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Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken is the ultimate, easy family-favorite dinner recipe! Tender chicken, sweet bell peppers, and fresh pineapple are cooked to perfection in a simple homemade sweet and sour sauce! Better yet? The rice cooks at the same time! Talk about a winning all-in-one Instant Pot dinner recipe!
Reasons to Love Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken is on my list of go-to easy weeknight dinner recipes for so many reasons!
- Healthier than Takeout: Just like my recipes for Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli, Instant Pot Orange Chicken, and Instant Pot Mongolian Beef, this Sweet and Sour Chicken is a lighter, better-tasting takeout favorite made with everyday ingredients.
- Chicken + Rice at the Same Time! Use the pot-in-pot method to cook fluffy rice along with the chicken-making dinner extra easy.
- Make it Your Own! Swap chicken thighs for breasts, leave out the peppers, or make it refined sugar-free and gluten-free. You're in control!
- The Secret Sauce. Apricot all-fruit jam mimics duck sauce without added sugar or preservatives, giving the sweet and sour sauce incredible flavor, while keeping it on the wholesome side.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Notes on Ingredients
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders. Whatever you prefer or have on hand.
- Aromatics: Fresh ginger and garlic add extra flavor to the sauce. Do not be tempted to use ground ginger powder, as the flavor is not the same.
- Apricot Jam: I prefer using apricot jam/preserves sweetened with only fruit juice, such as All-Fruit, to control the level of sugar, but any version you have on hand will work.
- Bell Peppers: Use any combination of red, yellow, and orange bell peppers. I don't recommend green peppers, as they don't lend the same sweetness to the dish.
- Pineapple: Fresh pineapple slices are best for this recipe, as canned pineapple chunks tend to fall apart when pressure cooked.
- Stock/Water: You will need a bit of water or chicken stock to thin the sauce and prevent a burn notice from occurring.
- Rice Wine Vinegar/Rice Vinegar: Rice wine vinegar is a mild vinegar used often used in Asian dishes. If you don't have rice vinegar, use apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar in its place.
How to Make Instant Pot Sweet & Sour Chicken
If you are unfamiliar with cooking in an Instant Pot or the functions of your Instant Pot, be sure to start with my guide for using an Instant Pot for the best results on this and future recipes. You will find the full recipe in detail in the recipe card below.
- Sauté the Chicken. Sautéing the chicken is optional but adds a nice texture to the chicken and the overall dish.
- Deglaze the Inner Pot. To prevent a burn notice, is it crucial to add liquid and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the inner pot. To do this, add in the chicken stock and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom of the inner pot while stirring the sauce into the chicken.
- Add Peppers, Onions, and Pineapple. Add the diced peppers, onions, and pineapple to the inner pot.
- Combine Sweet and Sour Sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together apricot jam, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and ginger. Once combined, add to the inner pot and toss to coat.
- Add Rice (Optional) If desired, you can use the pot-in-pot cooking method to cook the rice above the chicken. To do this, place rinsed long-grain white rice in a heat-safe/stainless steel bowl with an equal amount of water. Place a trivet above the chicken and set the bowl on the trivet. The rice needs a bit longer to account for the stainless steel bowl, so the cooking time of 5 minutes with at least 10 minutes of natural pressure release cooks the rice perfectly.
- Pressure Cook with Natural Pressure Release. To keep the chicken tender (and the rice fluffy if you opt to cook rice as well), be sure to let your pressure cooker be for at least 10 minutes after the cooking time has elapsed.
- Thicken. To give the sweet and sour sauce its classic thick, sticky consistency, it is best to turn the pressure cooker back to sauté and thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry. It will only take a couple minutes and the effort is well worth it!
- Serve. Serve the sweet and sour chicken over the steamed rice. If desired, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Recipe Modifications
- Make it Gluten-Free: If you need this dish to be gluten-free, replace the soy sauce with tamari or gluten-free soy sauce.
- Corn-Free: Replace the cornstarch with equal amounts of arrowroot or tapioca starch.
- Substitute for Apricot Jam: If you don't have jam on hand or you don't want to use it, replace it with ¼ cup ketchup plus ¼ cup brown sugar.
