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Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken is loaded with bell peppers, sweet pineapple, and savory chicken and served with rice.
3.87 from 23 votes
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Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken

Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken is full of fresh pineapple chunks, juicy and tender chicken, bell peppers, onions, and a sticky sweet and spicy sauce.  This healthy, gluten-free and kid-friendly pressure cooker meal can easily be prepped ahead for busy weeks and on the dinner table in under 30 minutes!

Course Dinner, lunch, Main Course, main dish
Cuisine Asian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 5 servings
Calories 315 kcal
London Brazil

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
  • ¼ cup cornstarch or tapioca flour
  • ¾ tsp. salt divided, to taste
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. avocado oil or olive oil
  • 15- oz can pineapple chunks in juice divided
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • 3 Tbsp. sugar or coconut sugar
  • 3 Tbsp. soy sauce Tamari sauce, or coconut liquid aminos
  • 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 lime juice
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 tsp. Sriracha sauce optional
  • 2 bell peppers cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 red onion cut into bite-sized pieces.
  • Green onions
  • Rice

Instructions

  1. Combine chicken cubes, starch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Toss to coat chicken completely.
  2. Add oil to the Instant Pot while it is set to the sauté function and wait until the oil begins to sizzle.
  3. Place chicken cubes in a single layer on the bottom of the Instant Pot and sauté for 2-3 minutes.  After sautéing, scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure any bits are no longer stuck. (This step is HUGELY important.  If you do not scrape the bottom of the pot you'll end up getting that dreaded BURN error.)
  4. Add ¾ cup of pineapple chunks, ⅓ cup pineapple juice, ketchup, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, crushed garlic, Sriracha sauce, and ¾ teaspoon of salt to a high speed blender. Blend for 20-30 seconds or until sauce is completely smooth.
  5. Pour sauce over chicken and be sure to lift it off the bottom of the pan so it does not burn.
  6. Add chopped bell pepper and onion on top of the chicken. Do not stir or mix them in.
  7. Place lid on Instant Pot and close pressure valve. Using the manual pressure cook function turn to High Pressure and set the timer for 5 minutes.
  8. Keep the lid on and the valve closed for an additional 5 minutes after the timer goes off. (This is called a 5-minute natural pressure release, or NPR.)
  9. Turn the Instant Pot off, and open the pressure valve. Once the lid has unlocked, you can open the pot. Stir in the remaining pineapple chunks that have been finely chopped.
  10. Serve your Hawaiian chicken over cauliflower rice or regular rice and with a sprinkle of green onions.  Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

The nutritional information for this recipe is calculated without any rice or cauliflower rice.

Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 315 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 58mg19%
Sodium 1027mg45%
Potassium 644mg18%
Carbohydrates 38g13%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 27g30%
Protein 22g44%
Vitamin A 1622IU32%
Vitamin C 77mg93%
Calcium 33mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.