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Pressure Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken is the perfect easy dinner recipe for the entire family. Use your Instant Pot or Crock Pot to make this easy family friendly dinner recipe – it’s SO good.
Recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken
I am super excited to share this recipe with you all today because it’s one I grew up eating. My mom made sweet and sour pork often when I was a kid and I always looked forward to that meal. Sweet and sour anything was my favorite Chinese food because of the sweetness and the yummy sauce. I wasn’t one for spicy back then, so I needed a bit of sweetness to get me on board.
When I thought about making sweet and sour chicken, I had to ask my mom for her recipe. Back in the 80s when my mom would make this recipe, she’d spend time cutting the meat into small pieces and dredge it in cornstarch and fry it before adding it to the sauce. I love fried food, but I do not love frying. It takes time and is messy, plus it adds extra calories we don’t need. I took her recipe and skipped the frying step: instead of fried cubes of pork I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Once they’re cooked they shred up easily and the shredded chicken in sweet and sour sauce is the perfect easy weeknight meal.
Why you’ll love this recipe
This might not be a traditional crispy sweet and sour chicken but it’s just as flavorful!
It’s done in the instant pot so it doesn’t take long to make. Plus you can also make it in the crockpot!
Picky eaters will love this because of the sweetness – I know I did!
Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Chicken
I love my instant pot – as you all know. I’ve used several different kinds of pressure cookers and you can make this in any brand. Making instant pot chicken is easy, fast and so good. I love making shredded chicken on Sundays and eating it all week or using it to make a fast dinner, like this sweet and sour chicken. I prefer to make sweet and sour chicken without pineapple, but you could add some if you like. (I prefer using pineapple juice instead of chunks of pineapple.)
- Chicken Broth: Use your favorite, I love low-sodium
- Soy Sauce: I always use low sodium
- Pineapple Juice: Adds some sweetness!
- Ketchup: Weird, but this is what my mom always used!
- Honey: Adds the little sweetness. You can also use agave.
- Onion and Green Bell Pepper: We always had it served with chunks of vegetables.
How do you pressure cook sweet and sour chicken?
- To make the sauce, you whisk all the ingredients together.
- Pour it over the chicken breasts in the instant pot. Pressure cook it for 10 minutes then do a natural release for 10 minutes and the chicken is done perfectly.
- Then remove the chicken to rest and shred it. I shredded my sweet and sour chicken but you could simply slice it as well.
- Finish the sauce on the brown/sauté function.
- All you have to do is add some green bell pepper and onion and cornstarch to thicken it. You can even add chunks of pineapple if you want!
- Then add the chicken back into the pot and combine with sauce.
- Serve it over rice and you have a complete meal.
Expert Tips
- Make sure you use at least one cup of liquid for the pressure to work.
- When you’re first starting out, read the directions and make something simple, like this shredded sweet and sour chicken recipe.
- I use natural release for 10 minutes when I make this recipe. Natural release is when you wait to open the valve for a certain amount of time vs just opening it as soon as the cooking is done. Every recipe is different, so be sure to refer to the instructions before choosing one or the other.
Crockpot Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Place chicken stock, pineapple juice, ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and pepper in your crock pot. Whisk to combine. Add chicken breasts. Cover and cook on high power for 3-4 hours. Check the internal temperature of the chicken after 2 hours (done is 165°F).
- Remove from crock pot when it’s done, cover and rest. Make a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water and stir it into the liquid in the crock pot. Cover and let cook on high for 15 minutes or so, until the mixture thickens.
- Add the chicken back to the crockpot and stir to coat. Serve hot with rice.
FAQ about making pressure cooker chicken recipes
No but make sure you use at least 1 cup of liquid.
Yes you can add the breasts frozen. Make sure they aren’t stuck together.
It will take 11-15 minutes for the frozen chicken to cook, depending on the size of your breast.
We serve this with rice or salad, you could also use cauliflower rice!
Store in the refrigerator for no longer than 3 days. It can be frozen in an airtight container.
Pressure Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup (118ml) chicken stock
- 6 ounces (177ml) pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) ketchup
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) soy sauce
- 1 tablespoons (15ml) rice vinegar
- ¼ cup (59ml) honey
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon (8g) cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) cold water
- 1 green bell pepper cut in squares
- ½ small yellow onion cut into wedges
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the pressure cooker insert.
- Whisk together chicken stock, pineapple juice, ketchup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and pepper. Pour over the chicken.
- Place the lid on the pressure and slide it into the lock position. Set the pressure to high and cook time to 10 minutes.
- Once the time has elapsed and the machine beeps to signal the end of cooking time, allow a natural release for 10 minutes, then use a kitchen utensil to open the valve to release any remaining steam. Careful, steam will be hot. Remove the chicken to rest.
- Meanwhile, turn the pressure to Saute and add the chopped pepper and onion. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, shred or chop the chicken.
- Stir together the cornstarch and cold water, then add to the sauce. Stir and cook until it thickens. Add the chicken back into the sauce and cook for a few seconds to combine the flavors. Turn off the pressure cooker.
- Serve the shredded sweet & sour chicken over rice. Serve hot and store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Recipe Notes
To make crockpot sweet and sour chicken:
Place chicken stock, pineapple juice, ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and pepper in your crock pot. Whisk to combine. Add chicken breasts. Cover and cook on high power for 3-4 hours. Check the internal temperature of the chicken after 2 hours (done is 165°F). Remove from crock pot when it’s done, cover and rest. Make a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water and stir it into the liquid in the crock pot. Cover and let cook on high for 15 minutes or so, until the mixture thickens. Add the chicken back to the crockpot and stir to coat. Serve hot with rice.Recipe Nutrition
Other Chicken Favorites
Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken is a super easy pressure cooker chicken recipe – the perfect 30 minute meal or weeknight dinner!
The recipe was perfect. I substituted chicken tenders for chicken breasts and cooked them at high pressure for four minutes with a 10 minute natural release. I added pineapple chunks with chicken at the end.
Is there a way to adjust the sodium content? My mother is on a low-sodium diet.
Susan,
Use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and you could probably sub tomato paste and extra honey for the ketchup.
This was a great recipe! Made this as my first full meal in my pressure cooker, and it did not disappoint. Chicken was tender but still solid, not shredded, which I was really happy about. Whole family said it’s a make again. Thanks!
Does it matter if you use frozen chicken vs. Thawed?
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