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Instant Pot Firecracker Chicken Recipe

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  • Author: admin
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Instant Pot
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This Instant Pot Firecracker Chicken recipe offers a spicy and sweet twist on classic chicken bites, perfectly cooked with a combination of air frying and pressure cooking to achieve a crispy texture with tender, flavorful meat. Tossed in a vibrant buffalo sauce with a hint of brown sugar and red pepper flakes, complemented by fresh vegetables sautéed to perfection.

Ingredients

Scale

Chicken and Coating

  • 1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • â…“ cup corn flour
  • â…“ cup flour
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Sauce

  • â…“ cup buffalo hot sauce
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

Vegetables

  • ¼ cup green onions, sliced
  • ¼ cup snow peas
  • ¼ cup red pepper, sliced
  • ½ onion, sliced

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Chicken: Cut the chicken breasts into 1 to 1.5 inch chunks and set aside for coating.
  2. Set Up Coating Station: In one bowl, beat the eggs. In another bowl, combine the flour and corn flour. This will create the dredging stations for breading the chicken.
  3. Prepare Air Fryer: Lightly spray the inside of your air fryer basket with oil to prevent sticking.
  4. Coat the Chicken: Dip each piece of chicken into the beaten eggs, then thoroughly coat in the flour mixture. Place the coated chicken pieces into the air fryer basket. Repeat until the basket is full, ensuring pieces are evenly spaced.
  5. Air Fry the Chicken: Set the air fryer to 400°F (204°C) and cook the chicken for 5 minutes. This step partially cooks the chicken and crisps the coating without fully cooking it, as it will finish cooking in the Instant Pot.
  6. Prepare the Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the buffalo sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Set aside to meld flavors.
  7. Sauté Vegetables in Instant Pot: Turn the Instant Pot on to the sauté setting at high heat. Add the olive oil, green onions, snow peas, sliced red pepper, and sliced onion. Stir frequently and cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
  8. Add Chicken to Instant Pot: Add the air-fried chicken pieces to the sautéed vegetables and toss to combine evenly.
  9. Add Sauce: Turn off the sauté function. Pour the prepared buffalo sauce mixture over the chicken and vegetables, stirring gently to coat all pieces.
  10. Pressure Cook: Secure the Instant Pot lid and seal the vent. Set the Instant Pot to manual (pressure cook) for 4 minutes to finish cooking the chicken and meld the flavors.
  11. Release Pressure and Serve: When the cooking time is up, carefully release the pressure manually. Remove the lid and serve the Firecracker Chicken hot.

Notes

  • Do not fully cook the chicken in the air fryer; it should only be partially cooked to achieve a crispy exterior before pressure cooking.
  • Adjust red pepper flakes to your preferred spice level.
  • Ensure the Instant Pot vent is sealed to properly pressure cook.
  • If you don’t have an air fryer, you can shallow fry or bake the chicken pieces, but cooking times will vary.
  • Serve with steamed rice or noodles for a complete meal.

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Find it online: https://simplysavorykitchen.com/instant-pot-firecracker-chicken-recipe/