This Instant Pot Stir Fry is a delicious, healthy option if you don’t have access to a stovetop – all you need is chicken, veggies and a simple sauce!
How to make stir fry in the Instant Pot
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Begin by cooking ingredients under the rice heading in a rice cooker or the stovetop. Add sesame oil and chicken to the Instant Pot when hot.
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Season the chicken with salt & pepper and saute for 2 minutes until browned. Add in broccoli, cooking for another 2 minutes.
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Add in carrot, and red pepper. Saute veggies for 3-4 minutes until tender-crisp.
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Combine stir fry sauce ingredients then mix together.
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Pour sauce overtop of cooked chicken and veggies and saute another 2 minutes until sauce thickens.
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Serve stir fry over rice, then garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Sesame oil – sesame oil will add a fragrant and flavourful taste to the dish. If you are looking for an alternative, you can use olive oil, avocado oil or sunflower oil in place of sesame oil.
- Chicken breasts – chicken breasts are a leaner meat but you can replace this with chicken thighs. Chicken thighs may give a juicier cut of meat to the meal.
- Broccoli – instead of broccoli, you can use cauliflower, sugar snap peas, green beans, or any other vegetable of your choice.
- Carrot – to substitute carrots, you can use any vegetable of your choice. If you don’t have any fresh vegetables on hand, feel free to use frozen.
- Red bell pepper – read substitution notes for carrots.
- Green onion – green onions are a great garnish for the meal but also add great flavour to the stir fry as well. If you’re in a pinch, feel free to leave it out or replace them with chives.
- Sesame seeds (to garnish)
Stir fry sauce
- Hoisin sauce – you can use bean paste, garlic teriyaki or a sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) in place of hoisin sauce
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos and tamari are great alternatives to soy sauce.
- Ginger – fresh grated ginger will work best for this recipe.
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic or jarred minced garlic will both work.
Rice
- Water
- White rice – jasmine rice is the best option for this recipe but basmati rice or brown rice can be used in place of jasmine rice.
- Butter – if you are in a pinch, feel free to use olive oil, margarine or a vegan butter of your choice in place of butter.
- Salt (to taste)
What is the point of using the Instant Pot for this dish?
Using an Instant Pot to create a stir fry has its benefits! If you’re travelling, camping or find yourself away from a stovetop, using the Instant Pot is a great option for cooking various dishes. Using an Instant Pot can also be an ideal choice because it is far less messy than using a stovetop.
Making the rice
You can decide to use a rice cooker or a pot when making the rice for this recipe. There’s virtually no difference in the taste of the rice when using either, but a rice cooker is much less time consuming. Regardless of how you make the rice, you will want to make sure you’re using the ratio of 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice. When making your rice in a pot, begin by boiling the water with salt. Once your water comes to a boil, add in the rice, turn down the heat and allow the rice to absorb the water. Once the rice is close to fully cooked, mix in the butter to reduce sticking and add flavour.
Can you use frozen vegetables?
Yes, you can definitely use frozen vegetables in this recipe! Frozen vegetables are an easier way of adding veggies to any dish because they’re pre-cut, pre-washed and typically pre-cooked as well! With that being said, you will want to reduce the cook time of the frozen vegetables so you don’t end up with soggy stir fry veggies.
Storing and reheating
Stir fry is easy to make and is a great meal prep dish to have throughout the week. To store this dish, put each portion into an airtight meal prep container and place into the fridge. The stir fry will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If you have extra stir fry sauce available, you can store it in a mason jar for up to two weeks for any future stir fry you’re planning on making!
When you’re ready to enjoy your dish, reheat the serving in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until warmed. Serve in a plate, or eat out from your meal prep container and enjoy!
More Instant Pot Asian 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.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months
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Learn how to use your Instant Pot to meal prep by subscribing to our newsletter!
Instant Pot Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 lb chicken breasts, diced
- 1 head broccoli, chopped
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 2 green onions, sliced
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
Stir fry sauce
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Rice
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Cook ingredients under the rice heading in a rice cooker or on the stovetop.
- Add sesame oil to Instant Pot and press the saute button. When hot, add the chicken, seasoning with salt & pepper and sauteeing for 2 minutes until browned. Add in broccoli, cooking for another 2 minutes.
- Add in carrot, and red pepper, then mix up stir fry sauce in a small bowl. Saute veggies for 3-4 minutes until tender-crisp, then pour sauce overtop and saute another 2 minutes until sauce thickens.
- Serve stir fry over rice, then garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
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