Made using simple ingredients and in under 30 minutes, this instant pot sweet and sour chicken is great to serve for a quick Asian meal. It tastes just like your favorite Chinese take-out but is lighter and healthier.
Open 1 14-oz pineapple can and strain the liquid. Measure ¼ cup of the liquid and discard the rest. Chop the pineapple into bite-size chunks. Set aside.
Note – If using fresh pineapple, peel and cut it into chunks. Stir together ¼ water with 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon lime juice and use it in place of the liquid from the can.
Wash 1 and ½ pounds of boneless chicken breast (or thighs) and pat them dry using a paper towel. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
Stir together 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoon white vinegar, ¼ cup tomato ketchup, and 1 tablespoon minced garlic in a small bowl and set aside.
Press SAUTE setting of the Instant Pot.
When the display says HOT, add 2 tablespoon vegetable oil.
Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add the chicken pieces, salt, and pepper to taste and saute for 3-4 minutes until the pieces are slightly browned.
Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes and cook for a minute.
Add the soy sauce mixture that we made earlier to the pot and mix everything well.
Now add ½ cup cubed onions and mix well.
Press CANCEL. Close the lid of the pot and set the valve to the sealing position. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 4 minutes on HIGH PRESSURE. The timer will take 10-12 minutes to start. This is the time taken to build the pressure inside the pot.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually by moving the valve to the venting position. Be careful while moving the valve. Use a kitchen cloth to move it to avoid steam burn. Once the pressure is released, open the lid of the cooker.
Add 2 tablespoon brown sugar and mix well.
Stir together 2 tablespoon cornstarch with ¼ cup water and make a slurry.
Add the slurry to the pot. Add pineapple chunks, liquid from the pineapple can, and 2 cups of mixed bell pepper chunks and mix well.
Press SAUTE again and cook for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Garnish with 2 tablespoon chopped green onions and serve hot over rice, noodles or cauliflower rice.
Notes
You can add more vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, beans, bok choy, etc.If you want a gluten-free option, you can use tamari instead of soy sauce.You can increase or decrease the quantity of red pepper flake as per the spice level you like.If the sauce is too runny, then add a little more cornstarch. It will thicken the sauce.