Turn the Instant Pot to sauté mode and heat oil. Add whole spices - cardamom, cloves, black pepper, and cumin. Saute for 30 seconds.
Add onion and mix well. Saute for 2 minutes covered with glass lid.
Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, red chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, and salt. Mix well.
Add chicken and water. Mix well to evenly coat all the spices to the chicken. Turn the saute mode off.
Optional Pot in Pot Rice - Add rice, water, and salt to a stainless steel pot.Place a tall trivet in the Instant and place the rice pot over it.
Close Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook for 8 minutes followed by 5-minute Natural Release.
Open the Instant Pot. Take out the rice and trivet if cooking rice.
Add a few spoonfuls of hot curry to the yogurt and mix well. This step is important to avoid the cold yogurt getting split in the curry.
Cook on Saute mode to thicken the sauce. Garnish with chopped cilantro!