Pressure Cooker apricot chicken just needs 5 ingredients and is the perfect dinner atop a bed of rice! If you have an Instant Pot you’ve gotta’ try this!
If you’re looking for a family friendly meal that even your kids will love, this pressure cooker apricot chicken is it! Tender chicken swimming in a sweet sauce served on a bed of rice, it’s now one of our favorite Instant Pot recipes. (originally published 3/19, affiliate links present)
Have you ever made apricot glazed chicken?? It. Is. So. Good.
I’m talking it’s a meal your kids will ask you to make over and over again.
Let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then LIKE our IP Facebook page for new ideas daily.
- This is a great InstaPot cookbook to grab too.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot. It is easier to clean and will avoid the burn message too.
- For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have and use for all recipe creations.
Here are a few questions you might have before you get going on this meal prep.
It is said to have started around 1950 by the Lipton dry soup mix company. Used to make this Instant Pot apricot chicken too, it has become a family favorite for everyone around here.
That depends on what else is in your pot. For frozen chicken in the Instant Pot with just broth it is around 12 minutes. For pressure cooker chicken and rice it’s the same but breasts need to be cubed bite size.
If at the end you want the sauce thicker then use 1 tbsp cornstarch whisked together with 3 tbsp cold water. Set pressure cooker to saute and add this in, stir and it won’t be as thin.
Here’s a peek at what you’re going to need, and what we used to make this sweet and savory dish.
Reasons why we love apricot glazed chicken in a pressure cooker
- It’s a super cheap Instant Pot recipe for sure – about $15 to feed all 5 of us
- Apricot chicken breast is just sweet enough to put smiles on my kids’ faces.
- The chicken comes out tender and bite size which little ones love.
Cooked in our Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi it takes just 20 minutes to finish this and a batch of white rice.
Of course you can serve it with anything you like but typically we make chicken bowls with broccoli on the side.
Ingredients necessary. You may have these already in your cupboard. It truly is a dump dinner that takes just minutes to be perfect when done.
Apricot chicken recipe
- Chicken – bite size, boneless, skinless breasts – could use chicken thighs as well
- Chicken broth
- Apricot jam / preserves
- Catalina dressing
- Onion soup mix
- Onion – this is really optional
- Cornstarch if you want to thicken sauce
Some like to add a bit of soy sauce to cut down the sweetness even more, either way is good to us.
We serve this on a bed of Instant Pot white rice or perfect quinoa but that is up to you.
To give you an idea, this feeds all 5 of us and costs about $15 total including the cost of rice.
Pressure cooker apricot chicken
The color is a bit deceiving. It has a nice hint of apricot flavor and the perfect amount of sweetness. It’s super quick and easy compared to making it in a slow cooker or in the oven.
There is NO precooking required either!!
You just throw in all 5 ingredients, stir so it’s well combined, and cook on high for 4 minutes.
Seriously, that’s it.
- I usually use my mini Instant Pot to make rice but if you’re looking for easy rv meals I’d use these Minute rice cups!
Why do we call it apricot chicken?
- No there are no whole apricots inside, but we used apricot preserves.
- You could alternatively use orange marmelade and it would be more similar to our Instant Pot orange chicken recipe.
Looking for more easy Instant Pot chicken recipes? We have a bunch to choose from but here are a few of our favorites.
- You’ll love this Instant Pot Hawaiian chicken we made that is similarly sweet, served over rice.
- Creamy pressure cooker chicken and rice turns out great every time. Add vegetables and it’s a complete one pot meal.
Our pressure cooker chicken pot pie soup recipe is amazing. We use canned veggies to make it even easier in the kitchen. Perfect winter time bowl of YUM when it’s snowy outside.
Instant Pot apricot chicken
Want more easy recipes and tips from The Typical Mom blog? Sign up for my free newsletter, and follow me on Pinterest!
***** If you LOVED this recipe give it 5 Stars below and let everyone know what you thought about it. 😉
Here is a quick step by step but there is also a printable recipe card for you below if you’d rather have that.
Time needed: 4 minutes.
Instant Pot Apricot Chicken
- Pour in ingredients
Add all ingredients except cornstarch into your pressure cooker, stir together so everything is coated well.
- Cook
Close lid and set steam valve to a sealing position. Set to high pressure cook for 4 minutes. Do a quick release when done.
- Thicken sauce
Turn pot off, then push saute. In a separate small bowl add 3 tbsp cornstarch + 4 tbsp. of hot liquid from your pot. Whisk together so it is smooth.
Pour this cornstarch mixture into your pot once the liquid in your pot starts bubbling. Stir.
Slowly stir for 1-2 minutes, will thicken slightly. Then turn pot off. - Rest and cool
Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes so sauce continues to thicken. Serve over rice and enjoy
Printable recipe below with nutritional information included as well. Keep in mind I do not calculate these, the system does and it accounts for exactly what I have listed below.
Pressure Cooker Apricot Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken boneless, skinless breasts, cut into bite size pcs.
- 1 c apricot jam
- 1 c Catalina salad dressing
- 2/3 c chicken broth
- 1 onion sliced or diced
- 1 packet French onion soup mix 1 oz
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except cornstarch into your pressure cooker, stir together so everything is coated well.
- Close lid and steam valve and set to high pressure for 4 minutes.
- Do a quick release when done.
- Turn pot off, then push saute. In a separate small bowl add 3 tbsp cornstarch + 4 tbsp. of hot liquid from your pot. Whisk together so it is smooth.
- Pour this cornstarch mixture into your pot once the liquid in your pot starts bubbling. Stir.
- Slowly stir for 1-2 minutes, will thicken slightly. Then turn pot off.
- Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes so sauce continues to thicken. Serve over rice!
Bob says
I tried this tonight with a few minor adjustments. I used 3 lbs of chicken, increased the apricot preserves by .25 cups, added a sliced yellow bell pepper pressure cooked for 12 minutes and gave it a 5 minute natural release and omitted the corn starch. OMG, this was really good, my wife even said it was the best thing I’ve ever made in our Instant Pot! The chicken was fork tender with excellent flavor, and the sauce with onion and peppers was terrific over the brown rice!
The Typical Mom says
Glad it was a hit
Elizabeth says
This recipe was so delicious, but had to keep an eye on it to stir it… burn message kept popping up. I made it with apricot jam my nieces made. I sautéed the onion with chicken first, which ensured chicken was fully cooked, since I had to keep opening it up to prevent burning. My hubby loved it! Will definitely make it again!
Susan says
I have not made this but I used to make a similar recipe with Russian dressing and apricot preserves! The sugar at 28 gems omg. There has to be a better way lol
Jennie says
You said this recipe has five ingredients…but The ingredient list also calls for French onion soup mix and cornstarch. Do you use these ingredients as well?
The Typical Mom says
Yes, specific instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Cristy says
Can you make the rice in the same pot (pip style) ?
The Typical Mom says
I haven’t done that
Allison says
I haven’t had Catalina dressing in years – this brings back memories! Thanks for sharing this tasty recipe! A new family favorite for sure.
Christina says
This has all of the flavors my family loves. I’ll be making this again and again!