Instant pot Chicken Stir Fry with frozen vegetables is a 20-minute dinner that packs both protein and vegetables in a delicious kid-approved meal. Made with frozen vegetables and prepackaged rice, it’s a quick and easy meal kids love. Gluten-free.
Stir fries are a great choice for dinner any night of the week. They are simple to assemble and customize based on your family’s preferences or the ingredients in your kitchen.
Our recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Stir Fry combines shredded chicken with a variety of stir fry veggies that is tossed in a homemade stir fry sauce. Full of flavor and kid-approved!
The secret to success? An instant pot – it takes stir-fries to the next level. In just 20 minutes, your family will be gathered around the table to eat a delicious restaurant-style meal.
Chinese Honey Garlic Chicken is one of our favorite Chinese takeout meals to re-create at home. Also bursting with flavor, my kids request this recipe time and time again. Between these two kid-friendly dishes, you will be set to create a meal quicker than if you were actually to order takeout!
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds chicken breast
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup tamari
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 16 ounce frozen stir fry blend vegetables
- 8.8 ounce precooked brown rice, heated per package instructions
- green onions and sesame seeds, optional
How To Make
To prepare, start by adding 1.5 pounds of chicken breast to the Instant Pot. Pour in 3/4 cup of chicken broth, 1/3 cup of tamari, 1/3 cup of honey, 1/4 cup of rice vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, and a clove of minced garlic.
Cover the Instant Pot, set it to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, take a moment to steam 16 ounces of frozen stir-fry blend vegetables in the microwave. Place them in a large bowl, cover it with a plate, and heat for approximately 6 minutes or until warmed. Set the vegetables aside for later use.
Once the Instant Pot has finished cooking, perform a quick release by turning the valve from sealing to venting. Carefully open the Instant Pot, use tongs to transfer the cooked chicken breasts to a bowl or plate, and shred them with two forks.
To create the sauce, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Switch the Instant Pot to the sauté function, whisk the cornstarch slurry into the cooking liquid, and stir occasionally until the sauce thickens—this usually takes about 3 minutes.
Now, combine the shredded chicken and steamed vegetables with the thickened sauce in the Instant Pot. Stir everything together to ensure the chicken and vegetables are evenly coated with the flavorful sauce.
To serve, plate the dish over brown rice that has been precooked according to package instructions. Garnish with sliced green onions and sprinkle sesame seeds for an added touch. This quick and delicious meal is not only easy to prepare but also bursting with savory flavors, making it a perfect option for a satisfying dinner.
Substitutions
- Swap frozen vegetables with fresh vegetables by sautéing in the pan while the chicken cooks.
- Use frozen chicken instead of fresh by bumping up the chicken cooking time to 15 minutes.
- Substitute chicken breasts with chicken thighs.
- Purchase a gluten-free stir fry sauce at the store versus making this homemade version.
- Use dried ground ginger or grate fresh ginger.
- Serve over brown, jasmine or cauliflower rice. Zucchini and rice noodles also make tasty alternatives to rice.
Stir Fry Vegetable Ideas
We used a blend of frozen stir fry vegetables – great option if you are looking for a variety all in one bag. You can also add or substitute any of the following vegetables:
- broccoli
- edamame
- snap peas
- carrots
- bell peppers
- water chestnuts
- onions
- zucchini
- squash
- bok choy
- baby corn
- green beans
MIX IT UP: Pick stir fry veggies based on what is in your fridge, freezer or is in-season at your grocery store.
FAQs
We recommend microwaving a frozen bag or sautéing fresh veggies on the stove top for this recipe. We found that cooking the veggies in the instant pot with the chicken makes them very mushy.
You can – it is one of the top reasons we love the instant pot.
The cornstarch slurry helps to thicken the stir fry sauce.
For this recipe, fresh chicken should cook for 10 minutes while frozen chicken requires 15 minutes.
Instant pot recipes require at least 1/2 cup for the 3-quart pot, 1 cup for the 6-quart pot and 2 cups for the 8-quart pot. This can be water or another liquid.
More Instant Pot Meals
- Instant Pot Chicken & Rice Soup
- Instant Pot Beef and Noodles
- French Dip Sandwiches (Instant Pot)
- Pulled Pork Roast Instant Pot Recipe
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Instant Pot Chicken Stir Fry with Frozen Vegetables
Equipment
- medium-sized bowl
- large microwave-safe bowl with cover (or a large plate to cover)
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds chicken breast ✅
- 3/4 cup chicken broth ✅
- 1/3 cup tamari ✅
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar ✅
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger ✅
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 16 ounce frozen stir fry blend vegetables ✅
- 8.8 ounce precooked rice, heated per package instructions ✅
- green onions and sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Add chicken to the instant pot. Then add the broth, tamari, honey, rice vinegar, ground ginger, and garlic.3/4 cup chicken broth, 1/3 cup tamari, 1/3 cup honey, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 clove minced garlic, 1.5 pounds chicken breast
- ⭐️ Cover the instant pot. Cover the instant pot, turn to sealing, and set on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- ⭐️ Microwave the frozen vegetables. While the chicken is cooking, steam the frozen vegetables by adding them to a large bowl and placing a plate or cover over the top. Heat for about 6 minutes or until warmed. Set aside.16 ounce frozen stir fry blend vegetables
- ⭐️ Quick-release. Once cooking has completed, turn the valve from sealing to venting to release the pressure. Once the valve has dropped, carefully open the instant pot. Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and place them into a bowl or plate. Use 2 forks to shred and set aside.
- ⭐️ Make the cornstarch slurry. Mix the cornstarch with the water and blend. Turn instant pot to saute. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce, stirring occasionally until the sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons cold water
- ⭐️ Add the chicken and vegetables. Add the chicken and vegetables to the thickened sauce in the instant pot. Stir to coat.
- Serve. Serve over brown rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds if desired.8.8 ounce precooked rice, heated per package instructions, green onions and sesame seeds
Notes
Nutrition
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Missy says
So easy and delicious even my picky husband liked it.
Christine says
It’s such an easy recipe and it’s delicious! How can I double the recipe?
Jodi Danen, RDN says
So happy to hear you enjoyed the stir fry, Christine! If you want to double the recipe you should be able to do so without changing the cook time as long as there is enough space to place the chicken in the bottom of the instant pot. If it starts getting full I’d add on a couple of minutes cook time.