This Chili Garlic Beef recipe is my new favorite weeknight dinner recipe! I get asked MOST frequently about easy weeknight dinners. People are looking for easy, delicious dinners that require very little effort and minimal planning. Sounds perfect right?!
I think we all appreciate an easy meal that the whole family will enjoy and this Chili Garlic Beef Recipe doesn’t disappoint.
If you frequently save dinner prep for the last possible minute or you get home late most nights, I would suggest looking into an Instant Pot, an electric pressure cooker. I wasn’t initially sold but when you can create a meal like this or my Chicken Tacos al Pastor, you can’t really go wrong. I have always loved my slow cooker but if we are going to be real, I often forget to start it in the morning or happen to be missing an important component thus ruining dinner plans. That’s a non-issue with my Instant Pot.
Don’t worry though; if you aren’t quite ready for an instant pot, I have included slow cooker instructions as well.
This chili garlic beef was adapted from a recipe that came with the Instant pot but I have adjusted it for ingredients you most likely already have on hand. It has the Asian flavors of you favorite takeout but uses much cleaner ingredients and results in tender, fall-apart, beef served over rice (or noodles) with some steamed broccoli. Easy enough.
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Easy weeknight meal: Tender, Flavorful, Asian Chili Garlic Beef made in the instant pot, served with rice and steamed vegetables.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Chuck Roast, cut into 2 inch chunks
- 2 tsp avocado oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
Seasoning
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Cooking Sauce
- 1/2 C soy sauce
- 3/4 C water or beef broth for a richer flavor
- 1/3 C brown sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce
- 3 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
- 1/4 c rice vinegar
Thickener
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp water
quick pickled cucumber and onions
- 1 cucumber, sliced as thin as possible (I used a mandolin)
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced as thin as possible
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce
garnishes
- scallions
- sesame seeds
- rice
Instructions
- Prepare the seasoning mixture: Combine the cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Toss with the cut chuck roast.
- Prepare the cooking sauce: Whisk together the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, grated ginger and garlic, chili garlic sauce, and rice vinegar till the brown sugar is fully dissolved.
- Brown the seasoned beef in the avocado oil and sesame oil using this ‘sauté’ feature. You just want them to get a little color; approx. 5 minutes total. Work in batched to not overcrowd the pot. Set the already browned beef aside.
- Add the beef back to the pot and pour the cooking sauce over the top.
- Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Do a quick release.
- If preparing quick pickled cucumbers and onions: Stir together the rice vinegar, brown sugar, and chili garlic sauce. Combine with thinly sliced cucumbers and onion. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.
- Prepare the thickener: Mix the 1 tbsp of cornstarch with the 1 tbsp of water. Add to the pot. Use the sauté feature and let it come to a simmer for approx. 3 minutes.
- Serve with cooked rice or noodles, and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.
Notes
To make in your slow cooker: Prepare seasoning and cooking sauce as stated. Brown the beef on HIGH and place in the slow cooker. Pour cooking sauce over the top and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours*.
Cook temperatures for slow cookers vary so check at the minimum time and adjust as necessary.
If you want to check out the Instant Pot.
Marissa is a wife to Texans Offensive Lineman #79, mother to a baby girl named Joy, a baby boy named Jeff, and a lover of food . She loves to feed people on game day and try new recipes during the week. 
