Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli a favorite Chinese stir fry that is so easy to make in the pressure cooker. Takes less than 30 minutes to cook at home.
Have you been craving your favorite Chinese take out food? If you love tender chicken cooked in a slightly sweet with a just a hint of spiciness sauce with crunchy broccoli you will love this recipe. Especially when you see how easy it is to make at home.
Chinese stir-fry recipes like this chicken and broccoli recipe are one of the easiest pressure cooker chicken recipes you can make.
Chicken and Broccoli is a very easy meal to make as it is in a skillet or stir fry pan.
But, if you make it on the stove in a stir fry pan you will have to stand at the stove watching it as you stir fry the ingredients.
If dinner time is a crazy time at your house then standing at the stove while you cook might be impossible with the kids running around. Dinner time can be a bit stressful.
Making Chicken and Broccoli in the pressure cooker is the solution.
You can enjoy a delicious Chinese meal and not have to stand over the pan as you are stir frying the ingredients.
Just toss all of the ingredients except for the broccoli and thickener into the pressure cooker, push the button and dinner will be ready in a flash.
Chicken and Broccoli is served over cooked white rice. If you are making long grain white rice you should start it 30 minutes before starting this recipe. The chicken and broccoli cooks so fast it will be done before the rice if you don't start it ahead of time.
If you are cooking instant rice that won't be a problem.
Ingredients
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 ½ to 2 lbs. boneless chicken
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
- 1 heaping tablespoon of minced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ cups low sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon cool water
- 2 cups of blanched broccoli florets
- 2 cups cooked long grain white rice
- green onion, optional
- sesame seeds, optional
Recipe Prep
- Perfectly cooked white rice: Begin cooking the long grain white rice 30 minutes before beginning this recipe. Follow the directions on the package or check out how I cook perfect white rice every time.
- Cutting the chicken: Cut the boneless chicken into 1 to 2 inch cubes or strips.
- Prep the fresh broccoli: Trim the thick stalk from the fresh broccoli. Cut the florets off of each head. Place in a colander and rinse under cold water. Blanch the broccoli for 3 minutes in boiling water. (See detailed instructions on blanching fresh broccoli below)
- Dicing and mincing: dice the onion, mince the garlic and fresh ginger.
- Mix the cornstarch with cold water in a small bowl.
How to blanch fresh broccoli
- Trim the thick stems from the broccoli head. Cut the florets off. If they are large bunches of florets cut them into bite size pieces. Place the broccoli in a colander and rinse under cold water. Place the colander in the sink to drain.
- Fill a large bowl with cold water and add a couple of cups of ice to the bowl to make an ice bath. Set the bowl aside but keep nearby the stove.
- Fill a large pot ½ to ¾ full of water. Place the pot on a burner and bring to a boil. Add one cup of raw broccoli florets to the pot of boiling water. Let the broccoli boil for 2 or 3 minutes. Immediately scoop the blanched broccoli from the pot with a slotted spoon and drop into the bowl of cold ice water.
- Repeat with all of the broccoli one cup at a time. Replenish the ice if needed.
- If the water stops boiling after you have added the broccoli to the pot you have put too much broccoli in the pot at once. The broccoli will begin to cook in the hot water while it comes back up to a boil. While it is still edible we just want to slightly cook (blanch) the broccoli so it is a bright green color and still crisp and firm for this recipe.
Tips for cooking broccoli in a pressure cooker
Cooking broccoli for recipes like chicken and broccoli that are cooked in a pressure cooker can be a bit tricky.
Odds are good you will end up with overcooked broccoli if you are not careful. Once overcooked there is no saving the broccoli.
To prevent the broccoli from overcooking in this chicken and broccoli recipe I added blanched broccoli to the Instant Pot after the chicken was done pressure cooking.
The heat from the hot sauce as it is sautéed to thicken is enough to cook the blanched broccoli so it is tender but still crisp.
Directions
- In a small bowl mix the cornstarch with the cold water until the lumps dissolve. Set the bowl nearby.
- Place the brown sugar and soy sauce into the Instant Pot aluminum pot. Stir to dissolve the brown sugar.
- Add the boneless chicken pieces to the pot.
- Next add the diced onion, minced garlic, minced fresh ginger, sesame seed oil, and the dried red pepper flakes.
- Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and lock it into place. Check the valve and make sure it is in the sealing position.
- Turn the pressure cooker on. Press the manual button and set the pressure cooking time to 4 minutes.
- After the appliance beeps letting you know it has finished pressure cooking the chicken press the cancel button to turn it off.
- Immediately use a wooden spoon to carefully quick release the steam as soon as the pressure cooking has finished. Carefully remove the lid away from your face so the steam escapes away from your body.
- Put the blanched broccoli florets in the Instant Pot and toss with a wooden spoon.
- Add the corn starch slurry and toss again.
- Press the sauté button. As the pot starts to heat up and simmer stir until the sauce until thickened and the broccoli has been heated through.
- Serve immediately over cooked rice. Garnish with sliced green onion and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
- Makes 4 servings.
How to serve Chicken and Broccoli with rice
To serve chicken and broccoli with you rice have two options.
One you can fill a bowl with tender cooked white rice and spoon the chicken and broccoli over the bed of rice.
Or you can do what I did and serve it over a mound of white rice.
To do this fill a small bowl with rice. The bowl I used held about one cup of rice.
- Use a spoon to pack the cooked rice into the bowl. Turn the bowl of rice over on to a plate and tap the bottom of the bowl until the rice is released.
- Spoon the chicken and broccoli over the mound of rice and serve.
- Sprinkle the top with some sliced green onion and sesame seeds for a pretty presentation.
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Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain white rice and water to cook it.
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 ½ to 2 lbs. boneless chicken
- 1 small small onion (diced)
- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger ((heaping tablespoon))
- 2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ cups low sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon cool water
- 2 cups of blanched broccoli florets
- 2 cups cooked long grain white rice
- 1 medium green onion (optional)
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix the cornstarch with the cold water until the lumps dissolve. Set the bowl nearby.
- Place the brown sugar and soy sauce into the Instant Pot aluminum pot. Stir to dissolve the brown sugar.
- Add the boneless chicken pieces, diced onion, minced garlic, minced fresh ginger, sesame seed oil, and the dried red pepper flakes to the pot.
- Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and lock it into place. Check the valve and make sure it is in the sealing position.
- Turn the pressure cooker on. Press the manual button and set the pressure cooking time to 4 minutes.
- After the appliance beeps letting you know it has finished pressure cooking the chicken press the cancel button to turn it off.
- Immediately use a wooden spoon to carefully quick release the steam as soon as the pressure cooking has finished. Carefully remove the lid away from your face so the steam escapes away from your body.
- Put the blanched broccoli florets in the Instant Pot and toss with a wooden spoon.
- Add the corn starch slurry and toss again.
- Press the sauté button. As the pot starts to heat up and simmer stir until the sauce until thickened and the broccoli has been heated through.
- Serve immediately over cooked rice. Garnish with sliced green onion and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
- Makes 4 servings.
Video
Recipe Expert Tips
- Trim the thick stems from the broccoli head. Cut the florets off. If they are large bunches of florets cut them into bite size pieces. Place the broccoli in a colander and rinse under cold water. Place the colander in the sink to drain.
- Fill a large bowl with cold water and add a couple of cups of ice to the bowl to make an ice bath. Set the bowl aside but keep nearby the stove.
- Fill a large pot ½ to ¾ full of water. Place the pot on a burner and bring to a boil. Add one cup of raw broccoli florets to the pot of boiling water. Let the broccoli boil for 2 or 3 minutes. Immediately scoop the blanched broccoli from the pot with a slotted spoon and drop into the bowl of cold ice water.
- Repeat with all of the broccoli one cup at a time. Replenish the ice if needed.
- If the water stops boiling after you have added the broccoli to the pot you have put too much broccoli in the pot at once. The broccoli will begin to cook in the hot water while it comes back up to a boil. While it is still edible we just want to slightly cook (blanch) the broccoli so it is a bright green color and still crisp and firm for this recipe.
Marilyn
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