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You are here: Home / Course / Soups, Stews, + Chili / Indian Chicken Stew (with Instant Pot option)

Published March 8, 2018. By Alyssa Brantley 46 Comments

Indian Chicken Stew (with Instant Pot option)

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  • Nut free
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Indian Chicken Stew (with Instant Pot option) from www.EverydayMaven.com

This dairy free Indian Chicken Stew is on the table in under an hour on the stove OR in under 15 minutes in the Instant Pot. Loaded with flavor and excellent served over jasmine rice or cauliflower rice, this is a dish the whole family will love!

ORIGINALLY POSTED: 11/7/2012   |     UPDATED: 3/8/2018

Indian Chicken Stew (with Instant Pot option) from www.EverydayMaven.com

My husband loves stews– chicken, beef and fish stews count among his favorites. He’s not really one for cooking but a couple of months ago he made a Brazilian Fish Stew from Saveur Magazine, which was unbelievable, and has been asking for me to make another interesting stew ever since.

Good thing I had this Braised Bone-In Chicken Thighs with Indian Flavors recipe from the The New York Times tucked away from last year. My Indian Chicken Stew recipe is quite different from theirs but I was truly inspired by it.

It comes together really fast and is a new favorite around here. My toddler taste-tested the sauce and said, “Ohhhhhh, Yum!” and my husband said, “What do I need to do to make this a weekly staple?”

I served it with this Spiced Coconut Rice and some quickly seared greens but this Punjabi Cabbage or Indian-Spiced Whole Roasted Cauliflower would also be fantastic side dishes.

Indian Chicken Stew (with Instant Pot option) from www.EverydayMaven.com

NOTES:

  • If you don’t want to use light coconut milk, use 3/4 cup of whole fat coconut milk and 3/4 cup of water or broth.

INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Follow “Prep” instructions in recipe card below.
  2. Turn Instant Pot on to “Saute”. Add coconut oil, garlic, jalapeno, ginger and onion. Saute 3 to 4 minutes until beginning to soften and aromatic.
  3. Add chicken and spices along with watery coconut milk liquid (reserve the solid coconut milk fat for later) from can. Close lid, set to “Sealed” and “Manual, High Pressure, 5 Minutes”
  4. When cooking time is up, use a QR (quick release) to immediately release pressure. Turn off Instant Pot and add remaining coconut milk solids, 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves and 1/2 T fish sauce. Stir, taste, adjust seasoning if necessary, serve and Enjoy!

Inspired By: Braised Chicken Thighs with Indian Flavors, March 28th, 2011 – The New York Time

Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!

Indian Chicken Stew
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
 

Easy Indian Chicken Stew. Dairy free and ready in under an hour on the stove OR under 15 minutes in the electric pressure cooker!

Course: Mains
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: dairy free indian recipes, easy indian chicken recipe, indian chicken stew, indian instant pot recipe
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 325 kcal
Author: Alyssa Brantley
5 from 8 votes
Indian Chicken Stew (with Instant Pot option) from www.EverydayMaven.com
Print
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
  • 8 medium cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 small jalapeno chopped
  • 2 inch piece fresh ginger root peeled and chopped
  • 1 large yellow onion chopped
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs trimmed of any visible fat
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 14.5 ounce can coconut milk (1.5 cups)
  • 1/2 Tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
Instructions
  1. Prep garlic, ginger, jalapeno and onion for chopping.

    Indian Chicken Stew Ingredients from www.EverydayMaven.com
  2. I used the food processor to save time. First, I put in the garlic, peeled ginger and jalapeno (all cut into chunks. Pulse a couple times until just chopped and then add in onion sections. Pulse a couple times.

    Indian Chicken Stew Ingredients from www.EverydayMaven.com
  3. Trim chicken thighs of any visible fat and set aside. Measure spices into a small dish.
  4. Heat a heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add oil and once hot, add onion and garlic mixture. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.

    Indian Chicken Stew Ingredients from www.EverydayMaven.com
  5. Add in trimmed chicken thighs and cook for another 5 minutes or so until they begin to brown, flipping once.Now, add in the spice mixture and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, stirring to coat the chicken.

    Indian Chicken Stew Ingredients from www.EverydayMaven.com
  6. Pour in coconut milk and fish sauce and bring to a boil. Immediately cover, lower to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    Indian Chicken Stew Ingredients from www.EverydayMaven.com
  7. Remove chicken thighs to a cutting board and cube into 1" pieces, set aside. Meanwhile, turn up the light under the coconut milk sauce until it is boiling.

  8. Slightly lower the light, keeping a nice strong simmer and reduce sauce for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken back to sauce, remove from heat, toss in cilantro and stir.

