Recipe: Keto-Friendly Instant Pot Thai Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 stalk fresh lemongrass, trimmed down, and grated
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 small piece of peeled ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 2 cups full-fat coconut milk
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ghee
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed into large chunks
- 1 bag riced cauliflower
Takes . Serves Six servings.
Earlier this week, I had a strong craving for Thai red curry. Because I am currently on the Keto diet, I have to be extra careful about ordering from restaurants, who often use added sugars, or cabohydrate-laden thickeners when preparing their meals. That meant preparing something on my own. I was short on time, so I wanted something that could be prepared quickly, which inspired me to use my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. I found a good starter recipe on Nom Nom Paleo, and revised it a bit to end up with this recipe.
Set the Instant Pot to sauté and add the ghee. Season the chicken thighs with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, then brown them thoroughly on both sides in batches. Don't overcrowd the pot, or the thighs will steam.
Remove the chicken, and add the onions to the pot, along with additional salt. Sauce until onions are translucent, and then add the coconut aminos and fish sauce, using the liquid to help scrape up the fond from the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic, ginger, and lemon grass, and cook for 1 minute. At this point, add the curry paste, and stir to coat the vegetables. Things should smell quite nice at this point!
Add the kabocha squash and cononut milk, and stir to combine. Then, nestle the browned chicken into the liquid, seal the Instant Pot, and set to 15 minutes on high pressure. When finished cooking, quick release the Instant Pot, remove the chicken, and chop it into large bite sized pieces. Add the chicken (and juices) back to the pot, stirring to combine. Serve over lightly steamed cauliflower rice.