Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Chinese Lemon Chicken
This healthier Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Chinese Lemon Chicken recipe will keep you at home instead of heading to your favorite Chinese restaurant. We skipped the deep-fried coating in favor of tender pieces of chicken coated in a sweet lemon sauce, spiced with just a hint of ginger, garlic, and red pepper. It’s a perfect pressure cooker chicken recipe to make when you crave Asian carry out!
Jim, a kind Pressure Cooking Today reader, recently contacted me and said he’d tried a couple of my chicken recipes using rabbit instead of chicken and they came out great. (Rabbit—who knew?!) He also asked if I had a recipe for Instant Pot Chinese Lemon Chicken, because it is his wife’s favorite.
Since I’m also crazy about the Lemon Chicken served at Chinese restaurants, I decided I just had to create a pressure cooker version. And I’m so glad I did—it pleased even my pickiest eaters!
Making Pressure Cooker Chinese Lemon Chicken in an Instant Pot
An Instant Pot is one of the most popular brands of electric pressure cookers. They are easy to use, and your Instant Pot can help you create this yummy Chinese Lemon Chicken!
Usually, restaurants will serve Chinese Lemon Chicken deep fried and in a sticky yellow sauce. Since I wanted a little healthier option to make at home, I skipped the deep frying and made this dish with a bright lemon flavor with just a hint of heat.
I also decided not to add food coloring to my lemon sauce, so it isn’t yellow. Still, the chicken is tender and I didn’t miss the not-so-good for you fried coating.
Update: This Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Lemon Chicken is still on a regular rotation at our house. I’ve updated the post with a video so you can see for yourself just how easy it is to make!
I hope Jim, his wife, and you will like this Pressure Cooker Chinese Lemon Chicken recipe just as much as my family did!
Is there a recipe you’re interested in having me try next? Let me know in the comments section! (I won’t be able to get to everything, but I’m always on the lookout for new foods to try!)
Pressure Cooker Chinese Lemon Chicken
Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Chinese Lemon Chicken features tender pieces of chicken in a sweet lemon sauce, seasoned with just a hint of ginger, garlic, and red pepper.
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- Zest of one lemon
- 2 green onions, chopped
- Red pepper flakes for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In the pressure cooking pot, combine the chicken, lemon juice, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, sugar, rice vinegar, ginger, and chili-garlic sauce. Stir to combine.
- Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 3 minutes cook time. When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker. Use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Add the slurry to the pot. Select Simmer/Sauté and simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thick and syrupy. Stir in lemon zest. Serve topped with scallions and red pepper flakes (if using).
Notes
Note: You can cook rice at the same time you cook the chicken. Here’s how I to do it. Use a 7×3 inch round cake pan or similar dish, and add rice ingredients. Place a rack on top of the chicken in the pressure cooking pot, and place the cake pan on top of the rack. Use this rice recipe https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-white-rice/ and be sure and do a 10 minute natural release.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 227Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 454mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 26g
Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.
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Made this tonight…it was delicious. And so easy! Thank you for posting it. I am going to go through your website and I’m sure I will find more recipes that I will really enjoy.
Thanks Linda – so glad you enjoyed it. I’m sure you’ll find lots of other easy recipes on my site you’ll enjoy too. Have fun!
I made your Chinese lemon chicken using pip cookware. I put the chicken in the bottom pan and cauliflower rice and asparagus stir fry frozen. vegetables on the top. I put 1 1/2 cups of water in the bottom, preheated using the sauté function for 3 minutes then put the lid on and cooked for 3 minutes on high. The chicken was good, but the rice and vegetables were still cold. Should I have cooked for longer?
Hi Julie – typically I’ll cook the chicken right in the inner pot and then cook rice pot in pot on top, not covering the dish. If a dish is tightly covered it slows down the cooking process. Also, the heating element is on the bottom so anything that is closer to the bottom cooks faster than what is on top.
Would love to try this recipe and the rice at the same time but I have a question:
For the chicken only, you state Quick Release the pressure. But the rice needs a 10 minute NPR. So will that 10 minutes affect the chicken?
I also want to do this with 4 boneless WHOLE chicken thighs; any additional changes?
Thanks a lot
Enjoying your recipes!
