Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli is a delicious family-friendly meal that gets done in 20 minutes in the Instant Pot!
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Parents around the world will agree that feeding picky little eaters is tough! It is not easy to make a meal that is nutritious, flavorful, and can make the entire family happy. This Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli recipe is one that checks all those boxes, and makes me, a busy mom of two very happy! It is delicious – my husband and I loved it, as did our toddler and 7-year old. And bonus – it takes around 5 minutes of prep and another 5 minutes of active hands-on work – the Instant Pot takes care of the rest.
I also love using my Instant Pot to make quick work of some of our favorite child-friendly meals such as Instant Pot White Bean Soup, Instant Pot Chicken Stew, and this Instant Pot Chickpea Coconut Curry. These are tried and tested recipes that are kid-approved and do not take much effort at all.
Why this recipe works
- Super easy to make – 5 minutes of prep and very little monitoring needed
- Delicious – chicken and broccoli is a dish that both adults and kids will like
- Full of protein and high in nutritional value
- Easy to Customize it! Make it spicier, add in your choice of veggies and protein
List of Ingredients
To make this Instant Pot chicken and broccoli, you will need:
- Boneless chicken - Use either breast or chicken tenders or thigh meat
- Ginger and garlic - Use freshly minced ginger and garlic, or use ginger garlic paste.
- For sautéeing the chicken, I like to use Sesame Oil, however, olive oil works well too
- Sauces - To make the chicken and broccoli sauce, you will need to mix together soy sauce (light soy sauce, low-sodium), honey, rice vinegar
- Broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
- Cornstarch mixed in a little water - This will thicken the sauce and is added right at the end
- Bouillon - This is entirely optional, but I like to add a little chicken or vegetable bouillon powder to boost up the flavor of this dish.
Step by Step Recipe
Start by cutting up the chicken pieces into small bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper and keep aside. Set the Instant Pot to 'Saute' mode. Add sesame oil (or olive oil). Once the oil is hot, add the seasoned chicken pieces.
Let the chicken pieces start to brown on one side, then flip over the pieces and cook on the other side. Do not cook for more than 1 minute on each side. Hit 'Cancel' on the Instant Pot.
Add 1/2 cup of water (or stock) and deglaze the bottom of the Instant Pot with a spatula, making sure you pick up any residue that has stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Add the minger ginger and garlic. In a small bowl, mix together the sauces and pour that into the Instant Pot.
Add the bouillon powder (skip if you used stock instead of water in the previous step). Give it a mix and close the lid of the Instant Pot. Set to Pressure Cook for 2 minutes.
Once the Instant Pot beeps, hit Cancel and manually release pressure. Open the lid of the Instant Pot and add in the cornstarch slurry. Add the broccoli and mix well. Cover the lid of the Instant Pot and let it sit for 5 minutes, to allow the broccoli to cook in the residual heat. Optionally, you can also hit 'Saute' on the Instant Pot and cook for 2 minutes.
Once the sauce is thickened and the broccoli is steamed, your Instant Pot chicken and broccoli is ready to serve! Serve over Jasmine rice or noodles.
Expert Tips for making Chicken and Broccoli
Customize this recipe: This recipe is super versatile, and you can play around with the key ingredients and customise it the way you want! Chicken can be substituted with shrimp or tofu, or any protein of you choice. You could also add veggies of your choice - mushrooms, bell peppers, corn kernels, zucchini are all good options - they cook in very little time and will stay tender.
Make it spicy: Add your favorite hot sauce or chili sauce if you're not serving this to kids. I like to add a little Gochujang paste or Harissa to make it spicier!
Make it saucier: Double the quantities mentioned under 'sauce' and make it saucier! I love to serve this dish over rice, and the extra sauce is always welcome.
Serving Suggestion: Chicken and Broccoli tastes best when served over Jasmine rice. Optionally, noodles or any rice of your choice works well. This dish also pairs very well with Basil Fried Rice.
More Asian Inspired Recipes to Try
Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 grams Boneless chicken meat cut into bite-sized pieces
- 500 grams Broccoli florets around 5 cups
- 1 tbsp Sesame oil or use olive oil
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- Water (or stock)
- Bouillon powder skip if using stock instead of water
For the Sauce
- 3 tbsp Soy Sauce (light, low-sodium) Or use Tamari for gluten-free version
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
For the cornstarch slurry
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and keep aside.
- Set the Instant Pot to 'Saute' mode. Add sesame oil (or olive oil). Once the oil is hot, add the seasoned chicken pieces.
- Let the chicken pieces start to brown on one side, then flip over the pieces and cook on the other side. Do not cook for more than 1 minute on each side. Hit 'Cancel' on the Instant Pot.
- Add 1/2 cup of water (or stock) and deglaze the bottom of the Instant Pot with a spatula, making sure you pick up any residue that has stuck to the bottom of the pot. No deglazing the IP can trigger the 'Food Burn' error.
- Add the minced ginger and garlic. In a small bowl, mix together the sauces and pour that into the Instant Pot.
- Add the bouillon powder (skip if you used stock instead of water in the previous step). Give it a mix and close the lid of the Instant Pot. Set to Pressure Cook for 2 minutes.
- Once the Instant Pot beeps, hit 'Cancel' and manually release pressure (open the vent to release steam). Once all the steam has released, open the lid of the Instant Pot and add in the cornstarch slurry.
- Add the broccoli and mix well. Cover the lid of the Instant Pot and let it sit for 5 minutes, to allow the broccoli to steam in the residual heat. Optionally, you can also hit 'Saute' on the Instant Pot and cook for 2 minutes until the sauce has thicken and the broccoli is tender-cooked.
- Serve over Jasmine rice (or any rice of your choice) or noodles.
Notes
- Chicken can be substituted with shrimp or tofu, or any protein of your choice. You could also add veggies of your choice - mushrooms, bell peppers, corn kernels, zucchini are all good options - they cook in very little time and will stay tender.
- You can also add your favorite hot sauce or chili sauce if you're not serving this to kids. I like to add a little Gochujang paste or Sriracha sauce to make it spicier.
- Double the quantities of water/stock and the ingredients mentioned under 'sauce' and make it saucier.
Carmen says
If i use Tofu instead if chicken what timing will i use
Thanks
Carmen
Shinta says
For tofu, you can pressure cook for 3 minutes and quick-release pressure after the beep. Hope you try it out!
Savio says
Shinta I got 2 questions:
1. If I don't have an instant pot, can I still use a normal pot? How long will it take?
2. What do you think adding corn would do to the taste ?
Cheers, Savio
Shinta says
Hi Savio, sure you can! You can use a regular pot or saucepan on the stovetop. After browning the chicken in the pan, add the water/stock + ginger garlic + sauces, lower heat and cover the pan to cook the chicken - should take around 5 -6 minutes. Then open the lid, add broccoli, cornstarch slurry and cook for 2 minutes without covering, until broccoli is tender. Canned corn will work well, just add with broccoli.