Instant Pot Peanut Chicken that can also be made on the stovetop – a simple, delicious one-pot meal that can be made in 25 minutes! Paleo and GF adaptable, this delicious Balinese-inspired meal can be prepped ahead, or cooked ahead for the busy work week!
Everything is soul and flowering. I open and fill with love, and what is not love evaporates. ~ Rumi
Make this simple Peanut Chicken in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop, either way, it’s a delicious weeknight meal that comes together quickly and easily. Chicken breast is simmered in a tasty, Balinese-style, peanut sauce then served over your choice of rice or a hearty bed of baby spinach and sprinkled with the optional but amaaaaaazing Peanut Chili Crunch.
The best part, this can be prepped ahead, stored in a ziplock, then cooked during the busy workweek. Or, cook it ahead on a Sunday and warm it up during the week. Either way, you will love it. Trust me.
How to Make Instant Pot Peanut Chicken!
If going the rice route, make sure to make the chili cucumber salad to go with it…..so fresh and flavorful!
This meal was inspired by our trip to Bali last year where the people are as kind and warm as the beautiful surroundings. The thing that struck me most while being in Bali was how two very different religious groups- Muslim and Hindu, lived so peacefully together, holding respect and understanding for each other. It was an honor to witness this beautiful interweaving of cultures, a good reminder that this is possible when we live from the heart. Our thoughts create fear and with it, separation, barriers and prejudice. But our hearts want to love and connect.
If serving with rice, up your veggies by adding the Chili Cucumber Salad and wilted spinach.
Or serve the warm peanut chicken directly over a bed of baby spinach, gently wilting it.
Sprinkle with the optional Peanut Chili Crunch, which you will fall head over heels in love with!
It adds the best texture and flavor to Asian style meals…..so tasty!
What I love about this Instant Pot Peanut Chicken Recipe is, it’s basically “dump and go”. A good one for those of you who are short on time, or have little ones running all around you. Just put everything in the pot and give it a stir and pressure cook it for 10 minutes. That’s it. So easy! But not lacking in flavor whatsoever!
And remember, you can always swap out Almond butter for the Peanut Butter!
So delicious, so easy….. an Instant Pot Chicken recipe that can be made on the stovetop too! A fast and easy meal, that can also be made ahead if meal prepping.
You may also like:
- Our 25 Best Instant Pot Recipes | Easy Pressure Cooker Meals
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
- Instant Pot Arroz Con Pollo
- Instant Pot Thai Curry Chicken
- For more Instant Pot Recipes, be sure to visit the Instant Pot Category on the recipe page!
Instant Pot Peanut Chicken
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6
- Category: chicken, main, gluten free, instant pot, paleo
- Method: instant pot, pressure cooker, stove top
- Cuisine: Balinese
Description
Instant Pot Peanut Chicken that can also be made on the Stove Top – a simple, delicious one pot meal that can be made in 30 minutes! Paleo and GF adaptable, this delicious meal can be prepped ahead, or cooked ahead for the busy workweek!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes, sprinkled with pinch of salt
- 3 fat cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped ( or use ginger paste)
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 13-ounce can coconut milk (liquid and solids- stirred) do not use light- too watery!
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (or use GF liquid amino acids)
- 3 tablespoons honey (or coconut sugar or brown sugar)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, more to taste
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic paste (or sriracha, or sambal olek)
- —–
- ½ cup peanut butter (or sub almond butter)
- optional additions : 1 tablespoon lemongrass, 4-5 kefir lime leaves
Chili Cucumber Salad
- 3 Turkish cucumbers, cut into ½ inch thick, diagonal half-moons
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic paste
- pinch salt and sugar (optional)
- optional – basil ribbons, scallions, or cilantro
Serve over rice or a bed of spinach (either raw or wilted) or both, with the optional Chili Cucumber Salad Sprinkle with the optional Peanut Chili Crunch, or even just roasted peanuts.
Instructions
Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes, sprinkle with salt and set aside.
If using an Instant Pot, set it to the sauté function, and sauté the ginger and garlic in a teaspoon of oil for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add lemongrass if using. Stir the can of coconut milk with a fork so liquids and solids are combined- then and add 1 cup of the coconut milk, (you’ll add the rest after). Stir in the soy sauce, honey, lime juice, chili paste and the chicken (optional kafir lime leaves) everything except the peanut butter in the pot, and stir.