Hi Barb – Chicken thighs will taste great in this recipe, but for the cook time to be the same time as the rice, I would still dice the chicken. Overcooking will not be a problem with chicken thighs, but if you are concerned about overcooking when cooking breasts, you can cut the chicken into slightly larger pieces.
If you prefer to cook the chicken thighs whole, I would cook the rice first, then cook the chicken thighs for 9 minutes. Enjoy!
This is the best chicken recipe ever! Just the right amount of tart and sweet. It was even better as leftovers. Easy to make. My second time using the Instant Pot and it was as simple as could be. Thanks!
Thanks Deborah – so nice to hear you loved it! Sounds like you’re off to a great start.
This is a fantastic recipe. Really easy, works perfectly as written and is absolutely delicious.
I used thighs and cooked the rice at the same time.
It will be a regular in our home. Thank you so much for this recipe.
That’s great – thanks Anne!
Hi. Is this recipe very spicy? My wife cannot eat food that is too spicy. It sounds delicious and would like to try it. Thanks.
Hi Jim – it isn’t very spicy. If you’d like though, you can reduce the chili garlic to 1/4 teaspoon to make it even milder.
Thank you for a great recipe. I’ll be looking up your others and making this again! I made this for my family last night, and it was perfect. I had hoped to cook rice in the same pot (PIP) with my new 7″ inner pan but realized I don’t have a tall enough trivet – yet, so I cooked rice separately in my rice cooker. I started it after I had the sauce put together and before I cut up chicken, and the timing was just right. I cut 4 chicken breasts into more like 2″ pieces, but really just cut them up quickly into large pieces without worrying too much about size. I still left it to pressure release for 10 minutes, but the chicken was cooked perfectly: a tiny bit of shredding as I stirred in cornstarch but most pieces stayed as nice-sized pieces for a very rich sauce with pieces just right for picking up with chopsticks and not dry or tough at all. Yay! I also diagonal-diced about 1/3 of a red pepper into 1/4 x 1/2″ pieces since I had one to use up and tossed that in as soon as I removed lid after the 10 min NPR, so it didn’t get too soft but added some color and additional texture. I used fresh ginger in sauce since I had some of that and Gochujang for the chili paste that I had in the fridge – spicy on its own but did not make the sauce very spicy since it’s such a small amount. I recommend it and might use a full tsp next time. One of my kids still added some sriracha after the fact, but my husband and I added nothing but the fresh diced green onion. I was very pleased that the lemon came through so well. I served mine over mashed cauliflower, and the rest of the family had theirs over basmati rice.
Sounds like delicious changes – thanks for sharing Ann!
Made this for dinner tonight. First time using PIP and glad to say it all worked very well. I used maple syrup instead of the two sugar portions. The dinner was given top rating, so thanks again for the excellent recipe and PIP instructions.
Roddy
That’s great – thanks Roddy!
Really yummy recipe! Thanks for sharing it. It was a hit with my whole family.
Awesome – thanks Michelle!
Would this recipe be doable with whole chicken breasts?
Hi Amy – yes, you can use whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts in this recipe with a 5 minute cook time and a 5 minute natural release.
Hi Barbara,
I’m confused and want to ask a question before I make this tonight. Your recipe says 3 minute with a QR, your note says it you use PIP with rice, do a 10-minute NR, and whole breasts, 5 minute cook time and a 5 minute NR.
Could you please help me? I want to use PIP and use whole breast cut into chunks.
Many thanks for all your iP recipes—I LOVE THEM!!
Wow, this sauce was so good! I will definitely add this to my dinner rotation. Delicious!!!
Thanks Kristin – so nice to hear you loved it.
Could I add fresh asparguases to the chicken (or rice)& would it change the cook time?
Hi Sue – you could cook the asparagus first and then cook the chicken and stir in the asparagus. If you try to cook them together the asparagus will be overcooked. http://www.melaniecooks.com/instant-pot-asparagus/15844/
WHAT IS THE NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THIS RECIPE. iNTERESTED IN FAT AND SODIUM
Hi Leslie – I have updated the recipe with the computer-generated nutritional information.
Dont see any nutritional info!?
Hi Polly – it’s at the very bottom of the recipe card.
