Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken is the ultimate, easy family-favorite dinner recipe! Tender chicken, sweet bell peppers, and fresh pineapple are cooked to perfection in a simple homemade sweet and sour sauce! Better yet? The rice cooks at the same time! Talk about a winning all-in-one Instant Pot dinner recipe!
Notes on Ingredients
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders. Whatever you prefer or have on hand.
- Aromatics: Fresh ginger and garlic add extra flavor to the sauce. Do not be tempted to use ground ginger powder, as the flavor is not the same.
- Apricot Jam: I prefer using apricot jam/preserves sweetened with only fruit juice, such as All-Fruit, to control the level of sugar, but any version you have on hand will work.
- Bell Peppers: Use any combination of red, yellow, and orange bell peppers. I don't recommend green peppers, as they don't lend the same sweetness to the dish.
- Pineapple: Fresh pineapple slices are best for this recipe, as canned pineapple chunks tend to fall apart when pressure cooked.
- Stock/Water: You will need a bit of water or chicken stock to thin the sauce and prevent a burn notice from occurring.
- Rice Wine Vinegar/Rice Vinegar: Rice wine vinegar is a mild vinegar used often used in Asian dishes. If you don't have rice vinegar, use apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar in its place.
How to Make Instant Pot Sweet & Sour Chicken
If you are unfamiliar with cooking in an Instant Pot or the functions of your Instant Pot, be sure to start with my guide for using an Instant Pot for the best results on this and future recipes. You will find the full recipe in detail in the recipe card below.
- Sauté the Chicken. Sautéing the chicken is optional but adds a nice texture to the chicken and the overall dish.
- Deglaze the Inner Pot. To prevent a burn notice, is it crucial to add liquid and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the inner pot. To do this, add in the chicken stock and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom of the inner pot while stirring the sauce into the chicken.
- Add Peppers, Onions, and Pineapple. Add the diced peppers, onions, and pineapple to the inner pot.
- Combine Sweet and Sour Sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together apricot jam, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and ginger. Once combined, add to the inner pot and toss to coat.
- Add Rice (Optional) If desired, you can use the pot-in-pot cooking method to cook the rice above the chicken. To do this, place rinsed long-grain white rice in a heat-safe/stainless steel bowl with an equal amount of water. Place a trivet above the chicken and set the bowl on the trivet. The rice needs a bit longer to account for the stainless steel bowl, so the cooking time of 5 minutes with at least 10 minutes of natural pressure release cooks the rice perfectly.
- Pressure Cook with Natural Pressure Release. To keep the chicken tender (and the rice fluffy if you opt to cook rice as well), be sure to let your pressure cooker be for at least 10 minutes after the cooking time has elapsed.
- Thicken. To give the sweet and sour sauce its classic thick, sticky consistency, it is best to turn the pressure cooker back to sauté and thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry. It will only take a couple minutes and the effort is well worth it!
- Serve. Serve the sweet and sour chicken over the steamed rice. If desired, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipes
