Instant Pot Thai Lemongrass Chicken.
Instant Pot Thai Lemongrass Chicken.
I haven’t talked much about this, and I don’t know how I haven’t, but you guys, I’ve basically stolen Asher’s dog, Merle, and taken him in as my own. If you follow along on Instagram, then you may have wondered about his frequent appearances, as he makes it into my stories often. Asher, who is nine, somehow convinced my parents to get her a dog towards the end of last summer. She’s the last child, so I think you can see why this wasn’t hard for her to do…
My mom and Asher found Merle, who is a mini Australian Shepard in September. For a while, I didn’t spend much time with Merle since he is Asher’s dog. But then that whole trip to South Korea happened and I came back to the states about two weeks before my parents. This meant that I took Merle in, and in those two weeks I discovered that Merle is probably the best dog ever. No seriously, the best. He did literally everything with me those entire two weeks. We hiked every morning, he’d sit at my feet while I worked, and hang with me in the kitchen while I cooked. I took him with me everywhere I went, because again, he’s just the best dog. AND he listens to me, which I find greatly satisfying.
Since then, Merle spends a lot of time at my house. If you are a new…ish reader, my house neighbors my parents house, so I just pick Merle up every morning, we hike and then he spends the day with me until Asher gets out of school. At which time Asher demands that he come back home to hang with her. This week however, Merle is with me full time again, and I can’t lie, I love having him here. He’s cute, cuddly, kind, and again, he listens to me, which I love. And as I type this, Merle is sitting not an inch away. I finally get that whole saying that, dog is man’s best friend. That’s Merle!
Anyway, that little story has not a thing to do with today’s recipe, but I thought we needed a fun intro, because it’s Wednesday and I think all Wednesdays could use a bright little story.
Plus, I clearly just had Merle on my mind…
OK. OKAY.
Moving on.
Let’s talk all things Thai chicken and instant pot.
As I have said, when I first got my Instant Pot, I wasn’t really that crazy about it. I think I tossed the first two, three, maybe even four recipes I made out. But once I got past the learning curve, I slowly began to really love the instant pot, like I do my slow cooker. There are certain foods that I find the instant pot cooks better than others, and if you ask me, the instant pot cooks chicken perfect every single time. And that’s where this Thai chicken comes into play.
I’m a huge fan of Thai anything, but especially Thai food with a little lemongrass. It’s comforting yet fresh at the same time and full of so much flavor.
As with most instant pot recipes, you pretty much just add everything to the pot, set it, and dinner is done in about twenty or so minutes. No dirtying up too many dishes or even the stove, a major bonus in my book (if you didn’t already know, I hate doing dishes and cleaning the stove!). The chicken is tender, a little on the spicy side, hinted with coconut, and finished off with plenty of lime. It would be delicious packed into a wrap or maybe even served in a salad, but I personally like to serve my chicken up over a bed of steamed rice and top it simply with carrots and greens.
It’s nothing too fancy, but yet it’s incredibly delicious. The major plus, is that it takes no time at all to make. Perfect for busy nights, or nights when you really just don’t feel like cooking.
Oh, and if you have any leftovers, they’d be great packed up for lunches!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Instant Pot Thai Lemongrass Chicken
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: thai
Keyword: chicken dinner, easy recipe, instant pot recipe, quick recipe
Just add everything to the pot, set it, and dinner is done in about twenty or so minutes. No dirtying up too many dishes or even the stove, a major bonus in my book!
Ingredients
- 1 can (13.5 ounce) full fat coconut milk
- 1 small yellow onion, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoons lemongrass paste
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red fresno pepper or jalapeño, seeds removed and chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly torn
- juice of 1 lime
- peanuts, shredded carrots, and green onions, for serving
- steamed rice for, serving
Instructions
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1. In a blender, combine the coconut milk, onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, curry paste, fish sauce, and a pinch of both salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
2. In the bowl of your instant pot, combine the chicken, coconut sauce, bell pepper, fresno pepper, and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook on high pressure/manual for 8 minutes.
3. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function. Set the Instant pot to sauté and bring to a boil, boil 5 minutes or until the liquid reduces slightly. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the cilantro, basil, and lime juice. Season with salt.
