Instant Pot sweet and sour chicken lets you enjoy the flavors of the takeout classic quickly and easily at home. In less time than ordering delivery, you can have a tasty home cooked meal that will satisfy your takeout cravings.
We love takeout in our house, especially takeout Chinese.
But with so many big appetites, takeout gets really pricey really fast.
With the pressure cooker I’ve found I don’t need to call for delivery when the takeout craving hits.
Instead it’s faster, cheaper, and just as delicious to make my own takeout inspired dishes right at home.
This Instant Pot sweet and sour chicken tastes just like the version you’d get from your favorite Chinese spot.
It features coated chicken in a yummy tangy sauce over a bed of fluffy rice.
Ingredients
To make this you need:
- Chicken– Boneless, skinless breasts cut into cubes.
- Egg– To help the coating stick
- Cornstarch– Makes the base of the coating
- Spices– Salt and pepper
- Butter– To saute the chicken in
- Sweet and sour sauce– Your favorite store bought variety
- Rice– Uncooked white rice.
You will also need an Instant Pot, the trivet, a sling and 2 steamer baskets or pans.
How to Make
To make this takeout inspired meal, start by cubing the chicken and, seasoning it with salt and pepper, and putting in a plastic bag.
Then, crack an egg in a bowl and whisk, place milk in bowl with egg and set aside.
Fill a second bowl with cornstarch.
Now coat the chicken by first dipping the chicken in egg mixture and then in cornstarch.
Put the coated chicken on a plate and set aside while you repeat with the rest of the chicken.
Turn the Instant Pot on saute mode and melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the inner liner.
Once the butter is melted, add chicken and saute until the edges are crunchy.
Then, transfer the chicken to the Instant Pot steamer pan and pour sweet and sour sauce over. Put the lid on top of the steamer.
Add the rice, 2 tablespoons of water, and 1 tablespoon of butter to the second steamer pan and close lid.
Place the rice pan on top of the chicken pan, put both pans in sling and set aside.
Wipe out the bottom of the instant pot and add trivet, 1/4 cup of water, and place pans in the instant pot.
Seal the lid, and making sure the vent is sealed.
Pressure cook on manual for 20 minutes followed by a full natural release.
When the pressure has been released, open the Pot and remove the steamer pans.
Fluff the rice, and serve chicken and sauce over rice.
Garnish with green onions if desired. Enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days, keeping the rice and chicken separate. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- Do not do a quick release. The rice and chicken won’t be as tender.
- Use caution and an oven mitt to protect your hand when you remove the steamers from the pot.
- You could add steamed broccoli to this to make it a complete meal.
Other Easy Instant Pot Takeout Recipes
This Instant Pot sweet and sour chicken is a quick and easy way to enjoy the flavors of your favorite takeout meal. Make it the next time you are thinking about ordering in and enjoy!
Looking for other easy Instant Pot takeout recipes? Try these:
- Instant Pot Hibachi Style Steak & Zucchini
- Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken
- Instant Pot Kung Pao Chicken
If you’ve tried this INSTANT POT SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Instant Pot Sweet & Sour Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts cubed
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 bottle of sweet n sour sauce
- 1 cup of uncooked rice
Instructions
- Cube chicken and place in a plastic bag, sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken. Crack an egg in a bowl and whisk, place milk in bowl with egg and set aside. Take another bowl and place cornstarch in that bowl.
- Dip chicken in egg mixture and then dip in cornstarch, coating evenly over chicken. Place chicken on plate and set aside. Repeat until you have coated all of your cubed chicken.
- Tap the saute setting on your instant pot and melt 1 tablespoon of butter, add chicken and saute until the edges are crunchy.
- Remove chicken from instant pot and place in steamer pan. Pour sweet n sour sauce over chicken and put the lid on top. In the second steamer pan and the rice, 2 tablespoons of water, and 1 tablespoon of butter in pan and close lid. Place the rice pan on top of the chicken pan, put both pans in sling and set aside.
- Wipe out the bottom of the instant pot and add trivet, 1/4 cup of water, and place pans in the instant pot. Seal the lid, and set the seal, then turn on manual for 20 minutes and let the instant pot release the steam. Do NOT do a quick release.
- After your IP is finished cooking, removed pans, fluff rice, and serve chicken and sauce over rice. Chopped green onions also make an optional garnish.
Nutrition
Question: You only have to put 2 TBSP of water & butter in with the rice and this will cook the rice??
Yes, and I know it seems like there should be more. Believe it or not, there’s so much steam from the chicken and the water in the pot that it cooks & fluffs with minimal water in the rice pot 🙂
What size bottle of sweet & sour sauce?
I usually buy a 12oz bottle, but the size doesn’t really matter- you can use as little or as much as you’d like for your chicken & rice.
The chicken was lovely; used homemade sweet and sour sauce. However, the rice did not cook at all! It was only wet and did not absorb any liquid. I put the rice and more water in a pot and cooked it stovetop. Kept the chicken warm in the IP for the 15 minutes it took for the rice to finish. What did I do wrong with the rice?