Pressure cooker Ginger Chicken; a fragrant and flavorful, yet simple and quick saucy chicken curry with the essence of ginger and some simple pantry available Indian spices and ingredients; perfect with rice or just a soft roti or paratha!
Jump to RecipeThis dish has been on my mind for quite some time now. Recently, I came across a recipe for ginger chicken online and I was reminded of my childhood. Restaurants were not many in those times (I am talking about 30 years back!).
But whenever we ordered takeout, it was always Chinese (no pizza joints or any other cuisine other than pure south or north Indian cuisine)! The choice on the menu was limited to fried rice, noodles, a couple of gravy dishes and my favorite ginger chicken!
You have to really love ginger to enjoy this and the orange color (yes, using food colors were rampant those days) enticed us more. When I got married and moved to US, I totally forgot this dish as my choices here were mindboggling!
Today, I was tempted to make it and my daughter-in-law and I decided to try to recreate those amazing flavors!
All you need is lots of ginger (duh!) with a couple of garlic cloves and some red onions. To satiate the Indian palate, I added a few Indian spices like fresh coriander powder and garam masala powder.
Now, this dish has origins from Chinese flavors I grew up with, so, I splashed some light soy sauce and infused a bit of ketchup in the gravy.
With a pressure cooker, this dish was ready in less than 30 minutes. If you prep the ingredients, like marinating the chicken, making the onion and tomato pastes the night before, cooking rice while making the curry etc., dinner can be ready in just 15 minutes!
You can make this in an instant pot and over a stove top too but it will take a longer time.
The flavor, texture and aroma was so amazing, I was transported to my hometown, sitting at my dining table, enjoying a bowl of my favorite ginger chicken with some hot steamed rice!
Do try it today or Pin it for later on. If you love my dishes, do share it on my Facebook page or leave a comment below.
How about trying some other Indian dishes made easy in a pressure cooker like:
Jackfruit and Chickpea Pulao/Pilaf
Now on to my version of fragrant, pungent, quick, easy and saucy Pressure Cooker Ginger Chicken:
Pressure Cooker Ginger Chicken
Pressure cooker Ginger Chicken; a fragrant and flavorful, yet simple and quick saucy chicken curry with the essence of ginger and some simple pantry ingredients, perfect with rice or just a soft roti or paratha!
Ingredients
- 500 gm or 1 lb of boneless chicken
For the marination:
- 1 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder more for color than heat
- Salt to taste
- Juice of half lime/lemon
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 to 2 tbsp freshly grated ginger/bottled ginger paste
For the onion paste:
- 1 large red onion cubed
- 3 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped
- 2- inch piece of ginger peeled and chopped
For tomato puree:
- 1 large tomato or 2 medium sized tomatoes chopped
For the gravy/sauce:
- 1 large green chilli/jalapeno sliced
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp red chilli powder/cayenne powder
- ½ tsp garam masala powder or any other curry powder you have
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 to 2 tbsp tomato ketchup or sauce
- Salt to taste
- 3 tbsp oil
For garnish:
- Finely julienned ginger and finely chopped cilantro for garnish
Optional add in:
- Tandoori red color
Instructions
To marinate the chicken:
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Clean, wash and cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add grated ginger/ginger paste, Kashmiri chilli powder, soy sauce, lime juice and some salt. Mix well and leave to marinate while you prep the other ingredients.
To make the onion paste:
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Blend 1 large red onion, 3 to 4 cloves of garlic and ginger into a fine paste.
To make the tomato puree:
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Blend chopped tomatoes in a blender to a fine puree.
To sear the chicken:
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Heat oil; and fry marinated chicken until lightly cooked and seared. If water is released, drain and continue to fry. Remove when slightly seared.
To make the gravy/sauce of Ginger Chicken:
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In the same oil (if needed, add more oil) add the onion paste and fry on medium low heat until raw smell of the spices goes. Stir in sliced green chilies and fry again.
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Add tomato puree and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly.
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Sprinkle spice powders: ½ tsp garam masala powder, 1 tablespoon coriander, ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp red chilli powder and sauté.