    Indian Chicken Stew Ingredients from www.EverydayMaven.com
  9. Serve hot over rice or cauliflower rice and Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Indian Chicken Stew
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 325 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 215mg72%
Sodium 1545mg67%
Potassium 631mg18%
Carbohydrates 5g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 44g88%
Vitamin A 325IU7%
Vitamin C 4.8mg6%
Calcium 40mg4%
Iron 2.1mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.

 

Filed Under: 30 Minute Meals, By Diet, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Fall, Football, Freezer Meals, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Instant Pot, Kid Friendly, Low Carb, Mains, Nut Free, One Pot Meals, Paleo, Potluck + Picnic, Poultry, Primal, Proteins, Season, Soups, Stews, + Chili, Spring, Summer, Whole30, Winter

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. C Cam says

    February 20, 2020 at 4:53 pm

    Ok, forget my question just saw this can be cooked on top of stove. thanks

    Reply
    • Alyssa Brantley says

      March 2, 2020 at 11:43 am

      I hope you loved it!

      Reply
  2. C Cam says

    February 20, 2020 at 4:51 pm

    I don’t own an instant hot pot. Other cooking instructions??

    Reply
  3. Leanna Hillmer says

    February 4, 2020 at 7:35 am

    Hi, I love this and hope to subscribe. But I thought it was one of thebest WEIGHT WATCHERS BLOGS of 2019. Yet I can’t find any points. That Indian Chicken stew sounds fantastic. Hope you can email me about whether your recipes will incude the WW points, as I like your food sensibility.

    Reply
    • Alyssa Brantley says

      February 6, 2020 at 3:02 pm

      Hi Leanna,
      Where did you see that about one of the best WW blogs of 2019? I used to (like 2011 to 2013) post WW recipes but have moved away from the program over the years. thanks for reading!

      Reply
  4. JAYARAJ J S says

    November 16, 2018 at 2:39 am

    MMMMMMMMMMMM……nice recipe Thanks and hats off to you

    bye

    jai

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      November 19, 2018 at 4:56 pm

      Thank you! Hope you love it!

      Reply
  5. Jennifer Blake says

    March 11, 2018 at 6:15 pm

    Always looking for new twists for chicken since we eat it a lot!

    Reply
  6. Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

    March 9, 2018 at 8:22 pm

    I love all the spices and ingredients in this stew, it sounds delicious!

    Reply
  7. Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says

    March 9, 2018 at 10:59 am

    gah I love that you finished it with fresh cilantro. I bet this smells heavenly!

    Reply
  8. Jennifer Farley says

    March 9, 2018 at 8:29 am

    Amazing flavors!

    Reply
  9. Chip says

    March 9, 2018 at 7:21 am

    This would be a new direction for me so I do not know if a fish substitute would work with this recipe. We only eat fish. Should I just move on?

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      April 25, 2018 at 1:15 pm

      You could add shrimp or a firm fish like cod, salmon or monkfish but adjust the cooking time!

      Reply
  10. Tami says

    April 22, 2014 at 1:42 pm

    Oh I loved this recipe. I’m new to the lifestyle however it didn’t take long to get bored, Maven you’re a gift, thank you. Recipes like this solved the problem. Made for a great lunch the next day as well.

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      April 23, 2014 at 8:37 am

      Thank you so much Tami! So glad you loved it and thanks for taking the time to come over and let me know 🙂

      Reply
  11. Ann says

    January 12, 2014 at 10:54 am

    This was dinner last night with the spiced coconut rice. The meal was outstanding! I served it with a side of steamed cauliflower. Thanks so much for this. It’s going to be one of my favorites.

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      January 12, 2014 at 1:17 pm

      Thank you so much Ann! So glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate you taking the time to let me know 🙂

      Reply
  12. Scott says

    October 31, 2013 at 10:08 am

    good point as the sauce didn’t thicken as much as I thought. maybe because of the cauliflower. it was good anyway!

    Reply
  13. Scott says

    October 30, 2013 at 7:40 pm

    Excellent meal over rice! Seemed a little higher in points than we wanted per serving (no veggies Alyssa!?) so I just added some fresh cauliflower chunks (one head) at step 7 and it turned out great. I may try doubling everything, including the cauliflower, but except the chicken next time, and see how it turns out. (Oh and I didn’t have cardamom so I did half nutmeg and half garam masala. I’ll use cardamom next time).

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      October 30, 2013 at 7:58 pm

      Hi Scott! Glad you liked it!! For this one, I prefer the veggies on the side so the sauce stays nice and thick on the chicken but I love that added cauliflower to it. Hope you are doing well 🙂

      Reply
  14. Jody T says

    April 17, 2013 at 4:57 am

    When do you put in the fish sauce? I made this last night and decided to omit it because it was smelling so good. Turned out great and my picky 2 year old loved it!

