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.
- 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.
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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 or tamari if gluten-free
- 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!
Comments & Reviews
Anastasia Wittmann says
Love This recipe so much!! When I tried it the first time it was so good that we remade it everyday for the rest of the week. It is very easy to make, heathy and delicious.
Taylor Stinson says
Wow, so glad it was such a hit! Thank you!