This Instant Pot peanut butter chicken recipe is amazing! If you love pressure cooker chicken with bold flavors this is it. Your kids will love it too. 

Peanut Butter Chicken Recipe
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Looking for a killer peanut butter chicken recipe, or maybe wondering what it is? Either way we’re glad you’re here to try it! We made it as an Instant Pot recipe but surely you could make it on the stovetop too. (affiliate links present)

How to Make Peanut Butter Chicken

Who. Doesn’t. Love. Peanut butter??!!! Ok, unless you have an allergy you probably have a jar right now in your cupboard. I know we ALWAYS do! You can do so much more than baking peanut butter cookies or sandwiches with it though.

You can make it in any brand of machine you have too. As long as it has the high pressure function you are good to go. I have used Crockpot Express, Mealthy and as a Ninja Foodi recipe as well with the lid that is not attached.

If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with let’s start with a few basic tips:

For reference, this is the model I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.

A white Instant Pot with a Star Wars theme sits on the kitchen counter, ready to tackle your favorite beef arm roast recipe. The digital display glows "On." Next to it lie a patterned cloth and some green onions, all against the backdrop of blue kitchen cabinets and a stovetop.
instant pot peanut chicken

Instant Pot Peanut Butter Chicken

Something the kids will rave over is always a plus too right? If you’re ready for Instant Pot peanut butter chicken recipe this week we will show you how to make it in a jiffy. You could make this in any other brand of pressure cooker too. Here’s a peek at the ingredients you will need to pull out, they are:

  1. Pressure cooker
    1. if you have an Instant Pot I HIGHLY recommend getting a non stick pot
  2. Chicken breasts – boneless, skinless, cut into bite size pieces
    1. could opt for chicken thighs if you preferred
  3. Olive oil
  4. Some chicken broth
  5. Coconut milk
  6. Soy sauce
  7. Minced ginger
  8. Brown sugar
  9. Chili garlic sauce
  10. Peanut butter – our preference is creamy
  11. Cornstarch if you want to thicken the sauce at the end
  12. Salt and pepper to taste
  13. Squeeze of lime juice

How to Make Pressure Cooker Peanut Butter Chicken

This is one of our favorite pressure cooker chicken recipes served with rice when it’s chilly outside. I have a few sizes and brands so I can make this in one and my side dish in another depending on what I am craving that night, a grain is typical though.

Instant Pot Chicken

Instant Pot Peanut Chicken

The first step like many others is to turn your pot to saute and add some olive oil. Once it is hot, add your diced chicken and brown the outsides (barely). You just want to cook 5 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink on the outsides. We are always trying to come up with new chicken recipes so dinnertime doesn’t get too boring.

  • Then it’s time to start adding your other ingredients with the cooked chicken to make peanut butter chicken.
  • Leave the cornstarch to the side. You can decide whether or not you want to add it at the end. It isn’t necessary, only if you want the sauce to be thicker before serving.

Tip to remember: Do NOT stir in the dollops of peanut butter. This may cause the burn notice to appear. Just plunk them on the top before closing the lid and they’ll cook right in perfectly.

Total cook time including time to pressurize is about 20 minutes or so. The cook time is just 8 minutes on high pressure with a 5 minute natural release.

peanut butter chicken

How do you do the natural release on Ninja Foodi?

This term works the same way on all machines, no matter what brand.

This means you do not touch the steam valve. For this peanut chicken it’s a 5 minute natural release which means once the machine beeps, allow it to count up to 5 before flipping it and allowing the remaining steam to emerge.

How do you make Chinese peanut sauce?

Yes, this is a bit like Chinese peanut butter sauce with a twist. It’s also sometimes called satay sauce, bumbu kacang, or sambal kacang. Ours is a bit different though if you compare ingredients.

  1. 2 c creamy peanut butter 
  2. Two tbsp soy sauce or fish sauce
  3. 4 tsp minced garlic.
  4. 1/2 cup hot water – not used
  5. 1/4 c chopped cilantro
  6. 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar – which we didn’t use
  7. 2 tsp sugar – wasn’t used
  8. 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes – for heat, could be added to the recipe below

For the entire recipe we created, find ingredients in recipe card below.

instant pot chicken recipe

What can you use peanut butter for?