Set to HIGH Pressure, for 8 minutes. Naturally release. See notes. (If using thigh meat pressure cook for 12 minutes.)
Once the chicken is done cooking, stir in the peanut butter, and taste a spoonful of the sauce. Adjust salt, lime, sweetness and spice level according to your taste. Stir in the remaining coconut milk if you like. Some of you may want it sweeter. I usually add more chili paste and lime. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.
(Alternately, if cooking on the stovetop, cook the lightly salted chicken cubes in a dutch oven or large skillet in a little oil, until golden. Toss in the garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, 1-2 minutes, then add the remaining ingredients, all except peanut butter, stirring to combine. Cover and let simmer very gently on low heat, 8-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, then stir in the peanut butter. )
If the sauce seems too thin, reduce a bit using the sauté function while constantly stirring, to prevent burning the bottom. See notes.
Serve over a bed of rice or baby spinach – or both and the Chili Cucumber Salad. Top with optional Peanut Chili Crunch
To make the refreshing Chili Cucumber Salad, just place everything in a medium bowl and toss. It only takes a few minutes and you can do this while the Peanut Chicken is cooking.
Notes
The sauce will start off a bit watery, but will thicken as it cools.
This will become more and more delicious over the next couple days. When cooking chicken breast in a pressure cooker, the meat seems to “contract”. If you allow the pressure-cooked chicken time to “rest” (keeping in on the “warm” setting for a while) it will expand and absorb some of the sauce -the sauce will thicken and the chicken will relax a bit and become more tender and flavorful. That’s why dishes like this usually taste better the next day. A great one to make ahead!
If making or prepping ahead, I would just cook it ahead and refrigerate, allowing the flavors to meld.
To prep this ahead, and cook it later- blend all sauce ingredients (except peanut butter) in a blender. Pour over the raw chicken (in a ziplock bag) and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then pour it in the Instant Pot. Drop peanut butter on the top of the chicken or stir it in after it is cooked. Follow the rest of the directions above.
Chicken Breast cooking Times:
- 6-ounce chicken breasts- 6 minutes on high pressure for fresh ( 10 minutes on high pressure for frozen)
- 8 ounce chicken breasts -7 minutes on high pressure for fresh (11 minutes on high pressure for frozen)
- 10 ounce chicken breasts- 8 minutes on high pressure for fresh (12 minutes on high pressure for frozen)
Keywords: instant pot chicken recipes, thai peanut chicken, instant pot peanut chicken, instant pot peanut chicken, peanut butter chicken, thai peanut chicken, instant pot chicken recipes
This recipe is fantastic, thank you so much for taking the time to share it.
Thanks so much Jaqui!
This sounds wonderful! Do you know if it will work in a crockpot?
hi Carrie! Yes, I bet it would but I don’t know the particulars-not super experienced with crockpots.
I love this so much, has been made several times both in insta pot and on the stove.
QQ: can you make with tofu for a vegetarian version? Like make the sauce and add tofu using stove version? How would you go about this for a tofu version?
Hi Jane, I would probably make crispy tofu ( search that recipe) then make the peanut sauce on the stovetop – then add the tofu in at the end. 🙂
Looking forward to trying this out!! Do you think it would be freezer-friendly? I’d love to make a big portion and freeze half for later.
Hi Kelli-I’m guessing it would freeze fine!
This recipe is excellent and a staple for my toddlers! I want to double the recipe – how does this change the cooking time for the instant pot? Thank you!
★★★★★
Hi Hannah! It shouldn’t really need added time, but you could add 1 more mintue if you like?
this was simple and delicious! thank you!
★★★★★
Thanks Mert- Glad you enjoyed these and hope all is well with you!!! ❤️
it was okay. probably wouldn’t make it again
★★★
Whereas it has become part of our regular rotation! I make it 1-2x/ month. I think the chili-garlic sauce and peanut crunch are crucial, but add them individually to the adults’ portions.
★★★★★
Love it Amy!