New to IP. Totally green, but like to make my meal complete, so doing two recipes at same time is very appealing. My question is I like brown rice so how do you adapt to this instead of the white rice. Thank you, Paula
Hi Paula – brown rice takes much longer to cook, so it’s not a good fit for this recipe. https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-brown-rice-and-a-giveaway/ because the chicken would be overcooked. You could do brown rice with something like the beef and broccoli and cut the beef into larger pieces so the cook time is more similar. https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-beef-and-broccoli/
Barbara- want to make this recipe but was wondering if you could use a glass pyrex (or Anchor) bowl for the rice?? My husband picked up a metal canister to use for the rice and though it fits in the IP, it goes right to top edge. Cover closes but thinking this could be dangerous??
Hi Melissa – if it’s right to the edge, it could interfere with getting a good seal. I have used glass Pyrex successfully as long as it’s on a trivet and doesn’t have any cracks in the glass, you should be fine, but technically Pyrex nor Anchor recommend it.
I made this by the recipe, except I used 6 medium boneless chicken thighs. It turned out absolutely delicious. My husband and I prefer a bit more heat, so I’ll increase the chili to 3/4 tsp next time. And there will be a next time.
Thanks for sharing Sally! Chicken thighs are great in the pressure cooker.
I’m not seeing a link to the video? New to the PIP thing and was hoping to see how it works here. Thanks.
The video is embedded in this post. It may take a minute to load. You can also find my videos on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pg/PressureCookingToday/videos/ Thanks! https://www.facebook.com/PressureCookingToday/videos/1675891652507212/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCKpSNoBJIHknl-iQjRYy7SK1ZP_nazmi2Svh6NzmaFyNa7Ba4UPbSBqBIjUYt1yMD9m7TBQDqUOOI5-gG_8k4p9kwCbOzx4DEEQdotM2E7KoVZGafs2g5JDzEbQmi04yGxwwWL7GVOSuyTFTRUYcWkk737ABE9Ewtrumf-ViGkXn_ziF_8yHCP0JRfGVYO5A&__tn__=-R
Maybe I missed it? I’m new to IP. What type of trivet /stand did you put on top of the chicken to hold the pan of rice? Do you have recommendations for these types of accessories to IP cooking? Thank you.
Hi Robin – here’s a link to my Amazon store with my favorite pressure cooker accessories https://www.amazon.com/ideas/amzn1.account.AFW7B4R5K2P3GP4KVOKQN4JBG2RQ/H0RP148D190V. Also here’s a link to the tall rack that I like to use when cooking rice on top of chicken https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B4E8PG6/?ref=idea_lv_dp_ov_d
Thanks, Barbara! I also want to thank you for posting so many recipes online – made me comfortable enough that we share the same “taste” in foods – so I ordered your cookbook. I had a bit of a problem with this recipe tho’. The chicken was over cooked so that even I had a hard time eating the leftovers – liked the sauce tho’. Is this because of chicken breasts in IP in general? They were very large breasts but did I cut them in too small of pieces about 1 inch? Should I try cooking for a shorter time? Know there will be a learning curve but just hoping you can point me down the most likely path. Love that you answer questions too!!! Makes me glad to support you through your cookbook. Thanks again for all the recipes and really looking forward to cooking those in your book.
Sorry your had problems with the recipe. You’ll need to cut your chicken into larger pieces, especially if you want to cook the rice at the same time. If you want to cook them separately, you can use 1 inch pieces of chicken and reduce the cook time to 1 minute. Thanks for buying the cookbook – have fun!
Only 1 min – no wonder I had problems. 🙂 I really appreciate the advice! Thank you.
How about using boneless, skinless thighs! How would the recipe change?
Hi Eileen – if you dice the thighs, the cook time would be the same. You’d want to cook it a little longer if you left them whole.
If I want to add in some frozen veggies, when should I do that? And should I then double the sauce? Ip newbie here!!
Hi Anna – I would add cooked frozen vegetables after thickening the sauce. Or, you could reduce the cook time a minute and use the saute function to simmer the thawed frozen vegetables (you can thaw them quickly by running cold water over them in a colander) in the sauce after pressure cooking.
Can you please give the approximate amount of chicken in weight? Thank you.
Hi Zelda – about 2 lbs. of chicken. Enjoy!
