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Pineapple Chicken Recipe in the Instant Pot

Name: Pineapple Chicken Recipe in the Instant Pot
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs boneless (skinless chicken breast); 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp pineapple juice; 1/2 cup ketchup; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp dark brown sugar; 1 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 tsp fresh ginger (grated); 1 tsp garlic (chopped); 2 tbsp lime juice; 2 tbsp olive oil; ½ cup chicken broth; 2 cups pineapple (chopped); 2.5 tbsp cornstarch; 4 tbsp water; Green onions (for topping); Cilantro (for topping)

Published on Jul 28, 2020 Modified: Aug 10, 2020 by Alexandria Drzazgowski.

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Pineapple Chicken in the Instant Pot is a quick and simple recipe to make for dinnertime. Serve it with a side of rice or vegetables and you’ll have a great, complete meal ready in no time!

Close up, cut off version of Pineapple chicken with cilantro and green onions.

This recipe for Pineapple Chicken is a sweet and savory combo that will excite your taste buds! Plus, it’s all made in one pot, meaning that dishes are easier than ever.

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Ingredients You’ll Need

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

Marinade Ingredients

Pineapple juice
Ketchup
Soy sauce
Dark brown sugar
Rice vinegar
Fresh ginger
Garlic
Lime juice

Cooking Ingredients

Olive oil
Chicken broth
Pineapple (if using real pineapple, use the rest to make this Pineapple Agua Fresca Recipe!)
Cornstarch
Water
Green onions
Cilantro

How to Make this Recipe

Prepare the chicken and the marinade: Cut up chicken breast into 1 inch cubes. In a large bowl, combine the marinade ingredients and whisk. Place the chicken in the marinade, cover, and let rest for one hour minimum, but preferably overnight.
Cook in the Instant Pot: When the chicken has finished marinating, drain the marinade and reserve. Turn the Instant Pot to SAUTE and add olive oil until heated. Add the chicken to the pot and saute the chicken, stirring occasionally, until it browns on the outside. Once the chicken has browned, add the reserved marinade, the pineapple, and the chicken broth into the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and turn the Instant Pot to HIGH for 5 minutes. When the cooking cycle has completed, allow for a Natural Pressure Release for 10 minutes. When 10 minutes is up, release any remaining pressure.
Thicken the sauce: Open the lid and turn the pot to SAUTE again. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the water. Once the sauce is boiling, add the cornstarch slurry to the pot. Stir occasionally, allowing the sauce to thicken. If the sauce does not thicken after a few minutes, add another slurry of 1 tbsp water + 2 tsp cornstarch until desired consistency is reached. Keep in mind that sauce will thicken as it cools.
Serve: Top with green onions, cilantro, and a side of rice. Enjoy! Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought.

How Long Should I Marinate Chicken?

I always recommend marinating your chicken before cooking it in the Instant Pot, as I think it allows the chicken to absorb so much more flavor. The Instant Pot cooks very quickly (obviously), so I like to give my chicken the chance to soak up as much flavor as possible before cooking!

You can marinate your chicken from anywhere between 30 minutes to one day. When I tested this recipe, I let the chicken marinate for about 45 minutes. However, the longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavor it will have after being cooked.

Why You’ll Enjoy this Recipe

The combination of pineapple juice, ketchup, lime juice, and soy sauce makes the chicken a delicious combination of sweet and tangy. The flavor is exciting!
The pineapple pieces mixed with the chicken leave your taste buds guessing. The pineapple adds a sweetness to this meal.
Everything is made in one pot, so assembly and cleanup are incredibly simple.

Bowl of Hawaiian chicken with a side of white rice

How to Avoid the Burn Notice

It’s rare, but the burn notice can sometimes occur when the chicken is pressure cooking in the Instant Pot. To avoid this situation, make sure to really deglaze your post when adding the marinade back into the pot.

When the chicken is cooking in the olive oil, sometimes little pieces get stuck to the bottom of the pot. If you get a burn notice, it’s most likely because these chicken pieces are stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot and are cooking too quickly.

To avoid this, add the liquid into the Instant Pot, and then use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot. Make sure to get up any extra stuck on chicken bits. You’re good to go!

What Sides Should I Serve this Dish With?

Instant Pot Rice— This article has a great graph of cook times for all different rice variations.
Vegetables such as broccoli, green beans, etc.

Tools You Might Need to Make this Recipe

You’re definitely going to need an Instant Pot to make this recipe. An Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker that makes cook time so simple! You simply add all of the ingredients, wait for pressure to build, and then open the pot to a complete meal.

The Instant Pot is great for main dishes, side dishes, and even desserts! Check out some of my favorite Instant Pot Recipes.

Did you like this recipe? Make sure to leave a comment on the post letting me know what you thought! You can also share a photo on Facebook or Instagram and tag @TheForeignFork or hashtag #TheForeignFork.

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Comments

Debbie Jameson says

June 29, 2021 at 2:54 pm

Can this be made with thighs? Would the cooking time change?

Reply
- The Foreign Fork says
  
  July 01, 2021 at 8:58 pm
  
  Hello, Yes it can! I would cook it for 1-2 minutes longer
  
  Reply