Instant Pot Cashew Chicken

Instant Pot Cashew Chicken

     My favorite item to cook in the instant pot - chicken.  The chicken turns out perfectly cooked, moist and tender without being tough or overcooked.  Instant Pot tells folks to cook chicken at 6-8 minutes and most recipes call for 10 minutes. I have found that if its 2 pounds of chicken or more, 12 minutes cook time yields the results we like.  You may need to adjust your timing to your liking as you use your Instant Pot more and more.  You can also control the "heat" in this recipe to your families liking.  I use hot chili oil in this dish but, red pepper flake works well too.  I hope you enjoy this recipe, its a mix of savory chicken with a slightly sweet sauce and the cooked cashews lend a buttery tone to the dish. ~Enjoy! Diane 

Instant Pot Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:
 2 lbs chicken breasts cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
 1 sweet red, orange or yellow bell pepper; cored, seeded, cut into 1 inch pieces
 1 small can of diced or sliced water chestnuts
 1 small onion, diced
 1 cup cashews unsalted
 1 tablespoon sesame oil
 4 tablespoons soy sauce*
 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
 1 tsp minced garlic
 1/2 tsp red chili oil
 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
 1 cup chicken broth*
 ground black pepper

Directions:
I use my 6 Quart Instant Pot
    Lightly pepper the chicken *optional, add all ingredients to Inner pot of your Instant Pot. Stir until combined. Close lid, make sure the pressure cooker is sealed. Cook on High Pressure/Meat for 12 minutes.
 Use an 8 minute Natural Release. Turn off the heat. Release the remaining pressure. Open the lid then select the Sauté function, on LOW.
 In a small bowl or cup combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water, whisk until well combined with no lumps. Add the mixture to the Instant Pot and  stir to combine.
 Cook on Sauté function for a few more minutes, stirring gently, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. If you want an even thicker sauce, mix one more tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water and add it to the pressure cooker.
Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped green onion.
Serve over cooked rice or noodles.

*Recipe Note: you can use low sodium soy sauce and chicken broth.