Made this for my hubby for Dad’s Day and he loved it. Will definitely make again
That’s great – thanks Betty!
I’m curious if settings/time would be very different for my stovetop pressure cooker?
While the Instant Pot is the current rage, please dont forget those of us who have older equipment.
Hi Jean – on something with a quick cook time like this recipe, you really don’t need to make any changes for the stove top pressure cooker. Just bring your pressure cooker to pressure the way you normally would, when it reaches pressure, reduce the heat to the lowest level to maintain pressure and start the timer. Electric pressure cookers don’t start counting down the time until pressure is reached.
I have an 8qt. IP Duo. How can I increase
this recipe to accommodate my IP?
Hi Holly – I would double the recipe for the 8 quart, or at least double the sauce.
This sounds both delicious and confusing. How can the rice (10 minute natural release) be cooked with the chicken (quick release)?
Hi Suzanne – the rice needs to steam for the 10 minutes while the pressure is releasing naturally, so if you’re cooking both together, you will not quick release the chicken.
Hi Barbara,
THANK YOU! I should’ve read further down to find my answer to the question I posted above about the same question.
It was a little confusing and can’t wait to make this!!
Susan
What would be a good substitute for the garlic-chili sauce? Sounds so good! Just finished breakfast, but now I feel hungry again after reading the recipe.
Thanks Sharon! I would substitute red pepper flakes and minced garlic.
What adjustments would you make for 1 lb of chicken? Or just leave ingredients as written and have lots of extra sauce for the rice?
Hi Michele – yes, you’ll want to use the sauce ingredients as written because you need enough liquid to come to pressure. Enjoy!
Barbara – thank you for your reply. I followed the recipe with the exception of using just over one pound of chicken and had a wonderful dinner with this fantastic recipe! First time I’ve made rice in the pressure cooker, and first time I’ve made two dishes at the same time in the pressure cooker. Already scouring your recipes for the next masterpiece!!
That’s so nice – thanks!!
Just made this for lunch- only my second time trying out my new pressure cooker! I had to make a few adjustments because of ingredients I had on hand. Apple Cider vinegar instead of rice vinegar, frozen chicken thighs, four cloves of minced garlic and a few generous shakes of red pepper flakes instead of chili-garlic paste. When the timer went off and pressure released, I removed the chicken and shredded it. Replaced back in the pot once the corn starch was mixed in and stirred on the “saute” setting for a few minutes. Served over white rice. It was excellent. Lemony but not overpowering, a nice heat from the chili flake. Will definitely be making again!
Thanks for sharing your changes Kristen! So glad it was a hit.
I received my Instant Pot 6 qt Duo Plus yesterday and I’ve been gathering recipes and came across this recipe. In it, you mention cooking rice at the same time as the chicken and described the method. Now, please don’t laugh, but I am unfamiliar with the rack that you use to set the cake pan with the rice mixture on over the chicken. And I haven’t seen one on the accessories portion of the web site that fits my idea of something tall enough to clear the chicken. Could you please post a picture of yours and describe any clearance between the chicken and the rack? Thank you
Hi Debra – I’ve got a link in my gift guide https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/electric-pressure-cooker-gift-giving-guide/ under specialty items to a tall rack and the cake pan I like to use to cook the rice in above the chicken. I also plan to do a Facebook Live video showing this technique soon.
Any cooking recommendations if using frozen chicken uncut? Asking as I didn’t thaw any this morning before I left the house! 🙂
Hi Mauri – if I have frozen boneless skinless chicken, I will typically pressure cooker it for 1 minute on a rack above 1/2 cup of water and pressure cook it for 1 minute. Then you can dice it and use it in the recipe.
Thanks so much for the tip! I will give that a shot!
Help! I followed your instructions to a “T” with my instant pot, but it turned out pretty bad. The only thing I did that your recipe doesn’t instruct is let the chicken marinate overnight in the liquid mixture. Would that make a difference?
Sorry you didn’t care for the dish Ian. I’m not sure what you didn’t like about it. It does not marinate overnight in the liquid mixture.
i don’t see in the recipe that you brown the chicken first. you just combined everything and cooked for 3 minutes. should i saute the chicken first?
Hi Kimber – it’s fine to do it either way. Sautéing the chicken doesn’t add a lot of flavor, so I often skip it if the chicken is in a flavorful sauce.
