Achari chicken curry is an aromatic, flavorful and tangy North Indian dish made with the same spices that are typically used to make Indian pickles, also known as achar.
Out of all Indian chicken curries, I’d say achari chicken curry (also known as achari murgh) is the most flavorful. Bold statement, I know. But this pickled chicken curry is incredibly flavorful and only gets better with time. Trust me, you will absolutely love the leftovers!
If you’ve ever tried achar (an Indian pickle) before, then you’ll immediately note that this curry has a similar flavorful profile. That’s because achar and achari chicken have a lot of the same spices.
This achari chicken curry is well spiced but not necessarily spicy. You can easily adjust the level of heat by adjusting the amount of cayenne or red chili powder that you use.
Serve this tangy pickled chicken curry with a side of yogurt/raita, a side (like aloo gobi and/or langar dal) and basmati rice. And then after you eat it, come back and leave me a comment to let me know what you think!
Instant Pot Achari Chicken Curry
Instant Pot Achari Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil of choice
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 onion diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
Spices
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon amchur dried mango powder
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek methi seeds
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon kalonji (nigella seeds) Indian onion seeds/nigella seeds
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 2 pounds skinless and boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup fresh tomato puree approx. ½ pound tomatoes
- ½ cup water
- Cilantro garnish
Instructions
- Press the sauté button, add the oil and allow it to heat up for a minute. Add the cumin seeds and once they brown, add the bay leaf and onions. Stir-fry for 6-7 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown.
- Add garlic, ginger, spices and stir briefly. Add the chicken and give everything a good mix so that the chicken is well coated with the spices.
- Add the pureed tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the water.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 5 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure.
- Garnish with cilantro.
Florence says
Very good, easy, had all the ingredients on hand. Love that I can cook it in the Instant Pot
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this 🙂
Jenita says
Made Achari chicken tonight. I’ve made this a couple of times before…so easy.. so delicious… I even recommended it my brother, who made it and loved it too.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Jenita, that’s awesome! I’m so glad you like this recipe. 🙂 And thanks for sharing it with your brother – glad he likes it too!
Michael says
We’ve been making your Butter Chicken recipe for a couple of months now, and we recently started making this Achari Chicken Curry, which is also incredible. You basically introducing us to making Indian cuisine AND getting more use out of our Instant Pot. Your directions are always clear and helpful, and your recommendations for spices have been on point every time. We now purchase our supplies from a local Indian grocery and save a ton of money by grinding our own spices and not shipping hard-to-find ingredients. Thank you so much!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Michael, this is so great to hear! Love that you’re making Indian dishes :). Can’t wait to hear what you think of any other recipes you try!
Marianne says
I know you say this is a North Indian dish, but somehow it tastes exactly like the chicken curry my mom (from Kerala) used to make when I was a kid. Full disclosure: I did NOT like eating her chicken curry as a kid! But this year, not being able to see family and eat food that my mom or aunties prepare, it made me really long for some home cooked Indian food. This was perfect, even though I messed up and used a little too much water and a little extra chicken. It was the chicken curry of my childhood – thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
My Heart Beets says
Marianne, that is so awesome to hear! Love that it’s the curry from your childhood! Achar is universal, so perhaps it’s not just a north Indian dish after all 🙂 Thank you for the comment and review!
Aisha says
Delicious recipe! Thank you for translating traditional Indian recipes, that often take such long time to cook, into quick and easy Instant Pot versions! Your page is my go-to destination whenever I want to make desi food, and I haven’t been disappointed!
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Aisha! I really appreciate the kind words 🙂
Vicki says
Absolutely gorgeous, we buy this from our local take away and this version has all of the flavour with a lot less oil.
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Vicki! I’m so glad you liked this 🙂
Shreyas Nair says
Loved this recipe, Ashley. Amazing flavours. I kind of tweaked it a bit to suit my spice level. For someone who loves spicy food, I added a half a teaspoon of Bhoot Jolokia pickle, Turned out to be nice and hot, and tangy.
My Heart Beets says
Shreyas, that’s really great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