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 proper comfort food 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 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 this recipe, 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
Recipe Video
What’s So Special?
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?
Just like the Instant Pot Chicken Curry, I made this recipe 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 instead of the chicken.
If you use chickpeas or lentils, wait for a natural release for 10 minutes and then do a quick pressure release.
As a standard, Instant Pot Japanese curry contains both potatoes and carrots, so it’s excellent for vegans even without additional ingredients.
Can I use tofu?
Sure! You can just replace the chicken with tofu or make this Instant Pot vegetarian curry.
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!
How to serve?
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 |
|
| Instant Pot Brown Rice |
|
| Instant Pot Quinoa |
|
| Instant Pot Bread |
|
You can make all of these recipes in your Instant Pot pressure cooker.
How To Make
Gather the necessary ingredients.
Add:
- Chicken
- Potatoes
- Onion.
Add:
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Carrots
- Oil
- Water
Plop the curry paste on top of the other ingredients.
Cover the lid and cook at high pressure for 4 minutes.
When cooking time is complete, do a quick release.
Add the coconut milk, and stir continuously for 1 minute.
Serve and enjoy!
Instant Pot One-pot Meals
Instant Pot Pork Chops and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thigh cubed
- 4 potatoes chopped
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger chopped
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp curry paste
- ½ cup coconut milk
Instructions
- Add chicken, carrots and onion to the Instant Pot.
- Add potatoes, garlic, ginger, oil and water.
- Add curry paste on top.
- Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
- When cooking time is complete, do a quick release.
- Open the lid, add the coconut milk and stir well for 1 minute.
- Serve and enjoy 🙂
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- For a creamy texture, serve yourself with a hot, fresh soup instead of storing it.
- You can sprinkle thyme from the top if you don't want its flavour to be subtle during cooking.
- You can add heavy cream for a more creamy texture.
Great recipe. I tried it with slight modification in spices and it came out fabulous. Thank you
I'm so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
I forgot to ask in my prior message...my husband has heart issues and is on a low to no sodium diet. Can your recipes be modified? Any problem on putting a hold on salt?
They can absolutely be modified! You can always leave out salt or use low-sodium ingredients because of health issues.
Thank you for these wonderful recipes that taste like I have cooked for hours in my kitchen. They are delicious!!!
The Instant Pot is excellent for that! I appreciate the comment, and I'm glad you like my recipes 🙂
Can you use curry spice instead of paste?
Unfortunately no, it is much different. Vermont curry paste is a Japanese product and contains thickening agents that contribute to the texture of the sauce.
Where can you find Vermont curry paste? I will have to order it online. Do you have any Diabetic friendly s on this site? Thanks!
I love the golden curry brand curry mix! But Japanese curry doesn't use coconut milk, I think only Thai curry does.
That's true and a good point! This recipe isn't fully traditional, I was inspired by ingredients and techniques from multiple cuisines 🙂
Yes you are right.
Like Shawna, I am wondering the same thing. Where do you find the curry paste? Asian store? Online?
Exactly! You can buy it online, that's probably easiest. Some Asian grocers may carry it also.
Most grocery stores have One or both Japanese curries. Golden S&W or Vermont.
I am a bit confused… Top of the recipe says “minutesCook Time: 14 minutes”
Point 3 of the instructions says” Close the lid and cook at High Pressure for 4 minutes.”
Please confirm if cooking on high is 4 or 14 minutes.
It's 4 minutes. Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Question: How much water do you put in the bottom before you put anything in the instant pot? And do you put ingredients right into the water? (maybe I missed it but I didn't see water mentioned) Thank you.
You should add 1 1/2 cups water to the Instant Pot in the first step, at the same time you add all the other ingredients listed above it. It doesn't matter the order.
I HAVE to make this! I'll add mushrooms & celery, also. Yum
Yes! That's a great idea. Yum!
Wow. Made this last night exactly as in recipe. Delicious! Now I am going to play around with it with other veggies. The chicken was amazing and the potatoes were like velvet and creamy
Excellent!! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe.