This Instant Pot Chinese Chicken and Broccoli is a healthy one pot stir fry recipe using pantry staples. It’s an easy chicken dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes!
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Is Chinese chicken and broccoli healthy?
Actually, this dish is one of the healthier Asian Instant Pot recipes to make! The problem with some Chinese dishes is the amount of sodium in them. It can be shocking to learn how much salt the dishes at Chinese restaurants have in them. Primarily, the salt is in the form of soy sauce.
Fortunately, when you make Instant Pot chicken and broccoli at home, there are easy ways to reduce sodium. You can use reduced sodium soy sauce, or simply use less of it. For this recipe, you will only use 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. If you divide that by four servings, you’ll realize just how small of an amount it really is.
How to make Instant Pot Chinese Chicken and Broccoli
The first step in making this chicken dinner is to prep the chicken breasts and broccoli florets. To assure that everything cooks evenly in the pressure cooker, try to dice the chicken into equally sized pieces. This tip also applies to the broccoli.
Time Saving Recipe Tip:
To save some time, you can use frozen broccoli florets instead of chopping fresh broccoli yourself. Or, many of the grocery stores have a salad bar where you can find fresh broccoli pre-chopped!
Another big time saver with this recipe: you don’t have to marinate the chicken! When you pressure cook chicken, it will marinate as it cooks. Just one more reason to love the Instant Pot!
Can I make the recipe with chicken thighs?
Absolutely, yes! If you prefer dark meat chicken, you can substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs for the chicken breasts.
How long does it take to cook Instant Pot Chinese Chicken and Broccoli?
The chicken and broccoli are cut into small, bite-sized pieces. As a result, the actual pressure cook time is only two minutes. The longest part is waiting for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, which can take 10 to 15 minutes.
After the pressure cook time ends, you will do a quick release. Then, switch the setting to saute and stir in a cornstarch slurry. It will take another couple of minutes for the sauce to thicken.
As the chicken cooks in the Instant Pot, you will have time to cook the rice. I like to use a rice cooker, simply because it’s another hands-off process. If you don’t have a rice cooker, it may take a few minutes longer to cook rice on the stovetop. Especially if you plan to make brown rice.
However, if you’re a meal prepper, you may already have a stash of cooked rice ready to reheat!
How to freeze Chinese chicken and broccoli
It’s super easy to create meal prep lunches or dinners using this recipe! To avoid freezer burn, just be sure that the food is completely cool before you transfer it to freezable containers.
If you like Asian chicken recipes, here are two more to make!
Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning the Instant Pot Chinese chicken and broccoli into meal prep lunches.
I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
5-Day Instant Pot Challenge!
Learn how to use your Instant Pot to meal prep by subscribing to our newsletter!
Instant Pot Chinese Chicken and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 chicken breasts, diced
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp chili sauce (such as sambal oelek or sriracha)
- 1 head broccoli, chopped
Rice
- 1 cup white rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp Butter
Cornstarch slurry
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Add sesame oil, chicken, garlic, chicken broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and chili sauce into Instant Pot. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal.
- Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 2 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 10 to 15 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook the 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put all ingredients for rice into a rice cooker and cook while chicken is cooking. Mix cornstarch and water together to form a slurry.
- Do a quick release of the pressure once chicken is done by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon, then open lid when pressure gauge has dropped and lid opens easily. Switch to saute mode and stir in cornstarch slurry, then stir in broccoli.
- Replace lid on Instant Pot and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to steam the broccoli. Serve and enjoy!
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