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Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken gives you crispy, tangy takeout-style chicken and fluffy rice cooked together in one pot, no delivery driver required. I made this on a busy weeknight when everyone was starving, and Maddie said it was better than our usual takeout spot. If you love quick chicken dinners, you will also love our crispy hot honey chicken.
Thanks to the Instant Pot, the chicken and rice cook at the same time for an easy, all-in-one dinner.
Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 20 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 648kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Crispy chicken in a sweet, tangy sauce over fluffy rice
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, the Instant Pot cooks the chicken and rice together, like our crispy hot honey chicken
Quick Answer
Coat diced chicken in an egg-and-milk wash, then in cornstarch, and saute it in butter on the Instant Pot saute setting until the edges are crispy. Pour bottled sweet and sour sauce over the chicken in a steamer pan, add rice and water to a second steamer pan, and stack both on a trivet with water in the pot. Seal and cook on manual for 20 minutes, let the pressure release naturally, then serve the saucy chicken over the rice.
Jump to:
- Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Chicken Dinners
- Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- One pot, two layers. Stackable steamer pans let the chicken and rice cook at the same time, so dinner is truly all-in-one.
- Cornstarch gives crispy edges. A cornstarch coating sauteed in butter crisps the chicken before it steams, mimicking that takeout crunch.
- Bottled sauce keeps it fast. Using your favorite sweet and sour sauce means big flavor with almost no measuring.
- Natural release keeps rice fluffy. Letting the pressure release on its own finishes the rice perfectly without scorching.
- It beats takeout. You get the crispy-saucy combo you crave, fresher and cheaper than ordering out.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The chicken and rice cook together in the Instant Pot for a true one-pot dinner.
- It delivers crispy, saucy, takeout-style chicken right at home in about 30 minutes.
- It is a fun change of pace from our other quick chicken dinners like popcorn chicken.
Key Ingredients
Here is what you need for this Instant Pot sweet and sour chicken. See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
- Chicken breasts: Boneless, skinless breasts diced into bite-sized pieces cook quickly and crisp up nicely.
- Cornstarch: The key to crispy edges. The chicken gets dipped in egg and milk, then coated in cornstarch.
- Egg and milk: This simple wash helps the cornstarch cling to every piece of chicken.
- Sweet and sour sauce: Use a bottle of your favorite sweet and sour sauce for fast, tangy flavor.
- White rice and butter: The rice steams in the second pan with a little butter and water for a fluffy, buttery base.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This Instant Pot sweet and sour chicken is easy to customize. Here are a few ideas.
- Add veggies: Stir in pineapple chunks, bell peppers, or onion for a classic sweet and sour combo.
- Make it spicy: Add a drizzle of sriracha or a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce.
- Use thighs: Boneless skinless chicken thighs work well and stay extra juicy.
- Swap the rice: Try brown rice or jasmine rice, adjusting the liquid as needed.
- For another saucy chicken dinner, try our sticky Asian lemon chicken.
How to Make Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Season and coat the chicken. Dice the chicken, season with salt and pepper, then dip each piece in a whisked egg-and-milk mixture and coat in cornstarch.
- Saute the chicken. Set the Instant Pot to saute, melt a tablespoon of butter, and cook the coated chicken until the edges are crispy. Remove and set aside.
- Build the pans. Add the chicken to a steamer pan and pour the sweet and sour sauce over the top. In a second pan, add the rice, water, and butter.
- Stack and cook. Wipe out the pot, add the trivet and water, then stack the rice pan on top of the chicken pan in a sling. Seal the lid.
- Pressure cook. Cook on manual for 20 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally. Do not use a quick release.
- Fluff and serve. Remove the pans, fluff the rice, and serve the saucy chicken over the rice. Garnish with chopped green onions.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Coat evenly. Make sure every piece of chicken is fully covered in cornstarch for the crispiest edges.
- Do not skip the saute. Crisping the chicken first is what gives it that takeout texture.
