This is a special occasion chicken dish that is deceptively easy (I won’t tell!). The chicken comes out moist and tender, covered in a sweet sauce that has just a hint of chili popping through.
Remove the chicken from the multicooker and thicken the sauce right in the same pot. The sauce is terrific drizzled (or poured freely in my case) on the chicken as well as on rice or potatoes.
One of the key ingredients that makes this special and a little different is the plum jam. Plum jams can vary a great deal. This recipe calls for a sweeter jam. I have found plum jams purchased in the ethnic food sections of grocery stores tend to be a bit tarter. I would advise adding about a ¼ tsp. of brown sugar to these. If you are purchasing it from the jams and jelly’s section it’s usually the sweeter variety. I was thrilled to find the plum jam for this dish at our local CAMPBELL’S ORCHARDS. They make a large batch in the late fall each year. It’s currently still available.
This recipe is designed for a 6-qt cooker. To prepare in a 3 quart you can reduce the amount of chicken if you wish, but keep all other ingredients the same. In an 8 or 10-qt pot you can double the recipe. If cooking the amount as per the recipe in these larger pots you must at least add an additional ½ cup of water and allow an additional few minutes for the sauce to reduce.
This recipe was adapted from a Plum Chili Chicken recipe in The Essential Instant Pot Cookbook by Coco Morante.
Sweet Plum Chili Chicken (serves 3 to 4, approx. 40 minutes total prep and cook time)
½ cup plum jam (see notes above)
½ cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ½ to 2 lb.’s boneless chicken breasts or thighs
In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients but the chicken. Pour sauce into the inner pot of your pressure cooker.
Place the chicken in the pot and using tongs, turn the chicken so that it is thoroughly coated in the sauce. Chicken should be arranged in a single layer.
Close the lid of your pressure cooker and make sure the valve is set to sealing. Press Pressure Cook (or Manual) button and set the cook time for 8 minutes (increase by a minute or two for large sized chicken pieces).
When it beeps that it’s done allow the pressure to natural release for at least 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure.
Remove the lid and transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Press the Cancel button and then select Saute. Allow the sauce to come to a boil, stirring occasionally with a flat-bottomed heat safe spoon. Reduce until it thickens to a glaze (6 to 8 minutes). Spoon the glaze over the chicken and serve. The glaze can also be served to spoon over your accompanying dishes such as rice or potatoes.
