Instant Pot Thai Chicken Noodle Bowls
Begin marinating the chicken the night before you plan to serve this easy meal-in-a-bowl and it will be on the dinner table in minutes, thanks to the quick pressure-cooking function of an Instant Pot. The richly flavored sauce does double duty as chicken marinade and a sauce for the noodles.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) Asian sesame oil
- 1/4 cup (2 1/2 oz./75 g) creamy peanut butter
- 3 Tbs. soy sauce
- 2 Tbs. fish sauce
- 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 tsp. red chile paste
- 1 Tbs. peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 1 lb. (500 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 Tbs. canola oil
- 1/2 lb. (250 g) dried rice noodles
Garnish options:
- Bean sprouts
- Micro greens
- Dry-roasted peanuts
- Sliced green onions
- Sliced jalapeño chile
- Julienned fresh basil
- Julienned carrots
- Lime wedges
Directions
In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sesame oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, chile paste and ginger to make a sauce. In a second bowl, combine the chicken and 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) of the sauce and turn to coat. Cover and marinate at room temperature for at least 20 minutes or in the refrigerator for up to overnight.
In an Instant Pot set to “sauté,” warm the canola oil. Remove the chicken from the sauce. In batches, sear the chicken until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Add the remaining sauce to the pot and stir well.
Cover the pot with the lid, lock the lid into place and turn the valve to “sealing.” Set the Instant Pot to cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.
While the chicken cooks, cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions, then drain, reserving 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) of the cooking water.
When the pressure cooking is complete, turn the valve to “venting” to manually release the steam. When the steam stops, carefully remove the lid and transfer the chicken to a large bowl. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Add the rice noodles to the pot and toss with the sauce, adding the reserved cooking water as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
Divide the noodles evenly among individual bowls and top with the chicken and any of the garnishes you choose. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams Sonoma The Instant Pot Cookbook (Weldon Owen, 2017)