Instant Pot Sesame Chicken

I need to backtrack a little and explain my silence for this week. As part of my fertility assistance I take a prescription of progesterone for the last ten (10) days of each of my cycles. This is the second month since I started taking it. I have a side effect from it that makes me incredibly nauseous for most of those ten days and zaps my energy as I try to ignore said nausea and continue about my business. As a result, I don't always have the energy to make much of a dinner let alone do a write up about it after. I am making up for it today as I currently have good energy and motivation to get things done. ^^

This last Tuesday I made Instant Pot Sesame Chicken from julieharringtonrd.com. It was a very easy recipe and is great for beginners of the instant pot! The only adjustment that really needs to be made is to use gluten free soy sauce. Since it is such an easy adjustment to make, I will only put the recipe down once and put opinions below it.

The recipe
Instant Pot Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sesame oil, divided
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss chicken to evenly and lightly coat.
2. Preheat the Instant Pot and set to “saute”. Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and saute for 3-4 minutes, to brown.
3. Stir in soy sauce, ketchup, and red pepper flakes, if using. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and seal the valve. Set to manual and 3 minutes cook time.
4. When done, use the quick pressure release. When most of the steam is released, remove the lid. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and honey. Stir to combine.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and water to make a slurry.
6. Set Instant Pot back to saute, stir in the slurry and continue to stir as the sauce thickens to desired consistency, about 2 minutes.
7. Top with sesame seeds.
8. Serve over rice and steam broccoli.

My Opinion

When I made this I wanted to put in the bit of kick that the red pepper flakes would have, but I did not have that ingredient so instead I put in a pinch of Cayenne pepper. I found it absolutely delicious! The right amount of kick and no bad aftertaste. This is definitely a new favorite of mine! I also got myself a large container of gluten free soy sauce and teriyaki sauce. I wasn't able to find the large bottles at my local store so I got them from amazon and linked them for you above. For me, it is completely worth it. I love those flavors too much to give them up.

My Husband's Opinion

My hubby also loved this dish. He compared it to the version that was at Panda Express for a limited time saying that it wasn't as sweet as what was at Panda's, but that he did like the difference. He wants me to make it again soon. ^^

Final Verdict

With everything this dish has going for it, it's hard not to love it! It's easy to prepare. With clear instructions and few ingredients, it could be made on the fly if you needed something in a hurry. The only thing I would really like to point out is that for my husband and I, this recipe makes the perfect amount for just the two of us. If you have a larger family, I would recommend at least doubling the recipe. All in all though, this is my first 5 out of 5 Stars. It more than earned it!

What it looks like in the instant pot before serving

A delicious bowl of food to enjoy at home.