3. Serve the chicken over rice and top with peanuts, carrots, and green onions. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker
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1. In a blender, combine the coconut milk, onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, curry paste, fish sauce, and a pinch of both salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
2. In the bowl of your slow cooker, combine the chicken, coconut sauce, bell pepper, fresno pepper, and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours. Once done cooking, remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the cilantro, basil, and lime juice. Season with salt. Finish as directed above.
Dinner in minutes. Can’t beat that.
Our Favorite Recipes
Cheesy Chipotle Adobo Chicken Quesadillas.
Having downsized to a condo, I left most of my appliances at the curb and haven’t missed them. I love to cook and also have the time to do so and as a result no matter what the craze, I will likely never invest in an instant pot. Can you provide stove top directions for this? Thanks!
HI! I would just add everything to a large pot and simmer over medium heat for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken shreds easily. I would leave the top partially covered. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Aww, Merle! 🙂 And love this recipe.
Thank you Liz!
There is a lot of basil in the pictures but not in recipe. Can you clarify this?
So sorry about that. The basil has been added to the recipe. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Dogs ar the absolute BEST! I have two golden doodles which I adore. Your story about Merle touches my heart. Also this recipe makes me so happy. The flavors in this dish sound amazing, of course they would because it is Thai!
They are!! Thanks Kristy!
I love thai food so this is getting me drooling
Thanks Ruth!
This looks good but Thai people don’t use chopsticks to eat rice dishes by the way
Thank you Chana!
@Carol .. blogger aesthetic > actual recipe
Lemongrass chicken is my favorite! I really need an instant pot!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/passion-fruit-colada/
Thanks Kari!
I just finished making Panang Curry and this pops up… it may be an excellent long week of Thai food. This recipe looks amazing. 🙂
YES! I hope you love this Ginger! Honestly, a week of thai food sounds amazing to me!!
Dream dinner right here! Love these flavors!
Thank you!
Made this tonight – delicious!! Thank you! Never a disappointment with your recipes
Thanks Julia!!
Hey Tieghan this looks delish but I haven’t invested in an Instant Pot yet! Any chance to use a crock pot or make this on the stove the old fashioned way?
Hi! You can use the crockpot (directions are listed with the recipe) or the stove top (just add to a pot and simmer over medium heat for 25-30 minutes until the chicken shreds easily). Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Amazing article thanks for sharing.
Thank you!
I love the sound of this recipe! I’m all for less washing up! I don’t have an instant pot, so would a slow cooker work instead?
Hi Toni! Yes, a slow cooker is great. The instructions are included in the recipe already. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
A twofer…very good flavor and finally something I’ve made in my instapot that I’d make again! Thanks Tieghan!
Thank you Anne! I am so glad you liked this!
Question, can this be done as a stir fry with all the ingredients and the blended mixture as the sauce you stir the stir fry in? Instead of crock pot. I don’t have the time it would take to cook the food that way.
I have not tried this, so I can’t say for sure, but I think it would work great! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. It was delicious. Even my two year old gobbled it up. I left out the spicy peppers, since he would be eating it. Keep those instant pot recipes coming. I’m always on the look out for new recipes. I’ve had mine for a year now, and its come to be my favorite kitchen appliance.
Thank you so much Lauren! I am so glad you and your family loved this!
Can this be made with green curry instead of red?
I am sure green curry will be amazing! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Making this in a crock pot right now. The house smells so good. Can’t wait to try it. Love your recipes.
Thank you! I hope you love this recipe Marcia!
Is there actually any lemongrass in this recipe?
Hi Keri! Yes, there is one lemongrass stalk included! I hope you love this!
I made this last night just over the stove – simmered for about 30min, and it was awesome. My husband who does not usually branch out of his food comfort zone tried this and loved it too! The sauce is so flavorful and delicious, and I found that it was not hard to prep. Thank you for these great recipes!
Yikes, this recipe was not great at all. Followed the recipe exactly but it was a real miss (sad because we love Thai food and have traveled there.)
Hi Amy! I am so sorry you did not enjoy this recipe. I hope you still try others on my blog and enjoy them!
If you don’t have an instant pot, could you use a crock pot on high for 4 hours or just simmer in a dutch oven?