Since this has chili garlic sauce… is it spicy..? Do u think a 2 year old will like it…?
Hi May – it not very spicy, it’s mostly sweet. I think a 2 year old would really like it.
Turned out great for me. Although the lemon flavor was overpowering, but that’s my fault. I used 20oz chicken breasts instead of 32oz that was suggested. I garnished it with diced green peppers.
I used chili paste and some garlic salt… then saw what Garlic chili paste is… Duh I have some!
My Chicken hadn’t thawed but it was soft enough to cut…added 1 minute to time. tastes good, Waiting for my man to come home going to serve with brown rice and zucchini.
Sounds like a great way to serve it. Thanks for sharing Norina!
I just bought the pressure pot and I liked ur recipe but I could you tell me what can I put instead of rice vinegar
Thax
Hi Sam – you could use plain vinegar instead.Enjoy!
One of the few recipes I make and haven’t changed a thing! I do not add the red pepper garnish as my wife does not care for too much heat. The touch of the chili-garlic sauce is enough for her. We have enjoyed 6 times since I saw it on your web site. Great recipe!
Is the cook time really only 3 minutes?
Hi Lisa – yes, the time at pressure is only 3 minutes, but the chicken is cooking while the pressure cooker is coming to pressure. So the overall time is longer.
You say the chicken is cooking while you brown it, but your recipe above says nothing about browning. Did I miss something?
Hi Ian – I updated the comment. I was confusing it with another recipe.
Hi Barbara, What can I substitute for chili-garlic sauce (I’m not sure what it is)? Would ketchup and red pepper flakes work?
Hi Cinde – it’s pretty easy to find at the market, generally by the Sriracha. It’s a blend of chiles (red pepper flakes) and garlic. This is what it looks like https://www.amazon.com/Huy-Fong-Chili-Garlic-Sauce/dp/B0016L34GO. You could sub garlic and red pepper flakes.
I made this for dinner tonight and served it over basmati rice. It was a huge hit with my husband. I did not have any scallions so I finely minced sweet onion and sprinkled that on top and did add the red pepper flakes. It will be on the menu once a week, I’m sure. That sauce is just SO good.
I did try the lemon chicken recipe but used rabbit just cooked it under pressure for 20 minutes. It came out great my wife loved it. Thanks Barbara
Thanks James! So nice to hear you enjoyed the recipe.
Delicious! Do you know the calorie count and other information? Thank you so much.
Thanks Luis – here’s a website I like to use for calorie info https://www.verywell.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4129594
Thank you Barbara. It’s great to be able to enter the ingredients of any recipe and get a Nutrition Facts Label back! Love it!
My wife and I LOVED the recipe! Thanks
Wow looks great! I have some frozen chicken that is already cut up. If I cook it from frozen do I need to adjust the cooking time? Thank you.
Hi Simone – no, you don’t need to add any time when cooking frozen cut up chicken in this recipe. Enjoy!
Made this today and it was awesome! I added some broccoli after the cooking was done and before I added the corn starch & it was cooked perfectly. Going to try sugar snap peas next time. One of the best recipes I’ve gotten from this site. I served it over rice noodles and I think it was the perfect accent. Your sesame chicken and chicken lazone are also favorites. Thanks for continuing to bring new recipes into the mix!
Thanks for sharing your changes Mark. So nice to hear you loved it!
Made this for Fathers Day! Success. Would not change a thing!
Thanks so much Lisa for letting me know. Glad it was a success. 🙂
Aloha, Barbara!
For those of us trying to limit sugar intake, do you have any recommendations on making this more of a “sweet and sour” dish?
Would cutting the sugar amounts in half work? Any advice would be much appreciated!
Bruce
Hi Bruce – I tried the recipe with half the sugar, but it was a little to bitter for my liking so I increased the sugar. I think it has a nice balance now, but you could try using some sugar substitutes if you prefer.
Love Lemon chicken! And in the pressure cooker is even better. Can you do an Orange chicken? One of my favorites also.
Thanks Barbara – I do have an Orange Chicken recipe https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-orange-chicken/. It’s great 🙂
I bet we’re going to love this chicken…..I do love lemon. Plus it’s so quick and easy too-another bonus!.