Instant Pot Peanut Butter Chicken

chicken cubes in peanut butter sauce top with parsley in a grey plate

Instant Pot Peanut Butter Chicken is the perfect chicken dinner. The tenderness of the chicken paired with the creaminess of the peanut butter will have you making your plans for seconds.

chicken cubes in peanut butter sauce top with parsley in a grey plate

Everyone in the family will love it - guaranteed. This easy weeknight dinner is not only family-friendly, but it's great for a date night as well. Who knew that peanut butter and chicken were the perfect match?

The best part? You can whip up this simple chicken dish in less than 40 minutes! That means you'll have plenty of time to put up your feet and relax without the stress of spending hours in the kitchen!

Why This Recipe Works 

Did we fail to mention that this tender peanut butter chicken recipe takes less than 10 ingredients? Once you take your first bite, you're going to be amazed by the abundance of flavor.

While this recipe for making chicken with peanut butter may seem common, especially in Asian and Western cuisine, there are some super important tips in the instructions to pay attention to. You need to make sure that you're following closely as you don't want to overcook the chicken. (or undercook it!)

The good news? Cooking this chicken dish in the Instant Pot will help ease your chicken worries. Due to the way this pot works, you can quickly and easily prepare dishes with raw or frozen meats without any advance preparation. It also helps to keep the food warm without the stress of drying it out!

Whoever invented the Instant Pot is a genius in the kitchen - and we're forever grateful!

Recipe Video

Recipe Ingredients

Peanut butter - You can use natural peanut butter, creamy or crunchy.

Crushed tomatoes - If you don't have a paste, use whole peeled tomatoes and crush them up. Fresh plum tomatoes will work as well.

Chicken thighs - Different cuts of chicken will work but I love the tender thighs for this recipe the best. Others like to use chicken breast as well.

Soy sauce- You can also do more variations by adding Oyster sauce, Sriracha to level up the spice, or Chili Garlic instead of depending on your taste and choice. After reading this recipe, you can also jump to another vegetarian chili that I love a lot!

Garlic Cloves- Garlic cloves give the most garlic flavor but garlic powder could be used in a pinch.

Oil- Use olive oil or any other oil to coat the bottom of the Instant Pot, which will prevent the rice from burning and sticking to it.

How to make Instant Pot Peanut Chicken

Step One: Gather your ingredients.

Step Two: Add ½ cup peanut butter and 15 ounces of crushed tomatoes into a bowl.

Step Three: Pour 1 cup of chicken stock and add 1 teaspoon of honey into the mixture of the ingredients.

Step Four: Sprinkle 1 teaspoon cumin above it.

Step Five: Add 1 teaspoon coriander to the pot and mix them well with a spoon.

Step Six: Now grab the instant pot and add the 8 chicken thighs into it, followed by 1 T of olive oil.

Step Seven: Saute it for 8 minutes and then add soy sauce to the instant pot.

Step Eight: Add ½ cup of chopped onions to it.

Step Nine: Add 1 T of ginger and 3 garlic cloves to the instant pot.

Step Ten: Last but not least add salt to taste.

Step Eleven: Serve and enjoy!

Variations

Change the peanut butter - It's amazing how the texture and taste will change as you change up the nut butter. You can make this using smooth or crunchy peanut butter but you can also use almond butter as well.

Add vegetables - If you wanted to add more nutrition to this recipe, add some chopped broccoli or mushrooms.

Vary the seasonings - Add some more spices to change the flavor. You can add red pepper fakes to make this butter chicken recipe as spicy as you'd like.

Helpful Tips 

This simple instant pot chicken dinner can be served as is but you can also serve it over rice, noodles, or even cauliflower rice as well.

How to Serve 

If you want to add more color and make it a bit more interesting, I recommend adding a few steamed vegetables to the plate. It works extremely well with broccoli, green beans, or cauliflower.  

Also, don’t forget to sprinkle some fresh chives and some orange zest.

You can also top with sesame seeds or chopped green onion.

The effect will be astonishing! 

How to Store

Storing leftovers is as simple as letting the chicken meat and mixture cool down and then store it in an airtight container for later. For best results, eat within 5-7 days.

How to Reheat

To reheat, you can add it back to the Instant Pot for a few moments of time (you can just use the saute button and stir it around to heat up - no need to pressure cook it again) or put the mixture into the microwave to reheat as well. Just be careful as you reheat as you don't want to overcook the chicken meat and dry it out.

Recipe FAQs

Can I Use Garlic Powder Instead of Cloves?

Yes, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of garlic powder for garlic cloves in your pressure cooker hummus recipe.

Can I put raw chicken in the Instant Pot?

Yes. Depending on what you want to make, you can put an entire raw chicken in the pot and pressure cook it or you can saute the meat as long as it’s been cut into manageable pieces (like it’s the case for this recipe).

At what temperature is chicken considered cooked all the way?

For chicken to be considered cooked all the way through and safe to eat, the internal temperature needs to be 165 degrees. The most accurate way to check the internal temp is to use a meat thermometer.

Can I freeze Instant Pot peanut chicken thighs?

Of course, you can keep the leftovers in a freezer-safe container and store them in the fridge for up to 2 months! Once you're ready to eat and reheat, just warm back up so that the entire cut of chicken is hot with steam coming out of the center. (The steam is the clue that it's hot all the way through)

More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

Looking for more easy chicken recipes? Here are some other simple meals to cook in the Instant Pot!

See all my One Pot Meals here!

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment below. Thanks!

chicken cubes in peanut butter sauce top with parsley in a grey plate

Instant Pot Peanut Butter Chicken

Looking for main dish for dinner? This Instant Pot Peanut Butter Chicken is quick, easy and full of flavor!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Asian
Keyword: Butter Chicken, chicken thighs, instant pot peanut butter chicken, peanut butter chicken
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 13 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Corrie

Ingredients

  • ½ cup peanut butter
  • 15 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tablespoon salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8 chicken thighs
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • ½ cup onion
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon ginger

Instructions

  • In a bowl mix peanut butter, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, honey, cumin, and coriander.
  • Add olive oil and press "Saute".
  • Add the chicken thighs and stir.
  • Add soy sauce and stir.
  • Add onion, garlic, ginger and the peanut butter mix you made before. Stir until the chicken is brown.
  • Add salt, serve and enjoy 🙂

Nutrition

Calories: 776kcal Carbohydrates: 20g Protein: 47g Fat: 58g Saturated Fat: 14g Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g Monounsaturated Fat: 26g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 221mg Sodium: 957mg Potassium: 1022mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 11g Vitamin A: 405IU Vitamin C: 12mg Calcium: 81mg Iron: 4mg

Video

Notes

  • Add garlic cloves according to your taste.
  • There's no need to put on the Instant Pot lid while you are in saute mode
  • Feel free to add red pepper flakes for a spicy dish.
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @corriecooksblog or tag #corriecooks!

3 thoughts on “Instant Pot Peanut Butter Chicken

  1. There no mention but the picture of the chicken looks like the thighs are cut up. Are they whole or cut?

  2. I was excited by this recipe, but it isn’t complete. I tried to make it and found that my instant pot had a “help I’m burning” setting. I was so surprised as Corrie has the best instant pot recipes.

    1. Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that. It might have something to do with the crushed tomatoes. I believe I used a whole can of crushed tomatoes including the liquid in the can. Is that what you used? If you use fresh tomatoes, it may not have enough liquid.

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