Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.

I can’t believe I’m back at work.  Seriously where did the holiday break go?   While I’ve been planning quick dinners to spend more time with my boys it takes a little more effort to plan meals during the school year, especially when I want them to be healthy.  There is no nap time for me to do prep work and my husband has his own work to do during J’s nap time.

One thing I’ve been using is the Instant Pot.   It’s still one of the easiest things to use during the school year and it makes plenty of extra so I can have some leftovers for my lunch.  I’ve been trying to use it once a week so that I can have at least one dinner and two lunches made in one swoop.  I’ve found that my favorite things in the Instant Pot are chicken thighs, soups, and dips.

This recipe is for Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken using chicken thighs..  Of course you can use chicken breasts instead but I find that the chicken thighs hold in the moisture better and really absorb flavors in the Instant Pot.  I love sweet and sour chicken so this was an easy recipe to chose.

My husband thinks the Instant Pot over cooks things and it does sometimes.  That’s why I like to add in my veggies at the end.  That way they are cooked but not mushy.  It helps to give the dish some different textures.  In this dish I added in broccoli and peppers at the end and then served everything over top of rice.

The chicken was tender and flavorful.  I thought the sweet and sour sauce came out well.  The broccoli and peppers were soft but not mushy.  This made plenty and the chicken was soft enough that J really enjoyed it with some rice as well.

This recipe is super easy to make and doesn’t require too much prep time.  I had everything ready in about 15 minutes and then the Instant Pot did it’s thing.  This is a great weeknight meal that isn’t too labor intensive and isn’t too fattening.   So if you are looking for a tasty weeknight meal give this one a try!

Continue to Content

Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken

Yield: serves 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 24 minutes

Total Time: 39 minutes

Make a delicious sweet and sour chicken in the Instant Pot along with fresh vegetables.

Print

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lb. boneless chicken thighs
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. ketchup
• 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 c. soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tablespoons ginger, minced
• black pepper
• 2 c. broccoli florets
• 2 bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 c. pineapple, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4 c. cooked rice

Instructions

1. Place the chicken in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Place the onion on top of the chicken.
2. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, Sriracha, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. Mix well and pour over top of the chicken and onions.
3. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and press the pressure cook button.
4. Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.
5. Let the pressure release manually for 5 minutes then release the remaining pressure.
6. Remove the lid and add the broccoli, peppers, and pineapple.
7. Place the lid back on and hit the pressure cook button. Turn on low pressure and cook for 4 minutes. Release the pressure immediately.
8. Serve chicken and vegetables over top of rice.

Notes

Recipe adapted from