15-minute rich & delicious chicken Madras along with aromatic cumin or jeera rice…
Chicken Madras is a popular South Indian curry-based dish. This dish is found on the menu of all Indian restaurants. It’s a rich, fragrant curry with bursting flavor, when paired with basmati rice tastes delicious & is a perfect meal.
In the Instant Pot, cooking chicken madras is effortless; it’s a 2 step cooking process. Firstly, have to saute cook the veggies & turn them into a delectable sauce & then pressure cook the chicken separately. Marry the sauce & chicken, season with Madras curry powder & saute cook for a few minutes. Aromatic & finger-licking delicious chicken madras will be ready in just 15 minutes. I also made cumin or jeera rice in the Instant Pot. Basmati rice seasoned with cumin seeds & pressure cooked in the Instant Pot.
This is a perfect complete meal, the curry & the rice can be made ahead of time & stored in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for a few weeks.
Instant Pot 15 Minute Chicken Madras Recipe | With Aromatic Cumin Jeera Rice
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Thasneen
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 4 People
Ingredients
Making Chicken Madras
- For cooking veggies
- Ghee- 1 tbsp
- Onion, roughly chopped- 2
- Garlic, chopped- 2 cloves
- Ginger, chopped- 1-inch slice
- Red pepper, roughly chopped- 1
- Carrot, diced- ½ of a large carrot or 1 medium-sized carrot
- Tomatoes, chopped- 2
- Turmeric powder- ⅛ tsp
- Cumin powder- 1 tsp
- Coriander powder- 2 tsp
- Salt- ½ tsp
- For cooking chicken
- Ghee- 1 tbsp
- Dried red chilies, halved- 2
- Tomato paste- 2 tbsp
- Chicken boneless, diced- 2 chicken breasts or thighs
- Salt- ½ tsp
- Kashmiri chili powder- 1 tsp (for more spice add regular hot chili powder)
- Coriander powder- 1 tsp
- Water- ¼ cup
- Final cooking
- Prepared sauce
- Cooked chicken
- Madras curry powder- 1 to 2 tbsp
- Cilantro, chopped- ¼ cup
For cooking cumin-jeera rice
- Ghee- 1 tbsp
- Dried bay leaves- 2
- Whole cardamoms- 2
- Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
- White basmati rice- 1½ cups
- Salt- ½ tsp
- Water- 1¾ cups
Instructions
Cooking Chicken Madras in the Instant Pot
- Let's first cook the veggies & make the sauce.
- Turn on saute setting, temperature should be medium. Let the stainless steel pot turn hot.
- Add ghee, onions, garlic & ginger; saute for 2 minutes.
- Add red pepper & carrot; cook for 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, cook for 2 minutes.
- Add turmeric, cumin, coriander powder & salt. Combine well & cook for a minute.
- Take the pot out of the main out, let the veggies cool down a bit.
- Transfer to a blender jar, add ½ cup water & puree till smooth paste.
- Keep aside the sauce.
- This sauce can be made ahead of time & stored in the fridge for a few weeks or in the freezer for a few months.
- Can be used for cooking paneer, beef, lamb or potatoes.
- Place the stainless pot back to the main pot.
- Select saute setting, temperature should be medium.
- Add ghee, add dried red chilies & saute for a few seconds.
- Add tomato paste; saute for a minute.
- Add the chicken, combine well.
- Add Kashmiri chili, coriander powder & salt, combine well.
- If you want this curry to be spicy, add regular hot chili powder based on your spice level.
- Add ¼ cup water & combine well.
- Ensure the pot hasn't turned brown.
- Close the pot with the lid.
- Cancel saute setting.
- Select pressure cook setting, set the time to 5 minutes at high pressure.
- After 5 minutes of pressure cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes & then do a quick pressure release.
- Open the lid, perfectly cooked chicken. There will be some gravy in the pot.
- Add half of the prepared sauce, combine well.
- If you're making with more chicken, add the entire sauce.
- Add Madras curry powder (available at all Indian stores), it's a blend of a variety of spices like turmeric powder, coriander, fennel, black pepper, fenugreek, mustard seeds, dried garlic & onions.
- I've added 1 tbsp madras curry powder, it's an intense spice so add as per your liking- up to 2 tbsp should be good.
- Combine well, cook for 2 minutes.
- Finally, garnish with chopped cilantro.
- Take the pot out of the main pot & keep covered for some time.
Making cumin or jeera rice in the Instant Pot
- If you prefer, soak basmati rice in water for 15 minutes & then rinse in water. Or skip soaking & just rinse the rice taken in a strainer under running water till the water turns clear.
- Turn on saute setting, temperature should be medium. Let the stainless steel pot turn hot.
- Add ghee, dried bay leaves, whole cardamoms & cumin seeds.
- Saute for a minute, don't let the seeds turn brown.
- Add the rinsed basmati rice, roast for 2 minutes.
- Add salt & water, combine well.
- In the Instant Pot, for cooking 1½ cups rice 1¾ cups water has to be added for soft rice.
- Close the pot with the lid.
- Select pressure cook setting, set the time to 6 minutes at high pressure.
- After 6 minutes of pressure cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes & then do a quick pressure release.
- Open the lid, aromatic & perfectly fluffy cumin rice is ready.
- Enjoy chicken madras along with cumin rice or with naan, roti or chapati.
