Instant Pot Sweet & Tangy Chicken (Paleo, Gluten-Free)

Today's recipe from Instant Pot sweet and tangy chicken comes from Dr. Karen Lee's latest cookbook No Thaw Paleo Cooking In Instant Pot. Made with frozen chicken thighs, this dish is paleo and gluten-free friendly and can be modified to be keto suitable as well. This dish is similar to sweet and sour chicken and the meat is served in lettuce cups with finely sliced crunchy vegetables.

We all agree that plain chicken is well, too plain. But not when you add all sorts of goodies on top and wrap it up in buttery lettuce with a sweet and tangy sauce. That's exactly what you can make following this delicious, paleo-friendly recipe.

Cooking frozen chicken thighs or breast in the Instant Pot together with citrusy, Asian-inspired sauce results in super tasty meat that you can serve in a few ways.

Serving Sweet & Tangy Chicken

The author presents sweet and tangy chicken wrapped in lettuce wraps for a low-carb, paleo version. Alternatively, you can serve it over cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles. If you don't follow a paleo or low-carb diets, you can simply serve the chicken over regular or brown rice or quinoa. Try out turmeric jasmine rice recipe.

We hope you enjoy this delicious Instant Pot sweet and tangy chicken. Make sure to check out our review No Thaw Paleo Cooking In Instant Pot cookbook here, or find it on Amazon here. You might also like these keto smothered pork chops recipe by Dr. Karen S. Lee. 

Find more delicious paleo Instant Pot recipes here. 

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Instant Pot Sweet & Tangy Chicken

Paleo and gluten-free friendly, this Instant Pot sweet and tangy chicken is juicy and delicious. Similarly to sweet and sour chicken or pork, this dish can be served over rice or noodles or wrapped in lettuce wraps or with cauliflower rice for a low-carb, grain-free version.

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Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time18 minutes mins

Total Time28 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 320kcal

Ingredients

• ¼ cup orange juice 60 ml, fresh squeezed
• ¼ cup tamari or coconut aminos, 60 ml
• 2 tablespoon raw honey 30 ml, omit for keto
• 1 tablespoon mirin or rice vinegar, 15 mil
• 1 lb boneless and skinless chicken thighs 454 g, frozen
• 2 tablespoon avocado oil 30 ml
• 1 cup onion diced, 160 g
• 1 tablespoon garlic finely minced or pressed
• 2 celery diced (2 oz. / 57 g)
• 2 carrots diced (2 oz. / 57 g)
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
• 2 tablespoon water 30 ml
• 3 scallions chopped
• ½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 head bib lettuce or butter/baby romaine lettuce leaves
• 1 cucumber julienned
• ½ cup radish sliced
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds toasted
• 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds

Instructions

• Turn on the Instant Pot by pressing the “Pressure Cooker/Manual” button and set the timer for 6 minutes on HIGH pressure. Insert the inner pot and add the orange juice, tamari (or coconut aminos), raw honey, and mirin. Stir. Add the frozen chicken thighs and spoon some of it on top of the chicken.
• Close the lid tightly and move the steam release handle to “Sealing.”
• When the timer ends and the Instant Pot beeps, carefully turn the steam release handle to “Venting,” press “Cancel,” and allow the Instant Pot to depressurize quickly until the float valve drops down. Open the lid carefully.
• Using tongs, carefully take out the chicken, place them on a cutting board and dice the meat into small pieces. The chicken pieces might be stuck together, but you should be able to cut through them easily. Set the chicken aside. Reserve the cooked liquid in a small bowl.
• “Sauté” and set to “More.” Insert the inner pot and wait until the panel says “Hot.” Add the avocado oil in the inner pot and coat the bottom evenly. When the oil is hot, add the onion and sauté for 1 minute or until it is soft. Add the garlic, celery, carrots, ginger, sea salt, black pepper, and orange zest. Stir well.
• Add the diced chicken pieces and the reserved cooked liquid back into the inner pot and stir. Press the “Pressure Cooker/Manual” button and set the timer for 10 minutes on HIGH pressure.
• Meanwhile, mix the tapioca flour and water in a small bowl to make a slurry and set aside.
• When the timer ends and the Instant Pot beeps, press “Cancel” and allow the Instant Pot to cool down naturally for 10 minutes. Then, carefully turn the steam release handle to the “Venting” position for the steam to escape and the float valve to drop down. Press “Cancel,” and then “Sauté.”
• Open the lid carefully and stir in the scallions (reserve 1 tablespoon [3 g] for garnish), toasted sesame oil, and white pepper. Add the tapioca slurry into the inner pot while stirring for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens. Press “Cancel,” ladle about 1 cup (240 ml) of sauce into a bowl and reserve for serving.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken into the lettuce wraps, add the garnishes and serve immediately. You can drizzle the reserved sauce, if needed.

Notes

You can adjust the sweetness by omitting or reducing the honey amount to make them Keto or low-carb friendly.

Nutrition

Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 1285mg | Potassium: 827mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 6745IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 3mg

CourseMain

CuisineAsian

KeywordChicken, Chicken Dinner Recipes, Gluten free pasta, Healthy, Low-Carb, Paleo, Sweet and Sour Chicken

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Reprinted with permission from No-Thaw Paleo Cooking in Your Instant Pot by Dr. Karen S. Lee, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Donna Crous

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