Prepare the Aromatics. Peel and mince the garlic and peel and chop the onion.

Sear the Chicken. Press SAUTE. Wait until HOT shows on the screen then add cooking oil & sear the chicken pieces 2 to 3 minutes per side then transfer to a plate.

Saute the Aromatics. With the instant Pot still in SAUTE mode, add the onion and garlic to sauté for about a minute in the oil released by the chicken pieces. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom off any small chicken pieces/skin left from searing the chicken and blend it with the onion and garlic. Press CANCEL to stop SAUTE mode.

Add the Afritda Sauce Ingredients. Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce, fish sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir.

Cook the Chicken Afritada. Add and arrange the seared chicken pieces in a single layer on the Instant Pot with skin-side up. Also, add the dried bay leaves into the sauce at this point. Close the lid, turn the steam release handle to "Sealing". Press MEAT/STEW and set the cooking time to 10 minutes.

Cut the Vegetables. While the Instant Pot is building pressure and cooking the chicken, prepare the vegetables if you haven't done so by peeling and cutting the potato to cubes, peeling and cutting the carrots to ½" long, and cutting the red bell pepper to squares & discarding the seeds.

Release Instant Pot Steam. After the Chicken Afritada is done cooking (you'll hear a beep), release the pressure of the Instant Pot by moving the steam release handle slowly to "Venting" - a little at a time. I used an oven mitt and turn it a little at a time so the stew won't spew out.

Transfer the chicken. Transfer the chicken pieces and bay leaf to a serving bowl. Leave the Afritada sauce in the Instant Pot.

Remove Extra Oil. Once all you have on the Instant Pot is the Afritada Sauce, you'll see the oil from the chicken floating on the sauce. You can remove the excess oil by skimming the top with a spoon or a cup. I did take out about a ½ cup of it but if you love your Chicken Afritada a little oilier, leave it. You may need to add more salt and pepper though that what I've listed to adjust the taste if you don't get rid of the extra oil.

Cook the Vegetables. Add the potato, carrots, and bell pepper, and blend it with the Afritada Sauce in the Instant Pot. To start cooking it so the vegetables can soften, close the lid, turn the steam release handle to "Sealing". Press MANUAL and set the cooking time to 1 minute.

Vegetables are Ready. Once the vegetables are done cooking, release the pressure of the Instant Pot by moving the steam release handle to "Venting, open the lid once the valve pin has dropped. Move the vegetables and sauce to the serving bowl with the cooked chicken and serve. Great with steamed rice!