Instant Pot Sesame Chicken

Skip carryout and stay in tonight. This Sesame chicken is one of our favorites to pair with a bowl of rice, rice noodles, etc. Dive into this Instant Pot sesame chicken recipe for dinner tonight!

Instant Pot chicken that is smothered in a sweet and savory glaze and tasty broccoli! A go-to pressure cooker recipe to add to your meal rotation. A 30-minute dinner to try.

Sesame seed chicken uses chicken breast that you dice up, pair with a sauce for optimal flavor. A pressure cooker sesame chicken that kids and adults will love. Instant pot boneless chicken never tasted so good!

Why we Recommend Making This Recipe

• Easy Prep
• Pressure cooked chicken that is moist
• Homemade sauce for this Chinese chicken
• Better than take out
• Quick and Easy
• Great to pair with rice

Ingredients Needed

• Chicken
• Oil
• Flour
• Soy Sauce
• Brown Sugar
• Ketchup
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Sesame Oil
• Lime
• Sesame Seeds
• Sriracha
• Cornstarch + Water
• Broccoli

How to Make

Here is how to make sesame chicken, the full measurements and directions are in the printable recipe card below.

Saute | Turn on the saute feature on the Instant Pot. Then add in your oil and let it get warm. While oil is heating up, take your diced chicken cubes and flour lightly. Tap off excess flour.

Sear | Place chicken in hot oil, sear the chicken until the chicken is browned. Remove and place on a plate. If you need batch cook the chicken.

Sauce | In a bowl whisk up your soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, sesame oil, lime juice, and sesame seeds and sriracha. Whisk until creamy.

Pressure Cook | Pour over the sauce on chicken. Then add lid and ensure it is set to sealing. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes, with a quick release.

Saute | Turn the pot to saute once you remove lid, and let it get hot. Mix the cornstarch and water together and stir in to thicken the sauce. Add in the broccoli florets and cook till softened.

Serve | Pair with rice, noodles, or eat alone. It is up to you!

Expert Tips

• Try to cut the chicken in even pieces so you get an even cook.
• Scrape the bottom of your pressure cooker to remove any stuck on food, to prevent burn notice.
• You will want the sauce thinner to cook as the Instant Pot can’t cook thick sauces, so you will use cornstarch to thicken after.
• Feel free to stir in other veggies for added flavor once the mixture is cooked.
• Top with sesame seeds, green onions, etc.

Practical notes

What Is Sesame Chicken?

Sesame chicken is a popular dish you can get at most Chinese restaurant restaurants! This sauce is simple it is a sweet and savory sauce and is so.

Can we use boneless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast?

You are more than welcome to use chicken thighs that are boneless. You will just want to add 1 extra minute to the cooking time if you do a chicken thigh.

Do you quick release or natural release sesame chicken?

Generally, you will naturally release chicken so that it will be tender. But since this is a diced chicken you can quick release the chicken, and it will be fully cooked and tender.

What Instant Pot Did we Use?

We used au003ca href=u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer nofollowu0022u003e 6 quart Instant Pot u003c/au003ebut know you can use an 8 quart Instant Pot as well. This recipe is so simple, and you don’t need a fancy button!

How do you thicken sauce for Instant Pot Sesame chicken?

You will cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Then you will stir into the sauce as it is on the saute feature. Then stir continuously until it is thickened to your liking.

More Chicken Recipes To Try

• Easy Instant Pot Sesame Chicken Wings Recipe
• Instant Pot Chicken Breast or Thighs (Meal Prep)
• Low Carb Instant Pot Butter Chicken Recipe
• Keto Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
• Instant Pot Crack Chicken

Ingredients

Makes 4 -6

• 2 tablespoons, olive oil
• 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into 1” cubes
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• ½ teaspoon sriracha, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets

Method

1. Start by dicing up your boneless chicken breast into cubes.
2. Turn the Instant Pot on to saute and add in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. While pan is heating, dredge the chicken in the flour, and shake off excess.
3. Once the oil is warm toss in your chicken and sear all sides till brown. Batch cook, so all the chicken can get golden brown.
4. Remove the chicken from the pot once it is seared, then add another batch. Once all the chicken is cooked turn off the saute. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any bits stuck on the bottom.
5. Now in a bowl add in your soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, lime juice, and sesame meeds along with sriracha. Whisk and then pour into instant pot with chicken.
6. Stir and then place the lid on your Instant pot. Ensure the valve on the lid is set to the sealing position. Do high pressure or manual pressure for 5 minutes.
7. Once the Instant Pot is done, quick release. Turn the Instant Pot back on sauce. Toss in your broccoli florets.
8. Then mix your cornstarch and water together and stir in. As it cooks stir continously and it will thicken the sauce.
9. Cook until your broccoli reaches your desired doneness. Then serve with sesame seeds, green onions, etc if you want.

Kitchen notes

If your sauce gets too thick before the broccoli is done, add 1/4 cup of water to help thin it up as the broccoli cooks. You can add in extra vegetables if you would like. You can double the recipe just as long as you do not go over the max fill line. This all depends on the size of your Instant Pot. If you do chicken thighs that are boneless do a 6-minute cook instead of 5. If you don’t want it too salty use low sodium soy sauce.