Instant Pot Vietnamese Chicken Curry Recipe (Cà Ri Gà)

March 8, 2018Van

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 16 minutes

Serves: 8

Vietnamese Chicken Curry is a dish I love and know very well, I’ve been eating my mom’s version of this dish my entire life. It’s so flavorful & delicious — the contrast of textures when eating it with a crusty baguette is absolute perfection. My recipe is a little different from my mom’s—I prefer a slightly thicker curry so I add a touch of flour and only use coconut milk as my liquid to create a creamy curry that condenses all the flavors. I also use boneless chicken thighs rather than the traditional bone in which can be cumbersome if you’re cooking for a family that includes children.

The defining characteristic of Vietnamese Curry is the Coconut Milk—which makes it completely standout from other curries such as the Indian (British) Version you may be familiar with. This Vietnamese incarnation is much creamier—and in my opinion—much tastier. The spice level of your curry is largely dependent on the specific Madras Curry Powder you’re using—I typically now use the mild since my kids love this dish, but add cayenne to my own bowl since I’m a sucker for spice.

This recipe makes a large portion suitable for multiple servings, but I also use it to make the most delicious Vietnamese Curry Puffs (Recipe Here). These puffs are not a traditional dish, but I invented them to use some of the leftover curry – so check out that recipe too!

Vietnamese Chicken Curry Recipe (Cà Ri Gà)

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Instant Pot Vietnamese Chicken Curry Recipe (Cà Ri Gà)

March 8, 2018 Van

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 16 minutes

Serves: 8

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Ingredients

3 Pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
2 Lemongrass Stalks
2 Cans Coconut Milk, (13.5 ounces each)
6 Carrots, peeled and cut into large bite size pieces
6 Potatoes, peeled and cut into large bite size pieces
1 Large Onion, diced
6 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
5 Tablespoons Madras Yellow Curry Powder
1 Tablespoon Fresh Grated Ginger
2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
4 Teaspoons Granulated Sugar
2½ Teaspoons Fine Sea Salt
2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
1 Tablespoon All Purpose Flour, (optional)
Cilantro for garnish

Method

1)
Marinate the chicken:
Depending on the size of the thighs you can leave them whole or cut into 3-4 inch pieces. Marinate for at least 1 hour with 1 Tablespoon of Madras Curry Powder, 2½ Teaspoons Fine Sea Salt, 6 Garlic Cloves (minced) and 1 Tablespoons of Grated Ginger.
2)
Brown the chicken:
Press Sauté on the Instant Pot and set it to High, add 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil and once the screen says Hot, brown the chicken – it should take about 5 minutes. Push the chicken to one side of the pot and sauté the onions for 3 minutes or until they are soft and translucent. Sprinkle in 1 Tablespoon of Flour and mix well coating all the pieces in flour, sauté for an additional 2 minutes (you can skip the flour if you prefer your curry more soupy).
3)
Cook the chicken:
Add 2 Cans of Coconut Milk, 4 Tablespoons of Madras Curry Powder, 2 Tablespoons of Fish Sauce, 4 Teaspoons of Sugar. Cut off the bottom 6 inches of the lemon grass stalks, smash them and add to the pot. Scrape the bottom of your pot well, making sure that there is nothing stuck the bottom of the pot (if there is, it can cause a Burn error message). Seal the lid on the Instant Pot and switch the knob to Sealing – Press Manual / High Pressure and set for 2 Minutes – after the timer is up wait an additional 5 minutes while the pressure releases naturally then switch the knob to Venting to release the rest of the pressure.
4)
Cook the Potatoes and Carrots:
Add the Potatoes and Carrots, stir your pot so it’s evenly distributed. Seal the lid on the Instant Pot and switch the knob to Sealing – Press Manual / High Pressure and set for 4 Minutes – after the timer is up wait an additional 5 minutes while the pressure releases naturally then switch the knob to Venting to release the rest of the pressure.
5)
Check the seasoning of your curry. You might need to add additional salt or Fish sauce to suit your taste. Serve with toasty French bread or over Jasmine rice. Garnish with cilantro and Enjoy!

↓ Supplies to make this recipe ↓

22 Comments

Walt

April 15, 2018 at 5:21 pm

This recipe is amazing! My only suggestion is to add bean sprouts, jalapeño rings and lime juice to the garnish. Thank you, it was better than my local restaurant’s.

Reply
1. Van
  
  April 15, 2018 at 6:13 pm
  
  Thanks for trying it out Walt, I’m glad you loved it and awesome to hear that it’s better than your local restaurant!
  
  Reply
Jenny

May 6, 2018 at 4:23 pm

Hi Van, could I use this same recipe using beef? The only liquid is the coconut milk (worried that it’ll burn without other liquids like water or stock)?

