Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken

Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken is a healthy twist on P.F. Chang's Sweet and Sour Chicken. This recipe involves no deep frying, get's ready in 15 mins and the Sweet and Sour Sauce tastes just like your favorite Asian Take-out.

5 from 8 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American-Chinese, Chinese

Keyword: Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken, Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken with Chicken Breasts, instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken with Pineapple, P.F.Chang's Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken Healthy

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: people

Calories: 856kcal

Author: Meghna

Cost: $6

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts diced into 1" chunks 453 g
1/2 cup green bell pepper made into 1/2 inch squares
1/2 cup red bell pepper made into 1/2 inch squares
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper made into 1/2 inch squares
1 cup fresh pineapple diced into 1/2 inch chunks or canned pineapple drained
1/2 cup onion diced into 1/2 inch squares and petals separated use yellow or white onion
2 tbsp cornstarch diluted with 4 tbsp water
3 tbsp Avocado oil or use any neutral oil
1/4 cup water Read NOTES below

For Flash Marinating Chicken

For Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar you can add more sugar if you prefer very sweet sauce
1/2 cup Tomato Ketchup
1/3 cup cider vinegar or rice vinegar
1 tbsp light soy sauce

Instructions

Flash marinate the chicken with the ingredients list above in the "For Flash Marinating" chicken section.
Set the Instant Pot on SAUTE and set it on NORMAL.
Add oil and when the oil becomes moderately hot add the flash marinated chicken and saute until they are nicely golden around the edges.
Add water & also diced fresh pineapple chunks and de-glaze the pot very well so that there are absolutely no bits and crumbs stuck at the bottom of the pot. This will prevent the BURN error in your Instant Pot.
CANCEL the SAUTE function. PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for 1 min if using farm fresh ORGANIC CHICKEN and in case of normal chicken set the time for 3 mins.
Once the pressure cooking cycle is over the Instant Pot will begin to beep. Immediately do a quick pressure release by moving the valve manually from the SEALING to the VENTING position.
Open the lid carefully and add all the suce ingredients like the brown sugar, ketchup & vinegar. Give everything a good mix.
Press the SAUTE function and keep it on LOW.
Add the corn starch slurry and mix well. Simmer the sauce until it thickens. It takes roughly 2-3 mins for the sauce to thicken beautifully. You can adjust the consistency of the sauce according to your preference. Simmer less for a slightly thin sauce.
Add the soy sauce, the bell peppers and the onion (read notes below for tender onions) and mix everything very well. Turn off the Instant Pot and cover the pot with a lid. Rest for 4-5 mins. The residual heat will help cook the bell peppers and the onion and you'll have them crisp tender at the end. If you prefer softer well cooked veggies read notes below. Serve hot with rice or noodles. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Measuring units used, 1 cup = 240 ml & 1 teaspoon = 5 ml.
Chicken: You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts.
Crisp Tender Veggies + Onion: Today's recipe will reward you with just that.
Love well cooked soft onions & Veggies? Pressure cook the Onions with the chicken and add the bell peppers while simmering the sauce to make them tender but not completely mushy. Allow the dish to rest for 4-5 mins covered as the recipe suggests. I would not recommend pressure cooking the bell peppers because they will become utterly mushy and taste bogus!
Avoid BURN error in your Instant pot by de-glazing the pot very well with the help of a spatula. There should not be any bits and crumbs stuck at the bottom of the pot.
Sweet and Sour Sauce: If you prefer really sweet sauce you can always increase the amount of brown sugar in the recipe.
Sauce Consistency: We love a thicker sauce that beautifully coats each and every piece of chicken. If you prefer a slightly thinner sauce simmer the sauce a bit less.
Fresh Diced Pineapple Chunks: Add them before pressure cooking the chicken and pressure cook them together.
Want to use canned pineapple? Add them along with the other veggies.
Water: If using canned pineapple you can sub the water in the recipe with the canned pineapple juice.
For a slight heat in the recipe you may add crushed red pepper flakes. I didnot add any.

Calorific details are provided by a third party application & are to be used as indicative figures only.

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 856 Calories from Fat 243

% Daily Value*

Fat 27g42%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 145mg48%

Sodium 1588mg69%

Potassium 1521mg43%

Carbohydrates 100g33%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 79g88%

Protein 52g104%

Vitamin A 1944IU39%

Vitamin C 193mg234%

Calcium 87mg9%

Iron 2mg11%

* Read our privacy policy - Calorie information is provided as a courtesy only and should be leveraged as an estimate rather than a guarantee.Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition