Super easy dump and start Instant Pot chicken and broccoli dinner made in 20 minutes from start to finish! This family-friendly recipe is loved by adults and children alike, the flavors turn out just incredible!
This recipe was requested by many of my blog readers in the past few months. So many of you tried my Instant Pot beef and broccoli, and my Instant Pot shrimp and broccoli and LOVED the flavors! So here’s my version of the chicken and broccoli recipe.
This makes an easy and quick dinner using very simple ingredients.
- Garlic and ginger.
- Brown sugar, granulated sugar, or honey.
- Sesame oil (or toasted sesame oil) and low sodium soy sauce.
- Corn starch to thicken the sauce.
- Sesame seeds for garnish.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli?
- To the Instant Pot, add the chicken, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Give it a quick mix.
- Cover with the lid, and make sure that the Instant Pot vent is in a sealing position.
- Press on “manual” or “pressure cook” on high, and set on 3 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to build up the pressure, and then cook for 3 minutes. Once it beeps, it means that the cooking is finished. Quickly release the steam, and carefully open the lid.
- To thicken the sauce, add the slurry (corn starch mixed with water in equal amounts). Saute for 1-2 minutes and mix. You might need a little bit more slurry than the amount indicated in the recipe card but start with just 1 tablespoon of corn starch and 1 tablespoon of water then decide if you need to add more or not. The sauce will become thick and glossy.
- Switch off the Instant Pot, and mix in either raw or steamed broccoli (find out how to steam broccoli in 0 minutes in the Instant Pot here). I usually use raw, then cover with the lid to let the broccoli “steam” for a couple of minutes before serving.
- Serve over Instant Pot rice, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Freezer Meals
You can make freezer meals by either mixing the ingredients raw without the soy sauce or water and freeze. Or freeze cooked meals preportioned in freezer bags or containers for up to 3 months.
Recipe Video
I created a step by step video to show you exactly how I cooked this chicken and broccoli in my Instant Pot, so make sure to check it out.
More Great Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot shrimp and broccoli
- Instant Pot hibachi steak
- Instant Pot chicken wings
- Instant Pot burrito bowl
- Instant Pot fajita rice
- Instant Pot steak fajitas
- Instant Pot chicken fajitas
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 Chicken and Broccoli
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 pound (900 g) chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 pound (450 g) broccoli steamed
For the sauce
- ¼ cup (60 ml) low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¾ cup (180 ml) water or beef stock
For the slurry and garnish
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch for the slurry (add 1 tbsp of water and mix it with the corn starch before adding to the sauce) – you might need more if your sauce isn't thick enough.
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- To the Instant Pot, add the chicken, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Give it a quick mix.
- Cover with the lid, and make sure that the Instant Pot vent is in sealing position.
- Press on "manual" or "pressure cook", set on high pressure, and cook for 3 minutes. Let the Instant Pot come to pressure, then it will stop cooking and will beep. Quickly release the steam and carefully open the lid.
To thicken the sauce:
- Press on "saute" setting, and add the slurry to the pot. Mix it with the sauce, and the sauce will be thickened. If it's not thick enough, then add one more tbsp of cornstarch with water mixed together before adding to the pot.
- Stir in the broccoli and cover with the lid to let it "steam" for a couple of minutes. Serve over rice, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Notes:
- We made a small quantity for this post, but you can easily double or triple the amount of the ingredients. The cooking time remains the same.
- Initially, the recipe called for half a cup of low-sodium soy sauce, but we decided to change this to just a fourth cup after we received feedback that the sauce turned out too salty.
- For more flavor, add 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce and 1 teaspoon of hoisin sauce to the pot before pressure cooking.
- You can substitute the fresh ginger with ¼ teaspoon of dried ground ginger if that’s what you have on hand.
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
Erin says
excellent, easy, tasty recipe
Melissa says
I just made this and it was quick and easy and tasty (with addition at the end of some chili garlic sauce to suit our taste for spicier food). I steamed the broccoli for a few minutes before adding and it stayed a little crunchy, even after being on the “keep warm” setting for 15 minutes. I still have it in the IP warming so we’ll see if it cooks a bit more. Either way this is very easy and perfect if you have leftover rice (or even if you don’t).
Russell says
The Metric/Cups calculator on this site does not work. Not even close to equivalent conversations and most of the ingredients don’t get converted.
Recipe overall was pretty good. Recommend adding 1-2 tsp of red pepper flakes to the sauce and double the brown sugar.
Mikki says
Very tasty. Based on other reviews and my kid’s taste buds, I seasoned the chicken w/a roasted garlic seasoning before adding it to the pot. I doubled the recipe, but used chicken thighs bc it is what I had on hand. I followed the remaining instructions as written. My 10 year old who doesn’t like veggies, devoured his meal – this says a lot! Thanks for sharing your recipe. I look fwd to making this again!
Diana says
Thank you for sharing that with me, Mikki! So glad you enjoyed it!
Donna says
Looks yummy