Give your dinner a bang tonight with this delicious Instant Pot Bang Bang Chicken Pasta! I am always looking for things my family will love and this is one recipe they all enjoy.
Do you ever crave a meal from your favorite restaurant? Like you need to have it THIS WEEK or you may not make it. But you can’t get to the restaurant? The solution – make it at home! I love re-creating my favorite meals at home and this bang bang chicken is my new go-to dinner.
What is Bang Bang Chicken?
Bang Bang chicken is regular ordinary chicken thighs cooked with Bonefish Grill’s infamous Bang Bang Sauce. It’s a sweet and savory chicken that will have the whole family asking for more.
Instant Pot Bang Bang Chicken Pasta Ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe will make about 8 servings. Here’s what you need:
- 1 pound of boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized chunks
- 1 pound of orzo pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 1 small red, yellow, and orange pepper, finely diced
- 2 cloves of diced garlic
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon Szechuan seasoning spice mix
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- Sriracha for topping
Chicken – You can use any boneless, skinless chicken that you like here. I used thighs but breasts or tenders work as well.
Pasta – You want a smaller pasta for this recipe. I used orzo but you can also use penne, bowtie or similar.
Spices – To give this Instant Pot chicken recipe a nice flavor, I used Szechwan Seasoning Mix. This seasoning mix is a blend of sesame seeds, garlic, ginger, red pepper, brown mustard, coriander, green bell pepper, lemon grass, cilantro and gives the dish an Oriental inspired flavor.
Sweet chili sauce – This sauce gives a nice tangy but sweet flavor to the dish. I also have this sauce on hand for Asian inspired meals. It can be found in the Asian food aisle at the grocery store or you can buy sweet chili sauce online.
What is Bang Bang Sauce Made of?
Bang Bang Sauce is the infamous Bonefish Grill’s coating for things like shrimp and chicken. It is a sweet and savory sauce made with mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and a little bit of honey. If you want it to be just like Bonefish Grill, you will want to use the specific Thai sweet chili sauce.
How to Make Instant Pot Bang Bang Chicken Pasta
Making a gourmet meal at home is so easy to do in your Instant Pot. Just follow the steps below for a delicious chicken and pasta meal everyone will love!
Step 1: Sauté the Chicken
Press Sauté and add butter. As soon as it begins to foam, add the chicken and cook until no longer pink.
Step 2: Sauté the Veggies
Add the onions and garlic. Cook the garlic and onions, stirring often, until the onions are soft, or about 1-2 minutes. Add the peppers and cook an added 1-2 minutes.
Step 3: Add the Seasoning
Add chicken broth, Szechuan seasoning, and sweet chili sauce.
Step 4: Add your the Pasta
Add the pasta and mix everything together, making sure the pasta is submerged.
Step 4: Pressure Cook
Secure the instant pot lid and sealing the valve. Set to manual pressure for 8 minutes.
Step 5: Naturally Release
Once the 8 minutes are up, allow the pressure to release naturally. Open the vent and release the remaining steam.
Step 6: Thicken the Sauce
Open the lid and add the cream cheese. Allow to stand until sauce thickens, which takes about 5 minutes.
Drizzle with Sriracha sauce and enjoy!
Side Dish Ideas
I personally will make this dish and just eat it as a complete meal. However, it does go well with some of my favorite sides! Here are some fantastic side dish ideas:
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Cheesy Baked Asparagus
- Loaded Broccoli Salad
- Bacon Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Creamy Pea Salad
How to Store Leftovers (If you have any)
Bang Bang Chicken and Pasta is easy to store if you have any leftovers. In my house we rarely have leftovers, but if we do, I store them in a Tupperware bowl in the fridge. Make sure the lid seals tightly and you eat your leftovers in 3-5 days.
Can I Freeze Instant Pot Bang Bang Chicken?
You can freeze your chicken and pasta if you would like. However, if you freeze Bang Bang Chicken as a freezer meal, I would recommend cooking the chicken and adding the pasta when you thaw and reheat it. Pasta can get mushy after a while. You can keep the chicken in your freezer for up to 6 months. Store it in a ziplock freezer bag.
When you are ready to eat it, simply thaw the chicken, plop the chicken and sauce in a saucepan, and add your noodles to cook. Be sure to add more water or broth for the noodles if you need to.
Other Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
Chicken is such a versatile meat. You can transform it into Chinese takeout, Mexican dishes, or make it in soups. Here are some other Instant Pot chicken recipes you may want to check out:
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Easy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Taquitos
- Brown Sugar Chicken
- Instant Pot Italian Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Lo Mein
Instant Pot Bang Bang Chicken Pasta
How to make famous bang bang chicken with pasta in the Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized chunks
- 1 pound of orzo pasta
- 2 tablespoons of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 1 small red, yellow, and orange pepper, finely diced
- 2 cloves of diced garlic
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon Szechuan seasoning spice mix
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- Sriracha sauce, for topping
Instructions
Step 1: Press Sauté and add the I
Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter. As soon as it begins to foam, add the chicken
and cook until no longer pink.
Step 2: Add the onions and
garlic. Cook the garlic and onions, stirring often, until the onions are soft,
or about 1-2 minutes. Add the peppers and cook an added 1-2 minutes.
Step 3: Add chicken broth, Szechuan
seasoning, and sweet chili sauce.
Step 4; Add the pasta and mix
everything together, making sure the pasta is submerged.
Step 4: Secure the instant pot lid
and sealing the valve. Set to manual pressure for 8 minutes. Once the 8
minutes are up, allow the pressure to release naturally.
Step 5: Open the vent and
release the remaining steam. Open the lid and add the cream cheese. Allow to
stand until sauce thickens, which takes about 5 minutes.
What is your favorite Instant Pot chicken recipe? Let us know in the comments below! Remember, sharing is caring. Please share this post on Pinterest for others to enjoy!