Description
Sesame chicken emerges as a quick, flavor-packed delight straight from your instant pot. Home cooks discover an easy Asian-inspired meal that delivers restaurant-quality taste with minimal kitchen effort.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 2 pounds (907 grams) chicken breasts (boneless and skinless, cut into bite-size or 1-inch pieces)
Sauce Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (118 milliliters) low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup (59 milliliters) ketchup
- 1/4 cup (59 milliliters) honey (or brown sugar)
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) hot sauce or sriracha
Aromatics and Thickeners:
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) ginger (peeled and grated)
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) water
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) sesame seeds (to garnish)
- chopped green onion (to garnish)
Instructions
- Combine chicken pieces with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, ketchup, and hot sauce in the Instant Pot, ensuring thorough coating of the meat.
- Secure the lid with valve set to “Sealing” and pressure cook at high intensity for precisely 3 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and chicken to tenderize.
- Once cooking completes, perform a quick steam release by carefully shifting the valve to “Release” position, using a long utensil to avoid potential steam burns.
- Activate the sauté function and introduce honey and sesame oil, stirring vigorously to create a glossy, aromatic sauce base.
- Create a cornstarch slurry by whisking cornstarch with water until smooth, then gradually incorporate into the bubbling sauce while continuously stirring to achieve desired consistency.
- Remove from heat and transfer the succulent sesame chicken over steamed rice, generously garnishing with toasted sesame seeds and finely chopped green onions for added texture and visual appeal.
Notes
- Swap chicken thighs for breast meat to reduce fat content and calories while maintaining juicy texture.
- Create a gluten-free version by using tamari instead of traditional soy sauce and confirming cornstarch is gluten-free.
- Reduce sodium levels by selecting low-sodium soy sauce and controlling added salt quantities during cooking process.
- Enhance protein absorption by marinating chicken pieces for 30 minutes before pressure cooking, which helps deeper flavor penetration.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Pressure Cooking
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 58 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 100 mg