Pineapple Chicken in the Instant Pot

This pineapple chicken instant pot recipe comes together quickly and is sure to be a family favorite!

My husband bought me an Instant Pot and I wasn't at all sure that I would ever use it. I'm not a gadget person and it just seemed like an extra piece of equipment - a very LARGE one - that I had to find room to store.

Then my gas range broke. We couldn't use the stove or the oven for almost 2 weeks.

My baking mostly came to a standstill. I was able to pull out the induction burner that I had purchased to do youtube videos and make things, one at a time, in the two induction friendly pans that I have.

But this made the process of making dinner unbearably slow.

My oven is generally on for a couple of hours every day and almost ALWAYS used for at least a portion of dinner.

Time to try something new!

Then I remembered the Instant Pot and decided that it was time. I had to break it out and get over my fear of using a pressure cooker.

My husband used it first. He normally makes a ton of chicken in a dutch oven over the weekend and eats it for lunch every day. He decided to try to make his weekly batch of chicken in the instant pot.

It was delicious! This chicken was fall-apart tender and juicy. It also took about half the time in the Instant Pot than it normally took in the oven.

So, with the maiden dish made and a slight understanding of the numerous settings and proper depressurization method, I decided to make my own chicken in the Instant Pot.

This instant pot pineapple chicken is my favorite type of chicken dish. Sweet, a little spicy and chockfull of pineapples, onion, and peppers. Served over a bed of rice, this is my perfect dinner.

And it is so easy!

If you have the larger Instant Pot and a larger family, double this recipe. My son said this chicken is 'fire' and I'm told that is good. And the amount of this chicken that he ate proves that I should always double the recipe!

Pineapple Chicken in the Instant Pot

Recipe by Tanya Ott

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Total time

About 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless chicken, breasts or thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces

• 1 Tablespoon oil

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 yellow pepper, chopped

• 1 red pepper, chopped

• 1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks

• ¾ cup premade or homemade BBQ Sauce of your choice

• ½ cup premade or homemade BBQ Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons water

• 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• Splash of sriracha, optional

• White or brown rice, cooked according to package instructions

Directions

• To brown the chicken, set the instant pot to sauté. Add the oil and the chicken piecesand season with salt and pepper. Cook until browned, stirring often. Add the onion and stir. Cook for 1 more minute then turn off the instant pot.
• Add the can of pineapple (with the juice AND the chunks) to the chicken in the instant pot. Add ¾ cup BBQ sauce and diced peppers. Stir well to combine.
• Close the lid of the instant pot and choose “pressure cook” on high for 2 minutes. Once the instant pot indicates the end of cooking time, do a 10 minute natural pressure release (just unplug the instant pot and leave it alone), then manually release any remaining pressure.
• Stir together the cornstarch and water then stir in the remaining ½ cup BBQ sauce and sriracha, if using. Set the instant pot to sauté. Stir in the BBQ sauce mix and simmer until thickened, about 1 minute. Serve over rice.

Looking for other One Pot Dinner Recipes?

Try this One Pot Shrimp Paella

I have found so many Instant Pot Recipes on the internet and some of the best are listed in THIS POST on Delish.