Instant Pot Sesame Chicken is a quick and easy weeknight meal made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker. Your family will love this delicious sauce! {gluten free}
We all have a handful of recipes we keep in the weekly rotation right? I do and this Instant Pot Sesame Chicken has become one of them!
I mean look at that sauce! I have been experimenting with my Instant Pot a lot these past few months and I’m getting the hang of it. It still amazes me that I can put something in there 30 minutes before dinner and quickly get a slow cooker tasting meal out of it.
It’s a huge win for busy families like mine.
This Instant Pot Sesame Chicken is made with the simplest of ingredients that you will always have in your pantry: tamari or soy sauce, honey, garlic, crushed red pepper, and cornstarch. That’s it!
Serve it with freshly steamed rice or cauliflower rice with a side of broccoli. New favorite dinner – I promise!
If you don’t have an Instant Pot you can saute some chicken on the stovetop then pour the sauce over top. Or make it in your slow cooker and cook the chicken on low for 3-4 hours.
Here’s the Instant Pot I use and love →
I think you’ll love this Instant Pot Sesame Chicken because it’s…
- EASY
- QUICK
- kid-friendly
- gluten-free if you use tamari
- covered in a savory, delicious sauce
- fun to eat with chopsticks
Instant Pot Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces, I used three large
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten free)
- 1 tbsp minced garlic (dried)
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 3 tsp water
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute. Add 1 tbsp sesame oil into pot and saute half the chicken. Get a bit of browning on all sides, about 3-4 minutes, then remove to a bowl. Add more sesame oil and saute the second half.
- In a small bowl mix the honey, tamari, garlic and red pepper with a whisk.
- Put chicken back into pot and add sauce. Turn chicken to cover with sauce. Turn Instant Pot to poultry and set timer for four minutes. Lock the lid in place.
- Turn off the heat when the timer beeps. Carefully use a dishtowel to do a quick pressure release.
- Whisk the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and turn pot to saute. Add mixture and stir well. Saute for a minute or two until sauce thickens to your taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from PressureCookingToday.
Christine Long
October 7, 2017 at 10:46 AMSounds delicious! And, I love the idea of using chopsticks. I think my kids would get a kick out of that.
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
October 7, 2017 at 12:00 PMThis would be a huge win at our house too Karen! I still have to get around to getting an Instant Pot! I’ve heard how easy meals are with one!
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings
October 10, 2017 at 4:41 PMSo easy! You would love it Maryann!
Jenn
October 7, 2017 at 10:19 PMI used my Instant Pot all the time when I first got it, but it’s kind of fallen by the wayside. I need to get that baby powered back up! My family would love this.
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings
October 10, 2017 at 4:40 PMI know I forget about it too!
Ginny
October 8, 2017 at 12:28 AMI love that sauce just by reading the ingredients. The instant pot makes cooking so much easier! Thanks!
Trang
October 8, 2017 at 2:02 AMI’m loving all the instant pot recipes! It’s making my dinner prep so much easier, thanks for sharing 🙂
Jagruti
October 8, 2017 at 4:59 AMI think your sauce sounds incredibly tasty, sticky and yummy, your pictures are really beautiful.
Amy | The Cook Report
October 8, 2017 at 6:48 AMThis looks lovely, I really need to get an instant pot!
Sue
December 8, 2017 at 1:02 PMMade this last night and it was easy and delicious. So good I have to double the recipe next time. The chicken tastes like it has been marinaded all day, but who has time for that?!
Karen Kelly
December 8, 2017 at 4:57 PMSue! Nice to see you here! Thanks so much for letting me know and I’m glad your family enjoyed it.
David
January 10, 2018 at 12:30 PMI followed the directions perfectly but the sauce at the consistency of water. Do I need to remove the chicken and then sauté the sauce down? Also my instant pot does not have a pain-free setting so I just use the manual
Karen Kelly
January 11, 2018 at 9:42 AMHi David, Sorry the sauce wasn’t right but I’m not sure we have the same Instant Pot so I don’t know if I can give you good advice on this one. You did add the cornstarch right? Maybe you should do all the sauce ingredients and let it saute a few minutes like you suggested.
David
January 10, 2018 at 12:31 PMI can’t believe AutoCorrect – I meant to say portrait setting not pain free lol.
David
January 10, 2018 at 12:32 PMPoultry not portrait. I give up.
Shannon
January 30, 2018 at 4:59 PMCan’t believe how much flavor this had for being so simple! My family loved it! Will definitely be making it again.
Karen Kelly
January 31, 2018 at 9:55 AMThanks so much for letting me know Shannon!
Barb
January 30, 2018 at 8:16 PMthis is a very good recipe. We love spicy food, but think I will cut the pepper flakes in half next time.
Karen Kelly
January 31, 2018 at 9:55 AMGreat Barb. Thanks for letting me know. Glad you can adjust it for your family’s preferences!
Sarah
February 1, 2018 at 9:14 PMThe chicken was really tough and the sauce was too thin. Next time I will natural release and take the chicken out of the sauce to sauté the sauce until it thickens.
