Easy Chicken Stir Fry recipe for Instant Pot
This cozy stir fry recipe delivers tender chicken, fresh veggies, and fluffy rice—all in one pot for an easy, comforting weeknight meal the whole family will love.
We love this Chicken Stir Fry recipe because it’s a quick, hands-off weeknight meal bursting with sweet and savory flavors.
The chicken thighs come out tender and juicy, perfectly coated in a rich, sticky sauce that balances sweetness, tang, and just a slight amount of heat.
Using the pressure cooker means you can make the entire meal—including rice—right in one pot, saving time and cleanup without sacrificing flavor. (Plus, it’s mostly hands off.)
Whether you’re tossing in fresh chopped veggies or grabbing a bag of frozen stir fry mix, this dish is endlessly customizable and perfect for busy nights.
Looking for other awesome Asian-inspired meals? Chinese Cashew Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, or Teriyaki Chicken all have different flavor profiles to mix-up your weeknight dinners.
Or, switch up your protein with our Beef and Broccoli or Mongolian Beef recipes.
Stir Fry Recipe Notes
This recipe is adapted from a classic stir fry that Barbara has been making for decades.
Our version is updated for the pressure cooker and uses much less oil than the wok-fried recipe—however, it doesn’t sacrifice on flavor.
Plus, no fussing over a high heat stove or worrying about scorching the veggies.
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, Cosori, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
Stir Fry Sauce
Hoisin sauce is a thick Asian sauce made from soybeans. You can find it near the soy sauce.
If you like things on the spicy side, you can add a dash of Sriracha or Szechuan sauce. (Or add to individual bowls.)
If you prefer, you could swap the brown sugar for honey. Since honey is sweeter, I’d recommend using just 2 tablespoons honey and then adding more to taste, and I’d also add it to the mixture at the end.
A note on reduced-sodium: In our kitchen, we nearly always use a lower-sodium soy sauce (about 38% less; 590mg sodium vs regular at 960mg).
We also prefer reduced sodium chicken broth (about 34% less; 510mg sodium vs regular broth at 860mg). (Keep in mind, this is different than low-sodium chicken broth, which is less than 140mg sodium.)
Rice
You don’t have to make the rice pot-in-pot, but it just saves so much time. If you’re not cooking rice, you can adjust the recipe to use a 5-minute natural release.
Veggies
On busy nights, or nights where you just don’t have the energy to chop veggies, just use a bag or two of frozen stir fry mix.
However, if you want to use fresh veggies, this recipe is super flexible! And the best part is that you can really stretch the meal with as many vegetables as you like to add.
Every time I cook from scratch, I add 1 cup each of
- chopped bite-sized broccoli florets, plus a few finely diced stems
- matchstick carrots (to avoid chopping carrots),
- snow peas (trimmed and chopped),
- canned water chestnuts (for crunch),
- canned bamboo shoots (soak up the flavor of the sauce),
Sometimes, when I want to mix it up, I’ll add
- canned mushrooms (we keep these separate and only add them to the bowls of the kids who like them),
- thinly sliced peppers (we also steam these separate for the kids who like these),
- shelled edamame
If you like, you can add green beans to the recipe. (I generally don’t when I make it from scratch because I like them pan fried in stir fry and I don’t want to take the time. I also feel the same way about tofu—it’s better pan fried.) Both absorb the sauce really well if you want to take the time to do it.
I also don’t like to use snap peas in the recipe, just because I don’t love the main string at the seam of the pod. I prefer the flavor and texture of the thin, flat snow pea. However, you can use either in this recipe.
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Easy Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
For the Stir Fry Sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
For the Chicken
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces, ~1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- Your favorite stir fry vegetables: about 1 cup each of diced fresh veggies like chopped broccoli, matchstick carrots, snow peas, canned water chestnuts (drained), canned bamboo shoots (drained)
- Sesame seeds for garnish
- Thinly sliced green onions optional, for garnish
- Crunchy Chinese noodles optional, for serving
Optional Pot-in-Pot Rice
- 2 cups white rice
- 2 1/2 cups water
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, and brown sugar. Set aside.
- Select Sauté adjusted to low to preheat the pressure cooking pot. When preheated, add the sesame oil, garlic, dried ginger, and red pepper flakes. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in the sauce mixture. Add the chicken and stir to combine.
- If you wish to make rice in the pressure cooker at the same time: In a 7-inch round cake pan, stir together the rice and water. Place a tall trivet above the chicken in the pressure cooking pot. Use a sling to carefully lower the cake pan onto the trivet.
- Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 4 minutes cook time.
- When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes,* then use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- If you made the rice, use the sling to carefully remove the pan of rice from the cooking pot. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Select Sauté and add the slurry to the pot, stirring constantly until the liquid thickens.
- Add in the stir fry vegetables, and simmer for about 5 minutes until tender.
- Serve over rice, garnished with sesame seeds, a splash of soy sauce, and crunchy Chinese noodles, if using.
Notes
Nutrition
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It was a big hit with the family! I will be doing it again! Love the spicy taste! Was so easy to do❤️
I’m so glad it was a hit at your house!
I guess you can’t use chicken breasts?
You actually could. I have other similar recipes that use dice chicken breasts and use the same time for pot in pot. So the option can be yours, we just preferred it with thighs.