- Adding Spice: This sauce is on the sweeter side, which is GREAT for kids, or those with sensitive palates. I like to add Sriracha after dishing it out so that each person can control the heat level. If you want this recipe to be spicier as a whole, add ½ tablespoon Sriracha or ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes before pressure cooking.
- Hate Peppers, Onions, or Pineapple? The added vegetables and fruit add flavor and texture to the sauce, but Sweet and Sour Chicken is delicious even without this addition. Feel free to omit them if you (or your picky kids) despise them, but you will need to add ¼ cup of broth to account for the liquid content they lend to the sauce.
- Note on Pineapple: You can opt to purchase a can of cubed pineapple in 100% juice and use that in place of fresh pineapple and use the juice for the sauce.
Storage
- Refrigerate: The best way to store leftovers is to allow the sweet and sour chicken to cool, and then transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: I don't recommend freezing Sweet & Sour Chicken as the peppers and pineapples can break down when frozen and then thawed in the sauce.
- Reheat: Reheat by sautéing on low heat on the stove, using the sauté function on the Instant Pot, or for 1-2 minutes per serving in the microwave.
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
- Instant Pot Chicken Breast (Fresh or Frozen)
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken
- Instant Pot Burrito Bowl
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
This all-in-one recipe delivers a better-tasting, better-for-you version of sweet and sour chicken along with perfectly cooked rice!
Video
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon canola oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 medium onion, diced into 1-inch chunks
- 1 medium red pepper, diced into 1-inch chunks
- 1 medium yellow pepper, diced into 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced into 1-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ - ¾ cup low sodium chicken stock or pineapple juice, see recipe card for amount
- ½ cup apricot jam
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water, for cornstarch slurry
For Rice (Optional)
- 1 cup long grain white rice, rinsed REALLY well
- 1 cup water or stock
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute, add ½ tablespoon canola oil, and let heat for 1-2 minutes. Once the oil is heated, add cubed chicken to the inner pot and saute for 2-3 minutes, or until lightly browned on all sides. Once browned, hit CANCEL to turn off the Instant Pot off.
- Add ½ chicken stock (or pineapple juice) for 3 or 6-quart model OR ¾ cup low sodium chicken stock (or pineapple juice) for 8-quart model to the inner pot. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot.
- Add the onion, bell peppers, and pineapple to the inner pot.
- In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup apricot jam, 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger, and ¼ cup rice wine vinegar. Add this mixture to the inner pot and stir to incorporate.
- If desiring to cook rice at the same time, place a trivet above the chicken. In a stainless steel bowl or cake pan, combine 1 cup long grain white rice with 1 cup water or stock and place the pan on the trivet.
- Place the lid on the pressure cooker, be sure the vent knob is sealed or locked, and set it to cook on HIGH pressure for 5 minutes. Do this by hitting the manual or pressure cook button and using the +/- buttons to adjust until it reads 5.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 10 minutes to keep the chicken tender. It is okay to leave on keep warm.
- Once the pressure has been released, remove the lid from the inner pot. Remove the rice from the inner pot if needed.
- Hit cancel to turn off the keep warm function and then hit saute. Allow the mixture to come to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water until dissolved. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the bubbling sauce. Stir/whisk constantly, until the sauce has thickened. It won't take but a minute or two. Once thickened, turn the Instant Pot off by hitting cancel.
- Serve the sweet and sour chicken over the cooked rice.
Equipment
- 7x4-inch cake pan for rice--works perfectly!
Notes
Amount of Liquid: The peppers, onions, and pineapple release a lot of liquid, therefore along with the soy sauce, vinegar, jam, and stock, you will have more than enough liquid to prevent a burn notice.
Corn-Free Modifications: If you have a corn allergy, use tapioca or arrowroot starch in place of the cornstarch.
Gluten-Free Modifications: If you need this to be Gluten-Free, be sure to use gluten-free soy sauce, Tamari, or coconut amnios for the soy sauce.