HI! Yes, a crockpot on high for 4 hours will be great. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I have used your blog for food inspiration on a weekly basis for over six months now and have LOVED every single recipe, but oh boy, this has become my absolute favorite of all the superyummydelicious dishes. It’s insanely good!! Thank you and greetings from Finland:)
Thank you so much! I am so happy to hear that you loved this recipe Lotta!
Hello! Tried this recipe and found the curry sauce to be too thin to our liking…any tips on thickening it?
Our theory is that our chicken was still too frozen…
Does the recipe call for Thai basil or sweet basil?
I like to use thai basil best, but whatever you can easily find will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Made this in my pressure cooker, and it’s pretty yummy, but a lot of the juice from the chicken when cooking appears to have made the sauce quite thin and less flavourful 🙁 not sure if I did something wrong.
Hey Bella! Did you change anything about the recipe? Any details you can give me would be so helpful in problem solving what might be happening. Please let me know if you have any other questions. So glad you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
What do you have the carrots soaking in in the picture?
Hi Emily, It’s vinegar, they are pickled carrots. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Interesting recipe. But, isn’t llemongrass unchewable? I’ve never had it cooked to soften, only for flavoring.
HI! As long as you cook the lemongrass it should be come chewable. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Hi! I am considering making this for my book club on Thursday night. Could I double this? Would that affect the cooking time in the Instant Pot at all?
Thanks so much!
April
HI! Yes, you can double. I would add 10 minutes of cooking time. That will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Thanks for this great recipe. I made it exactly as instructed and it was very well received at a dinner party. The spices were perfect and the presentation made me look like I knew what I was doing!
I am so glad this recipe turned out amazing for you, Cynthia! Thank you so much for making this!
I made this recipe and it had potential to be awesome, but it came out pretty thin and tasted watered down. I followed the recipe, I’m not sure what made it came out this way/: any idea on what might have happened?
Hey Elise! Did you use full fat coconut milk? Can you give me any info on how you made this? That would be really helpful in problem solving what might have happened.
This was delicious, and quite easy! I served it over rice noodles instead of rice. We had my parents over for dinner and all agreed the recipe was a keeper. I think next time I’ll add bean sprouts in. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you so much Amelia! I am so glad you loved this recipe and it turned out amazing for you!
This came out super watery and not good. I used full fat coconut milk but decided to add more veggies (an extra pepper, green beans, carrot). The veggies were way over cooked (like the peppers almost disintegrated) at 10 mins on manual. Not sure how I’d fix this other than adding the veg after the chicken cooks. The sauce was disappointingly thinneven after dumping some off and adding an extra can of coconut milk. Ugh. Will try again but with some major modifications.
I’m making this as we speak! Quick question, please:: if I plan to keep this in the fridge for a few days, should I still stir in the cilantro and basil when I’m done cooking, or should I just add those things to each portion after reheating?
HI! YOu can add the herbs as you are cooking and then just top the chicken with some fresh herbs when you are ready to eat. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
What are the shredded carrots soaking in in the picture?
HI! They are pickled carrots and sitting in their vinegar. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Why do I need a cinnamon stick? Ingredients can get quite pricey… can I leave this or anything else out?
HI Tracy, the cinnamon is used to flavor the chicken. You can use 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon in place of the cinnamon stick if that works better for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This was super disappointing which is a shame because I love all the ingredients. It was pretty bland and the sauce had a grainy texture, no matter how much I blended it. The lemongrass, I think.
Hi Michelle! I am so sorry to hear that! Are there any questions I can help you with? xTieghan
This came out closer to curry water for me – had to transfer to the stove top to reduce and by that time the peppers were mush. I’d be more inclined to use your curry base on the stove with a rotisserie chicken next time.
Hi Emily! Oh no, I am so sorry this did not turn out well for you! Are there any questions you have or anything you may have missed? I would love to help you out! xTieghan
I made this last night in the instant pot – it’s soooo good. I love your recipes and this one is full of flavor and we all really enjoyed it over brown rice. I think it would be good over noodles as well or even in a wrap…yum.
Thank you so much Stefanie! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
Sadly, this didn’t work out well for me. The coconut milk split to water (yep full fat) and the flavour just sort of disappeared. No Thai red paste, lemongrass or coconut flavour. I think next time I’ll saute the chicken and add the purred sauce over it to quickly simmer. I’m actually a red seal chef, so not a total dolt;) just trying to find some awesome instant pot recipes.
