Ever since I started my blog earlier this year, I have received numerous requests to share easy, simple, Instant Pot recipes. For this blog post, I could not think of a better recipe to share than my Methi Chicken (Fenugreek Chicken). This dish is flavorful, delicious, comforting with a very earthy flavor. In this post, I will walk you through all the steps of how to make Instant Pot Methi Chicken under 30 minutes.

How to make Instant Pot Methi Chicken?
I start by marinating the chicken in yogurt, red onions, turmeric, Kashmiri red chili powder, and ginger, and garlic paste. We do this marination to give the chicken gravy a creamy (malai) texture. I then cook the chicken on Saute Mode in the Instant Pot adding aromatic Indian spices, then add methi (fenugreek) leaves, and cook the chicken for 7 minutes on high pressure.

What is Methi (Fenugreek)?
Methi (Fenugreek) is considered a herb and is commonly used in Indian and Middle-eastern cooking. It has a slight bitter taste making it a perfect choice for chicken, lamb, potatoes, and parathas. You can learn more about methi (fenugreek) here.

Which Methi am I using for the Instant Pot Methi Chicken Recipe?
Before I answer this question, let’s learn about different Methi options:

Methi Seeds: These are tiny yellow seeds. We often use them in Punjabi Kadi to enhance its flavor.
Fresh Methi: Fresh Methi leaves are usually in season from early summer to early fall. They do have to be washed and cleaned thoroughly before we can use them.
Frozen Methi: Frozen methi leaves are cleaned and frozen and are usually available in most Indian Grocery Stores. You only have to defrost them before using them.
Kasuri Methi: This is the dried form of Methi and most commonly used in a lot of Indian dishes for flavor. You crush them in the palm of your hands to release all its flavor and add them to any dish.

So now that we know about the different options available to us, I am planning on preparing this dish using the frozen methi. As much as I love using fresh ingredients, cleaning methi leaves is a tedious and time-consuming process. Since we want to keep things efficient, we will use the frozen methi leaves which bring in the same taste and flavor but no work!! You can feel free to check out my blog post on all the Online Indian Grocery Stores available in the USA in case you don’t have one near you.

What kind of chicken did I use for this recipe?
I am using bone-in chicken for this recipe but you can use chicken thighs, chicken wings, or boneless chicken.

What is Malai Methi Chicken?
Malai simply means fresh cream. You will often find malai methi chicken in restaurants. I prefer a more authentic and earthy taste in my Methi Chicken so I am choosing to use yogurt as my “malai” base. It helps to create a beautiful layer and flavor in the chicken without adding too many calories.

What can I enjoy with the Instant Pot Methi Chicken?
Rice, Naan and Rotis taste excellent with this dish. I am sharing some of favorite dishes below:

• Garlic Naan
• Parathas
• Onion Kulchas
• Persian Rice with Tahdig
• Instant Pot Bhuna Lamb
• Instant Pot Langar Dal