Instant Pot Cashew Chicken

Instant Pot Cashew Chicken is a delicious version of the popular Chinese dish so many of us know and love. With a savory sauce, tender chunks of chicken, and lots of veggies. This pressure cooker cashew chicken recipe is very versatile! This is a "dump and start" Instant Pot recipe.

Instant Pot Cashew Chicken

There are so many versions of Cashew Chicken out there. It's one of those recipes you think is going to be made one way, then find out that there are dozens of variations. But making Cashew Chicken in the Instant Pot is my favorite way.

Since this is such a versatile recipe, you can have fun with it!

Which cut of chicken works best for cashew chicken?

• I think boneless/skinless chicken thighs work the best, as they are vey tender and don't dry out easily. The flavor is really good, too.
• Having said that, boneless/skinless chicken breasts will also work very well for Instant Pot Cashew Chicken.
• The trick is to cut the pieces larger, and to not overcook them.

When you use chicken breast, as in the above photo, it may shred just a little. Don't worry, as long as you didn't overcook it, the meat will be tender and those shredded pieces will blend right in.

If you are concerned about presentation, then use thigh meat as it won't do that. But really, it's not a big deal. Use what you like!

Will the cashews get soggy?

• Not if you add them last. They will have just the right amount of crunch, and are so good in this recipe!
• I like to buy raw cashews as I use them for other recipes. So what I do is roast the ones for the Instant Pot Cashew Chicken recipe at 350° for about 10 minutes.
• I do spray them with some cooking spray first. You could also roast the cashews in the air fryer, if you have one and don't want to turn on the oven.

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Cook the rice at the same time!

You'll need a tall legged trivet like this one (affiliate),and a stainless pan like this one (affiliate).

This works with long grain white rice, basmati, and jasmine rice. Just put equal parts rice and water in the pan, and a small amount of butter or olive oil.

Set the pan on the trivet, which keeps it above the cashew chicken.

The rice cooks perfectly in the same amount of time as the chicken!

Optional add-ins

It seems that Cashew Chicken is a fairly simple recipe. I often see it with some meat, sauce, peppers, and not a lot else.

I like to add stuff to it! Mainly more vegetables. There are so many choices.

Snow Peas, Carrots, mushrooms, water chestnuts, onion, bok choy, and the list goes on.

The trick with adding the veggies is knowing when to add them so they don't overcook. I will add carrot matchsticks and the white part of scallions before pressure cooking.

Delicate vegetables are added after pressure cooking, before turning on the sauté setting and adding the corn starch slurry. They cook perfectly!

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Instant Pot Cashew Chicken

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

3 mins

Pressure Release

9 mins

Total Time

37 mins

 

Instant Pot Cashew Chicken is a delicious version of the popular Chinese dish so many of us know and love. With a savory sauce, tender chunks of chicken, and lots of veggies.

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: pressure cooker cashew chicken recipe

Servings: 4

Calories: 422 kcal

Author: Sandy Clifton

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs Chicken Thighs or Breasts, skinless/boneless, cut in 2" pieces
• 1 medium Carrot, cut into matchsticks (optional)
• 6 oz Mushrooms (optional)
• 1 bunch Green Onions (Scallions) sliced and divided
• 1 8-oz can Water Chestnuts, drained and roughly chopped (optional)

Sauce

• ¼ cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce (or Hoisin)
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1-2 Tablespoon Brown Sugar (to taste) or use Honey
• 2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Oil
• ⅓ cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 3 teaspoons Grated Fresh Ginger
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha (or ½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes)
• 5 cloves Garlic, finely minced or pressed

Add After Pressure Cooking

• 1 small Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 handful Snow Peas (optional)

To Thicken

• 1 ½ Tablespoons Corn Starch
• 2 Tablespoons Cold Water

Add at the End

• 1 cup Roasted Cashews (I buy raw and roast them)
• Reserved Green Onions

To Make Rice At the Same Time

• 2 cups White Rice (or basmati, jasmine, etc.)
• 2 cups Water
• 1 Tablespoon Butter, or 2 teaspoons Olive Oil

Instructions

1. Add the chicken pieces to the inner stainless liner of the pressure cooker.

2. Add the carrot, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and the white parts of the green onions (save the green parts). 

3. Mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, chicken broth, ginger, Sriracha, and garlic. Pour over the chicken and vegetables. Stir.

4. Mix together the corn starch and water and set aside.

5. If Making Rice With the Chicken

   Place the tall legged trivet in the pot right down in the chicken/sauce. Then place the pan on the trivet. Add the rice, water, and butter. Stir. No need to cover it.

6. Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
   

7. Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 3 minutes. High Pressure. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.

8. When the cook cycle has finished, turn off the pot and let it sit undisturbed for 9 minutes (9 minute natural release). Then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to release the remaining steam/pressure.
   

9. When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid.

10. Turn on the Sauté setting. When the sauce starts to simmer, stir in the red pepper, snow peas, if using, and the corn starch slurry. Stir until thickened.
    

11. Turn off the pot and stir in the cashews and the remaining green onion slices. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed.

12. Serve hot.

RESOURCES TO MAKE this recipe and more

This post contains Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.