Dump and start Instant Pot sesame chicken cooked in a rich honey soy sauce. This Chinese classic is made so easy in the Instant Pot, perfect for a busy mid-week dinner and definitely much better than a take-out!
Here’s another family favorite, honey sesame chicken made in the Instant Pot! A bit similar to my favorite Instant Pot brown sugar chicken recipe, and my firecracker chicken (this recipe is AMAZING by the way, make sure to check it out!). It’s definitely one of the recipes that go in our monthly rotation, and we usually serve it with plain white rice.
The Instant Pot version is so quick and easy! The chicken is cooked in just 3 minutes on high, and the sauce turns out so thick, rich, and delicious!
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What Is Sesame Chicken?
Sesame chicken is a dish that is usually found in Chinese restaurants in America. It’s a take-out meal that we used to get all the time before I realized how easy is it to make at home.
The sauce is mainly made with honey and soy sauce, so the chicken turns out sweet and just a little bit spicy. The sauce is made thick and rich so it glazes the chicken nicely.
Traditionally, the chicken breast is cut into bite-sized pieces then battered, deep-fried, then it’s tossed in the sticky sauce. But this Instant Pot version is a dump and start recipe, no deep frying or sauteing is needed, and it turns out as good as your favorite take-out!
For the sauce, you will need soy sauce (I recommend using a low-sodium soy sauce as otherwise, it can be too salty), ketchup, hot sauce or sriracha, garlic, ginger, honey, and sesame oil. Some of these ingredients go in the pot before pressure cooking, and the rest are added at the end.
Tip!
To thicken the sauce, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoons of water, then add them to the sauce to thicken it while the Instant Pot is set on the SAUTE setting.
How to Make Instant Pot Sesame Chicken
- Add the chicken to the Instant Pot, followed by soy sauce, garlic, ginger, ketchup, hot sauce or sriracha. and give the ingredients a quick stir.
- Cover the pot with the lid, and make sure that the valve is in a sealing position. press on MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK (this depends on which Instant Pot do you have), and cook on high for 3 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to come to pressure, and count down to 0. When it beeps, quickly release the steam by turning the vent to the RELEASE position and make sure that it’s not close to your face as the steam will be really hot!
- Carefully remove the lid, and press on SAUTE. Add the honey, and sesame oil, and make the cornstarch slurry. At this point, you can taste the sauce and see if you need to add salt (I usually don’t).
- To make the slurry, combine 1 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1tablespoons of water. Add it to the sauce, and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until the sauce thickens. Switch off the saute setting (I remove the stainless steel insert from the pot at this stage so it does not continue to cook).
- If needed, add another tablespoon of cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce more.
- Garnish with sesame seeds, and spring onions or scallions. Serve over plain white rice that you can easily make in the Instant Pot.
Thickening the Sauce
I always use cornstarch slurry and add it at the end. However, If you have no cornstarch available, you can use arrowroot powder.
More Asian-Inspired Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot hibachi steak
- Instant Pot hibachi chicken
- Instant Pot shrimp and broccoli
- Instant Pot beef and broccoli
- Instant Pot fried rice
- Or check out my Instant Pot recipe collection!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Instant Pot sesame chicken
Recipe Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts boneless and skinless, cut into bite-size or 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger peeled and grated
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce or sriracha
- ¼ cup honey or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds to garnish
- chopped green onion to garnish
Instructions
- Add the chicken to the Instant Pot, followed by soy sauce, garlic, ginger, ketchup, and hot sauce or sriracha. Give everything a quick stir.
- Cover the pot with the lid, and make sure that the valve is in sealing position. Press on MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK (this depends on which Instant Pot do you have), and cook on high for 3 minutes.
- Allow the Instant Pot to come to pressure, and count down to when it beeps, quickly release the steam by turning the vent to RELEASE position and make sure that it's not close to your face as the steam will be really hot.
- Carefully remove the lid, and press on the SAUTE setting. Add the honey (or brown sugar), sesame oil, and make the cornstarch slurry.
- To make the slurry, combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water. Add it to the sauce, and stir with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens. Switch off the saute setting.
- If needed, add another tablespoon of cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce more.
- Serve over rice, and garnish with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Notes:
- It’s important to use low-sodium soy sauce in this recipe, as otherwise, your sauce might be too salty. If you only have regular soy sauce, use ¼ cup of soy sauce or tamari, and ¼ cup of water.
- Nutrition values are calculated per 1 portion of sesame chicken without rice (rough estimate). If you’re following a specific diet or have a health condition, please make your own calculations and don’t rely on our data.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Kayla says
How long do you sauté it for?
Diana says
1-2 minutes, or until the sauce is brought to a boil for the cornstarch to be activated and the sauce is thickened.
Katherine Aucoin says
I made a few adjustments. I like my chicken seasoned, so salt, pepper and garlic powder is what I used. Also, I’ve learned to not cook any kind of meat in the Instant Pot without browning it first. Adding 1/4 teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice really gives this an authentic Asian flavor. The cornstarch to water is off, no problem to correct. These adjustments made for a wonderful meal.
Rena says
This saved the night! I was late starting dinner so grabbed the Instant Pot and googled fast meals. this delicious recipe popped up and is so delicious. Rice and veggies rounded out the meal. Thank you!
MK says
The hubby, I, and one kid loved it, and one kid was meh about it, but this is a super easy and great meal to throw together. Served with brown rice and broccoli thrown into the sauce – this is a super ‘in the pinch’ meal.
Kristin says
2tbsp cornstarch and 1tbsp water can’t be right? I ended up with a clump of cornstarch… which my husband ate 😬 any tips for next time? (Bc even despite the cornstarch ball, we’ll be making this again.)
Diana says
I’m not sure what went wrong, but I normally start by adding just 1 tbsp of corn starch mixed with water, and then if the sauce is not thick enough I add a second tbsp. But I’m glad you still made it work and will be making it again.
Kim Garcia says
Count down to 0? After it comes to pressure? So it only cooks 3 minutes?
Diana says
A bit longer as it takes more than just 3 minutes to come to pressure.
Lilah says
I mix the cornstarch with hot water to make sure it mixes well together without clumps then I pour it into the pressure cooker.