This Instant Pot Sesame Chicken has seared chicken breast tossed in a honey soy sauce and topped with sesame seeds and green onions. Served over white rice, it is an easy, healthy and delicious version of the classic Chinese carryout favorite.
Asian Instant Pot Dishes
Are you ready some some delicious Instant Pot Sesame Chicken! Ok, I’ve had my Instant Pot for several years now. If you are reading this, you probably know what an Instant Pot is, right! It’s a simple-t0-use, electric kitchen appliance that uses pressurized hot air to cook your food. Keep all those aromas and juices in the cooking chamber, you always gets tender, juicy and moist results!
While I’ve found that my Instant Pot is perfect for cooking anything from desserts to soups, one of my favorite things to do is to replicate my favorite Chinese Recipes! We love Asian inspired food but don’t always have to time or ability to order takeout! So far, we’ve made Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken, Instant Pot Orange Chicken, Instant Pot Cashew Chicken, Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken and Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli. Now, with just a few simple ingredients, we can make one of the most famous Asian inspired dishes out there: Instant Pot Sesame Chicken!
Instant Pot Sesame Chicken
Tender chicken, seared and then cooked perfectly in your Instant Pot. Tossed in a sweet, honey soy sauce and served on white rice. This Instant Pot Sesame Chicken is a total classic of Asian Cuisine! With our recipe, it’s optional to put red pepper flakes in it if you want to add some heat. Or, you could add a teaspoon of hot sauce or sriracha sauce if you’d like!
Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 large chicken breasts, cubed
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 tablespoons water dissolved in 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- sesame seeds
- chopped green onion
- white rice
Can You Use Chicken Thighs For This Recipe?
We used boneless, skinless chicken breast for this recipe. But, honestly, I LOVE chicken thighs in the pressure cooker, especially in Chinese food! So, yes, you can use Chicken Thighs in an Instant Pot Sesame Chicken. Just a couple of considerations. You will need to up the cooking time depending on how you use the chicken.
- Boneless Chicken Thighs- Cook 10 minutes.
- Bone-in Chicken Thighs- Cook 8 minutes.
- Cubed Boneless Chicken Thighs- Cook 5 minutes.
Which Pressure Cooker Should You Use?
We have two pressure cookers in our kitchen. We have this awesome Instant Pot, which always works perfectly! But we also have this Ninja Foodi, that can do everything an Instant Pot can do, but so much more, like Air Fry, Dehydrate, Broil, Slow Cook, Steam and Saute!
Instant Pot Sesame Chicken Notes and Tips
- Add Hot Sauce as needed for a little heat.
- Don’t forget to cook the rice. Rice is also great to cook in an Instant Pot if you have two of them. Or you could cook it first!
- Substitute Sesame Oil for the Vegetable Oil for a more authentic flavor. We didn’t have any so we used Vegetable Oil.
- Don’t forget to deglaze the Instant Pot before Pressure Cooking. You may the a burn notice if you don’t!
We hope you enjoy this recipe for Instant Pot Sesame Chicken. We’d love to hear how it turns out in the comments section!
Instant Pot Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 large chicken breasts cubed
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 2 tablespoons water dissolved in 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Add oil, chicken and garlic to the instant pot.
- Saute until chicken is cooked and no longer pink.
- Add soy sauce, honey, water, ginger and red pepper if using. Mix well. Deglaze if needed.
- Set the instant pot to manual, high pressure for 4 minutes. When cooking cycle is complete, quick release pressure and open the instant pot.
- Stir in cornstarch and water mixture until thick.
- Serve on top of rice and top with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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