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Japanese curry is one of the most popular Japanese recipes, alongside renowned dishes like ramen, udon noodles, and sushi.

I don’t think this delicious curry gets enough love. This is a proper comfort food meal for cold, wintery evenings. It’s full of flavor and easily customizable; you can add extra ingredients or leave out any bits you don’t like.

This Instant Pot Japanese chicken curry recipe is packed with succulent chicken, soft veggies, and a gorgeous gravy-like sauce. All this cooks on High Pressure in just 20 minutes TOTAL.

There’s a whole load of tasty side dishes you can serve with Instant Pot Japanese chicken curry. I’ll discuss some of my favorites below – like rice, quinoa, and naan.

This is one of those perfect recipes for pressure cookers; simply close the lid then “set and forget”. Leave the Instant Pot to do its thing and cook up a delicious meal for you and your family while you get on with other things.

Contents

What’s So Special About Japanese Curry?
What’s in the Sauce?
What can I use instead of Vermont curry paste?
Which Chicken Cut Should I Use?
Can I Use Other Types of Meat?
Can I Make This Recipe Vegan?
Can I Make a Big Batch?
What Sides Can I Serve With Instant Pot Japanese Chicken Curry?
How to make Japanese curry

What’s So Special About Japanese Curry?

Japanese chicken curry is totally different from other curry recipes from around the world.

It provides a brilliant flavor, a mix of sweet and savory, with incredible aromatics. To that end, this pressure cooker Japanese dish uses garlic and ginger. Combined with chopped onion, carrots, potatoes, and a curry roux block, these ingredients complement each other to smell and taste amazing.

This mix of ingredients creates a deep and intense flavor that will fill your kitchen (or wherever you’re cooking with your portable pressure cooker!) with a delectable, warming aroma.

This dish is not spicy at all. However, you can add chili powder for a bit of kick if you wish. It’s also a good idea to season with salt and pepper to really bring out the flavors.

The curry’s mildness makes it perfect for any kid’s first taste of curry. It’s a great dish to introduce young ones to new and exciting flavors.

Finally, what makes this Japanese dish extra special is the thick, gravy-like texture of the sauce. This pressure cooker Japanese chicken curry recipe is made using a curry roux. This roux helps make the sauce rich, creamy, and thick. It’s just fantastic.

What’s in the Sauce?

To make the curry sauce, you need to mix Japanese curry powder or Japanese curry roux blocks with water.

My favorite brand of curry powder is Vermont. Another great option is Golden Curry. You can find these brands at any Asian market and in some grocery stores, like Walmart.

You always have the option of making your sauce from scratch; however, I’m guessing you’re here for the simplicity and ease of cooking in an Instant Pot pressure cooker.

For a little added oomph, you can throw in some extra spices and seasoning to your recipe. Possible additions include:

Garam masala
Black pepper
Grated apple
Soy sauce
Garlic cloves

However you prepare your curry sauce, using the core ingredients will produce an intensely flavorsome sauce.

What can I use instead of Vermont curry paste?

You can use any curry paste for this Instant Pot Japanese curry recipe.

A mild one would be better in my opinion.

Which Chicken Cut Should I Use?

I made this Instant Pot Japanese curry recipe using chicken thighs, but you can use whichever cut of chicken you prefer. Simply cut into bite-size pieces and season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper before adding to the pressure cooker pot.

You can also pre-season the chicken with garam masala and soy sauce before you pressure cook to give it some extra zest.

My personal recommendation is to use skinless, boneless chicken to pressure cook recipes with. Your meal will reliably come out perfectly every time.

Meat Cut	Pros	Cons
Chicken Breasts	Chicken breasts are lean but still tasty. Great for those on a low-fat diet.	Can be a bit drier than a cut closer to the bone. Less flavorful.
Chicken Thighs	Chicken thighs have a higher fat content, making them juicer. More flavorful and a cheaper cut than chicken breast.	As a fattier cut, it’s not as suitable for dieters.

Can I Use Other Types of Meat?

This Instant Pot Japanese Curry recipe also works well with:

Beef
Pork
Turkey

I’ve made this meal with chicken because I think it has the best balance between juiciness and leanness, meaning it’s healthier and tastier than a pork or beef curry recipe.

Can I Make This Recipe Vegan?

This Japanese Curry recipe can be easily modified to accommodate a vegan diet.

To make this recipe vegan, replace your meat option with chickpeas. You can also use green peas or lentils in this Japanese curry recipe.

If you want to include these ingredients, perform a natural release of pressure 10 minutes after cooking (Instead of the quick release on the original recipe).

As a standard, Instant Pot Japanese curry contains both potatoes and carrots, so it’s excellent for vegans even without additional ingredients.

I like to add different types of peas and beans to include protein in my vegan recipes.

And don’t worry! The curry roux blocks are vegan too.

Can I Make a Big Batch?

Absolutely. Like many of my Instant Pot recipes, you can easily adjust the ingredient amounts to make larger or smaller portion sizes.

This pressure cooker Japanese chicken curry recipe yields six servings. You can add any amount of chicken, potatoes, and carrots to suit the batch size you’re making.

The ingredients for this meal are also super cheap, so making big batches is still cost-effective. Potatoes go for as little as $3 for a whole kilo!

To make sure you’ve got enough sauce for the servings you’re making, I recommended a 1:1 ratio of servings to roux blocks.

This means if you’re making Instant Pot Japanese chicken curry for six, you’ll need six Japanese curry roux blocks. If you’re making curry for just two people, use two blocks. You get the idea.

I love this Instant Pot Japanese curry recipe because it’s perfect for feeding lots of mouths. Put all the ingredients in the Instant Pot and leave it to work its magic while you entertain your guests.

You can serve this Instant Pot Japanese chicken curry at a dinner party with friends and feed the leftovers to your kids for lunch the next day. Super convenient and stress-free!

What Sides Can I Serve With Instant Pot Japanese Chicken Curry?

Sides for this meal aren’t essential. The potatoes can always take the place of your side. This is especially great if you’re trying to reduce your carb intake.

However, if you want some bonus tasty accompaniments to your meal, I have a few easy side options for you.

Curry with rice is an absolute staple. The thick sauce in this Japanese curry Instant Pot recipe binds well with rice.

If you’re looking for some side inspiration, I’ve got a few exciting ideas to try:

Side dish	Why I love it
Instant Pot Jasmine Rice	A bowl of Asian style rice pairs perfectly with Instant Pot Japanese chicken curry Very fragrant; smells authentically Japanese Adds a fresh taste to your dish and balances out the heaviness of the sauce
Instant Pot Brown Rice	A healthier alternative to white rice This whole grain rice is higher in fiber The earthier flavor pairs well with the similarly earthy carrots and potatoes
Instant Pot Quinoa	Lower in carbs than rice, so it complements the potatoes nicely Gluten-free — great for those with a gluten intolerance Very high in fiber
Instant Pot Bread	You can make it yourself Bread is a great side to mop up all the gorgeous sauce You also have the option of naan or flatbread

You can make all of these recipes in your Instant Pot pressure cooker.

How to make Japanese curry

Gather your ingredients:

In Instant Pot combine all ingredients, except the coconut milk. Make sure the curry cubes are on top.

Lock the lid into place. Select Manual and cook on High pressure for 4 minutes.

Once done do a quick release.

Open the lid and stir in coconut milk for 1 minute.

Serve warm and enjoy 🙂

One Pot Instant Pot Japanese Curry