Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Bowl – LOADED!

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This Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Bowl is just how I like my teriyaki – sweet, tangy, and LOADED to the brim with as many vegetables as I can fit in a bowl.  Healthy, satisfying dinner in under 30 minutes, comin' right up!

My family rarely eats at a restaurant or calls for take out.  I'd like to say it's because I'm being thrifty, teaching my kids to cook, healthy, or money conscious.

More accurately, it's because I like my food just so and trying to relay all my specifics to a waiter is a tad awkward (my daughter is saying, “incredibly awkward”).

Let's take for instance the Teriyaki Bowl.  My order might go something like this:

“I'll have a teriyaki chicken bowl with just a tiny scoop of rice, half the amount of chicken, double the amount of vegetables, but not double carrots . . . do you have snow peas?  Snap peas?  Regular peas?  No?!  Umm, what about edamame.  Dang, umm . . . okay, just do extra broccoli.  Do you have mandarin oranges?  Are they sweetened or unsweetened?  No, you don't need to check, I'll just have pineapple instead.  And how much sugar does your teriyaki sauce have?  You don't know?  Is it online?  Just a sec, let me see if I can look it up.  Whoa, hmm, that's a lot of sugar, that will make me sick.  Do you have any other sauces without sugar?  No?   Dang, okay, just leave the sauce off and I'll use ranch.  Can you repeat that back to me so I can make sure you got it all?  Nope, I said extra broccoli, not carrots . . . whatever, that's fine.  Just make sure it's brown rice and no teriyaki sauce in my chicken teriyaki bowl.”

And just like that, my husband has snuck to the back of the line and is pretending he doesn't know who I am.  Real mature.

If you've ever waited behind me in the food line, I apologize, I can't help it.  I could care less what color of white my room gets painted, but my food has got to be JUST RIGHT.

So, like many of the recipes on my blog, I had to create my ultimate version of the Chicken Teriyaki Bowl, and hope I never cross paths with the irritated cashier again.

Someone out there gets me, right?  If so, let's do lunch and see who's order gets messed up the most!

WHY YOU WILL LOVE AN INSTANT POT TERIYAKI CHICKEN BOWL

• LOADED!  No boring bowl of chicken and rice here.  If your Teriyaki bowl isn't wearing at least 6 different colors, you're not doing it right (looking at you kids).  Rice, chicken, fruit, veggies, and whatever crunchy element you find hiding in your pantry – they all get to join this party.
• FAST!  Chicken is diced small and vegetables get cooked in a steamer basket above the chicken so your pressure cook time for your ENTIRE meal is only 1 minute!  Thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry and dinner is served!
• HEALTHY LIL' BOWL OF YUMMINESS!  Instead of a 1 pound bag of brown sugar, this sauce gets sweetened naturally with pineapple juice and just 2 tablespoons of honey.  Which means your giant bowl of vegetables stay healthy instead of turning into cotton candy coated veggies.
• VERSATILE!  You choose your favorite veggie combo (just don't nix broccoli) and adjust your chicken/rice/veggie/sauce ratio to your personal liking.
• CRUNCH!  If it doesn't have a giant handful of salty, crunchy cashews on top, what's the point of even eating it?
• FLAVOR POP!  Fresh sweet pineapple served on top, because who doesn't love teriyaki and pineapple together? (Besides my hubs – crazy man).

HOW TO MAKE A LOADED TERIYAKI CHICKEN BOWL IN THE PRESSURE COOKER

1. Whisk sauce ingredients together
2. Add chicken to the pot and pour sauce over top
3. Place a trivet over the chicken
4. Place a basket of vegetables on top; pressure cook
5. When cook time is done, add cornstarch slurry
6. Simmer until thick

SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST TERIYAKI CHICKEN BOWL

• This is important for preventing overcooked vegetables:  When layering the vegetables into the steamer basket, start with the vegetable that requires the longer cook time (like carrots and onions) then layer shorter cooking vegetables on top (like broccoli, bell peppers, cauliflower, snap peas, etc).  Broccoli, bell peppers, and cauliflower should be cut into large bite-size pieces if you prefer a more “tender-crisp” bite.
• Use regular soy sauce.  I tried it with both low sodium and regular soy sauce, and the flavor was a bit lacking with low sodium.  However, if you're watching your sodium intake, it's still really good.
• To get perfectly cooked chicken, cut it into small bite-size pieces and make sure it isn't in a big clump.  Chicken tenders seem to be a bit more fail-proof when it comes to cooking up moist and tender.  When I see that tenders are on sale, I always grab a few packages and stock my freezer.
• Use fresh diced pineapple for topping.  I love canned pineapple tidbits on pizza, but for this bowl, fresh pineapple is just so good!

HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE TERIYAKI CHICKEN

• Store:  Place cooled leftovers in a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
• Reheat:  Reheat gently in a saute pan on the stovetop or in the microwave for a minute or so.
• Freeze:  Freeze chicken and sauce in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months.  Vegetables can also be frozen but will be a bit mushy once they thaw.  When ready to eat, let thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as directed above.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS FOR TERIYAKI CHICKEN BOWL

Cooked rice freezes very well.  Whenever you make a batch of Instant Pot Brown Rice or White Rice, freeze the leftovers.  While the teriyaki chicken pressure cooks, you can thaw a bag of rice by placing it in a bowl of hot water.  Reheat with a splash of water in the microwave or on the stovetop and it will be ready by the time your chicken is done.

Ask your butcher to dice your chicken and buy bags of pre washed and chopped vegetables.  These tricks will make this meal come together faster than takeout!

WHAT TO SERVE WITH TERIYAKI CHICKEN

• Brown rice, white rice, cauliflower rice, or rice noodles all taste great with teriyaki chicken.
• If you want a cool, crunchy side salad, this Everyday Sesame Slaw is amazing!
• Fruit:  Pineapple, mango, and mandarin oranges all pair beautifully with this dish.

VARIATIONS OF A TERIYAKI CHICKEN BOWL

• Spicy Teriyaki Chicken:  As written, this recipe is not spicy.  To kick it up, add some red pepper flakes to the sauce or serve it with sriracha hot sauce.
• Teriyaki Chicken Wrap:  Nix the rice and wrap it in a tortilla instead.
• Teriyaki Chicken Pizza:  I love to use leftover chicken and sauce as the base of a pizza.  Top it with the leftover vegetables and place it under the oven broiler to add some char.

Adults and kids can all unite over this versatile bowl of teriyaki chicken!  Throw out some bowls and toppings galore and let everyone create their own masterpiece.  DIY takeout food is my jam and I'm so excited to have a go-to version of teriyaki chicken.

And If I happen to run into you at a restaurant someday, rest easy knowing that if I take too long to order my meal, you'll probably get the joy of seeing a homemade version of it very soon here on TIDBITS.

Enjoy!

MORE INSTANT POT CHICKEN RECIPES

• Healthy Instant Pot Crack Chicken
• Instant Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken and Coconut Rice
• Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie
• Instant Pot Healthy Orange Chicken

TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT TERIYAKI CHICKEN BOWL

• Instant Pot
• Steamer Basket

Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Bowl – LOADED!

Print Recipe

★★★★

3.5 from 2 reviews

Perfectly sweet and tangy Teriyaki Chicken loaded with piles of vegetables ready in less than 30 minutes.

• Author: Marci
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 minute
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Pressure Cooker
• Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 pounds chicken tenders or boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup pineapple juice
• ¼ cup mirin – see note
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 5 – 6 cups vegetables (broccoli, sliced red bell peppers, snow peas, sliced carrots, etc.)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water

Optional toppings: chopped pineapple, cashews, sesame seeds, green onions, etc

For serving: brown rice, white rice, cauliflower rice, or rice noodles

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Instructions

1. Add chicken to the pressure cooker pot in a single layer across the bottom of the pot.
2. In a small bowl, whisk to combine garlic, soy sauce, pineapple juice, mirin, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, and ground ginger.  Pour over the chicken.
3. To a steamer basket, add vegetables.  It’s best to put vegetables that need a longer cook time on the bottom (like carrots) and top with the vegetables that cook the quickest (like peppers, broccoli, snow peas).
4. Place a trivet over the chicken and top with the steamer basket of vegetables.
5. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position.  Cook at high pressure for 1 minute.
6. When cooking is complete, turn the pressure cooker off.  Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.
7. Set vegetables aside and remove trivet.
8. Whisk cornstarch and water together to make a slurry.  
9. Use the saute function to bring the chicken to a light simmer.  Whisk while adding cornstarch slurry and continue to stir until it thickens, about 1 minute.
10. To serve, add a scoop of chicken to a bowl of rice.  Top with steamed vegetables, fresh pineapple, and cashews.  Add sesame seeds and green onion to make it extra fancy.

Notes

• Low sodium soy sauce can be used instead of regular soy sauce, but the flavor will be milder.
• Mirin is a sweet rice wine and can usually be found in the Asian section.  Can substitute with Kikkoman Aji-Mirin or with rice vinegar.  If using vinegar, you may want to add an extra tablespoon of honey to your sauce.
• The vegetables will be soft, but not overly mushy.  If you prefer your vegetables more tender-crisp, steam or saute them on the stovetop instead while the chicken cooks. 
• Layer the carrots first since they take the longest to cook.  Cut broccoli and peppers into large pieces so they don’t overcook.
• Chicken tenders will be more tender than chicken breast, but they both work well in this recipe.

Keywords: Teriyaki chicken, healthy instant pot recipe, Teriyaki Chicken Bowl

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