Instant Pot Chicken Stir-Fry

Chicken Stir-Fry is extremely versatile.

This recipe calls for broccoli, red pepper, and cucumber but you could easily switch them out for other vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, bok choy, or zucchini. Use whatever is in season for the best flavors. 

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I'm so excited to share this recipe with you as it's one of many great recipes my friend Aileen Clark from Aileen Cooks has in her new Instant Pot authorized cookbook which she gifted me to review. All the opinions below are my own, and I was not paid for this review.

What is stir-fry?

Stir-fry is a traditional Chinese cooking method that involves cooking in a wok over very high heat with oil. Small pieces of meat that may or may not have been quickly marinated, fresh vegetables, and aromatics are used to quickly prepare dinner. If you'd like to read more about stir-frying head over to Culinary Lore.

Prep the chicken stir-fry

First, cut the boneless skinless chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. This is an optional step.

Take a medium bunch of broccoli and cut into small florets. The cucumber will be halved and sliced. The red bell pepper and onion will be sliced. One of the wonderful things about a stir-fry is you can mix and match your produce. You can add bok choy, carrots, snow peas, onions, and other vegetables to the dish.

That while you could swap out the cucumber for zucchhini my recommendation is to use the cucumber. I had never thought to use this in my stir-fry before trying out this recipe, and it turned out so much better than using zucchini! It kept a firm shape, and added delicious flavor to the dish. I'll be using it again and again!

Pro-tip: The chicken and the vegetables can be prepped the night before, so when you arrive home from work you can just start cooking! This dish also re-heats really well, and I made a triple batch for meal prep for the week after my initial test run.

Cooking the chicken stir-fry

When I tested the recipe I tried two different methods of cooking. The one from the cookbook, and a different method of my own. I'll walk you through both here.

Method #1 - Per the cookbook

• Turn the on to saute, and add the oil to heat for one minute.
• Add the prepped chicken (if you chose not to pre-season add the salt and pepper at this point), and cooking stirring frequently until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove from the Instant Pot, and set aside.
• Add to the pot the vegetables along with the minced ginger then stir-fry for about 5-minutes or until tender.
• Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
• Add chicken back to the Instant Pot along with the stir-fry sauce. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Serve immediately over brown rice, or store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Method #2 - Alternate Method

• Set the Instant Pot to saute, and add the oil to heat for one minute.
• Add the onions and saute until transluscent. Add the chicken and cook for about two minutes.
• Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
• Add one cup of chicken broth to the Instant Pot. Close the lid, and cook on high (normal) pressure for four minutes then follow with a two minute natural pressure release.
• Remove the chicken from the pot, and discard the chicken broth. Set aside.
• Set the pot to saute, and add oil to heat. Add in the prepared vegetables with the minced ginger, and cook about 5-minutes or until tender.
• Add chicken back to the Instant Pot along with the stir-fry sauce. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Serve immediately over brown rice, or store in an airtight container for up to one week.

My thoughts on this cookbook

There were so many delicious looking recipes to choose from, 175 to be exact, that it took me at least a week to choose just one to add to my blog. The meals are all budget-conscious coming in at $12 and under to make. Even increasing the recipes will still yield affordable meals with easy to find ingredients or staples.

There are recipes for everyone and every mood in this cookbook. The variety will make meal planning easy to do, and the directions are well-written. So if you are novice cook or a well-seasoned cook these recipes will work for you and your family! 🙂 I for one can't wait to finish cooking my way through this one!

Excerpted from The I Love My Instant Pot Affordable Meals Recipe Book by Aileen Clark. Copyright © 2019 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. Photography by James Stefiuk. Used with permission of the publisher, Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.

If you enjoyed this you may also like Instant Pot Cheesy Ziti (Johnny Marzetti), Instant Pot Pork Egg Roll in a Bowl, or Instant Pot Omelette Bites!