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.
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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!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Kelly Carlson says
Could I use brown rice instead of jasmine rice?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Kelly – I haven’t tried brown rice myself but I’ve heard it can take 2-3 extra minutes on high pressure. If you try it let me know!
Michelle says
Made this tonight for dinner & it was excellent!!! Thanks
Daphne Dykeman says
We added a few hot pepper flakes, other than that it was good except for the rice was not cooked enough, even tho we waited 15 minutes after adding peppers.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Daphne – sometimes it depends on the brand of rice used. Glad that you enjoyed!
Charlene says
Do you rinse the rice before adding to the pot?
Taylor Stinson says
No I don’t it’s good to go right in 🙂
Bob says
Came out perfect! I added Water chestnut at begging which was a great addition.
Taylor Stinson says
Oooooh water chestnuts!!! That sounds amazing!
Sylvia says
Made this yesterday. Flavor was awesome, however chicken was tough (used tenders cut into small pieces) and rice was still crispy, even after leaving in pot for extra 15 minutes. Any suggestions?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Sylvia! Anytime you cut up chicken and cook it in the Instant Pot like this it gets a little tougher than usual. You’re swapping out active cooking for convenience I find…I’ve heard letting the pot pressure release naturally is a good alternative and saves some tenderness. In terms of the rice, I feel like it sometimes cooks different if you use a different kind (say white or brown rice over jasmine rice). If too much is above the wet ingredients sometimes it can get crunchy as well. Hope this helps if you make it again!
Sylvia says
Yes it does help. Thanks. I did use white rice, maybe that was the problem with the rice being crispy. Will try natural release.
Sarah says
I followed the directions but the rice was not soft.
Taylor Stinson says
Did you let it sit the full 10 minutes immersed in the hot liquid? Some people have different preferences when it comes to how al dente the rice is. I’m sorry you didn’t feel it was soft enough!
Leslie says
This was dinner tonight, with fresh pineapple. Very tasty and will certainly make again. Thanks for another great recipe!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy to hear that Leslie! Thanks for sharing with me <3
Patti M says
Pleasantly surprised, this was delish! I added in small chopped zuchinni with the bell peppers for a little veggie boost and I was sceptical if it would be done….be right back….went back for seconds! Fresh pineapple definitely the ticket. MAKE IT, you won’t be disappointed…just the right amount of sweet and sour.
Bruce Glassford says
2 minutes at pressure seems quick for raw chicken – is the chicken pre-cooked? Looking forward to trying this one.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Bruce! It’s not pre-cooked, it is raw. You’re not using much chicken (only two medium-sized breasts) and it’s diced up into small pieces so it cooks really quickly. Keep in mind the pot takes 10-15 minutes to preheat and come to pressure so the chicken is cooking all that time.
Thressa says
I appreciate that comment of it cooking while pressuring, never really thought of that! Thanks!