This Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Pineapple Chicken is a one-pot rice dish with an easy five-ingredient sauce made using pantry staples.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Chicken breasts – boneless skinless chicken thighs would also work if you prefer dark meat.
- Diced pineapple – you can use either fresh or canned pineapple. If you’re using canned, make sure it doesn’t have any extra sugar.
- Rice vinegar – apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar would also work.
- Brown sugar – coconut sugar, white sugar, honey or maple syrup would all be good substitutes here.
- Ketchup – you can also try using tomato paste but it won’t have the same flavour.
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari are the best substitutes for soy sauce.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic or garlic powder will work in a pinch.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth would be the best substitute here.
- White rice – use jasmine, white or basmati rice. You can also try doubling the chicken broth and cook time to use brown rice.
- Bell peppers – feel free to substitute for another veggie like broccoli.
- Green onions – leave this off altogether if you’re not a fan of green onions.
How to make pineapple chicken
- Add everything but the peppers and onions to the Instant Pot in order.
- Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure.
- Stir in the bell peppers.
- Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Top with green onions and serve!
Making it on the stovetop
You can easily make this dish on the stovetop if you don't have an Instant Pot. I would not advise using a slow cooker.
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- Add all the ingredients (minus the peppers and green onions) to a large pot on the stove.
- Bring to a boil, then cook for about 20-25 minutes or so until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
- Stir in green peppers, then cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Garnish with green onions, serve and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Pineapple chicken is a delicious Asian-inspired dish made with rice, veggies, chicken and a sweet and sour sauce. I made this version even easier in the Instant Pot – everything’s made in one pot so you don’t have to worry about lots of dishes after!
This sweet and sour chicken is a whole meal on its own. That being said, if you’re looking for some side dish ideas, you can’t go wrong with a nice side salad or some steamed veggies.
This recipe has 409 calories per serving.
Storing and reheating
Leftover pineapple chicken will keep in the fridge up to 5 days. Sprinkle some water over top to avoid drying out the chicken and rice, then reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through.
You can also reheat this dish in a skillet on the stovetop. I still recommend adding some extra water to keep the dish from drying out.
Can you freeze pineapple chicken?
Yes, you can! Freeze this pineapple chicken recipe in individual servings in glass bowls for up to 3 months and then defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating. You can also reheat from frozen for 6-7 minutes in the microwave, just make sure to sprinkle some water over top and stir the dish partway through.
More Asian-inspired Instant Pot recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60
is the version I use in this recipe. - Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing this sweet and sour chicken up for lunch!
- And of course I get all my free-range chicken breasts from Butcher Box!
is the version I use in this recipe.
Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Pineapple Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb chicken breasts, diced into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup diced pineapple (fresh or from a can; I used fresh)
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup dry white or jasmine rice
- 1 each red, green and yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 4 green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Add olive oil, chicken, pineapple, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic, broth and rice to Instant Pot in that order leaving rice to float on top of other ingredients. Place lid on and cook for 5 minutes on high pressure.
- Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure then cooks on high pressure for five minutes. Do a quick pressure release and remove lid when safe to do so. The rice may appear to be uncooked or crunchy looking at this point but it's crucial that you stir in bell peppers, then replace lid and let sit another 5-10 minutes so it can absorb the extra liquid. It does get fully cooked after sitting for a bit, I promise!
- Remove lid, then divide among four bowls. Top with green onions, then serve and enjoy!
Maria says
I liked the taste of everything, but when I cooked this on the stove top, there were no instructions as to whether I should put a cover on it or the amount of heat needed, so the rice was still somewhat uncooked and even some parts were burning by the time I put in the bell peppers.
Resa Glennon says
I have tried MANY Instant Pot recipes but I have to say Taylors recipes are the best and the easiest. My all time favorite is the pepper steak to which I add some water chestnuts and some Chinese crunchy noodles!!
Last night I made the Pineapple chicken for the first time and it is a hit!! I had all of the ingredients except yellow and red pepper so I just added a green pepper at the end per her directions and threw in some fresh broccoli I had in the fridge!
Not sure which recipe I’ll try next but it will definitely be one from The girl on Bloor!
Taylor Stinson says
Aww thank you so much for your glowing review, Resa! 🙂 I really appreciate the kind words and am so glad you enjoy my recipes!
Jeff Winett says
Hi Taylor, and greetings from Sherman Oaks, California! Last night I had my way with your creation, and we totally flipped. We found everything you said to be “on the money”, when it came to the 10 minute waiting period to let the peppers and rice to fully cook. It was so easy to get into the pot, and I chose to use thigh meat. This will be made very often, as besides the yum factor, it is a really healthy meal. When I next make this, I’m throwing caution to the wind, and will add a small amount of crushed red chili flakes to the dish, and my husband said “How about a sprinkling of some roasted Cashews?” Thank you so much for what you’ve shared.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you guys loved it, Jeff 🙂 So glad it’s going to become a staple in your home! The cashews are a great idea!
Andrea H says
All my kids loved this, so that is a big win! Thankfully I doubled the recipe so they had lots of leftovers 🙂 It was super easy to make, I’ll definitely be making this again!
Richard Jones says
Hi
The video says Cook for 2 mins and the instructions text says 5 mins.
Can you advise which is right please?
Thanks
Richard
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Richard – the time in the recipe is correct, sorry about the typo in the video!
emilie deveau says
I loved that recipe! I ate it with cauliflower rice instead of regular rice. It was amazing!! thanks!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you liked it!!
Nameste2 says
Can this dish be frozen and heated at a later date?
Taylor Stinson says
You can freeze it after it’s cooked but I would recommend leaving the bell peppers out and then sauteeing and adding the peppers fresh when you do go to reheat 🙂
Jane says
Cook on high for 2 minutes? It doesn’t sound like that’s long enough for chicken, even if it sits on warm for a while. The rice might be OK but are you sure this isn’t a typo? Thanks.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Jane – it’s not a typo and I can assure you the chicken cooks through. It is cut up into small pieces and the Instant Pot takes 10-15 minutes to heat up, and during that time the chicken is cooking.
Jane says
Thanks for the reply. My IP takes only 3 minutes to come to pressure (how does that happen?!?) so I’ll add some time to compensate.
Jane says
Thanks for the encouragement. I made another recipe using yours as a guide (including quick cooking time) and it turned out quite good. Thank you!
Amy says
If I double the recipe, does the cooking time change?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Amy – I don’t think it should but I haven’t tried it this way myself!
Patty K says
I just made this for supper. I’m having fun with my new Instant Pot!! This is sooooo scrumptious! And easy! Thank you! I used canned Pineapplt tidbits and home made turkey broth. The chicken is tender and moist. I did rinse the Jasmine rice and it was cooked to perfection. Next time I will use 2 Tbsp of brown sugar for health reasons. The Pineapple is plenty sweet already. I cooked early, so I did let it sit on warm about 30 minutes before we ate. Very very very yummy!! It’s going in my new favourites for Instant Pot Recipes!!
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you loved it Patty!!! 🙂
DANIELLE LINCOLN says
Can you use frozen whole chicken if you forget to thaw the chicken
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Danielle – I wouldn’t recommend frozen chicken with this particular recipe because then the rice would overcook. Sorry about that!