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Instant Pot chicken and broccoli is an easy chicken stir fry that’s ready in under 20 minutes. Tender chicken and delicious broccoli are cooked with garlic, ginger, and a sweet and spicy sauce that goes well with rice or noodles.
Chinese chicken and broccoli is the perfect easy dinner made with simple ingredients. Healthy instant pot stir fry is made with less oil and less sugar than restaurant varieties, but it’s every bit as tasty. Plus, this easy chicken stir fry is low-carb Family friendly Instant Pot chicken, and broccoli is light, delicious, and perfect for making on a busy day.
If you love chicken and broccoli, try my Baked Chicken and Broccoli Pasta, Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole or Sundried Tomato Chicken and Broccoli.
Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Chicken Recipe
- It saves money. Spend less when you enjoy your favorite take-out foods at home.
- It’s easy. Saute, cook, and make the flavorful sauce in your instant pot in under 20 minutes.
- It’s diet friendly. Chinese chicken and broccoli is low-carb, dairy free, and can be made gluten free but substituting soy sauce with tamari or amino acids.
Chinese Chicken and Broccoli Ingredients
- Chicken Breast: Cut boneless, skinless chicken breast into 1-inch cubes. You can also use chicken tenderloins or boneless chicken thighs.
- Salt and Ground Pepper: To season the chicken.
- Oil: Use your favorite oil to saute the chicken. You can use sesame oil for a nutty flavor commonly found in Asian dishes.
- Aromatics: Minced garlic and grated ginger add aroma and flavor to the stir fry.
- Chicken Broth: broth creates a flavorful sauce. You can substitute vegetable broth or water if desired.
- Soy Sauce: use low sodium soy sauce to control the saltiness. You can also use tamari or amino acids for a gluten free alternative.
- Sriracha: This spicy sauce gives the dish a little bit of heat.
- Brown Sugar: for a touch of sweetness. Substitute honey or eliminate it if desired.
- Cornstarch Slurry: combine cornstarch and water to thicken the sauce.
- Broccoli Florets: use fresh or frozen broccoli that has been cut into florets.
- Garnish: garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
How To Make Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli
- Season and saute the chicken. Season the chicken breast pieces with salt & pepper. Press the “SAUTE” setting in Instant Pot and add oil; once the oil is heated, add the chicken pieces and saute for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the sauce ingredients. Press the “CANCEL” button and add the remaining ingredients; garlic, ginger, chicken broth, soy sauce, sriracha, and brown sugar. Give a quick mix and cover the Instant pot with a lid and place the valve in the “sealing” position.
- Pressure cook the chicken. Set the Instant Pot to “HIGH” for 3 minutes, and once the cycle is complete, “QUICK RELEASE” the valve.
- Thicken the sauce. Carefully open the lid and add brown sugar and sesame oil. Press the “SAUTE” setting and add the cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp water +½ tbsp cornstarch). Cook until the sauce thickens.
- Add the broccoli. Stir in the broccoli florets and cover with the lid. Let it rest for 10 minutes at least.
- Garnish and serve. Add in the sesame seeds and give a quick mix. Garnish the chicken with greens and serve the chicken over rice.
Tips To Make Easy Chicken and Broccoli in the Instant Pot
- Cut chicken into similar-sized pieces for even cooking.
- If using frozen broccoli, thaw it first.
- Add additional vegetables if you like.
- Use sesame oil instead of olive oil for a nutty flavor.
- If you don’t have fresh garlic or ginger, you can use powdered, but fresh is much more flavorful.
- For extra spice, increase the amount of sriracha and add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- If you prefer a less sweet stir fry, you can reduce the amount of sugar or eliminate it. You can also use honey in place of brown sugar.
- If you are short on time, you can skip the step of sauteing the chicken.
- Make a double batch and freeze the leftovers or take them for lunch.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can easily use fresh or frozen broccoli for this recipe. For fresh broccoli, cut the florets into small, even pieces for even cooking. For frozen broccoli, thaw completely and drain well before adding to the recipe.
Yes! The instant pot will cook frozen chicken in the same amount of time as thawed chicken. You will need to skip the step when you saute the chicken, but the rest of the recipe will be the same, but you will do a natural release of pressure instead of a quick release. Be sure to season the sauce to taste since you will not be seasoning the frozen chicken.
Rubbery chicken is usually due to overcooking. To avoid overcooking, follow the recipe times followed by a quick release of pressure as soon as the cooking time has been completed.
Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or a skillet over low heat and serve with reheated rice.
To make this an easy freezer meal, combine all the raw ingredients except chicken broth, cornstarch and water and pour them into a freezer bag. Freeze until later and thaw overnight in the fridge. Give everything a quick saute, add chicken broth, and cook as directed.
To freeze the leftovers, simply add them to freezer bags and reheat them in the microwave. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Chicken and broccoli pairs perfectly with steamed rice, Cauliflower Rice, or Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice. You can also serve with noodles.
More Asian Chicken Recipes
- Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken
- Crispy Honey Sesame Chicken
- Homemade Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Thai Chicken Meatballs
- Chinese Sesame Chicken
- Chinese Honey Garlic Chicken
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Easy Chicken Stir Fry recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!
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Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1-inch size
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, to garnish
- Chopped green onions, to garnish
Instructions
- Season the chicken breast pieces with salt & pepper.
- Press the “SAUTE” setting in Instant Pot and add oil; once the oil is heated, add the chicken pieces and saute for 3-5 minutes.
- Press the “CANCEL” button and add the remaining ingredients; garlic, ginger, chicken broth, soy sauce, sriracha, and brown sugar. Give a quick mix and cover the Instant pot with a lid and place the valve in the “sealing” position.
- Pressure cook the chicken on “HIGH” for 3 minutes, and once the cycle is complete, “QUICK RELEASE” the valve.
- Carefully open the lid and add brown sugar and sesame oil. Press the “SAUTE” setting and add the cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp water +½ tbsp cornstarch). Cook until the sauce thickens.
- Stir in the broccoli florets and cover with the lid. Let it rest for 10 minutes at least.
- Add in the sesame seeds and give a quick mix.
- Garnish the chicken with green onions and serve the chicken over rice.
Notes
- Cut chicken into similar-sized pieces for even cooking.
- If using frozen broccoli, thaw it first.
- Add additional vegetables if you like.
- Use sesame oil instead of olive oil for a nutty flavor.
- If you don’t have fresh garlic or ginger, you can use powdered, but fresh is much more flavorful.
- For extra spice, increase the amount of sriracha and add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- If you prefer a less sweet stir fry, you can reduce the amount of sugar or eliminate it. You can also use honey in place of brown sugar.
- If you are short on time, you can skip the step of sauteing the chicken.
- Make a double batch and freeze the leftovers or take them for lunch.
Can this be done in a skillet? I don’t have an instant pot. If so, do I need to make any changes to amounts of the ingredients etc?
You can yes, the cooking time may vary.