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–+ servings
David Murphy

Instant Pot Firecracker Chicken

If you love a sticky-sweet, spicy chicken that lands fast, this Instant Pot firecracker chicken is your new go-to.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Time to Come to Pressure 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings
Course: Dinner, Instant Pot
Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds chicken breasts cubed into bite-size or 1 inch pieces
  • ⅓ cup cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ½ cup water ¼ to deglaze and ¼ added to the chicken and sauce
For the sauce
  • ⅓ cup hot sauce such as Frank's hot sauce or Cholula
  • ½ cup brown sugar or honey
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce if GF - use tamari sauce instead of soy sauce
For Serving
  • ¼ cup green onion chopped
  • Cooked rice for serving
To Thicken
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon water

Instructions
 

  1. To a bowl, add the chicken, corn starch, salt, and pepper. Mix so that the chicken is well coated.
  2. On the Instant Pot press on SAUTE (on low) and heat the oil. Add the chicken, and brown it until lightly browned. Remove the chicken from the pot onto a plate and set aside.
  3. Deglaze the pot by adding ¼ cup of water, and with a flat edge wooden spoon or a heat resistant spatula scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. I recommend discarding the liquid and the chicken cornstarch bits that were stuck to the pot to get a smooth sauce. Switch off the saute setting.
  4. In a bowl, whisk all of the sauce ingredients until well combined, then add them to the Instant Pot and put the chicken back. Add ¼ cup of water to the chicken and sauce, and give everything a good mix.
  5. Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 5 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 4 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, quickly release the steam.
  6. Carefully open the lid, and remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.

Notes

Make It Your Own

  • Extra crispy finish: After pressure cooking, broil sauced chicken on a foil-lined sheet 2–3 minutes to caramelize edges.
  • Veg boost: Stir in steamed broccoli or snap peas after thickening.
  • Garlic-ginger flair: Add 1 tsp grated ginger and a minced garlic clove to the sauce.
  • Sesame twist: Finish with toasted sesame seeds and a drizzle of sesame oil.
  • Thigh lovers: Swap breasts for boneless thighs; same method, extra juicy.

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