Begin marinating the chicken the night before you plan to serve this easy Instant Pot meal-in-a-bowl and it will be on the dinner table in minutes. The richly flavored sauce does double duty as chicken marinade and noodle seasoning. Top the bowls with whichever of the garnishes you prefer. We especially like to include the peanuts for crunch and basil for its enticing aroma.
Instant Pot Thai Chicken Noodle Bowls
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. roasted 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
- Dry-roasted peanuts
- Sliced green onions, white and light green portions
- Sliced jalapeño chile
- Julienned fresh basil leaves
- Julienned carrots
- Lime wedges
Directions
1. 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.
2. In an Instant Pot set to “sauté,” warm the canola oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade. In batches, sear the chicken until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Add the remaining marinade to the pot and stir well.
3. Lock the lid in place and turn the valve to “sealing.” Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook at high pressure for 8 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions, then drain, reserving 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) of the cooking water.
5. 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.
6. Divide the noodles evenly among individual bowls and top with the chicken and garnishes of choice. Serves 4.
For this and more recipes that are big on flavor but short on prep time, check out The Instant Pot Cookbook, by the cooks of the Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen.
8 comments
How would you scale this recipe for the Instant Pot Mini?
This was so delicious! My husband said, “I smell peanut butter.” Then he made a negative face. I was worried! He made his bowl and couldn’t stop eating. We will definitely make this again.
I plan on making this for my MIL and had a question about the sauce. I see where I add the 1/4 cup marinade that the chicken was in, into the pot to cook but what do I do with the remainder of the sauce? Do I also add it to the pot or do I serve it with the cooked chicken and noodles on the side? Thank you!
Hmmm, I was just consideringthis one but you’re right, it is not clear. Maybe you are only supposed to use the “remaining marinade” that you didn’t soak the raw meat in for the soup? “Reserve the marinade” sounds like you will need it later but maybe they were trying to say, keep it separate?
Williams-Sonoma, any input to clarify step 2 for us?
If you read the beginning of the recipe it tells you the marinade double as noodle seasoning.
I love the flavors in this! I can’t wait to try this!
I want to buy some bowls!
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