Name: Instant Pot Sesame Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks; 1/4 cup honey; 1/4 cup soy sauce; 1/4 cup hot water; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 2 tablespoon cold water; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds; rice, for serving; sliced green onions, for serving

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Instant Pot Sesame Chicken – your favorite takeout chicken made at home! Chicken cooked in a sweet and savory honey sauce – and it’s ready in less than 30 minutes in the pressure cooker!

Chicken pieces in a sweet honey and soy sauce, topped with sesame seeds, green onions, and crushed red pepper flakes. Served with fried rice on a white plate.

I love making our favorite takeout dishes at home. It’s so much cheaper, so much better for you, and tastes just as delicious!

Sesame chicken has always been my go to takeout order. I just love that sticky sweet sauce and all the sesame seeds on top.

This Instant Pot Sesame Chicken has that sesame chicken sauce I love and it’s so much healthier than the deep fried takeout! Plus, it’s ready in less than 30 minutes!

I also have a Pressure Cooker Orange Chicken recipe if you’re looking for more homemade takeout recipes.

Chunks of chicken in sesame sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds in a pressure cooker

Ingredients

Sesame oil
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Honey
Soy sauce – you can use coconut aminos or tamari if gluten free
Garlic
Crushed red pepper flakes
Cornstarch
toasted sesame seeds
Rice – for serving
Green onions – for serving

Instructions

Brown chicken. Press saute button on pressure cooker and add sesame oil. Once oil is hot, brown chicken. Once chicken is browned, press cancel or stop.
Mix sauce. Stir together honey, soy sauce, hot water, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. Pour into pressure cooker and stir to combine.
Cook sesame chicken. Lock pressure cooker lid and close pressure-release valve. Adjust to high pressure for 5 minutes. When time is up, carefully quick release the pressure and remove lid once pressure is released.
Thicken sauce. Whisk together cornstarch and cold water. Pour into the pressure cooker and press the saute button. Let simmer until thickened, just a couple minutes.
Serve. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve on rice with green onions on top.

Sesame chicken sprinkled with green onions, sesame seeds, and crushed red pepper flakes with fried rice on a white plate

How Long Is Sesame Chicken Good For?

Instant Pot Sesame Chicken will be good in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. I would store the chicken separate from rice or the rice will soak up all the sauce.

Make sure to store it in an airtight container to keep the chicken fresh for as long as possible. These glass containers with airtight lids are my favorites for all our leftovers.

I recommend reheating sesame chicken in the microwave. If the sauce has thickened too much, a splash of water or chicken broth will help to get it back to it’s original consistency.

Chunks of chicken in a sesame sauce on a white plate with fried rice in the background

What To Serve with Sesame Chicken?

I serve this with Trader Joe’s Veggie Fried Rice. Yeah, the one in the frozen section. We love it, it’s 3 bucks, and it goes great with all our favorite takeout fakeout recipes. Homemade fried rice or even plain white rice works just as well!

You could also serve it with Ramen Noodle Salad if you aren’t into rice!

I also like to do a green veggie with it, like Roasted Broccolini.

More Instant Pot Recipes

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Yield: about 4 servings