EVERYTHING else I’ve made of yours has turned out fantastic!
Hi! I am sorry this did not turn out well for you, but I hope it turns out better for you next time. Are there any questions I can help you with? xTieghan
Absolutely delicious- will add a bit more curry and some more chili. We love everything spicy!
Thank you so much Megan! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
Just wondering why you cook your chicken so long? Many bloggers would cook the chicken breasts for 8-10 minutes and some are even recommending less than that. I’ve noticed your cooking time for breasts to be long in at least one other recipe. I only cook my chicken breasts for 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness.
This looks like a yummy recipe that I plan to make this week.
Hey Leslie, this is what I have found to work nicely. Please cook the chicken to your preference. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Usually love your recipes but this missed the mark. It was watery, over-cooked, and lacking in flavor depth. We made it once with chicken (12 min high in the pressure cooker) and again with 1 lb shrimp (3 min. low in the pressure cooker). Everything was over cooked and the dish is bland, even with just cooking the peppers for 3 min on low. I imagine a mince on the garlic and ginger, instead of eviscerating in the blender, would go a long way so those flavors don’t get lost. Also wish we had known the carrots were in vinegar, we thought it was water before we read the comments and soaked them in water (blech). I don’t mean to be overly negative, your site is awesome and we’ve made dozens of delicious recipes thanks to you, this one just wasn’t a winner for us!
Hi! I am so sorry to hear that this did not turn out well. Are there any questions I could help you with? I hope you still enjoy other recipes on my blog! xTieghan
I followed the directions exactly and I have to say this looked like slop and doesn’t resemble anything I’ve seen in Thailand or the photo above. There was more liquid than necessary and it looked like a soup or at least a curry.
Hi! I am really sorry to hear that. Are there any questions I could help you out with? Please let me know! I hope you love other recipes on my blog! xTieghan
I was searching for a recipe to use the lemon grass I planted in the spring. I don’t have an instant pot so I used shredded rotisserie chicken. Blended ingredients as stated and combined everything in a sauce pan instead and simmered for 20 minutes. I sautéed the red bell pepper before adding to the sauce. The sauce was a bit thin for our taste so I thickened it with a table spoon of corn starch in cold water. I followed the instructions for adding the final ingredients just before serving. We served over soba noodles. This had my husband literally singing my praises! It was a little spicy for me but not for my husband and son. It was so easy and the flavors were perfect. I will make this over and over again.
So glad this turned out amazing for you Kimerly! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I made this for dinner last week, following the recipe exactly. It was a disaster. The flavor was super bland, and the chicken breast wasn’t cooked enough to easily shred. I think chicken thighs would have been a better choice. I wouldn’t recommend this recipe.
Hi Sohna! I am really sorry to hear that. Please let me know if I can help you with anything! I hope you still love other recipes on my blog! xTieghan
I made this recipe today and we love the flavors, but the sauce is thin. I’m brainstorming a couple of ideas (Should I serve it over rice noodles in stead of rice, making it more of a soup? ShouLed I try to thicken the sauce?).
Here’s a question: Do you think it would work to add cornstarch, and if so, how much would you add if you want to have a more robust sauce?
Overall, I think it’s a great recipe for my family, but it needs a little tweaking
Hey Sue! If you want to thicken this, just mix 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/4 cup water. Bring the sauce to a boil on the saute setting, add the cornstarch and cook until thickened. that will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I am pregnant and compiling a list of easy meal go-tos for post-baby! I am curious how much you would adjust the cook times if most of the ingredients were prepped and frozen?
Hi!! If you are cooking ingredients frozen, I would add an additional 5 minutes to the cooking time. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
This dish was a bit bland. If I use this recipe again, I will season the chicken with salt and pepper (and maybe a bit of garlic powder), and then sear it in the IP first to give it a bit more flavor. I would also add 1/2 – 1 tsp. of salt to the pot before cooking. I would probably drop the cooking time depending on how long I seared the chicken breasts too.
Hi Kara! Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with! xTieghan
This was also a major fail for me, which is a bummer because it contains all of my favorite ingredients. I think I will give it another shot. However, the next time I make it, I’ll try it on the stove. Using the instant pot caused the coconut milk to separate into chunks (curdle), and when I opened the lid, it honestly looked like throw up! :). I’m guessing that the instant pot took it to too high of a temperature.
