Mango chicken is a very flavorful mild chicken curry that’s sweet and savory and absolutely delicious!
Mango Chicken
This Indian mango chicken is one of my all-time favorite curries – everyone in my family loves it! And by “everyone” I mean my picky toddler and my picky husband which means this chicken dinner is a winner (sorry, couldn’t resist). It’s very flavorful curry and yet also very mild thanks to the sweet mango sauce and coconut milk.
If you’re new to Indian cuisine or are trying to get your kiddos to eat Indian food, this mango chicken curry aka aam ka murgh is a great dish to start with. Butter chicken is a good intro dish too but it’s nice to switch things up sometimes. In fact, my toddler (who is almost 2 now) loves this mango chicken more than my Butter Chicken, and that’s saying a lot because he really likes butter chicken (and butter chickpeas).
My recipe doesn’t call for canned mango pulp which is how most restaurants make this dish. I prefer to make my own mango puree by blending fresh ripe mango chunks (frozen mango chunks work too, just thaw the mango before blending). This gives the curry more of a naturally sweet mango flavor. Canned mango pulp is typically heavily sweetened which is why I don’t use it in the dish although, these days you can sometimes find unsweetened canned mango in Indian grocery stores (I like the brand 24 mantra). Typically when I use ripe mangoes, I don’t add sweetener to the curry but if you feel that the mangoes aren’t sweet enough, feel free to add some sugar.
“Delicious. I used fresh mango puree. It was more work but definitely worth the trouble. What a great combination of savory and sweet. Even better because the sweet didn’t overpower the other flavor elements.”
Rosemary
There are a couple of other optional ingredients: curry leaves and cayenne. Typically when I have curry leaves listed in a recipe, I’ll be the first to tell you not to skip them but if you don’t have them for this recipe, don’t sweat it. The dish is still great even without them. As for the cayenne, you can leave it out or adjust to taste. If you prefer more of a sweet and spicy curry then add cayenne but if you’re okay with sweet and savory then leave it out. Your call. Look at me, giving you guys the freedom to make your own choices… 😉
This recipe for mango chicken is from my cookbook, Indian Food Under Pressure, and it’s a recipe that gets rave reviews. I get messages and emails about how great this chicken curry is and so I’m sharing it on the blog with all of you. My hope is that you’ll try the dish, fall in love with it and then get my book for more delicious recipes of course!
What to Serve with Mango Chicken:
Instant Pot Mango Chicken
Instant Pot Mango Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1- inch ginger roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons oil of choice
Whole Spices
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 10-12 curry leaves optional
- 5 cardamom pods
- ¼ cinnamon stick
Spices
Add Later
- 1 cup mango puree from fresh or frozen ripe mangoes
- ½ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar optional
- Cilantro garnish
Instructions
- Add the onion, garlic, ginger, to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside.
- Press sauté, add oil and allow it to heat up. Add the whole spices. Once they begin to sizzle, add the blended onion mixture. Stir-fry for 5-6 minutes, or until the onion mixture has thickened.
- Add the spices and chicken to the pot and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the chicken is well coated with spices.
- Pour water into the pot, secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 10 minutes at high pressure.
- Open the valve to quick release any remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid, press the sauté button, add the mango puree, coconut milk and sugar into the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Garnish with cilantro.
Notes
- If you are using frozen mango chunks to make the mango puree, thaw the chunks before blending. You can find organic frozen mango chunks at your local Trader Joe’s and in some Costco stores.
Jo says
Looks delicious – going to try it tonight
Could I just ask if the cooking time changes using chicken breast?
Thank you 😀
R says
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
Sue Davis says
Made this beautiful recipe in my Instant Pot whilst on holiday in my motorhome and it was a big hit. I’ve since got a Thermomix so I am going to try adapting the instructions to work in my TM6. Hopefully it will be just as lovely!
Emma says
This was fabulous. One thing I’m finding with this recipe and a couple of others (the ones with coconut milk) is that I’m needing to reduce the water by about half. Any more and I get a burn. I suspect it’s probably because UK supermarkets add so much water to chicken these days. I have now started using a solid block of coconut cream to get the coconut hit without making the dish too liquid. It works pretty well!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Emma, glad you liked it! And glad you’ve figured out how to best adjust the water – happy to hear it’s working out!
Mark says
Excellent, thanks.
Sarah says
I loved this recipe so much! I just made it last night, and ate some for two meals already today, lol. I appreciated my food processor getting a workout, and getting to use mango, which I’m not used to.
I would love to make it for family, but I have a mix of those who eat meat and those who don’t, at reunions. If you do not mind my asking: would it work to substitute some pan fried tofu for the chicken? Or paneer? Or should I make this recipe instead? https://myheartbeets.com/kerala-ripe-mango-curry-with-chickpeas/
(… I really enjoyed the flavor that the cinnamon and cardomon pods gave to this dish! so could I sneak them into the chickpea one? Or might that mess with the flavor too much?)
Rosemary says
Delicious. I used fresh mango puree. It was more work but definitely worth the trouble. What a great combination of savory and sweet. even better because the sweet didn’t overpower the other flavor elements.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Rosemary, that’s so great to hear! Thank you for letting me know how the mango chicken turned out for you 🙂
Suzanne says
Ashley,
Would the flavor be even better if I marinated the chicken in the spices overnight? I’m Jamaican, and while I try to follow recipes well, the one thing with IP recipes I find online is that putting the seasoning in with the liquid and chicken/meat usually doesn’t give it as much flavor as when I marinate. Just wanted to check to make sure there are no contraindications since this is a request from hubby for Father’s Day. 🙂
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Suzanne, sorry I didn’t see this before Father’s day – did you end up making this yesterday? I think it’ll be fine if you want to marinate it, but it’s honestly flavorful enough without that extra step. It won’t hurt though!