Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Published Jun 13, 2024
Updated Aug 12, 2024
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This 20-minute Instant Pot honey garlic chicken recipe is the perfect addition to your weeknight staples. Juicy boneless chicken thighs seared and pan-fried in the Instant Pot and smothered in a sticky honey garlic sauce—tastes just like Chinese takeout!
Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
The next time you’re craving Chinese food, but don’t want anything deep-fried and greasy, these Instant Pot honey garlic chicken thighs will satisfy your cravings big time! They taste just like your favorite takeout, but healthier and quicker than ordering in.
Like my other Instant Pot recipes, this honey garlic chicken is such a timesaver. Brown the chicken, throw in the sauce, then go do anything you want while the Instant Pot takes care of dinner! The chicken comes out so tender, juicy, and moist. That honey garlic sauce is a keeper too—it’s delicious with other proteins like fish, pork, and even tofu.
For more quick and easy chicken recipes, try my Honey Sesame Chicken and Ginger Soy Chicken next!
Ingredients
- Chicken thigh – my favorite because they’re tender, juicy, and more flavorful than chicken breasts! I like using skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs because they stay juicy without falling apart inside the Instant Pot. The skin also renders out the fat which adds richness to the dish. You can also use boneless and skinless chicken and even drumsticks if you prefer.
- Garlic – always use fresh garlic for the best flavors! Mince it as finely as you can so the flavors infuse into the sauce better.
- Honey – adds natural sweetness to the sauce. It caramelizes slightly as it cooks, so it helps create a beautiful glaze for our chicken.
- Soy sauce -for that salty umami flavor that makes the dish extra flavorful!
- Cayenne pepper – just a dash of this spice adds a nice warmth to this sweet honey garlic chicken without being too spicy. Feel free to use chili powder or red pepper flakes if you want more heat.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
Can You Brown Chicken In Instant Pot
Yes, Instant Pot is perfect for browning meat such as chicken and pork. The Saute function is a game-changer for making one-pot meals! It allows you to sear and brown your meat before pressure cooking, which helps seal in the juices while giving it a crispy exterior.
Follow these steps for perfectly browned chicken in your Instant Pot:
Step 1: Turn on the Saute mode and heat up the pot. Make sure it’s fully heated before adding the cooking oil.
Step 2: Add at least 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the heated pot and make sure that it coats the entire surface. Having the pot nicely greased is crucial for browning.
Step 3: If you have skin-on chicken thighs or chicken breasts, always brown and cook the chicken with the skin side down first. This will prevent the chicken from sticking to the pot.
Step 4: Brown, pan-fry, and sauté the chicken uninterrupted, for about 3 minutes on each side before flipping it over.
How To Cook Honey Garlic Instant Pot Chicken
Take as little as 5 minutes to prep these juicy Instant Pot chicken thighs! Trust me, it’s one of the best healthy chicken Instant Pot recipes you can make at home. And if you want more of that honey garlic goodness, just double the sauce ingredients without adjusting anything else.
Didn’t have time to thaw your chicken? This recipe still works with frozen thighs! Simply add 5-10 minutes to the pressure cooking time.
Here’s how to make honey garlic chicken in the Instant Pot:
Step 1: Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Step 2: Mix all the ingredients in the Honey Garlic Sauce together and stir to mix well. Make sure the honey and sugar are completely dissolved. Set aside.
Step 3: Turn on the Saute mode on your Instant Pot. As soon as the pot is heated, add 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil. Pan-sear the chicken thighs (skin side down first) until both sides turn nicely brown.
Step 4: Leave the chicken thighs in the Instant Pot, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil, and add the garlic. Saute the garlic a little bit. Pour in the sauce and cover the lid. Select Manual and set to High pressure for 10 minutes.
Step 5: When it beeps, turn to Quick Release. When the valve drops, remove the lid carefully, add the chopped parsley, and serve the Instant Pot chicken with honey garlic sauce immediately.
Helpful Tips for Home Cooks
- After searing the chicken, use a wooden spoon to scrape all those tasty browned bits off the bottom. Aside from adding flavor to the sauce, this also prevents the Instant Pot from displaying a “Burn” error.
- The sauce in the recipe equals 8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup of liquid content. This is the minimum amount of liquid for a 6-quart Instant Pot.
- For a keto honey garlic chicken version, swap out the brown sugar and honey for a sugar-free alternative like monk fruit or erythritol, and use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
- If the honey soy sauce is too sweet, balance it out with a splash of rice vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice. A little bit of acid cuts through the sweetness without turning the flavor sour.
- You can easily adapt this Instant Pot chicken recipe for your oven (375°F for 30-40 minutes), slow cooker (6-8 hours on low or 3-4 on high), or stovetop (sear chicken, then simmer in sauce until tender).
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use chicken breasts for this recipe. Just keep an eye on the cooking time since breasts cook faster and can dry out if overcooked.
Put your leftover honey glazed chicken in an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to three days, or freeze for up to a month. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through.
We love it with other Chinese takeout classics like Fried Rice, Chow Mein, and Hot and Sour Soup! For a lighter meal, have it with roasted veggies or make some lettuce wraps for a keto twist.
Yes, you can cook frozen chicken right out of the freezer in an Instant Pot. Just pressure cook for an extra 5-10 minutes.