Reply
1. Van
  
  May 6, 2018 at 4:42 pm
  
  Hi Jenny, yes you could use beef. I’ve made it several times and I’ve never gotten burn error – the only time that could happen is if you don’t deglaze the pot well after browning the meat – just be sure there’s nothing stuck to bottom. You’ll also need to adjust the cook time for beef, if you’re using stew meat you can cook it for 30 mins High Pressure & 15 min NPR
  
  Reply
  1. Jennifer
    
    December 30, 2018 at 8:53 am
    
    What would be the adjusted cooking time if I substitute the chicken with short ribs?
    
    Reply
    1. Van
      
      December 30, 2018 at 9:37 am
      
      Hi Jennifer, are you using standard short ribs or flanken cut short ribs?
      
      Reply
Thuy

August 17, 2018 at 8:42 am

Can’t wait to try out this recipe! My grocery store only carries lemongrass paste, and I can’t get a hold of the essential oil in time for dinner tonight. Should I use the paste or do you recommend against it? I suppose the only issue would be that it’s going to be floating around in the curry.

Reply
1. Van
  
  August 17, 2018 at 9:10 am
  
  Hi Thuy, lemongrass paste will work fine, I think a tablespoon of it would be good. If you have a cloth spice bag you could always put the paste in there if you don’t want it floating around – either way would be fine. Hope you enjoy it!
  
  Reply
glenn

January 3, 2019 at 10:55 am

I loved this recipe! I immediately shared it with my upstairs neighbors who also loved it.

For my next batch, I’m going to increase the liquid because I love sopping it up with bread and replace half of the white potatoes with sweet potatoes and see how that works out.

After that, I’m going to try the related pastry crust recipe with this as the filling!

Reply
1. Van
  
  January 3, 2019 at 9:16 pm
  
  Glad you loved it Glenn! The curry puffs are so good, you’ll love it too!
  
  Reply
ELSA

January 9, 2019 at 8:26 pm

I am excited to try this recipe. If I substitute the chicken thighs with chicken drumsticks, will the cooking time change? Also, can I use frozen minced lemongrass since I already have that?

Reply
1. Van
  
  January 9, 2019 at 9:09 pm
  
  Hi Elsa, cook the chicken legs for 5 mins HP instead of 2 mins. Yes you can use frozen minced lemongrass, I think about a tablespoon would be good.
  
  Reply
Kim

February 18, 2019 at 8:34 pm

Thanks for this delicious recipe! I keep getting burn notices even though I saute the chicken, onion, and flour separately. Do you have any suggestions to prevent that? I have an Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt.

Reply
1. Van
  
  February 18, 2019 at 9:58 pm
  
  Hi Kim, after you pour in the coconut milk, you have to scrape the bottom of the pot really well with a flat spatula. If anything is stuck to the bottom, you get the burn notice.
  
  Reply
Lynn Nguyen

April 5, 2020 at 7:14 pm

Hi! Would I be able to double this recipe in a 8qt pot? If so, does cooking time change?

Reply
1. Van
  
  April 6, 2020 at 8:21 am
  
  Hi Lynn, yes you can double the recipe, just keep the same cooking time. Enjoy!
  
  Reply
Paige

May 3, 2020 at 10:13 am

I had been searching for years for a Vietnamese curry like one I grew up with. Every restaurant I tried was too runny/lemongrassy. Finally, I came upon this and it is exactly how I remember Curry Chicken to be. I see a lot of lemongrass issues- I keep lemongrass in my freezer, and just use as necessary. The flavor keeps just fine, and whenever I make it to an Asian market, I just replace. Thank you for this recipe!

Reply
Stephanie

November 9, 2021 at 11:45 am

This recipe is so good! My husband & I loved it, but it was too spicy for my daughter. Do you think it would be less spicy if I put less of the curry powder? Hopefully it would still be good too

Reply
1. Van
  
  November 9, 2021 at 11:53 am
  
  Hello! What type of madras curry powder are you using? At Vietnamese markets, you can find mild madras curry powder, it usually comes in a plastic packet – so that might be a better option instead of using less curry powder
  
  Reply
  1. Stephanie
    
    November 25, 2021 at 8:57 am
    
    I’m using the Vietnamese madras curry powder. I don’t see anything on it indicating if it’s spicy or mild but I will try to look for a mild one next time! My mom gave me the packets, which is interesting because I don’t remember her curry ever being spicy so I was wondering why
    
    Reply
Laura

August 29, 2023 at 8:03 pm

Next time I try this I think I’m going to put it all in and leave pressure for 10-12 minutes with a 10 minute or natural release. As is, I’ve had to do 4 pressure cooks of 4 minutes. Not nearly enough time for the potatos and carrots. I think they could definitely be put in at the same time as the chicken

Reply
Christine

February 28, 2024 at 11:38 pm

Made this but subbed 1 can of coconut milk for 1L of chicken broth, turned out amazing!!! tastes just like how my mom makes it. thanks for the recipe

Reply