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the completed instant pot honey garlic chicken served in a bowl with rice

Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

Make this better than takeout Instant Pot Asian Chicken at home using pantry ingredients
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Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 23 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 405kcal
Author: Bintu Hardy | Budget Delicious

Ingredients

  • 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ cup (60ml) water
  • ¼ cup (60ml) tamari soy sauce or regular soy sauce if not GF
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch divided
  • Red pepper flakes or sriracha sauce to taste
  • Sesame seeds and sliced green onion to garnish (optional)
  • Rice or cauliflower rice to serve

Instructions

  • Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
  • Select Sauté setting on Instant Pot and add olive oil to the insert and let it heat up.
  • Add chicken thighs to insert skin side down and brown for 3 minutes per side.
  • In a small bowl, combine water, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, lime juice and red pepper flakes (or sriracha sauce and pour over the chicken.
  • Scrape underneath the chicken to deglaze the pot.
  • Close the Instant Pot lid, turn valve to sealing and set to High Pressure, Pressure cook/manual for 10 minutes.
  • Once done, perform a quick pressure release (QPR).
  • Remove chicken thighs and reselect the Sauté function.
  • Take 2 teaspoons of liquid from the insert and mix with remaining cornstarch in a small bowl to create a cornstarch slurry.
  • Mix this cornstarch slurry into the liquid still in the Instant Pot making sure all the cornstarch dissolves.
  • Cook this mixture for 3-5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened into a glaze.
  • Return the thighs back into the sauce and mix carefully so they’re fully coated in the glaze.
  • Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

Notes

 

  • If using boneless chicken, you can cut the chicken up before you toss it in the Instant Pot if you want. 
  • When you’re browning your chicken, it should be easy to pull and flip to cook the other side, if it’s stuck or hard to flip, it’s not finished cooking on that side. 
  • Be aware that the vent will steam and may splatter and can burn you easily. 
  • If looking to reduce calories, remove the skin from the chicken once cooked. 
  • To avoid a burn notice, make sure to deglaze the pot insert once you add the sauce and there’s enough liquid in there.
  • If you prefer “fall off the bone” kind of chicken thighs, cook for a few extra minutes to get your chicken to 180-190F/ 82-88C internal temperature. 
  • Cooking time does not include time it takes for Instant Pot to come to pressure.

Nutrition

Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 923mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 114IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg