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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:
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
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.
Handy hint: cook rice at the same time as your chicken! Here’s how: Place a long-leg trivet over the chicken in the pot. Make sure all the legs are touching the bottom of the pot. In a glass, ceramic or stainless steel bowl that will fit in your pressure cooker, combine 1 cup long grain brown rice and 1 1/4 cup water or chicken broth (I prefer chicken broth). Stir to make sure the rice is fully submerged. Cover bowl with aluminum foil. Using a foil sling, lower the rice bowl into the inner pot of your pressure cooker and set it on top of the trivet. Cook along with the chicken! When the chicken is done, carefully remove the rice bowl from the pot and set aside. Do not remove the foil lid. Use tongs and remove the trivet from the pot. When you have prepared your chicken, remove the foil and use your rice. Ladle the chicken over the rice and and enjoy!
Good idea. Thank you!
Using 5 thighs & 5 drumsticks…..I will double sauce, but need to know the cooking time.
8 minutes is fine.
Winner winner chicken dinner! My husband said this was one of the best meals I have ever made…so thank you very much for posting this recipe! It was so easy and barely any cleanup which we all love. The only changes I made were 4 TBS of chicken broth instead of 3, removed the chicken and then sautéed the garlic…added the sauce and then added the chicken and flipped to coat both sides before closing the lid, added a spoonful of cornstarch to the sauce at the end after I took chicken out and used sauté button on normal setting while whisking to thicken the sauce. So delish and definitely going into my recipe book. Thank you!!
Hi Anala thanks so much for trying my recipe. Please try more recipes on my site, they are all amazing and delicious: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipes/instant-pot-recipes and https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Amazing and simple recipes . Ian trying one by one since I am 85 years old young man
Thanks Dr. Swamy, please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
I make this a couple times a month. Its easy and delicious. Have made it with bone and boneless chicken thighs.
Thanks Susan, please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipes/instant-pot-recipes/ and https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Best recipe I’ve tried in a long time
Cheri, yay thanks! Please try more IP recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipes/instant-pot-recipes or other recipes: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/. They are all good!
Great recipe. I added some white wine.
Thank you for not posting a long drawn out story before the recipe. Usually when people start searching recipes they are in a pinch, I can’t tell you how many recipe blogs I come across are loaded with ads that redirect you (i know you gotta make money, but them ads that involuntarily redirect you only aggravate the reader which makes the reader not want to come back—to be clear I am on my speaking of over use of ads) and then you have a 10,000 word story before the recipe. So annoying.
Thank you for sticking to the point, LOL, we can’t smell what you are talking about from 30 years ago so when bloggers go and on and on… you get the point. ;) Thank you
Thanks for your support.
Amazingly delicious and super simple. Dinner was delicious and ready in 30 minutes or less! Highly recommend!!!
Hi Meg, thanks for your rave review. :)
These look absolutely delicious! You have amazing food photography too :] As much as I know my girl’s will love these, I know I will too!
This was so easy to make. I followed the recipe as it is written, the only changes I made was after pan searing the chicken I removed it from the pan while letting the garlic sauté with the oil. Once that was ready for the sauce I added the sauce and put the trivet in and then added the chicken back into the pan so the chicken wouldn’t stick to the pan during cooking. Everything was very moist and the sauce was a nice balance of sweet and spicy with that hint of cayenne in there. My whole family love it, including my 6 year old twins. I paired it with white rice and steamed vegetables with a fresh side of mandarin oranges and pineapple. We will definitely make this again!
Hi Christina, thanks for your review. I am so glad you love my instant pot recipe!!! Please try more Instant Pot recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipes/instant-pot-recipes