Honey Sesame Chicken {Instant Pot Recipe!}

I got an Instant Pot for my birthday! If you are not yet on the Instant Pot bandwagon, it is an electric pressure cooker. My knowledge of pressure cookers was pretty limited. I only knew of the stove top version and the propensity to "blow up." I didn't want to be part of that. But when I started reading about this new-fangled pressure cooker that was electric and could do multiple types of cooking (rice!, yogurt!, steam!, saute!, stew!) and could make meals in mere minutes, I knew I wanted to learn more.

I've now become a believer. Not only is the pressure cooker fast, it makes delicious food! (Of course, it matters what you put in it, but we'll get to that.) So far, I've tried beef ribs, chuck roast, steel cut oats (3 minutes, people!) and this delicious chicken dish.

Unlike a crock pot, you can do multiple-step dishes in the Instant Pot. For this recipe, you saute the chicken briefly with the aromatics, before bringing the pot to pressure and fully cooking the meat. Then at the end, you return to the saute setting to thicken the sauce. And you wash one pot!

A note of caution: although this chicken only "cooks" for 4 minutes in the pressure cooker, it does take a bit of time for the pot to come to pressure before the 4 minute count down begins. So plan your rice and side vegetables accordingly! (This is the one thing I still need to get used to - the "advertised" time doesn't include the warm up time, which can be significant, especially if there's a lot of liquid in the pot.)

In any case, this is an absolutely delicious meal, devoured by everyone in my family and making enough for leftovers for lunch the next day. I served it on rice with a side of sauteed green beans and snap peas, and it was a wonderful combination. Here's to more pressure cooking in the future!

Find more great recipes at Inspiration Monday, Mix it Up, Create Link Inspire, Clever Chicks, Tasty Tuesday, Fabulous, Show and Share, Hearth and Soul, What's Cooking, Wow Us, Wow Me.


Honey Sesame Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced (about 2 1/2 lbs.)
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tsp. sesame oil
2/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 Tbsp. water
2 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Set the pressure cooker to saute and let it heat up. Add oil, onion, garlic, and chicken to the pot and saute stirring occasionally until onion is softened, about 3 minutes.

Add soy sauce, ketchup, and red pepper flakes to the pressure cooking pot and stir to combine. Set the cooker to manual (high pressure) for 4 minutes. At the end of four minutes, turn pressure cooker off and do a quick pressure release.

Add sesame oil and honey to the pot and stir to combine. Turn pressure cooker to saute mode, then dissolve cornstarch in water and add to pot. Simmer until sauce thickens. Serve over rice sprinkled with sesame seeds and green onions. Serves 6-8.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Pressure Cooking Today