Fast, flavorful and perfect for a weeknight – this Instant Pot Cashew Chicken is the easiest way to skip the take out and make it yourself at home!
Make sure to check out my other Instant Pot recipes – like these Instant Pot Ribs, Instant Pot Tuna Noodle Casserole, Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken, or Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef.
I’m a huge fan of make your own take out, and Chinese inspired recipes are right there at the top. I love cashew chicken, so of course, I had high hopes for this Instant Pot Cashew Chicken. And I’m happy to report that it definitely met those expectations!! This was easy, and full of flavor. And the leftovers were even pretty amazing.
But first, let’s talk about the cookbook.
The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook
This book was written by Barbara Schieving, from the blog Pressure Cooking Today. I have actually made several other pressure cooker recipes from her blog, so I knew this cookbook would be good. There are so many recipes in this book – 200 of them. This is going to be my pressure cooker go-to! I love that there is a large variety of recipes in the book. In fact, while talking to Barbara about the book, she mentioned that the desserts are her favorite from the book. A year ago, I would have never even known that you could make dessert in the pressure cooker!
This book will become a staple in my kitchen. I love that the Instant Pot makes dinnertime (and dessert!) so easy and flavorful. And there are SO many recipes in this book that I want to try. If you are a fan of the pressure cooker, this is a book you need in your kitchen as well!
Buy The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook on Amazon.
What You’ll Need
The ingredient list isn’t too long, but the good thing is that you may already have many of these ingredients on hand!
Chicken Breasts – It calls for boneless, skinless breasts. I love chicken thighs, and while I haven’t tried them in this recipe, they would probably work just fine as well. But I actually think the breasts work perfectly in this recipe!
Vegetable Oil – for browning the chicken. You could sub in olive oil or another oil of your choice.
Chicken Broth – this is part of the sauce. I always use low sodium.
Soy Sauce – another ingredient that I always pick up in low sodium.
Honey – Used to sweeten the sauce. This isn’t a sweet sauce, but this gives it that perfect amount of sweet.
Rice Vinegar – this is also sometimes labeled as rice wine vinegar. Just make sure you are using vinegar, not actual rice wine.
Chili-Garlic Sauce – this can be found in the Asian section at the grocery store. This adds a lot of flavor, so I wouldn’t skip it.
Cornstarch – this is used to thicken the sauce.
Cashews – I buy the roasted and salted nuts.
Prepared Rice and Sliced Green Onions – used just for serving!
Tips for Making this Cashew Chicken
- Brown your chicken in batches to get the best color on the chicken.
- Have all of your ingredients measured and ready to go, as the preparation time is actually very fast on this recipe.
- If desired, you can toast your cashews in a pan on the stove or in the oven if they are not already roasted. Even if they are roasted, toasting them first brings out a lot of great flavor.
- This chicken makes great leftovers, just keep the chicken and rice separated and warm individually.
- Feel free to mix in any veggies of your choice – I think broccoli would be a great fit!
More Asian Inspired Recipes
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Beef and Broccoli
Pineapple Chicken
Orange Chicken
General Tso’s Chicken
Easy Egg Roll Recipe
Butter Chicken
Kung Pao Chicken
Helpful Tools
You’ll need a pressure cooker, and I love my Instant Pot. I know there are many brands out there today, but my Instant Pot has always worked great for me.
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Instant Pot Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1/2 cup roasted cashew halves
- 6 cups prepared rice for serving
- 4 green onions white and green parts, sliced (for serving)
Instructions
- Lightly season the chicken with pepper. Select browning/saute to preheat the pressure cooking pot. When it’s hot, add the vegetable oil and the chicken*. Saute for about 3 minutes.1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, freshly ground pepper, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Stir in the chicken broth, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and chili-garlic sauce. Lock the lid in place. Select high pressure for 3 minutes cook time.1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce, 3 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce
- When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker. Use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Gradually add the slurry to the pot. Select simmer/saute and simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons cold water
- Stir in the cashews and simmer for 2 minutes more.1/2 cup roasted cashew halves
- Serve over rice, if desired, and garnish with the green onions.6 cups prepared rice, 4 green onions
Jet Reno Murch says
Very good. Once I had the ingredients gathered and drafted some prep help from hubby, it was easy sailing. I followed the recipe to the letter and other than my taste buds would prefer the dish a little less sweet, it was excellent. Better half loved it the way it was but I added some soy sauce to mine. Thanks for sharing. Have you ever made any of the other recipes from The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook and reviewed them? I am looking at the Beef Bourguignon recipe right now.
Linda Grissom says
I am going to make this as soon as I get all of the ingredients. I do want to add some vegetables so I think I will add sliced carrots, celery and I want something more but don’t know at this time. Have you any suggestions?
Deborah says
I think broccoli or bell peppers would be great as well!
Becky says
Great recipe! Better than take out!
Janeill Besecker says
This is the second dish I’ve made in my Instant Pot. I found the instructions to be accurate and easy to follow. Removing one star because I felt the dish was pretty bland. Admittedly, I omitted the garlic chili paste because I don’t like garlic or chili. I ended up adding 1/3 c. of frozen peas, 4 sliced crimini mushrooms and 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger in the final saute phase. Because of the extra cooking time the chicken was a bit dry. Next time I’ll have those items at the ready (an use snow peas instead of frozen) and I’m confident it will turn out better. Either way, the family ate it all and enjoyed it. That’s a success in my book!
Erin says
Hi there I can’t wait to try this recipe tonight!
Can you tell me if it is the same cooking time if I make this for 4 instead of 6 servings or should it be a little less?
Deborah says
You will keep the cook time the same even if you make less. I hope you love it!
Olivia Mathis says
You inspired me to give my InstaPot another try. I made this last night for dinner and it was a HUGE hit. Can’t wair to try Deborah’s other Asian inspired recipes. Do you know if recipes can be doubled or is that a big no no for IP?
Deborah says
I don’t have a lot of experience with doubling recipes in the pressure cooker, but I did a little bit of reading. It sounds like you just need to make sure you aren’t filling it too full (2/3 for this recipe) and that it will probably take longer to come to pressure. If you try, please let me know how it turns out!
disneypal says
This sounds and looks so delicious and I would like to try making this tonight. However, I do not know what garlic-chili sauce is. What is it and where would I find it in the grocery store?
Deborah says
You should be able to find it in the Asian section of your grocery store. I usually buy the Huy Fong brand that has a green lid. It should just say Chili Garlic Sauce on the label.
Helen Carter says
We really loved the recipe as is and a lot of people do as well. My best friend shared this pressure cooker cashew chicken recipe with me and I am so happy she did. Now, it is my favorite thing to cook. It is extremely tasty and delicious.
Apart from that, the flavors will surely make your mouth water and you will feel great after eating it. I always make use of organic chicken and it is just superb! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Good job!
Barbara Schieving says
Thanks so much for the great review! I’m so glad you loved the cashew chicken. Such a great picture! I can’t wait to see what dessert you make.