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This crunchy veggie-packed Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken With Rice and Cashews takes 20 minutes to make—and it’s done all in one pot!
This crunchy veggie-packed Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken With Rice and Cashews takes 20 minutes to make—and it’s done all in one pot!
Do you have any Instant Pot woes? When I first used mine, I was incredibly disappointed with how watery everything was. I’d followed a recipe step by step (something I typically don’t do because, hello! I like to create!), and when I popped the lid open, the glorious sticky and gloopy orange chicken I’d hoped for—the chicken that was pictured in the recipe post—appeared to be meat sitting in pond water.
I took the chicken out, made a slurry with corn starch, and thickened that shit up. But that’s when I learned that the Instant Pot isn’t some kind of magical tool; you have to become the magician behind it. After doing some research and testing, I feel a lot more comfortable with it. Which is great, because it’s such a time saver!
Shredded chicken and taco recipes have become my true comfort zone with the ol’ IP. But in an effort to change things up, I started brainstorming East Asian-influenced rice dishes. The catch: cooking the rice and the chicken in the pot at the same time. BECAUSE TIME IS PRECIOUS AND CLEAN UP SUCKS. It took me a good month and a half to even attempt this bad boy. I was terrified that it wouldn’t work. But it did. So please, shower me with confetti as I gingerly twirl around…
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken With Rice and Cashews.
When you think about takeout chicken and rice dishes, you imagine a pile of fluffy rice toppled with chicken coated in a gorgeous lip-smacking thick and sticky sauce. This is not that. Since we’re cooking everything in one pot, the rice picks up a ton of flavor and a lot of that saucy texture. Imagine an East Asian honey garlic variation on paella or jambalaya.
To preserve the clean flavor and crispness of the red peppers and broccoli, I add them at the end when the pressure cooking cycle is complete, leaving the rice to sit for five minutes. It works out perfectly. If you add them to the pressure cooking cycle, they get soggy and lose their crunch. If you prefer soft-cooked vegetables, then go ahead and add them in the beginning.
Want more Instant Pot chicken recipes for your weeknight? Peep my Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Tacos and my Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma Lettuce Cups.
Also check out…
- Basil + Bubbly’s Instant Pot Chicken Risotto
- Carmy-Run Eat Travel’s Instant Pot Chicken Teriyaki
- Dishes Delish’s Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
If you try this recipe or create your own variation, let me know in the comments! I love connecting with you.
Also, snap a photo and tag me on the Insta @killing__thyme and be featured in our newsletter.
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken With Rice and Cashews
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher or sea salt and cracked black pepper
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1/2 cup julienned carrots
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 3/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup raw liquid honey
- 1-2 TBSP sambal oelek, Adjust to your heat preference
- 2 TBSP rice vinegar
- 1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
- 1 cup broccoli florets, roughly chopped in small pieces
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
- sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, sambal oelek, and rice vinegar. Set aside.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. When your Instant Pot is hot, add the oil. Then, add the garlic, ginger, carrots, and mushrooms. Sauté for 2-3 minutes; stir often to prevent burning. Add a splash of vegetable broth if you find your vegetables are sticking to the pot.
- Add the uncooked rice and cubed chicken; stir to coat them in oil, mixing it well with the veggies. Add the vegetable broth followed by the honey and soy mixture. Stir to coat.
- Place the lid onto the Instant Pot and lock it into place. Make sure the valve is set to "Sealing". Press the Manual button and set the Instant Pot to cook, on High Pressure, for 5 minutes. (It will take a bit for the pot to come to pressure.) Once the 5 minutes is up and your Instant Pot starts to beep, it will start its natural release process. Carefully move the pressure knob from Sealing to Venting for a quick release. Steam will spit out of the valve, so be careful. Once the steam has fully released, it's safe to remove the Instant Pot lid. If you have a meat thermometer, check the chicken. You want an internal temperature of at least 165ºF. If you don't have a meat thermometer, cut open a thicker piece of one of the cubes to ensure the chicken is cooked in the center. (5 minutes should be enough, but always check.)
- Add the bell pepper, broccoli, and cashews. Place the lid back onto the Instant Pot for 5-7 minutes. This will allow the rice to set and will steam the peppers and broccoli, keeping their crunch.
- Remove the lid and serve. Garnish with sliced scallions, sesame seeds, extra cashews, and extra hot sauce if desired.
