Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken is the ultimate, easy family-favorite dinner recipe! Tender chicken, sweet bell peppers, and fresh pineapple are cooked to perfection in a simple homemade sweet and sour sauce! Better yet? The rice cooks at the same time! Talk about a winning all-in-one Instant Pot recipe!
Just like my recipes for Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli, Instant Pot Orange Chicken, and Instant Pot Mongolian Beef, this recipe for Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken delivers a better-for-you, better-tasting version of Chinese takeout–using everyday ingredients!
Kristen’s Key Takeaways
- Prepare Rice at the Same Time! Make dinner that much easier by using the pot-in-pot cooking method and a trivet to cook rice along with the sweet and sour chicken.
- Make it Your Own! Like chicken thighs, better than chicken breasts? Don’t like peppers in your sauce? Want to keep this dish refined sugar-free or gluten-free? No problem! When you make Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken at home, you get to be in charge of what goes into it–and the results are delicious!
- Apricot All-Fruit is the Secret to the BEST Sweet and Sour Sauce. This may sound like an odd ingredient but trust me on this. The apricot jam has a similar flavor to that of Chinese Duck Sauce, minus the added sugar, sodium, and preservatives. It is a great substitute and gives this sweet and sour sauce the perfect flavor.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Notes on Ingredients
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders. Whatever you prefer or have on hand.
- Aromatics: Fresh ginger and garlic add extra flavor to the sauce. Do not be tempted to use ground ginger powder, as the flavor is not the same.
- Apricot Jam: I prefer using apricot jam/preserves sweetened with only fruit juice, such as All-Fruit, to control the level of sugar, but any version you have on hand will work.
- Bell Peppers: Use any combination of red, yellow, and orange bell peppers. I don’t recommend green peppers, as they don’t lend the same sweetness to the dish.
- Pineapple: Fresh pineapple slices are best for this recipe, as canned pineapple chunks tend to fall apart when pressure cooked.
- Stock/Water: You will need a bit of water or chicken stock to thin the sauce and prevent a burn notice from occurring.
- Rice Wine Vinegar/Rice Vinegar: Rice wine vinegar is a mild vinegar used often used in Asian dishes. If you don’t have rice vinegar, use apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar in its place.
How to Make Instant Pot Sweet & Sour Chicken
While this is an incredibly simple recipe, if you are unfamiliar with cooking in an Instant Pot or the functions of your Instant Pot, be sure to start with How to Use an Instant Pot for the best results on this and future recipes. You will find the full recipe in detail in the recipe card below.
- Sauté the Chicken. Sautéing the chicken is optional but adds a nice texture to the chicken and the overall dish.
- Deglaze the Inner Pot. To prevent a burn notice, is it crucial to add liquid and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the inner pot. To do this, add in the chicken stock and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom of the inner pot while stirring the sauce into the chicken.
- Add Peppers, Onions, and Pineapple. Add the diced peppers, onions, and pineapple to the inner pot.
- Combine Sweet and Sour Sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together apricot jam, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and ginger. Once combined, add to the inner pot and toss to coat.
- Add Rice (Optional) If desired, you can use the pot-in-pot cooking method to cook the rice above the chicken. To do this, place rinsed long-grain white rice in a heat-safe/stainless steel bowl with an equal amount of water. Place a trivet above the chicken and set the bowl on the trivet. The rice needs a bit longer to account for the stainless steel bowl, so the cooking time of 5 minutes with at least 10 minutes of natural pressure release cooks the rice perfectly.
- Pressure Cook with Natural Pressure Release. To keep the chicken tender (and the rice fluffy if you opt to cook rice as well), be sure to let your pressure cooker be for at least 10 minutes after the cooking time has elapsed.
- Thicken. To give the sweet and sour sauce its classic thick, sticky consistency, it is best to turn the pressure cooker back to sauté and thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry. It will only take a couple minutes and the effort is well worth it!
- Serve. Serve the sweet and sour chicken over the steamed rice. If desired, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Recipe Modifications
- Make it Gluten-Free: If you need this dish to be gluten-free, replace the soy sauce with tamari or gluten-free soy sauce.