This keto honey garlic chicken recipe has only 484 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
These honey garlic chicken thighs are best served with a bowl of rice or pasta and a side of veggies like Garlic Broccoli and Sauteed Asparagus.
For an easy and wholesome weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes:
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. (750g) chicken thighs (4 chicken thighs)
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Honey Garlic Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon sugar or brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water or chicken broth (preferred)
- 3 dashes cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Mix all the ingredients in the Honey Garlic Sauce together and stir to mix well. Make sure the honey and sugar are completely dissolved. Set aside.
- Turn on the Saute mode on your Instant Pot. As soon as the pot is heated, add 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil. Pan-sear the chicken thighs (skin side down first) until both sides turn nicely brown.
- Leave the chicken thighs in the Instant Pot, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil, and add the garlic. Saute the garlic a little bit. Pour in the sauce and cover the lid. Select Manual and set to High pressure for 10 minutes.
- When it beeps, turn to Quick Release. When the valve drops, remove the lid carefully, add the chopped parsley, and serve the Instant Pot chicken with honey garlic sauce immediately.
Video
Notes
- After searing the chicken, use a wooden spoon to scrape all those tasty browned bits off the bottom. Aside from adding flavor to the sauce, this also prevents the Instant Pot from displaying a “Burn” error.
- The sauce in the recipe equals 8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup of liquid content. This is the minimum amount of liquid for a 6-quart Instant Pot.
- For a keto honey garlic chicken version, swap out the brown sugar and honey for a sugar-free alternative like monk fruit or erythritol, and coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
- If the honey soy sauce is too sweet, balance it out with a splash of rice vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice. A little bit of acid cuts through the sweetness without turning the flavor sour.
- You can easily adapt this Instant Pot chicken recipe for your oven (375°F for 30-40 minutes), slow cooker (6-8 hours on low or 3-4 on high), or stovetop (sear chicken, then simmer in sauce until tender).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this last night DELICIOUS – but I switched the parsley to cilantro because it seemed like a better fit for this. It was, imo.
I also added some Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese hot pepper) which gave it a little zing. This one’s a keeper!
Hi Jeanette, sure, or scallions. I didn’t have cilantro or scallion, I just had parsley so I used that. Shichimi Togarashi is always a good idea. :)
Hi
If I am using a slow cooker, do I still need to pan fry the thighs on stove top? Thks.
Yeah, I think you should because it will make it much better. :)
This looks yummy!!
Would LOVE more Instant Pot recipes and/or adaptations of your other great recipes!
Awesome, yes I will adapt more recipes for Instant Pot.
Thanks Bee – I’d ALSO LOVE more Instant Pot recipes and adaptations !!
Hi Mark, sounds good, I will do that!
I can’t imagine how this is 827 calories. I think something is off there….
Sorry it was miscalculated by the website, I have updated the nutrition label.
Hi
Can you double this recipe.
I’m always afraid it won’t turn out but 4 thighs are not enough for my family
Sure you can double! :)
Can you list your carbs please. My husband is diabetic.
The nutritional label is on the post it has all the details.
Since it has honey as a main ingredient, probably not a good idea for a diabetic.
Type 1 diabetics are not restricted in what they are able to eat. Even Type 2 diabetics are all individuals with individual medical needs and it’s very presumptuous of you to tell someone else what they should or should not eat.
This Honey Garlic Chicken looks so delicious! I don’t have an Insta Pot, but I will make it in the oven! Thanks for sharing the recipe, Rasa!
Hi Deb, thanks for your comment. Yes oven would work. :)
I made this a few days ago in my crock pot. Its so good! Great flavor!! My new fav dish to make!
Awesome, thanks for trying my honey garlic chicken recipe.
Can you make this recipe with a regular electric pressure cooker that is not an instant Pot? i Got that before the instant pot was available
I think so, just follow the instructions of your pressure cooker. :)
Yes. An IP is a brand of pressure cooker. Think iPhone vs Andriod. They do the same thing but are branded differently. ?
The instant pot has several features including a setting for, rice, yogurt, slow cooking, steam, sautes and you can also bake bread and cheesecake if you’re ipot savy ;)
Can you do this with just a regular pressure cooker? I have an electric pressure cooker.
Yes. An IP is a brand of pressure cooker. Think iPhone vs Andriod. They do the same thing but are branded differently. ?
Yes you sure can!
I thought you always have to use a minimum of 1/2 cup water to reach pressure?
Hi Susan, my friend taught me how to use Instant Pot with the Manual setting to High and set the time. I had no problem with this recipe and the pictures are exactly how they came out. If you look at the picture inside the IP, it has a lot of sauce as the chicken releases liquid into the sauce after cooking. If you have doubt, you might use the PIP method. Otherwise please add 3 tablespoons water/chicken broth to the Sauce and you will have 1/2 cup liquid.
With the soy sauce, honey and water, there is 1/2 cup liquid in the recipe even before the juices are released from the chicken.
I see pictures and what goes into it , but I don’t see where it says how much of each ingredient I will need. As a 40 year professional cook I do need the how much of each ingredient.
Tap the wide red bar that says GET RECIPE. I was loose with the amounts of honey, soy sauce, garlic and fats I used and it turned out great, remember that the Instant Pot needs a minimum of 1/2 cup of liquid in the bottom – easily accomplish with this tecipe.