Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken

Instant Pot sweet and sour chicken with popcorn chicken and pineapple, is the easiest meal ever! Panda Express copycat recipe you love served on a bed of rice. With a homemade sauce you should make it right at home this week.

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Popcorn Chicken Recipe

I love copycat recipes! When it’s way too hot or cold outside to go out to dinner, or we’re trying to save money these come in handy. You can make this with fresh meat or with frozen breaded like we did here. Toss with our copycat Panda Express sweet and sour sauce and bam dinner is done.

in Ninja Foodi

If you want to use fresh meat then follow our Ninja Foodi pineapple chicken recipe instead and add diced green peppers to that. Both are delicious so I’d suggest you try it both ways and see which you prefer. In this pot you want to use the lid that is not attached to pressure cook.

Our Instant Pot sesame chicken is a close second to this one. I bet they will become new family favorite one pot meals you’ll love too. You can make both in your Ninja Foodi too. Let us know what you think. 😉

Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken with Frozen Popcorn Chicken

Sometimes you really need quick and easy, throw in what’s in the bag kinda’ meal. You know what I mean I am sure. That is when using a bag of frozen popcorn chicken can help a lot. Cooked in a sauce you get tender meat with the breading you love.

Using bagged already breaded and precooked meat makes things a lot easier. If you wanted to use fresh or already diced (like above) and frozen that is a possibility as well. I would use the same recipe and timing listed below. Realize that frozen meat in an IP will release more moisture so sauce will become a bit thinner is all.

The fastest way by far is the one listed below. You can find a bag of these at almost every grocery store in the seafood section. They are bite sized already breaded with the meat inside. You can bake, microwave, air fry or throw them into a pressure cooker like we did here to warm.

Is sweet and sour chicken the same as orange chicken?

The taste is slightly different but yes they have similar flavors. You can use our Crockpot orange chicken recipe for the latter. Here are a few questions you might have right now you want answered before you get going on this:

Of course as always you can make this in any sort of pressure cooker you have including as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe too.

What is Chinese sweet and sour chicken made of?

Using bite sized pieces of chicken (or pork) it is stir fried in a homemade sweet and sour sauce typically made of:

1. Sugar, white granules to make sweet
2. Ketchup is the base that makes it orange
3. White vinegar gives it that tangy flavor
4. Soy sauce or aminos for gluten free option
5. Some include pineapple, green peppers and onion

You’ll want a whisk too to mix the sauce really well before you add that into your pot. I like my veggies cut into large chunks. That way they keep some texture and aren’t mushy at all once the cooking is over. The smaller you cut them the softer they will be. Just a tip.

Ingredients

1. Bag of frozen popcorn chicken or make homemade popcorn chicken homemade
2. Pineapple chunks, could substitute a bit of pineapple juice for broth for a sweeter taste, maybe 1/2 of a cup at most
3. Bell peppers cubed into large bite size pieces
4. Onions we love too, large so they don’t fall apart
5. Sesame oil is the best for authentic flavors
6. Ketchup is the base for the sauce
7. Soy sauce provides a rich salty flavor
8. Sugar or sugar free alternative works
9. Apple cider vinegar is that tang you expect to taste
10. Chicken broth or any liquid you prefer
11. Cornstarch to thicken sauce a bit

with Jar Sauce

You could and you would leave out the ingredients for the sauce. Only risk of this is if it is too thick it may trigger the burn notice. We have done this to make our Instant Pot orange chicken which is not breaded. Both are covered in a glaze like sauce, typically served over rice though orange chicken is usually lighter colored.

Of course these are optional and if you aren’t fond of them you could omit. I add them to just about everything because it is a cheap way to add flavor and texture. We serve this on top of our Ninja foodi rice.

How to Make Pressure Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

This has such a short cooking time too! Just 4 minutes on high pressure to heat up the sweet and sour sauce, add the chicken breast pieces, cook and then quick release. I would say from start to finish including prep time, sauteeing, and pressure cook time it’s under 30 minutes which is great.

1. Prepare vegetables with sesame oil into pot on saute once it is hot. Do not add cornstarch until the end, set that aside. Then saute for 10 minutes to soften.
2. Then pour in your sauce mixture and stir allowing everything to heat for a few minutes to meld together.
3. Put cornstarch in a small bowl with a bit of liquid and whisk together until smooth.
4. Dump in together and allow the sauce to thicken, then you are going to want to turn saute function off.
5. Pour in frozen popcorn chicken, stir. Add pineapple chunks if you would like to now.
6. Put pressure cooker lid on and close steam valve. Set to pressure cook followed by a quick release. Top with green onions when done.

So easy right? You can really boost the amount of veggies to add in to this. There is a suggestion below as to what was added here but that is up to you. Remember they should all have similar cook times though. Firmer is a bit better that is why onions and bell peppers work so well as you can see here.

And there you have it!! Can you make this chicken in a Ninja Foodi too? Yes, just use the lid that isn’t attached for this one. This recipe will work in any brand you have including a Crockpot Express pot. Follow directions below to enjoy it tonight.

• This Instant Pot stir fry is loaded with vegetables too.
• Simple Instant Pot Asian chicken has a sweet and savory sauce too.
• Our Instant Pot pulled pork sauce is quite amazing
• Pressure cooker cashew chicken is simple and delish too

We also love recipes with pineapple like this one. A few other Instant Pot chicken recipes have it too. Want to use fresh chicken breasts or thighs instead to make something similar? Nutritional facts including saturated fat and calories are listed below in this printable recipe card.