This Instant Pot Sesame Chicken is a one pot dump dinner that comes together in 30 minutes. The sauce is made with simple pantry ingredients!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Sesame oil – you can use olive oil for this recipe, but it will have a milder flavour.
- Chicken breasts – boneless skinless chicken thighs will also work here.
- Garlic – I prefer freshly minced garlic but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Gingerroot – swap out for some ground ginger powder if you don’t have any fresh ginger on hand.
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari are the best substitutes here.
- Hoisin sauce – use half honey and half soy sauce instead. Oyster sauce would also work.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth would also be good.
- White rice – jasmine or basmati rice will work in place of regular white rice.
- Broccoli – serve this dish with another kind of veggie, just make sure to cook it before adding it to the dish.
- Green onions – leave these out altogether if you’re not a fan.
- Sesame seeds – black or white sesame seeds would both be delicious.
How to make sesame chicken in the Instant Pot
- Prep your ingredients.
- Add the first 8 ingredients to the Instant Pot in order.
- Microwave the broccoli.
- Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the broccoli and green onions.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!
What to serve with sesame chicken
Because this dish already includes protein, vegetables, grains, and fats, it’s perfect for serving as is. However, if you want to serve anything else with it, some tasty options include:
- Steamed vegetables – Use my recipe for Instant Pot steamed vegetables!
- Garden salad
- Sauteed zucchini or zucchini noodles
Frequently Asked Questions
The sauce for this recipe is super simple and is made with pantry staples. You’ll need sesame oil, garlic, minced gingerroot, low-sodium soy sauce, hoisin sauce and chicken broth. Dump that all in the Instant Pot with the chicken and rice and you’ll have a flavourful dish in no time.
The main difference between sesame chicken and General Tso’s chicken is that sesame chicken has a sweet flavour whereas General Tso’s chicken has a spicier flavour. Sesame chicken also has sesame seeds, while General Tso’s chicken does not.
Yes! In comparison to other Asian dishes, this dish is quite healthy. This is because it isn’t deep fried, the sauce is light and low in sugar, and it includes a serving of green vegetables! To keep the sodium level reasonable, you may want to use low sodium soy sauce. The only other thing to watch is your portion size of rice. Other than that, it’s a guilt-free dinner!
Storing and reheating
Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can reheat them in the Instant Pot using the sauté function, in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop. I recommend sprinkling a little bit of extra water or broth over top of the chicken and rice to make sure they don’t dry out.
Freezing this recipe
This sesame chicken recipe freezes beautifully, which makes it a great option for meal prep! It can be frozen in glass containers or Ziploc bags for up to 3 months. To prevent freezer burn, make sure it’s cooled completely before freezing.
When you’re ready to enjoy this dish, let it defrost in the fridge overnight then follow the reheating instructions above.
More Asian-inspired Instant Pot recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this dish into your weekly lunches.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box,conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
Instant Pot Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 lb chicken breasts, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp gingerroot, minced
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced
- Sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to Instant Pot in the order in which they are listed, except for broccoli, green onions and sesame seeds.
- 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 5 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add broccoli florets to a large bowl filled with water and microwave for 8 minutes, then drain the water.
- Do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily.
- Once lid is safe to open, stir in broccoli and green onions, then add to bowls and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!
