Keto Instant Pot Spicy Chicken Curry Recipe

Looking for keto recipes for the Instant Pot PLUS plenty of vegetables? This spicy curry chicken will not disappoint on flavor or health. Date night, here we come! All my grain-free recipes (most appropriate for keto and other elimination diets) found here! 

Love spicy food? Try this spicy fish seasoning. 

For being a food blogger (sort of) I’m not actually very good at creating recipes out of my head.

I mean, I can throw some vegetables in a pan with random spices no problem, like you see when I teach how to roast veggies.

And over the years I’ve made up a soup or two, like this cabbage soup with pumpkin and chicken turmeric soup.

But usually, even with those, I have a few recipes open to inspire the general proportions.

And I’ve never even tried to create a baked good out of my head! I’m sure that would end up a pile of slop. #facepalm

My superpower really is not being afraid to adapt things.

I’ll take any slow cooker recipe and put it in the Instant Pot, for example.

And I love taking people’s recipes that call for three or four dishes and pans and smashing all that together into one with still a good result. 10 points for time-saving!! OR figuring out a way to use less meat in a recipe by adding beans, hence adjusting the budget woes. Here at Kitchen Stewardship^®, we’re all about balancing time, budget, nutrition and the environment.

Today’s recipe is an adaptation of a freezer slow cooker meal for the Instant Pot. For whatever reason, I have never found that making meals and freezing them ends up saving me much time, especially when the ingredients are super simple. I prefer relying on my Instant Pot when I know I will be short on time.

Can You Use Frozen Chicken in the Instant Pot?

You are my people!

If you are already worrying about whether or not you will remember to thaw some chicken for this healthy keto dinner, I can put you at ease.

The Instant Pot can always handle frozen meat, but you need to add more time. To be safe with this recipe, I would cook for a full 30 minutes if the chicken thighs are completely frozen. RELATED: Instant Pot Frozen Ground Beef (good for any tacos, spaghetti, sloppy Joes, etc!)

Can the Veggies go Right in the Instant Pot?

Here’s the thing: the original recipe called for the vegetables to be added to the slow cooker, but I have some issues with that.

I think slow-cooked veggies are pretty much mush and I know that way too many of the nutrients are cooked out.

I prefer lightly steamed vegetables, and since this recipe as written for a slow cooker would have overfilled my Instant Pot, that decided it. (You shouldn’t fill your IP more than 2/3 of the way full!)

I recommend cooking the vegetables separately unless you really like them cooked to mush and have a bigger Instant Pot or size the recipe down.

Instant Pot Spicy Chicken Curry Recipe

• Author: Katie Kimball
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 12–16 servings 1x
• Category: Main dish
• Method: Instant Pot
• Cuisine: Indian

Print Recipe

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Description

Adapted from No Cook Freezer Meals by Kelly McNelis

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Ingredients

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• 4 lbs. boneless chicken thighs (organic from ButcherBox around here)
• 2 cans coconut milk
• 2 c. water
• 1/2 c. dried minced onion (or 2 c. diced onion)
• 4 cans or jars tomato paste (in glass jars, no BPA!)
• 1 tsp. dried minced garlic
• 3–4 Tbs. curry powder
• 2 tsp. salt (Use the code kitchenstewardship for 15% off of your first purchase)
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
• Serve with: 6-8 cups of steamed or stir fried vegetables (green beans, broccoli, carrots, peas – whatever you have on hand)

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Instructions

1. Add everything to your Instant Pot.
2. One cup water is the minimum needed for an Instant Pot to come to pressure, but tomato products interfere with this process. Do NOT stir in the tomato paste! You need the water/coconut milk liquid on the bottom of the pot.
3. Secure and seal the lid.
4. Using the Poultry setting, set your Instant Pot for 15 minutes.
5. Let the pressure release naturally.
6. Using two large forks, shred the chicken into small pieces.
7. If the juices seem too runny, sprinkle about 1/4 cup of arrowroot starch in and stir it well.
8. Serve hot over cooked rice (or sauteed shredded cabbage or zoodles if keto) with steamed vegetables.

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Notes

This is a BIG recipe but it still fits in a 6-quart IP. 8 quart is better though, and you’ll have lots of leftovers!

My curry powder is HOT and I know my kids couldn’t handle 4 Tbs., but be my guest and go big if you love curry!

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 3 cups
• Calories: 444
• Sugar: 6gm
• Sodium: 600mg
• Fat: 12gm
• Saturated Fat: 4gm
• Unsaturated Fat: 8gm
• Carbohydrates: 51gm
• Fiber: 3gm
• Protein: 37gm
• Cholesterol: 96mg

Keywords: curry, chicken, spicy, sauce

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This recipe is also great for the slow cooker and can be prepped and frozen ahead of time. For slow cooker instructions check out this post.

Cold Chicken Curry for Lunch?

I think one of the hardest parts of trying a new grain-free diet like keto is lunch.

Americans eat way too many grains at lunchtime because sandwiches are the default! I’ve already shared 10 bread-free alternatives to sandwiches for packing a school lunch (great for keto or Paleo!), but let’s talk about the cold chicken idea.

When I share pics of my kids’ school lunches on Instagram, other parents often say to me, “Really? Your kids eat cold [insert dinner food here]?“

Yep!

I trained them young not to be so picky about food temperature, and really, think about it: We heat up our kids’ food and then blow on it all the time!

I like to think of the old-fashioned ideal of roast chicken in the picnic basket.

If it was good enough for them, it’s good enough for me.

I love cold dinner leftovers, so I highly recommend giving it a try if you’re struggling with keto/Paleo lunches. Even easier than making a sandwich if you ask me!

Where to Buy an Instant Pot

This is the 6-quart Instant Pot I started out with. After a few years, we added an 8-quart partly because I knew I would use two at the same time often enough, partly because it was the Prime Day sale, and also because I wanted more space for certain recipes. Both are a pretty basic model and you don’t need more bells and whistles than that! 

If you’re deciding on size, most people say it’s better to get a deal on the 6-quart and just have 2 rather than go big, BUT if your family has 5 or more people or you really like to batch cook or do more than a pound of beans, the 8-quart may be the best choice. My full Instant Pot review and buying guide for features, size, and model.

If you’d like to shop directly at Instant Pot’s website instead of Amazon (or just compare prices), check them out here.

You can even get a carrying case to travel with it! See my review of the Instant Pot carrying case we have.

If you’re still on the fence about adding an Instant Pot to your kitchen appliance arsenal here are my Instant Pot pros and cons.

Instant Pot Tutorials:

How to Set Up a New Instant Pot (With Video!)

How to Use the Instant Pot in a Hotel Room (save $$$ on dinner out!)

10 Basic Techniques for Your Instant Pot

Convert Slow Cooker Recipes to the Instant Pot

Is a Pressure Cooker Still Healthy and Safe?

How to Cook Frozen Ground Beef in the Instant Pot FAST