Instant Pot Spicy Sweet and Sour Chicken

Instant Pot Spicy Sweet and Sour Chicken - made October 30, 2019 from Aunt Bee's Recipes

Last week the temps dipped to the teens. And, somewhat oddly, when I checked my weather app when I woke up one morning, it showed 17 degrees as the current temp then promised to drop another 2 degrees at sunrise which was in an hour. Erk. Normally I try to go for a walk in the morning. Yeah, didn't go that morning but waited for the afternoon.

However, cold weather did give me an excuse to break out my Instant Pot. I hadn't used it in awhile since my recipe ADD led me down other cooking paths. But it was just as easy to use as ever.

What made it easier is the directions are for using frozen chicken breasts so you don't even have to plan ahead. Other than shopping for the ingredients. But if you already have chicken breasts lurking in the freezer, haul them out and drop them into the Instant Pot. Then add the rest of the ingredients and walk away for 40 minutes.Voila, dinner.

As the title says, this is a bit spicy. At least for me. However, not set-your-mouth-and-hair-on-fire spicy but just a nice heat, thanks to the red pepper flakes. If you want it more bland, omit the red pepper. But I have pretty bland taste buds and if I don't find it too spicy, it likely won't be too spicy for a normal person.

Overall, I liked the flavor of this dish. As in, it actually had flavor, which isn't something I can always claim when I cook. But this made me feel like I'm getting better at cooking. Even if "cooking" just meant throwing ingredients in the Instant Pot and letting it do its thing. If you're busy and tired from a long day at work, this is a perfect dish to make since it requires such little effort and is pretty tasty too. The nice thing about using the Instant Pot is, even starting with frozen chicken breasts, the chicken came out tender and moist. Smothered in sauce and paired with rice, it makes for a great, easy-to-make dinner.

2 1/2 pounds frozen boneless chicken breasts
1 medium onion, quartered and sliced
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
sesame seeds and green onion for garnish

1. Place chicken in Instant Pot along with sliced onion.
2. Stir together vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, lemon or lime juice, sesame oil, black pepper, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes.
3. Pour mixture over the chicken and onion. Place lid on Instant Pot, with pressure release valve set to closed.
4. Press Manual and set time for 40 minutes. Allow to complete cycle and pressure release naturally. Remove lid and turn Instant Pot off. Remove chicken from the sauce.
5. Combine cornstarch and water and stir into sauce to thicken. Turn Instant Pot to saute and stir until sauce is thickened. Brush over chicken and broil in oven for 1-2 minutes. Pour remaining sauce over chicken.