How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot sweet and sour chicken with pineapple, peppers, and rice is a quick and easy meal that’s better than takeout!
You’ll love this Instant Pot sweet and sour chicken, complete with sweet and tangy sauce, tender chunks of chicken, and flavorful peppers and pineapple. It’s a simple, shortcut pressure cooker chicken recipe to help you get dinner on the table fast!
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I’m a big fan of Asian-inspired meals, but I rarely make them at home. I’m not sure why…I guess maybe I was intimidated by ingredients I rarely had on-hand, and it was just easier to grab takeout.
But over time, I’ve slowly started incorporating more of these dishes into our weekly meal plan. It started with perfecting my homemade veggie fried rice, which we often eat as a tasty standalone meal.
Later, I learned how to make baked sweet and sour chicken from scratch, and while it is SO tasty, it also is pretty labor intensive. Dredging each piece of chicken through cornstarch and egg wash, then frying, then baking in a sauce made from scratch, turning the pieces during baking…it’s just not a practical weeknight meal in my home.
That’s why I was so excited to make this easy sweet and sour chicken in the Instant Pot! It’s a super simple weeknight meal that comes together in minutes. Serve it with some Instant Pot potstickers and you’re set.
And, it’s less expensive than takeout, which is one of the many ways my Instant Pot saves me money!
Looking for more frugal Instant Pot recipes? Check out this list of 40 easy and cheap Instant Pot recipes for dinner!
The inspiration for this version came from one of my favorite pressure cooker cookbooks, The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook by Barbara Schieving. I loved Barbara’s idea to use a jar of sweet and sour sauce to make this a true shortcut meal, but I made a few small tweaks to bulk up the meal a bit with extra chicken and pineapple.
5 Quick and Easy Instant Pot Dinners that Will Save You Time and Wow Your Family
How Do You Make Sweet and Sour Chicken in the Pressure Cooker?
You’ll start by placing the chicken breast pieces into the insert pot of your Instant Pot. Add in 1/2 cup of the pineapple juice to the insert pot, as well as the chopped bell peppers.
Lock the lid into place and set the vent to the sealed position. Select a 3 minute cook time at high pressure. After the cook time is complete, perform a quick release of pressure.
Once the pressure has released and the valve has dropped, carefully remove the lid.
Pour the sweet and sour sauce into the insert pot, along with the drained pineapple. Stir the contents to combine and allow them to warm through.
Create a cornstarch slurry by whisking together some cornstarch and reserved pineapple juice. Add the slurry to the contents of the insert pot, stirring well to fully incorporate it. Allow the sauce to thicken to your desired consistency. Mine thickened up pretty quickly, but if necessary, you can use the Saute function to simmer the sauce longer until it thickens.
Have an air fryer? Try my air fryer orange chicken recipe for another family favorite!
Notes and Adaptations for Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken:
- If you don’t have an Instant Pot (what are you waiting for? :)), you can prepare this dish on the stove top. Simply cook the chicken and peppers in the pineapple juice in a skillet. Once it’s cooked through, add in the sauce, pineapple, and cornstarch slurry.
- This recipe can be flexible. You can make it without pineapple or peppers if desired. Or you can add onions or other vegetables according to your preference.
- If you’d like your sauce to be a little spicy, you can add some red pepper flakes, sweet chili sauce, or sriracha to increase the heat a bit.
- I love making a big batch of brown rice in the Instant Pot, then portioning it out into Ziploc bags and freezing it. That way, I can just pull a bag out of the freezer whenever I need it, add a couple tablespoons of water, and microwave it (much cheaper than the frozen rice you can buy at the grocery store). This is how I make brown rice in the Instant Pot.
- You could also serve this over lo mein noodles or zoodles.
More Delicious Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes:
- How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Bowls
- The Best Pressure Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Fettucine Alfredo
- Creamy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Recommended Equipment:
- Instant Pot (I have the DUO60 model, which I love!)
- Chef’s Knife
- Cutting Board
Did you make it? I’d love to see your creation! Post a picture on Instagram and tag me @marginmakingmom and use #marginmakingmom!
Sweet and Sour Chicken in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot sweet and sour chicken with pineapple, peppers, and rice is a quick and easy meal that's better than takeout! You'll love the sweet and tangy sauce, tender chunks of chicken, and flavorful peppers and pineapple. It's a simple, shortcut pressure cooker chicken recipe to help you get dinner on the table fast!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 bell peppers, chopped
- 20-oz can pineapple chunks in juice
- 12-oz jar sweet and sour sauce
- 2 Tbs cornstarch
Instructions
- Drain the can of pineapple, reserving the juice.
- In the insert pot of the Instant Pot, add chopped chicken, bell peppers, and 1/2 cup of the reserved pineapple juice.
- Lock the lid in place and set the vent to the sealed position. Select a 3 minute cook time at high pressure.
- Once the cook time is complete, perform a quick release of pressure. After the valve has dropped and pressure has released, carefully open the lid.
- Stir in the sweet and sour sauce and pineapple chunks.
- In a small bowl or cup, combine cornstarch with 2 Tbs of remaining reserved pineapple juice to create a slurry. Stir the slurry into the sauce, allowing it to thicken while it's still hot. (If there isn't enough residual heat in the sauce to allow it to thicken, you can use the Saute function to simmer the sauce to the desired consistency).
Notes
- If you don't have an Instant Pot (what are you waiting for? :)), you can prepare this dish on the stove top. Simply cook the chicken and peppers in the pineapple juice in a skillet. Once it's cooked through, add in the sauce, pineapple, and cornstarch slurry.
- This recipe can be flexible. You can make it without pineapple or peppers if desired. Or you can add onions or other vegetables according to your preference.
- If you'd like your sauce to be a little spicy, you can add some red pepper flakes, sweet chili sauce, or sriracha to increase the heat a bit.
- I love making a big batch of brown rice in the Instant Pot, then portioning it out into Ziploc bags and freezing it. That way, I can just pull a bag out of the freezer whenever I need it, add a couple tablespoons of water, and microwave it (much cheaper than the frozen rice you can buy at the grocery store). This is how I make brown rice in the Instant Pot.
- You could also serve this over lo mein noodles or zoodles.
Did you make it? I'd love to see your creation! Post a picture and tag me on Instagram @marginmakingmom and use hashtag #marginmakingmom!
Adapted from The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook
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Super easy and so delicious!
Thank you! 🙂 So glad you liked it!
I made this tonight and it was so easy and such a hit with my family!! Can’t wait to make it again
Thank you, Sarah! I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed it!:)