Susan
March 12, 2018 at 4:11 PMQuestion: Do you cut the chicken into bite size pieces before you saute?
Karen Kelly
March 13, 2018 at 12:36 PMYes, I cut the chicken first then saute.
Elana
March 19, 2018 at 5:52 PMCan I use frozen chicken breasts?
Karen Kelly
March 20, 2018 at 6:45 AMI think you would need to thaw them first. If you do try it with frozen you would have to increase the cooking time.
JEAN L GILLSON
March 30, 2018 at 5:10 PMI recently found out that I have Celiac Disease so I’m learning the ropes with being gluten free. We have tried MANY recipes & this is BY FAR my family’s favorite. I especially love it because it’s so ridiculously easy! It’s seriously hard to believe that there are so few ingredients because it is incredibly flavorful!!!
When doubling the recipe, I use 1-2 TABLESPOONS of red pepper because we like the heat.
NOTE: FOR THOSE HAVING CONSISTENCY ISSUES WITH SAUCE…….2 things: 1: Be sure to drain the chicken before adding the sauce mixture. 2. I actually read the recipe wrong & backwards – I musta been one of those days. HA! When *doubling* the recipe, I made the slushy using 3 TABLESPOONS of cornstarch & 2 TABLESPOONS of water. The consistency of the sauce was PERFECT so in spite of recognizing the error, I continue to do it this way intentionally. Hope this helps! OH HAPPY MISTAKES! 🙂
Anyway, THANK YOU for sharing this! My family has enjoyed it tremendously & will continue to do so for years to come!!!
Karen Kelly
March 31, 2018 at 11:03 AMWow, thanks for all the tips and so glad the recipe was a success!
Denvergal
April 9, 2018 at 11:34 PMReally good recipe and so easy! My family thought it would be great with more sauce and also some roasted broccoli. I added carrot ribbons as I had carrots on hand, which added a vegetable. Healthier than the takeout version!
Karen Kelly
April 10, 2018 at 10:44 AMThanks so much for your great review!
Patricia
April 27, 2018 at 7:55 PMThis was delicious and so very easy! I omitted the red pepper flakes. Next time I will cut the soy sauce with water. It was a touch salty but still super yummy! My young kids do not normally like the texture of meats but they devoured every last bite! I usually just pop frozen chicken breasts in my Instant Pot but I was afraid the extra liquid would ruin the sauce so I made sure to thaw them first. I did not cut the chicken breasts into pieces but left them whole and cut them after they were cooked. I will double the recipe next time because we had nothing leftover 🙂
Karen Kelly
April 27, 2018 at 8:53 PMPatricia, thanks so much for letting me know. I’d love to figure out how to make it with frozen chicken breasts so I’ll try that next. Glad your kids enjoyed it!
Kym
October 4, 2018 at 9:05 PMI see sesame seeds are in the ingredient list, but there is nothing in the directions of when they are to be added. Help?
Karen Kelly
October 6, 2018 at 7:10 AMSorry they are just for garnish. Thanks!
Robyn
November 15, 2018 at 8:46 PMSOO spicy! I thought I had a tolerance for heat but this made our mouths burn! I’d put a pinch, or maybe 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper. I also doubled the cornstarch & water because it wouldn’t thicken.
Karen Kelly
November 16, 2018 at 11:48 AMOh no, I may make an adjustment to the pepper flakes bc you can always add more if you like it spicy!
Joan
December 31, 2018 at 8:06 PMwhen do you add the sesame seeds? It is not included in the instructions. Thank you
Karen Kelly
January 1, 2019 at 8:18 AMThey are just for garnish so add them before serving.
Natalia
January 1, 2019 at 6:24 PMCan you use chicken thighs?
Karen Kelly
January 2, 2019 at 1:13 PMYes, that should work!
Natalia
January 2, 2019 at 12:35 AMSuper delicious and EASY/quick meal. I used part chicken breast and part chicken thighs and it worked out great.
Sheli
January 18, 2019 at 1:27 AMMy son has an intolerance to chicken. Do you think subbing boneless pork chops would work? Anything different for cooking instructions?
Karen Kelly
January 18, 2019 at 7:19 PMHi Sheli I have not made pork chops in the Instant Pot. So sorry I can’t be of more help.
MaryM
January 21, 2019 at 2:58 PMWhat happened to your recipe?
Marge Penrod
January 22, 2019 at 10:52 AMCan’t see the recipe. Is there anywhere I can find this?
Karen Kelly
January 22, 2019 at 12:18 PMSo sorry! I fixed it!
Rss
March 13, 2019 at 9:10 AMHas anyone made the rice in a Pyrex at the same time as the chicken? I’ve read that it’s a possibility in the instant pot but wonder if it will work with this recipe? I made this last week for my first instant pot meal ever and it was a huge hit!!
Karen Kelly
March 14, 2019 at 9:26 AMGood idea – let me know what you figure out!