Instant Pot Sesame Chicken

Summer. My second summer in Birmingham and the city is hot in a different way from Prattville, more concrete, the heat bouncing off streets and buildings. I have a small standing fan in the bedroom window and the ceiling fan in the main room and I cook in the mornings and eat cold for the rest of the day, which is the Alabama summer cooking strategy and which works everywhere.

I am taking one summer class: Statistics II, which continues from the Statistics I at Calhoun. Dr. Alvarez is teaching it and he remembers me from the first course and gave me a nod when I sat down that I interpreted as acknowledgment that I had earned my place in his next class. I have learned to read those kinds of gestures. They are the specific language of institutions where you have to demonstrate belonging before it is granted.

I made a cold sesame noodle dish this week, which is not a Southern thing at all: rice noodles, peanut butter, sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, cucumber, and scallions. Cold from the refrigerator. Biscuit, who has decided Birmingham summers are an insult to her personally, sat on the counter and watched me assemble it with great resignation. Priya tried a bite and said: this is one of my actual favorite foods. I said I know, I made it because you once mentioned it. She looked at me. I said: I pay attention. She said: yes you do. That is one of the things I have learned to receive as a compliment.

The cold sesame noodles I made that week planted something in me — a comfort in the combination of sesame and soy and ginger that I kept coming back to. This Instant Pot Sesame Chicken carries all of those same notes: the toasty depth of sesame oil, the brightness of ginger and garlic, the savory pull of soy sauce. It’s a warmer version of that same idea, the kind of dish you make when you want to say something to someone without having to say it out loud.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, for garnish
3 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
Cooked rice, for serving

Instructions

Mix the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes until combined.
Add chicken to the Instant Pot. Place the chicken pieces in the Instant Pot and pour the sauce evenly over the top. Stir briefly to coat.
Pressure cook. Secure the lid and set the valve to sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes. When the cycle completes, carefully perform a quick release.
Thicken the sauce. Switch the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and cold water to form a slurry. Pour the slurry into the pot and stir continuously for 2—3 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken.
Finish and serve. Spoon the sesame chicken over cooked rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced scallions. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Instant Pot Sesame Chicken — The Dish That Proves I Pay Attention