Apricot Jam: I prefer using Apricot All Fruit, as it is naturally sweetened with fruit. However, any apricot jam or preserves can be used. Alternatively, you can replace the jam with ¼ cup ketchup with ¼ cup brown sugar.
Ginger: If you do not have fresh ginger, do NOT use powdered ginger, just skip the ginger altogether.
Pineapple/Pineapple Juice: Purchase a 20-ounce can of cubed pineapple in 100% juice and use that in place of fresh pineapple and use the juice in place of the chicken stock. (Measure accordingly--you won't need it all.)
Storage: Cooled Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Calories: 166kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 17gFat: 3gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 425mgPotassium: 445mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 700IUVitamin C: 77.6mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 0.8mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @amindfullmom or tag #amindfullmom!
This post was shared in 2021 and updated in 2025.
Totally easy and doable!
Great recipe, my husband loved it. Simple and delicious. I used a can of Dole pineapple chunks and dumped it all in, juice and all. It made it a little more soupy but it was easy and tasty.
Glad you enjoyed and thank you for sharing your modification---others may want to do do the same.
Hi Kristen....do you leave the chicken in the pot while making the Sweet and Sour sauce? I am new to the InstantPot and I love you receipts! Thanks!!
I leave the chicken in the pot. Enjoy!!
I did not find this confusing, and and if experienced at cooking as claimed by a viewer, one glance you know what your in for. ty for the great vids to explain steps i found this important for me. My 7 kids loved this Thank you . I did some altering, I used (4 spoons) sugar free preserves, apricot, peaches or orange we made it a few times, then i only added 1/2 can of sugar free pineapple and 1/2 the peppers and onions, but when came time to thicken I added the second half of pineapple and peppers, i also added thin sliced angle carrots and slight thicker celery too. Too bulk it up for my family and add more veggies to the dish. we loved this. ty. looking forward to trying more dishes. i love rice vinegar i found white Vinegar was great in this dish to and cheaper is key for me. I'm hopping to find a southwest soup/stew my next goal to find. ty again.
Hi Amber! So glad you enjoyed. You may enjoy my Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe.
Recipe was OK tasting ~ nothing really that special.
Time to prep, cook and put on table was not as quick with Instant Pot as cooking on stove top. I am experienced @ cooking ~ raised a family and
Knows what quick meals mean & having nutrition . The more I use a Quick Pot ~ the more I realize this is something that is being promoted with false promise 😔.
I don’t like recipes that give false time saving promises to young women that work, child rear & try to provide good meals in less time.
Plus the hpicture you provide ( is it your true picture from Instant Pot) ?
Thank you
Carol Fisher
Hi Carol. I understand completely your frustration in saying that some meals are much faster on the stovetop. I include a pressure time in each of my instant pot recipes to help people gauge how long it will take to come to pressure and release pressure. For recipes like this, time is not the advantage--it is more being able to walk away instead of watching the sauce simmer, etc. But I would never want to give people false expectations or promises and try to be exceptionally clear about estimating total time. And I assure you--my pictures are all the exact recipe followed to a T.
Instructions for Instant pot sweet & sour chicken says to add ginger.
The ingredient list does not list ginger ?
Does recipe include ginger or not ?
Thank you
Carol
Hi Carol! I am sorry for any confusion, there is 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger in this recipe. If you do not have, you can omit with delicious results.
Making this today, I have balsamic vinegar and apple cider and olive oil, will those work? Thanks
Hi Regina! I would not use balsamic vinegar or apple cider for this recipe--the flavor would be much too different. Olive oil will work in place of canola oil.
Hi! I followed the recipe aside from omitting the ginger, and I did add an extra 1/4 cup of stock because I have an 8qt instant pot. I don’t feel like the sauce got as thick as I’d have liked even after adding the cornstarch. Any advice about where I went wrong?
Hi Gina! I am sorry your sauce did not thicken as desired. It may have been a couple things. One, you may have needed to let it saute a bit longer to activate the cornstarch and thicken the sauce. Or it may have been the chicken, vegetables, and fruit gave off a bit more liquid that typical. In the future, whisk together another 1 tablespoon cornstarch with water and add that in if you need to thicken your sauce further. Hope that helps.