iron and cook it fricassée in the oven. I think it would be much tastier with crisp, nicely browned chicken skin.
marina
This was pretty good though certainly not worth the amount of work it ended up being. I wouldn’t make it again.
CJR
Outstanding! The only adjustment made was using boneless/skinless thighs instead of bone-in. I left the lid off during the final sauté and fork shredded the chicken at the same time, which also allowed some of the liquid to evaporate. While I agree with others that this could be made on the stove, I love the ease of cleanup with my instant pot and it doesn’t heat up the kitchen as much as cooking on the gas stove. I’m always happy to find a good instant pot recipe, this is a keeper.
spainer
As another person said, there is quite a bit of liquid, so if you want a thinker sauce you can leave the lid off during the final sauté step, which will let some of the liquid evaporate and create a thicker base for adding the cream.
Andy
Skipping the browning means skipping the flavor. And a pressure cooker produces more tender chicken every time.
Svetlana
I added almond meal to finish which improved the consistency. I also sprinkled some ground cardamom and cinnamon on top to serve.
ross
This is pretty straightforward. Other commenters raise some good points though You don't _need_ to pressure cook this, it just saves some time. You could use a slow cooker, or dutch oven, doesn't matter. It will just take longer Yes it's still watery near the end. If you simmer for 10 minutes, like the recipe says, it reduces into a nice consistency. Maybe it will take another couple minutes, but it does come together Turn the heat off when you put the cream in at the end
Bo McCoy
You want to do this in a single pot that will give you better flavors than an Instapot? Dutch oven. If you actually READ her recipe, it calls for cooking off the water/liquid before you add the cream. An Instapot does not allow this and the photos are proof: a watery gravy that is not the luxurious, creaminess of the original.
Ronda
I need side dish ideas. I never know what veggie or salad to serve with something like this
C
This was phenomenal. Not the quickest of pressure cooker recipes, but so worth it.
Emily
The recipe as given was way too salty. I only used 3/4 tsp (instead of the specified 1 1/4 tsp), and the final result was still unpleasantly oversalted for my taste, even eaten with unsalted rice. If I make this again, I will start with 1/2 tsp of salt and add more to taste at the end if needed.
Kris
There’s no way this is a 35 minute recipe. It took us well over an hour. The braising stage alone took almost 20 minutes, and the mise en place took about twenty as well. We also had to add time to reduce the sauce.
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