This recipe was delicious!! I couldn’t find chilli-garlic paste in my area, so instead subbed Jamie Oliver’s chilli-garlic pesto. Served over baby spinach with the cucumber salad and it made for a prefect summer meal! Sylvia’s recipes always come out perfect!
★★★★★
Perfect Dan, glad you enjoyed this.
Our family adores this recipe. Previously, if making in the electric pressure cooker, the instructions said to add the peanut butter to the top of the other ingredients before pressurizing. The stove-top instructions had you add the peanut butter after cooking.
Is there a reason why you changed this bit of the recipe? I like to cook it the original way because the peanut butter tastes more “mellow” and doesn’t overpower the dish as much.
People were having “burn errors” when adding to the Instant Pot before pressure cooking- so I changed it…. feel free to add before- no problem!
So delicious! I made this with both some fresh lemongrass and the kefir lime leaves. For me, The lime leaves put this sauce over the top! Love all the international flavors you bring to so many of your recipes!
★★★★★
Thanks Ingrid-and glad this worked for you!
This was delicious! I don’t often leave reviews but too yummy not to. Cooked to recipe, only added half of the left over coconut milk and had to use white wine vinegar in the cucumber salad as did not have rice vinegar. So much flavour, everyone loved it!
★★★★★
Previously, did this recipe have you add the peanut butter on top of all the ingredients in the pressure cooker, and not wait until the end of cooking time, like in the stovetop directions?
I am almost certain this is the recipe and site I used previously. I am wondering your rationale for changing the directions.
★★★★★
Hi Jamie- the peanut butter was causing the burn error in the Instant Pot for some people, so I tested it adding it after and it seemed to prevent that.
I’m so glad you asked this. I’ve made this a few times now and when I checked the recipe I thought I was going nuts, literally😂
If using 6 ounce chicken breast how long natural release ? Thanks
★★★★★
Cut into cubes? I think you could manually release pretty soon after the pressure cook cycle is done.
Hi ,
My chicken ended up dry without any sauce after 8 mins pressure cook mins in the instapot . Was I supposed to add water and coconut milk?
Just the coconut milk. Did you add that?
Absolutely delicious! I cooked about 1.5kg of chicken drumsticks (10 mins with natural release) and served it with rice. Super popular with our four hungry boys – have added it to the family dinner rota!
★★★★★
Awesome Deb!
Made this for my Dungeons and Dragons group, tonight. It’s been my-go to for a while when I can’t think of anything else. Paired it with lettuce, angel-hair rice noodles, and the cucumbers. It was a huge hit, and fit everyone’s allergy needs/dietary restrictions.
★★★★★
Fun! Love it Sam!
This was so delicious! I made it this evening, and followed the recipe almost exactly – we happen to love ginger and garlic, so I doubled the garlic and quadrupled the ginger. Also added lemongrass (prepared paste sold at store), as suggested, and I had kefir lime leaves in the freezer!
This was such a soul-warming dish. I forgot to get spinach at the store, so it was just peanut chicken, rice and cucumbers – it was SO GOOD!
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious–substituted kale that I sauteed in olive oil and toss with a little miso paste. Went really well with the chicken sauce.
★★★★★
This recipe came out very watery, and I followed the exact steps.. Taste is pretty good, but not authentic Asian satay
★★★
Hi Teresa, quick question, did you use happen to use lite coconut milk?
Did you use the flash frozen chicken sold in bags? They have broth injected to them, so they produce more liquid than if you used fresh chicken.
Hi Sylvia, early in the recipe you say: “13 ounce can coconut milk (liquid and solids) DIVIDED, (do not use light- too watery)”
But later when you are giving instructions to put the coconut milk in, you don’t address using the divided coconut milk. You just say: “Stir the can of coconut milk with a fork- then and add 1 cup of the coconut milk, (you’ll add the rest after).”
Did you mean that the solids were still left in the can? This wording is a little confusing and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to put in.
★★★★
Hi Shay- I see the confusion and adjusted the recipe. Yes, you’ll stir the coconut milk itself, to make sure liquid and solids are combined and only pour in 1 cup. At the end, after pressure cooking decide if you want to add the remaining 1/2 cup. Does that make sense?