Instant Pot Firecracker Chicken boasts juicy white meat in a sweet and hot Asian sauce. It takes minutes in the pressure cooker to cook it to excellence! As delicious as your preferred take-out, but much healthier and faster.
Serve this on a bed of Egg Fried Rice with a side of Roasted Bok Choy and Easy Chow Mein. Bonus points for using chopsticks!
Instant Pot Firecracker Chicken is seriously addictive. I just want to slather that spicy, sweet, garlic-ginger sauce on everything! It’s hot enough to make you want more, but not so spicy it burns your tongue. Even my kids love this dish!
Table of Contents
Instant Pot Firecracker Chicken
Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (diced into 1-inch cubes)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
Firecracker Sauce:
2/3 cup buffalo hot sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon chili paste (optional)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup water
Slurry:
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
Garnish:
2 green onions (chopped)
Sesame seeds
Instructions
Chicken:
First, combine some salt and pepper on a large shallow plate and toss the chicken cubes in the combination. Allow sitting for a couple of minutes.
Then Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and once hot add the canola oil. Once the oil is hot, put diced chicken in the Instant Pot, and while working IN BATCHES quickly brown it on all sides.
Firecracker Sauce:
Whisk together the SAUCE ingredients in a bowl.
After Add all chicken to the IP and pour the sauce over the chicken, give a quick stir.
Pressure Cook:
Cancel Sauté.
Then Lock the lid on the Instant Pot, and turn the vent to seal. Press “pressure-cook” and set the timer to five -5- minutes. Once cooking time is over, do a rapid release.
Thicken the sauce:
Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken and transfer it to a large plate.
Set the Instant Pot to the “Sauté” once the sauce is simmering, combine cornstarch and water in a bowl until fully dissolved, and whisk it into the sauce until thickened.
Add the cooked chicken back to the pressure cooker and stir well to coat in the sauce.
Garnish the chicken with chopped green onions and serve over rice.