Other than sandwiches, we hope you gave you a unique yummy idea. Here are a few more peanut butter recipes too:

I have not made this in my slow cooker as of yet but when I do I will add timing instructions to this. If you wanted to make this on the stovetop I think the directions would be the same, just leave covered on low/medium heat instead of pressure time.

Looking for another winner of a dinner to try in your nifty multi cooker? I would try our easy Instant Pot butter chicken next.

Ok so the question is: is peanut sauce good for you? Let’s start out by saying this isn’t listed as a low calorie, carb, or keto friendly meal. We are all about comfort foods here, and that’s okay in moderation. While most peanut sauces contain nutrient packed ingredients, they are also a bit higher in calories and fat.

easy instant pot butter chicken

Ninja Foodi Peanut Butter Chicken

There are certainly more nutritious and lower calorie alternatives to peanut sauce, but if you stick to a small serving it won’t hurt your diet plans. You can make this in a Crockpot Express or an easy Ninja Foodi recipe too. If you have leftovers just let it cool and store in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 3 days until reheating.

What I do with peanut sauce?

As a dip: Peanut sauce is the perfect dip serve with

  • sliced fresh vegetables
  • crispy tofu
  • thinly sliced cooked meats
  • spring rolls are served with it from time to time in restaurants

You can also venture out with serving it alongside seafood skewers or dumplings. Peanut sauce marinade: To make this just blend peanut sauce with soy sauce, ginger, onions, and a dash of hot sauce. Put into a freezer bag with meat and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cooking.

  • I have included nutrition facts below. These along with detailed directions you can find here, and you can even print them out too if you’d like.
instant pot peanut butter chicken
4.50 from 2 votes

Peanut Butter Chicken Recipe

By The Typical Mom
This Instant Pot peanut butter chicken recipe is amazing! If you love pressure cooker chicken with bold flavors this is it. Your kids will love it too.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 9 minutes
Servings: 6
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Equipment

  • 1 pressure cooker

Ingredients 

  • 3 medium chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cubed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, or peanut oil
  • 1/2 c chicken broth
  • 13.5 oz coconut milk
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce, or liquid aminos
  • 1/2 tsp ginger, ground
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
  • 1/2 c peanut butter
  • 1 tsp cornstarch, optional, to thicken sauce
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions 

  • Set pot to saute and add olive oil. Add chicken pieces in when hot and brown on sides until there is no pink on outsides.
  • Add chicken broth and use wooden spatula to scrape stuck on pieces of food off bottom to deglaze pot.
  • Turn pot off now. In a bowl whisk together all other ingredients EXCEPT for the peanut butter and cornstarch. Pour this into the pot.
  • Use a spoon to drop dollops of peanut butter into the pot but DO NOT stir.
  • Close lid and steam valve and set to high pressure for 8 minutes followed by a 5 minute natural release. Then release rest of pressure.
  • Lift lid and if you want sauce thicker whisk together cornstarch with a few tbsp of cold water until smooth. Set pot to saute and when sauce bubbles add cornstarch slurry. Stir and allow to thicken, then turn pot off and serve.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 2oz, Calories: 431kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 72mg, Sodium: 953mg, Potassium: 744mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 34IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 35mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!
instant pot peanut butter chicken

About The Typical Mom

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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4.50 from 2 votes

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4 Comments

  1. ARRGGG went to store to get all ingredients and went by this list that is above recipe……
    How do you make Chinese peanut sauce?
    2 c creamy peanut butter
    2 tbsp soy sauce or fish sauce
    4 tsp minced garlic.
    1/2 cup hot water – not used
    1/4 c chopped cilantro
    3 tbsp apple cider vinegar – which we didn’t use
    2 tsp sugar – wasn’t used
    3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes – for heat,
    Nowhere in that list is coconut mil so I didnt buy any. came home to start cooking and realized the recipe is below it and says 13.5oz coconut milk. Guess it will have to wait for another day. Making it without and going to see what happens.

    1. There is a recipe list at the top for this recipe, and in the recipe card itself. The other you saw is for an alternative sauce some like to make with the chicken.

  2. Wow this is so good. New family favorite. I topped mine with cilantro and green onion. Delish!

  3. Only my second time using my instant pot and this was super easy to follow and everyone liked it. I did find it was watery and needed more the a tsp of cornstarch