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Thai Peanut butter chicken curry in a light blue plate with a spoon & garnished with cilantro & roasted peanuts

Thai Peanut Chicken Instant Pot

Thai Peanut Chicken Instant Pot recipe is easy, delicious, consists of an addictive peanut sauce and packed with incredible Thai flavors. This Instant Pot Thai peanut chicken curry recipe is so rich, so smooth & so good!
5 from 4 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Thai
Keyword: Instant Pot Thai Peanut Chicken, Spicy Peanut Chicken Curry, Thai Peanut Chicken Instant Pot
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 419kcal
Author: Meghna
Cost: $5

Ingredients

  • 1.5 pounds Chicken Breast **boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs diced into ½ or 1 inch cubes.
  • 1 cup onion **yellow onion diced into large squares & petals separated.
  • 1 tbsp garlic **minced.
  • 1 tbsp ginger **finely grated or minced.
  • 1.5 cups zucchini **diced into thin half moons.
  • 1 cup red bell pepper **roughly chopped.
  • ¼ cup Tomato Ketchup
  • ½ cup peanut butter **smooth peanut butter.
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • ½ cup peanuts **skinless peanuts dry roasted.
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil **use light or extra light olive oil.

Homemade Spice Mix

Liquid

  • 4 cups Water **warm
  • 1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon **chicken base. Stir this with the water to make an instant chicken stock.

Instructions

  • Marinate Chicken: Mix all the ingredients mentioned above in the "Homemade Spice Mix" section in a small bowl. Dice the skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs into ½ or 1 inch cubes and add half of the homemade spice mix. Coat the chicken pieces well and marinate for 30 mins. If you are in a hurry skip marinating.
    marinated chicken in instant pot
  • Sear Chicken: Set the instant pot on SAUTE setting & keep it on HIGH heat. Add the oil and when the oil becomes really hot gently release the marinated chicken and sear well until the chicken pieces turn golden around the edges. Set them aside.
    searing marinated chicken in instant pot
  • Saute aromatics: In the same pot add the diced onion & saute for 1 min. Now, add the ginger & garlic and saute until the onion begins to turn soft.
    sauteing aromatics in instant pot
  • Saute homemade spice mix: Reduce the heat to LOW setting otherwise the spice mix might burn. Now, add the rest of the homemade spice mix and saute for 2 mins. The spices will release essential oils and become so aromatic.
    sauteing homemade spice mix in instant pot
  • Deglaze pot: Now, pour the chicken stock (better than bouillon chicken base diluted in warm water) and deglaze the pot very well with the help of a spatula scraping the sides & the bottom of the pot. This will help loosen any stuck food particles & prevent the BURN error. This step is super important, DO NOT rush!
    pouring chicken stock in instant pot
  • Prep peanut butter sauce: Now, add the smooth peanut butter, ketchup & brown sugar and stir very well to completely dissolve the peanut butter to form a smooth curry sauce. There should not be any lumps at all. This will also help prevent the BURN!
    smooth peanut butter sauce in a ladle
  • Pressure Cook: Cancel the SAUTE function. Transfer back the seared chicken & the diced veggies into the instant pot. Stir to mix well. Secure the lid of the instant pot, seal the valve & PRESSURE COOK on high for just 2 mins. Once the cooking cycle is over the instant pot will begin to beep, perform a quick pressure release immediately by manually moving the valve from the sealing to the venting position. Open the lid carefully when the metal pin on the lid drops. Give everything a good stir!
    zucchini and red bell pepper on top of the Thai Peanut butter chicken inside instant pot
  • Serve: Now, add the dry roasted peanuts & save a few for garnish. Mix well. Serve the Thai Peanut chicken curry with steamed white Jasmine rice for best flavor. Enjoy!
    Thai peanut chicken curry in instant pot with a steel ladle

Video

Notes

  1. Is this Thai peanut chicken curry spicy? Today's recipe is mildly spicy. If you want to increase the spice level do add diced Thai chili peppers along with the aromatics and saute well. This will release a lot of heat and make the curry sauce super spicy. You can also increase the amount of cayenne pepper.
  2. Non-spicy Thai peanut chicken: Skip adding the cayenne pepper from todays recipe.
  3. Sweet Thai Peanut Butter chicken: Add 2 tbsp brown sugar instead of just 1 tbsp.
  4. Prevent BURN error: Deglaze the pot very well, there should not be even slightest of food particles stuck at the bottom of the pot. And you must mix well the peanut butter with the liquid before pressure cooking. The curry sauce should be absolutely lump free. 
  5. Roasting the peanuts: There are two different ways you can dry roast the peanuts. You can use a skillet and do it on the stove top just like us or you may even roast them in the instant pot before beginning the recipe. Use the SAUTE function and HIGH heat settings.
 
Calorific details are provided by a third party application & are to be used as indicative figures only.
 
Nutrition Facts
Thai Peanut Chicken Instant Pot
Amount Per Serving
Calories 419 Calories from Fat 225
% Daily Value*
Fat 25g38%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 73mg24%
Sodium 727mg32%
Potassium 910mg26%
Carbohydrates 18g6%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 34g68%
Vitamin A 1250IU25%
Vitamin C 42mg51%
Calcium 64mg6%
Iron 3mg17%
* Read our privacy policy - Calorie information is provided as a courtesy only and should be leveraged as an estimate rather than a guarantee.Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 727mg | Potassium: 910mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1250IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 3mg