Hi Aubrey! Let me know if the stove top works better for you. Is there anything that could have gone wrong while preparing the instant pot? I would love to help! xTieghan
Can I use lemongrass paste?
Hi Stephanie! Yes, I would use 1 tbs lemongrass paste. Great idea! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
My Family enjoyed this dish including the 1 yr old. I used A hefty squeeze of lemongrass paste Because I couldn’t find fresh, I also used ginger paste instead of fresh. I left out the pepper, diced the chicken instead of shredding it and used a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. In addition to the flavors I added curry thinking that would add another dimension. It was quite good. The basil and cilantro are a must in this recipe.
Hi Stephanie! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
can I use frozen chicken breasts? If so,do how much additional time do I add? Thank you in advance!
Hi there! Sure! I would add 5 minutes to the Instant Pot Cooking time. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
My sauce separated in the Instant Pot. What did I do wrong?
HI! What brand coconut milk are you using and what perfect fact? Brands can vary and I have found some to separate easier than others. Next time, you can also try adding the coconut milk after cooking. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Hi! Quick question – I want to make this, I have everything except the full fat coconut milk! I have a can of coconut creme, and a can of light coconut milk? Could I mix these as a substitute/ or use another substitute for the full fat coconut milk?
Thank you! I am looking forward to making this – looks delicious!
Hi Caroline,
You could totally mix these or just use the light coconut milk. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
It kills me to do this because my family always LOVES your recipes and complains that I didn’t make enough. However, I checked the ingredient list & directions multiple times and I followed this recipe precisely. Something is REALLY off. This is only the 2nd time in almost 20 years of marriage that we couldn’t eat our dinner. (The 1st time was a premise Indian entree from Costco). Like some of the other followers, the sauce was completely watery and the flavor was just not right. No one, including me, could eat it. We ordered pizza & ate pretty late tonight. I really think you should modify/remove this recipe as many people have had the same experience. Why isn’t there any salt in this recipe? It would be such a shame if this was someone’s first recipe to try from your collection. You have many, many amazing recipes & this one just doesn’t compare.
Hey Katie! I am so sorry you had so much trouble with this recipe. I am going to take a look and see if I possibly have something mixing from the recipe list/recipe and I will be re-testing it again this week to triple check. Again, I am so sorry you had such trouble. I feel so bad. Hoping this doesn’t scare you away, but so happy you and your family enjoy other recipes!! Hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day!! All my best! xxTieghan
Delicious recipe! I let it cook down at the end for a little longer to thicken the sauce. It was a nice sauce on the rice. Next time I will throw some keffir lime leaves in the instant pot to get it to the next level! I read some reviews about people struggling but I really think its from their coconut milk. I love making thai food and have had a hard time finding a good coconut milk so it really is key to find a good one. Took me a while! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Adam! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
Thank you so much! What a delicious meal! It is a comfort food kind of dish that I plan to make again. I added red pepper flakes to my dish because I prefer more heat so next time I will use two jalapenos. Definitely a keeper!
Thank you so much Stephanie! I am really glad you liked this one! xTieghan
The recipe says 1 Cinnamon stick…but I think you mean Lemongrass stick. I havent made it yet but plan to tonight.
Hey Garth,
The cinnamon stick is correct, you are going to use lemongrass paste which is listed above:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hey! I inaugurated my instant pot with this recipe – it was sooooooo good! Thank you so much. I have a request if you could share instant pot instructions in more recipes would be great! Thank you so much
Thank you so much Ashana! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
So easy and so so so good! Devoured all of this. Topped with jalapeno, green onion, peanuts, and avocado.
Yes! So happy you loved this one, Sara! xTieghan
If I have lemon grass, but not lemon grass paste could I sub in the real thing? Or should I run the lemon grass through a food processor to make it paste-like? Thanks!
Hey Emily,
I think that will be fine to use because you are going to put it in the food processor anyways. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Good taste but the instapot makes the sauce to runny and looks nothing like the picture even after sautéing for 10 minutes. I will make again but I will cook the chicken in the instapot and warm the sauce on the stove
Hey Mike,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! xTieghan