- Corn-Free: Replace the cornstarch with equal amounts of arrowroot or tapioca starch.
- Substitute for Apricot Jam: If you don’t have jam on hand or you don’t want to use it, replace it with 1/4 cup ketchup plus 1/4 cup brown sugar.
- Adding Spice: This sauce is on the sweeter side, which is GREAT for kids, or those with sensitive palates. I like to add Sriracha after dishing it out so that each person can control the heat level. If you want this recipe to be spicier as a whole, add 1/2 tablespoon Sriracha or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes before pressure cooking.
- Hate Peppers, Onions, or Pineapple? The added vegetables and fruit add flavor and texture to the sauce, but Sweet and Sour Chicken is delicious even without this addition. Feel free to omit them if you (or your picky kids) despise them, but you will need to add 1/4 cup of broth to account for the liquid content they lend to the sauce.
Storage
- Refrigerate: The best way to store leftovers is to allow the sweet and sour chicken to cool, and then transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing Sweet & Sour Chicken as the peppers and pineapples can break down when frozen and then thawed in the sauce.
- Reheat: Reheat by sautéing on low heat on the stove, using the sauté function on the Instant Pot, or for 1-2 minutes per serving in the microwave.
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
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Prevent your screen from going dark
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Turn the Instant Pot to saute, add ½ tablespoon canola oil, and let heat for 1-2 minutes. Once the oil is heated, add 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cubed) to the inner pot and saute for 2-3 minutes, or until lightly browned on all sides. Once browned, hit CANCEL to turn off the Instant Pot off.
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Add ½ cup low sodium chicken stock *for 3 or 6-quart model OR ¾ cup low sodium chicken stock *for 8-quart model to the inner pot. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot.
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Add the 1 medium onion (diced), 1 medium red pepper (diced), 1 medium yellow pepper (diced), and 1 cup fresh pineapple (diced) to the inner pot.
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In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup apricot jam/preserves, 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger, and ¼ cup rice wine vinegar. Add this mixture to the inner pot and stir to incorporate.
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If desiring to cook rice at the same time, place a trivet above the chicken. In a stainless steel bowl or cake pan, combine 1 cup long grain white rice with 1 cup water and place the pan on the trivet.
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Place the lid on the pressure cooker, be sure the vent knob is sealed or locked, and set it to cook on HIGH pressure for 5 minutes. Do this by hitting the manual or pressure cook button and using the +/- buttons to adjust until it reads 5.
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Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 10 minutes to keep the chicken tender. It is okay to leave on keep warm.
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Once the pressure has been released, remove the lid from the inner pot. Remove the rice from the inner pot if needed.
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Hit cancel to turn off the keep warm function and then hit saute. Allow the mixture to come to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water until dissolved. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the bubbling sauce. Stir/whisk constantly, until the sauce has thickened. It won’t take but a minute or two. Once thickened, turn the Instant Pot off by hitting cancel.
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Serve the sweet and sour chicken over the cooked rice.
Corn-Free Modifications: If you have a corn allergy, use tapioca or arrowroot starch in place of the cornstarch.
Gluten-Free Modifications: If you need this to be Gluten-Free, be sure to use gluten-free soy sauce, Tamari, or coconut amnios for the soy sauce.
Apricot Jam: I prefer using Apricot All Fruit, as it is naturally sweetened with fruit. However, any apricot jam or preserves can be used. Alternatively, you can replace the jam with 1/4 cup ketchup with 1/4 cup brown sugar.
Ginger: If you do not have fresh ginger, do NOT use powdered ginger, just skip the ginger altogether.
Increasing Spice Level: This is a sweet dish, if you want this recipe to be spicier as a whole, add 1/2 tablespoon Sriracha or hot sauce during the cooking process.
Storage: Cooled Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Calories: 166kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 17gFat: 3gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 425mgPotassium: 445mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 700IUVitamin C: 77.6mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 0.8mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was shared in 2021 and updated in 2025.
