Air Fryer + Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken (Paleo, Low FODMAP, Gluten-Free)

Combining the incredible powers of both the air fryer and the Instant Pot, I happily present this amazing take-out fake-out sweet and sour chicken! This sweet and sour chicken is so mouthwateringly sweet and tangy, your friends will never guess it's made with whole, unprocessed Paleo and low FODMAP ingredients. If you don't have an air fryer - don't worry! Although most deliciously and easily made using both appliances in tandem, I've also included instructions for making this dish solely with an Instant Pot.

Why Air Fryer + Instant Pot for sweet and sour chicken?

I initially wrote this recipe to be made solely in the Instant Pot; however, I felt that just searing the breaded chicken in the Instant Pot was not effectively creating the breaded effect that I was going for. In other words, the chicken didn't really taste breaded and fried as it does in sweet and sour chicken dishes you get at a Chinese restaurant.

Air frying the chicken, while not creating exactly the same flavour as deep frying it, results in a much more satisfying breaded chicken. Plus, I found it somewhat less labour intensive to just leave the chicken to cook in the air fryer while cooking the produce and sauce in the Instant Pot as opposed to standing watch over the Instant Pot while the chicken sears in two batches. I'm not sure that makes sense to anyone else, but I did feel like it was easier.

I have still included instructions for how to make it all in just the Instant Pot in case you don't own both appliances or you'd just like fewer appliances to clean in the end. It still tastes incredibly yummy cooked this way.

Is this recipe for the Instant Pot Duo Crisp or Ninja Foodi?

I anticipate getting this question, and the answer is: no. I've written this recipe to use the air fryer and the Instant Pot in tandem, using two separate appliances simultaneously. Although I have yet to use either, from what I understand of the Duo Crisp and Ninja Foodi, you'd have to air fry the chicken first and then cook the produce and sauce after. The cooked chicken would just be sitting there while the pressure cooker completed a 14-minute cooking cycle to cook the sauce and produce. This is not ideal. However, you will be coating the chicken in hot sauce, thereby warming it back up, so...? Regardless, I've written it to be made using two separate appliances. Whether you choose to experiment with it is entirely up to you; but, if you do, I'd love to hear about how it turned out!

Necessary Equipment

The equipment I use to make this Air Fryer + Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe includes:

• Air fryer (I use this one, which is 3.7 qts)
• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
• Three large bowls
• Two large plates
• Two sets of tongs
• Whisk
• Stirring spoon (such as a wooden spoon)
• Slotted spoon
• Small measuring cup or bowl
• Measuring spoons and cups
• Hot pads
• Instant read thermometer

Air Fryer + Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken: Ingredients and Success Tips

I actually started testing this recipe with way more ingredients than I ended up with in the final version below. I think simple is better when it comes to most recipes.

Chicken

The recipe calls for 1 lb of chicken breasts - this usually ends up being around 2 large breasts. A little more or a little less than 1 lb is okay, too. Endeavor to chop these up into 1 inch cubes - it's impossible to make them perfect cubes.

Breading

I bread things sort of lazily, but it works for my purposes and is way less arduous than some other methods. First, I put the chicken pieces into a large bowl and then cover them with tapioca flour (a.k.a. tapioca starch), tossing with my hands to coat. Then, I cover them with garlic-infused olive oil and toss them again. In another large bowl, I combine cassava flour, salt and pepper and then dredge the chicken pieces in this mixture a few at a time, shaking off the excess. I use this same "technique" to bread the chicken in my Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders Salad recipe.

Then, I gently spray the breaded chicken with a Paleo compliant cooking spray - coconut oil cooking spray achieves the best flavour for this recipe, but avocado oil cooking spray or olive oil cooking spray will work fine as well.

If you are using the Instant Pot only method, you will need 2 tbsp of regular coconut oil, not spray, in which to sear the breaded chicken.

Sauce

For the sweet and sour sauce, I use maple syrup for the main sweetness factor and apple cider vinegar for the main sourness factor. Coconut aminos (a.k.a. soy sauce substitute) and the pineapple juice from the can of pineapple also add some sweetness, while the tomato paste adds some umami flavor.

I season the sauce first with ground ginger - fresh ginger could be used here instead, but I use ground ginger just to simplify things. I then bring out the flavour with sea salt and add a smidgen of heat using red pepper flakes, which you can leave out if you don't like or your body does not react well to spicy food.

After the Instant Pot cooking cycle has completed, I thicken the sauce using tapioca flour and cold water.

Produce

In terms of produce, I use low FODMAP options, such as red bell pepper and pineapple, which is deemed tolerable for folks with IBS by Monash University in servings of 1 cup or less. With this recipe you're getting about a half cup of pineapple per serving.

Instead of including red or white onion like traditional recipes might, I add the green tops of scallions, also known as green onions, at the very very end. The green tops of green onions don't really maintain their flavour when they're heavily cooked, so I just use the residual heat from the sweet and sour sauce to soften them a bit.

If you're not concerned with FODMAPs, you can always use white or red onion instead of scallions.

Serving Options

This is where things get tricky in Paleo/low FODMAP Land. I often suggest serving certain dishes on my Instant Pot "Garlic" Mashed Potatoes recipe, but in this instance, I'm afraid that it it it is too savoury to serve this dish on. I personally serve mine on white rice as pictured below, but that option may not work for those on a strict grain-free, Paleo diet. Although I have not tried it, plantain rice might work well with this. If you're not concerned with FODMAPs, cauliflower rice may also be a great, grain-free, Paleo option.

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