Chicken Korma in under an hour? Yes, please! You don’t have to wait for a special occasion to make this royal dish – thanks to the instant pot, you can make it whenever you want with minimal effort!
This instant pot chicken korma is rich, creamy, and flavorful. It’s the real deal y’all. This chicken korma is much tastier than what you’ll find in restaurants, and thanks to the instant pot, you can make it at home in like half an hour – definitely under an hour! The hardest part of this recipe is gathering all of the ingredients (which really takes only like 5 minutes). After that, it’s cake. Well, korma.
This dish is also known as Shahi Chicken korma, and it’s a royal dish… literally. It’s from Mughlai cuisine, meaning that it was developed in imperial kitchens and served to royalty during the Mughal era in India (to kings, queens, jesters like me… just kidding).
Mughlai dishes are a treat because they are so decadent. They’re creamy and rich and call for dried fruit and nuts, which add awesome texture. Pre-Instant Pot, I really only made korma when we were having guests over – it was a “special occasion” dish. While it’s still an excellent dish to make for guests, it’s also easy enough to make whenever I want a delicious and comforting meal.
I know those of you following my onion masala series will ask if you can use that instead — yes, you can; however, I have yet to determine the right quantity. My guess is half a cup – so if you figure it out, please leave a comment letting us know! I recently used onion masala and cashew butter to make this more of a “short-cut korma,” and while it was good, it wasn’t quite as good. I plan on trying it again using onion masala with the blended cashew sauce – I think blending the cashews really makes a difference. Basically, make my recipe as written below if you want excellent korma – but if you do decide to experiment, tell me how it goes!
Enjoy this creamy dreamy mild korma over a bowl of basmati rice or matar pulao or brown basmati and as you eat it, just remember you are a queen… or a king… or a jester lol (you’re only going to get that joke if you read above…). Anyway, enjoy!
Chicken Korma Instant Pot Recipe
Chicken Korma Instant Pot Recipe
Ingredients
Onion Tomato Mixture
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1- inch ginger roughly chopped
- ½ Serrano pepper or green chili roughly chopped
- 1 tomato roughly chopped
Creamy Cashew Sauce
- ½ cup cashews
- ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoons ghee
- ¼ cup cashews
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
Spices
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 ½ pounds skinless and boneless chicken thighs cut into quarters
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
- Cilantro garnish
Instructions
- To make the onion tomato mixture, add the onion, garlic, ginger, Serrano pepper and tomato to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside.
- Prepare the cashew sauce by adding the cashews and ½ cup water to a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Press the sauté button and add ghee, ¼ cup of cashews and golden raisins. Stir-fry until the cashews begin to turn golden. Remove the cashews and raisins and set aside to use as a garnish.
- Add cumin seeds and once they begin to brown, add the blended onion and tomato mixture. Stir-fry for 8-10 minutes, or until the onion and tomato mixture has thickened.
- Add the spices, stir, then add the chicken and mix well.
- Pour 1 cup of 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.
- Press the sauté button, add the blended cashew sauce and fenugreek leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro, ghee-coated cashews and raisins.
Video
Notes
- I always suggest gathering the ingredients before you begin cooking. Putting all of the ground spices together in a bowl will make the cooking process go much faster/smoother.
Cassandra says
Can this be made using the frozen onion masala (I’m thinking perhaps 2 domes) instead of making the fresh onion tomato mixture?
Julie says
I just made it using 1 cup of the onion masala and it was great.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
So glad to hear that!
Preeti says
My friend made this for me and it was delicious! I want to make it again but don’t have an InstaPot. Do you have instructions/tips for making stovetop or in a slow cooker?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Preeti, I’ve only tested this recipe in an Instant Pot – I’m not sure if it’ll turn out the same using the stovetop or slow cooker – if you experiment, please let us know! The Instant Pot well worth getting to make Indian food in my opinion – I would consider it, especially if you cook chicken or lentils often!
Emunah says
Did you try making it in a slow cooker or stove top? I am on vacation and don’t have my instant pot and I want to make this.
Jayram says
This recipe turned out so good. I have made it a few times.
Question: can walnuts be used instead of cashews to create the sauce?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Jayram, that’s awesome to hear! I haven’t tried this with walnuts, hopefully another reader can chime in!
Alisha says
This was soooooooooo good!!! The only change I made was to sub a jalapeño for the spicier chili. I sent it to everyone I know, telling them to make it!! For people without a good blender, would coconut milk or heavy cream work for the cashew sauce?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Alisha, I’m so glad you liked it!! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂 I haven’t tried subbing heavy cream/coconut milk for the water in the cashew sauce, but I’d think it’d taste good – though you may need to up spices if you use that.
Lisa says
Hi Ashley,
I am reading your Chicken Korma recipe and it lists 1/2 cup and 1/4 of a cup of cashews in the cashew sauce ingredients. Can you clarify what it is please? I look forward to trying it.
Thank you!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Lisa, sorry for the confusion – the cashew sauce is made with 1/2 cup cashews and water. There should be a large space between the water and the next ingredient – the 1/4 cup of cashews is for the garnish (step 3). I hope that helps!
Megan says
How would you adjust the recipe if using goat?
CG says
Hey Ashley! How many servings would you say this recipe is? Trying to figure out if I can stretch this for the week with me + hubs, thanks!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
I would say this will comfortably make 4 servings – hope that helps 🙂
Anoop says
We have made this a few times. It tastes absolutely delicious.
Thanks
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Anoop, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how much you like this recipe 🙂
Katherine M says
I love this recipe!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Glad to hear that! Thanks, Katherine 🙂