Make your favorite chicken stir fry in a pressure cooker! Instant pot chicken and broccoli is a healthy, easy and tasty dish, perfect for quick weeknight dinners.
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Why should you try it?
- Easy one-pot dinner recipe
- A healthier version of a classic dish
- Easy to adopt, and easy to add lots of veggies
- Can be served with different sides, toppings and sauces
Ingredients
Chicken breasts: You can use boneless and skinless chicken thighs if you prefer, but I like breat fillets.
Broccoli: Raw broccoli is best here. I would not recommend frozen broccoli, as it contains too much water.
Ginger: Adds flavor! You can use ginger paste instead.
Garlic: Also adds flavor. Feel free to substitute with garlic paste.
Cornstarch: This is what helps the sauce thicken towards the end of the cooking process.
Soy sauce: Adds a lovely flavor to the dish.
Sesame oil: This is an optional ingredient which adds a lot of flavor to the dish. Omit if you're allergic.
Chicken broth: The broth is the main liquid in the sauce. Can use vegetable stock instead.
Olive oil / vegetable oil: Add a splash of oil to the pot to prevent the chicken from burning. If you don't want to use oil, you can use a spoonful of water instead!
Browse my collection of instant pot chicken recipes for more healthy dinner inspiration.
Instructions
- Brown the chicken: Saute chicken, garlic and ginger for a few minutes in olive oil, until the chicken starts to develop a little color.
- Pressure cook: Add chicken broth, sesame oil and soy sauce, give the mixture a little stir, then cover with the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Cook using the MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK setting on high pressure for 10 minutes. Then, quickly release the pressure.
- Thicken the sauce and finish: Mix the cornstarch with a tablespoon of water in a small bowl to form a paste. Add the paste to the instant pot, and stir. Add the broccoli florets. Turn on the saute setting, and cook for a few minutes until the broccoli is tender, and the sauce has thickened.
- Serve: Serve the dish immediately with your favorite side dishes or toppings.
Top tips
- If you're short on time, you can skip the step of sauteing the chicken. Just make sure to grate the garlic and ginger finely, or use ginger paste and garlic paste instead.
- Make a double batch while you're at it, and freeze half for later.
Serving suggestions
My favorite part about stir fries and one pot meals is that they don't really require any side dishes!
If you want to serve chicken and broccoli with anything, you can serve them with noodles, rice, Mushroom Fried Rice, Turmeric Rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, or other grains.
Although not necessary, you can also serve them with a vegetable side dish, such as Chinese Garlic Green Beans.
I also love to top this dish with some flavorful toppings. Try serving it with some roasted sesame seeds or scallions / spring onions on top.
Variations
Extra veggies: Add some water chestnuts, shredded carrots or cabbage, sugar snap peas, peppers or leeks if you want to add some more vegetbales to the dish.
Spicy chicken and broccoli: For a spicy version, add a diced chili or ½ tsp red pepper flakes, or both.
Vegetarian: Substitute the chicken for canned chickpeas if you prefer a vegetarian version of the dish.
Leftovers
Leftover instant pot chicken and broccoli can be stored in a sealed container in a refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Thaw frozen leftovers in a refrigerator overnight. Then, heat the dish up for a few minutes in a pot on the stove top, or in a microwave, and serve it warm.
You might also like these recipes
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
- Instant Pot Tuna Casserole
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes
- Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast
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Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups broccoli florets (2 small or 1 large broccoli)
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- Saute chicken, garlic and ginger for a few minutes in olive oil, until the chicken starts to develop a little color, using the SAUTE setting on the instant pot.
- Add chicken broth, sesame oil and soy sauce, give the mixture a little stir, then cover with the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Cook using the MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK setting on high pressure for 10 minutes. Then, turn the valve to quickly release the pressure.
- Mix the cornstarch with a tablespoon of water in a small bowl to form a paste. Add the paste to the instant pot, and stir. Add the broccoli florets. Turn on the saute setting, and cook for a few minutes until the broccoli is tender, and the sauce has thickened.
- If the sauce thickens and the broccoli is still not tender, turn off the instant pot, and place the lid on top. Leave it for a few minutes while the broccoli steams in the hot pot.
- Serve the dish immediately with your favorite side dishes or toppings.
Video
Notes
- Store leftovers in a refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Sheila
Great recipe, really easy. Thank you.