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Fry until oil separates; about 1 to 2 minutes.
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Add the sautéed chicken, any gravy that you drained earlier, 1 tbsp tomato ketchup and salt to taste,. Mix well and cook on pressure for 6 minutes after first whistle.
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When pressure is released, open the pan, mix well and transfer to serving dish.
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Garnish with finely julienned ginger, cilantro and serve hot with rice!
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Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
Recipe Notes
Adjust the amount of spices and ketchup according to taste.
I have used light soy sauce, as dark soy sauce will take away from the original reddish, orangish (if there is a word like this!) color of the dish I grew up with!
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Sharing this with: #CookBlogShare | #RecipeoftheWeek | Angie's FiestaFriday along with cohost Jenny @ Dragonfly Home Recipes.
Pressure cooker is a bliss to cook any dish in jiffy. Love the spices you used to make this curry.
I'm sure this ginger chicken must have tasted awesome. I love ginger flavor so can give it a try with some vegetarian option may be tofu or mushrooms 🙂
This recipe is definitely a keeper. Lovely share!!
You're so right 30 years back there were hardly any take away places in India and also where I live. However,today its different world over, hubby and I comment many times that new homes make kitchens so tiny because younger people survive on take aways. I'm glad you were able to recreate the flavors of the chicken that you had years back.
Wow....this ginger chicken looks so good and I have to give a try....such an easy and quick yummy dish
Loved your spice ingredients. We can make this curry using any other veggies right? I think tofu will be yummy with ginger sauce!
The pressure cooker is such a life saver. I am sure many a chicken-lover will bless you for this recipe.
Give me some good chicken curry, pillowy naans and cumin raita any day and I'm in heaven! The curry looks finger licking good and the quick recipe is a life saver for busy days.
Thanks so much Shobha 🙂 Most of the time, I love to rustle up something in the cooker for a quick rushed meal!
Love the quick chicken curry, it's got a beautiful color 🙂
Thanks Freda 🙂 Love it too!
Pressure cookers are the boon for us Indian Grihlakshmis:) Bas teen sity bajao, aur khana taoyar! Glad you found this recipe and now enjoying too.
Thanks Jagruti 🙂 I know, I cannot start cooking without it at most times...indeed a boon!
The gravy must be phenomenal, any refereed swap for a vegetarian?
Thanks so much dear 🙂 Of course, just substitute some vegetables like Gobi or mushrooms or even some paneer for a vegetarian delight!
Looks delicious.. These quick recipes come handy when we are short of time.
This chicken looks lovely & the color is totally beautiful. This is very similar to the way I make it at home. Yummy share !!
Thanks so much Jolly 🙂 Isn't this a lovely flavor with chicken? I am sure it is a sure fire hit in your house too!
That curry looks absolutely delicious with great flavours, deep colour and best part is made in pressure cooker. Quick cooking for weekdays when you feel like having restaurant or take out meals but should instead choose such healthy homemade options.
Absolutely dear 🙂 I cannot live without my pressure cookers; a boon for all housewives!
Ginger chicken looks amazing. Loved the colour. An easy way to make lip-smacking chicken curry. Drool worthy share.
Thanks so much Sujata 🙂 Absolutely a quick dish to enjoy!
Slurp, fingerlicking ginger chicken, and the colour of the curry looks absolutely fabulous. Such a lipsmacking dish there. Lovely Share.
Thanks so much Priya 🙂
So glad to see this Vanitha! I have not made ginger chicken in such a long time and your photos are making me drool. I am definitely going to make this.
Thanks so much Sandhya 🙂 Like I said in the post, I had completely forgotten this dish for a long time! Was so excited to try and enjoy it now 🙂 🙂
Loved the easy and quick way to make lipsmacking ginger chicken.
Thanks Soma 🙂 Love the fact that it comes together in a jiffy in the pressure cooker!
Ginger chicken looks amazing! I love this curry and your recipe here makes it so easy for anyone to make it in a jiffy
Thanks so much Nandita 🙂 Always love to make quick dishes without too much effort 😀