Instant Pot Chinese Honey Sesame Chicken

Get excited folks, because this famous Chinese dish is getting the Instant Pot treatment! Yeap, this delicious Instant Pot Sesame Chicken recipe is easily made in your pressure cooker waaaaaay faster than it takes you to order it, run to the local restaurant to pick it up, and get back home.

Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken is a fave around my house. It’s got the perfect balance of sweetness from the honey and nutty flavoring and aromatics from the sesame oil and seeds.

I loooooove to cook up a batch for an easy weeknight dinner, then serve up the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Why You’ll ♡ It

• You know exactly what goes into this dish
• Faster to make at home than order and pick up at a restaurant
• Freezer friendly meal #mealprepmaster

What is Chinese Sesame Chicken?

Sesame Chicken, also known as Chinese Sesame Seed Chicken is a tasty, full of flavor dish. It’s usually made with deboned chicken thighs but can be made with chicken breast.

Typically, you batter and deep fry the chicken and then toss it with a sweet, thick sauce. And then it’s garnished with sesame seeds.

Tools You Need 

• An awesome Instant Pot.
• A sharp knife.
• A cutting board.
• Measuring cups and measuring teaspoons.
• Handy mixing bowls.
• The best ever sea salt flakes
• Meal prep glass containers for storing your food.

Soooo, let’s gather up these ingredients and I will show you just how quick you can make one of the best Instant Pot Chinese Recipes…..

How to Make Instant Pot Sesame Chicken 

1. Add the chicken through to the minced ginger from the ingredients list into the Instant Pot insert.
2. Mix everything, close lid, seal, pressure cook on high pressure/manual for 4 mins.
3. When done perform a Quick Pressure Release and open lid. 
4. Remove the chicken and leave the sauce behind (or you can leave chicken in).
5. Select the Sauté mode.
6. Make the cornstarch slurry by combining the cornstarch and water in a mixing bowl until smooth.
7. Add mixture to the Instant Pot and combine. Cook, making sure to mix regularly until the sauce thickens, anywhere from about 5-7 mins (or done to your preference).
8. Switch the Instant Pot off, add chicken back in, let stand for a few mins then serve over rice topped with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. 

How to Make Slow Cooker Chinese Sesame Chicken

1. Start by browning your chicken in the slow cooker. 
2. Next, add the low sodium Tamari soy sauce through to the minced garlic from the ingredients list into the slow cooker. Mix everything.
3. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hrs. 
4. Make the cornstarch slurry, mix it in, and cook for another 30 mins or until done. 

Recipe Tips

• Usually for this recipe, you’d coat the chicken in flour and fry it, but I’ve changed this up a bit to avoid getting a burn notice. 
• It’s better to remove the chicken when thickening the sauce so that it does not overcook the chicken. But if you prefer, you can leave it in and keep an eye on the chicken so it does not overcook.
• Don’t use flour – stick with cornstarch. 

• For a thicker sauce, add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch and water.
• You can make this a Dump and Start recipe by not thickening the sauce. But I think it tastes best thickened. 
• Cooking time listed does not include time for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure, or for the pressure to release.

Recipe Variations

• Chicken thighs work best as they stay nice and moist. But you can use chicken breast instead.
• Sweetener options: maple syrup or brown sugar
• You can use garlic powder or ginger powder if you don’t have fresh garlic or ginger. 

FAQs

What Kind Of Chicken To Use for Sesame Chicken Instant Pot Recipe?

Usually this recipe calls for deboned chicken thighs as they are wonderful for keeping their juices when cooking in the Instant Pot. But you can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts with this recipe. 

They may cook faster in the Pressure Cooker, so keep an eye on the chicken and check doneness with a meat thermometer. Just make sure to cut the chicken into 1-2 inch bite size pieces like you would with the chicken thighs. 

How To Keep Chicken Juicy 

Use the right kind of pressure release. And make sure to remove chicken before sautéing and thickening the sauce.  This is especially important if you are making this for the freezer to reheat later.

What’s The Difference Between General Tso Chicken And Sesame Chicken?

General Tso’s Chicken is usually sweet, a bit spicier than Chinese Sesame Chicken and is generally served with a red colored sauce with carrots and broccoli.

Sesame Chicken is usually salty and has a touch of sweetness and is tossed in brown colored sauce and garnished with sesame seeds . 

What Kind Of Pressure Release Do You Use?

You may see some Instant Pot Sesame Chicken recipes that use a natural pressure release. But with this recipe, I recommend using a Quick Pressure Release. Using a natural release will take too long and dry out the chicken. 

Meal Prep And Prep Ahead

Prep ahead – This delicious dish can be cooked up to a few days in advance and reheated. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Double the recipe – Make double the recipe and freeze for some other time or save for another day and serve the sauce over other chicken you have. A quick weeknight supper solution!

Freeze – Follow the handy tips below on how to freeze this.

• Let cool down then transfer into these very handy Ziploc freezer bags.
• Squeeze out all the extra air and seal the bags.
• Label the bags and then lay them flat in the freezer.
• Store in the freezer for 3 months.
• When you are ready to use place in the fridge to thaw for a few hours or overnight.

Meal Prep – Feel free to make some extra batches of this and freeze it for future use. If you’re prepping to use this week, store in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 3 days.

Serving Suggestions

• Instant Pot Rice.
• Garlic Butter Sesame Instant Pot Green Beans.
• Perfect Instant Pot Broccoli.

More Instant Pot Asian Recipes

• Instant Pot Butter Chicken.
• Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli.
• Easy Instant Pot Ramen.
• Instant Pot Hibachi Fried Rice.

Weight Watchers Points 

There are 8 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving.

Thank you for reading my Instant Pot Chinese Sesame Chicken recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

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