- Use a natural release. A quick release can make the rice gummy, so let the pressure come down on its own.
- Cut chicken uniformly. Even, bite-sized pieces cook at the same rate.
- Pick a sauce you love. Since the sauce is the star, use a brand you really enjoy.
- Garnish for freshness. A sprinkle of green onions or sesame seeds adds color and flavor.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This Instant Pot sweet and sour chicken is a complete meal on its own with the rice, but it is easy to round out into a takeout-style spread. Add a side of steamed broccoli, egg rolls, or a simple cucumber salad.
For a fun takeout night at home, serve it alongside other favorites like our popcorn chicken or sticky Asian lemon chicken. Set out extra sauce for dipping.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat gently in the microwave or a skillet, adding a splash of water to the rice to keep it from drying out.
This dish is also great for meal prep. Portion the chicken and rice into individual containers for grab-and-go lunches through the week, and keep a little extra sweet and sour sauce on the side to drizzle over right before reheating so every bite stays glossy and flavorful.
Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken FAQs
Steamer or stacking pans let the rice and chicken cook together for a true one-pot meal, but they are not required. You can cook the cornstarch-coated chicken in the sauce right in the pot using the pot-in-pot method for the rice, or simply make the rice separately on the stove or in a rice cooker while the chicken pressure cooks. The flavor is the same either way.
Crispiness comes from sauteing the cornstarch-coated chicken before pressure cooking. Make sure the butter is hot and do not crowd the pot so the edges can brown.
For the best texture and even coating, thaw the chicken first. Frozen chicken will not crisp up properly and releases extra water.
Long-grain white rice works great in the second steamer pan. If you use brown or jasmine rice, adjust the water and cook time accordingly.
A natural release lets the rice finish steaming gently and keeps the chicken tender. A quick release can leave the rice undercooked or gummy.
Yes. Pineapple chunks, bell peppers, and onions are the classic sweet and sour additions. Add them to the chicken pan along with the sauce so they soften and soak up flavor as everything cooks. For crisp-tender veggies, stir them in after pressure cooking and let the residual heat warm them through.
Want more easy chicken dinners? Try our honey garlic chicken next.
Serve our Asian slaw alongside this for an easy dinner.
You will also love our creamy chicken broccoli pasta.
Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts boneless, skinless, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 bottle sweet and sour sauce
- 1 cup uncooked white rice
Instructions
- Place the diced chicken in a plastic bag, sprinkle the salt and pepper over the chicken. Crack the egg in a bowl and lightly whisk, place the milk in bowl with the egg and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the cornstarch, dip the chicken pieces in the egg mixture and then dip it in the cornstarch, coating each piece evenly. Place the coated chicken on a plate and set aside. Repeat until you have coated all of your chicken.
- Press the saute setting on your instant pot and melt 1 tablespoon of butter, add the chicken and saute until the edges are crunchy. Remove the chicken from instant pot and place the steamer pan in. Pour the sweet n sour sauce over the chicken and put the lid on top. In the second steamer pan add the rice, 2 tablespoons of water, and 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan and close lid. Place the rice pan on top of the chicken pan, put both pans in the sling and set aside.
- Wipe out the bottom of the instant pot and add the trivet, 1/4 cup of water, and place the pans in the instant pot. Seal the lid, and set the seal, then turn on manual for 20 minutes and let the instant pot release the steam. Do a natural release, do not do a quick release. After your IP is finished cooking, remove the pans, fluff rice, and serve the chicken and sauce over rice. Chopped green onions optional as a garnish and add flavor.
Notes
- You can use chicken breast or chicken tenders for this recipe as long as you have the amount called for in the recipe itself.
- We use bottled sweet and sour sauce, but if you want to make your own you can use that as well.
- This makes a bunch and storing is easy, look above for my tips on how to store.
- This can be served on more things than rice, you can make it into a wrap or a salad as well, options are limitless.
Nutrition
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