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      April 17, 2013 at 8:00 am

      Hi Jody! So glad you loved it and your toddler 🙂 I just updated the recipe – thanks for catching that. The fish sauce should go in at the same time as the coconut milk. Have a great day!

      Reply
  15. Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says

    November 15, 2012 at 4:42 pm

    I could see myself mopping up the gravy with some rolls. Mmmmm… so comforting!

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      November 16, 2012 at 6:53 am

      That sounds like a great idea!

      Reply
  16. Sarah Schaffer says

    November 12, 2012 at 3:04 pm

    Amazing dish! If you have a member of the family opposed or allergic to coconut milk, you can sub 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth, add 1 heaping tsp raw sugar and omit the kosher salt. The dish does need some sweetness to it. I cook an Indian dish on a weekly basis, and my hubby says this is the best I’ve ever made 🙂 served with jasmine rice and a side of the Punjabi cabbage and chickpeas

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      November 12, 2012 at 8:04 pm

      I love the substitution ideas Sarah – so glad you both enjoyed it so much! 🙂

      Reply
  17. Asmita says

    November 8, 2012 at 10:03 am

    Omg,
    This does look and sound delicious! I am a big fan of stews myself and would a big bowl of this with some hot basmati rice.

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      November 8, 2012 at 10:12 pm

      I was torn between rice and naan but went with rice as well 🙂

      Reply
  18. baker street says

    November 8, 2012 at 12:13 am

    Great flavors, A! Love the combination of warm spices along with coconut milk.

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      November 8, 2012 at 10:12 pm

      Thank you 🙂 Hope you are having a better day today!

      Reply
  19. Eha says

    November 7, 2012 at 7:26 pm

    Sugar, I have always tried not to be a ‘food snob’ and now I am almost wondering 🙂 ! What a delightufl recipe I’ll most certainly try, but the word ‘stew’ is one SO boring – surely this is ‘xyz’ from ‘xyz’ 🙂 ! ? Indian regioanl cooking is such an exciting one!!!!

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      November 7, 2012 at 7:51 pm

      LOL! Well, after you make it, come back and tell me what you would name it. Anything with Stew always pleases the Mr. but I hear you!

      Reply
  20. kitchenriffs says

    November 7, 2012 at 7:01 pm

    I like Indian anything, and this looks wonderful – some great flavors here! I definitely have to try this. Really like the bowl in the picture (and the picture itself is OK – that ‘s a difficult subject). Anyway, thanks for this.

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      November 7, 2012 at 7:51 pm

      Yes, this is a good one – let me know what you think 🙂

      Reply
  21. Hannah says

    November 7, 2012 at 11:17 am

    This sounds (and looks!) amazing, Alyssa! We are such fans of stews, too, and I can’t wait to make this one. 🙂

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      November 7, 2012 at 7:49 pm

      It really was Hannah!

      Reply
  22. Stacy says

    November 7, 2012 at 7:51 am

    Stews are wonderful comfort foods but, unfortunately, they are hard to pretty up for a picture. Nature of the beast. That said, your stew looks very appetizing with its generous addition of cilantro right at the end. I am sure it tasted delicious!

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      November 7, 2012 at 7:49 pm

      True, true. I am sure I will be making this over and over again if my husband has any say 😉 so I will have plenty of opportunity for a new pic.

      Reply
  23. Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says

    November 7, 2012 at 7:47 am

    I love recipes like this – and it’s so true, ugly food is sometimes the most delicious!!

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      November 7, 2012 at 7:48 pm

      Me too Liz!

      Reply
  24. EverydayMaven says

    November 7, 2012 at 7:28 am

    Ha! I have been known to eat leftovers for breakfast so I get it 🙂

    Reply
  25. Faith says

    November 7, 2012 at 7:26 am

    I love the flavors going on in this dish! Indian is always a favorite over here and this would be a huge hit!

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      November 7, 2012 at 7:46 am

      K is already asking when I am going to make it again!

      Reply
  26. Ellen says

    November 7, 2012 at 7:13 am

    How could this be modified to make in a crock pot or slow cooker instead of stove top? Would it be possible? Looks incredible but I get home so late that to start this when I get home we wouldn’t eat until 9 which is too late. Any ideas?

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      November 7, 2012 at 7:30 am

      Hi Ellen,
      I was thinking about the slow cooker for this but since you have to change the heat (up and down) a few times, I am not sure it would work so great. Also, it would be very difficult to get the sauce thick or reduced in the slow cooker. This reheats great, could you make it the day/night before and just reheat? Have a great day 🙂

      Reply

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