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Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs Recipe

Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs – Sweet, savory, tender and juicy chicken thighs prepared with the most amazing honey garlic sauce and cooked in an Instant Pot. Dinner, from start to finish, will be ready in 30 minutes!

Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken in a bowl

My #1 recipe for Honey Garlic Chicken revisited AND updated with a new twist because, an Instant Pot is all the rage these days.

I know, it’s so hard to choose; crock pot honey garlic chicken or instant pot honey garlic chicken. I mean, one takes hours of cooking, and the other makes it all in minutes. But the instant pot is possibly my new favorite way to cook. I do really love my crock pot, but this pressure cooker/instant pot thingamajig is a game-changer.

INSTANT POT HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN

This easy recipe for Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken is packed with so much flavor and requires very little effort. With just a handful of ingredients, this dish continues to be one of my go-to’s because it’s low maintenance and it’s fall-off-the-bone amazing.

Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe served

Clearly, I’m not talking just any old chicken here. I’m talking about the kind of garlic chicken that hits that perfect spot between sweet and savory, tender and juicy. Also, it can be made in about 20 minutes and that just makes my heart sing for joy! What’s more is that I always make extra so that I have at least some leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.

Gosh… There is not one single thing I don’t love about this type of food.

Honey Garlic sauce

HOW TO MAKE HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN IN THE INSTANT POT

Prepare the sauce – it will have you licking your fingers clean.

Honey Garlic Sauce

  • honey
  • garlic
  • ketchup
  • soy sauce
  • oregano
  • and parsley

No big deal – just a few ingredients you probably have sitting around. But once you put them all together? GIRRRL!! You’ll see. There’s nah.thing better.

chicken thighs in instant pot

Once you’ve prepared the sauce, you can move onto browning the chicken thighs right inside your instant pot. One pot = one meal, and less dishes to wash.

I chose to use bone-in chicken thighs thus could only fit 4 at a time inside my instant pot, but if you go with boneless thighs, you can definitely get 6 to 8 thighs in there at once.
And once them thighs are done browning-up, an introduction to their cooking liquid will follow:

Honey Garlic Sauce over Chicken

Honey Garlic Chicken in the Instant Pot

If chicken breasts are all you’ve got, not to worry! Just use the same method, but cook on poultry setting for 10 minutes. 

Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe

Whether you want to make this in the crock pot, as we have done up until now, or in the Instant Pot, trust me when I say that no matter what route you take, in the end you’ll just be super glad that you prepared it. 

I also have a seafood option with the same wonderful flavors – Honey Garlic Sauce Salmon.

The flavors in this dish are so simple, yet when combined, they are SO GOOD and out-of-this-world fantastic. It’s one of those recipes that you make once, and then you make twice, and then suddenly you can’t wait to make it again.

WANT MORE DELICIOUS CHICKEN RECIPES?

ENJOY!

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WATCH HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN

 

Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

Katerina | Diethood
Sweet, savory, tender and OH SO juicy chicken thighs prepared with the most amazing honey garlic sauce and cooked in an Instant Pot. 
4.77 from 226 votes
Servings : 6 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce (see notes for alternatives)
  • 1/2 cup no salt ketchup
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
  • 4 to 6 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
  • salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
  • sliced green onions, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • In a small mixing bowl combine honey, minced garlic, soy sauce, ketchup, oregano and parsley; mix until well combined and set aside.
    Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe - Sweet, savory, tender and OH SO juicy chicken thighs prepared with the most amazing honey garlic sauce and cooked in an Instant Pot. Dinner, from start to finish, will be ready in 30 minutes!
  • Heat the Instant Pot in sauté mode. Add sesame oil to the pot.
    Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper; arrange in the instant pot and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
    Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe - Sweet, savory, tender and OH SO juicy chicken thighs prepared with the most amazing honey garlic sauce and cooked in an Instant Pot. Dinner, from start to finish, will be ready in 30 minutes!
  • Add the prepared honey garlic sauce to the pot; cover and lock the lid. 
    Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe - Sweet, savory, tender and OH SO juicy chicken thighs prepared with the most amazing honey garlic sauce and cooked in an Instant Pot. Dinner, from start to finish, will be ready in 30 minutes!
  • Cook in poultry mode for 20 minutes.
    Turn off the pot and allow it to release the pressure, about 5 minutes.
  • Transfer chicken to a serving plate and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onions. Serve.

Video

Notes

*IF you are allergic to soy sauce or can't have soy for other reasons, feel free to use coconut aminos which is soy-free, gluten-free, and vegan.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 thigh | Calories: 244 kcal | Carbohydrates: 23 g | Protein: 21 g | Fat: 6 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 96 mg | Sodium: 880 mg | Potassium: 313 mg | Fiber: 0 g | Sugar: 17 g | Vitamin A: 135 IU | Vitamin C: 2.4 mg | Calcium: 27 mg | Iron: 1.6 mg

Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: how to cook chicken thighs, instant pot chicken recipes, instant pot chicken thighs recipe
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507 comments on “Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs Recipe”

  1. Both my sister and i loved it. I am not a leftover fan, but this made enough that i had it for lunch the next day.
    I doubled the sauce recipe because in the past in other recipes, there wasn’t enough sauce. Judging from how much sauce was left, not doubling it would have been fine.
    The toasted desame seeds added a mild nutty taste. The green onion added some crunch and flavor. I would use both again.

    1. I’m very glad you both enjoyed the meal, and your extra sauce and additions of sesame seeds and green onion were a hit! It’s great when a recipe turns out to be a keeper. Thank YOU! 🙂

    1. Thanks for the tip! Adding crushed star anise sounds like a flavorful twist. Will definitely try it!

  2. Very good recipe, that is easy and fast for a weekday dinner. I like to pull the chicken then add some corn starch to thicken the sauce, then serve over rice. I also like some red pepper flakes for a little heat. Family love it.

    1. Hi!
      I have several ideas for vegetarian substitutes, but I haven’t tested these alternatives specifically in this recipe. Some options you might consider are firm tofu, tempeh, cauliflower, or Portobello mushrooms. Just keep in mind that the cooking time and liquid ratios might need to be adjusted since these ingredients have different textures and cooking requirements compared to chicken.

  3. Your recipe stated to pour the sauce over the chicken once sauteed then cook, then when serving, it states to spoon the sauce over the chicken??
    Which is it?! Looks like an error in your recipe to me or have I missed something?

    1. Use the sauce remaining in the pot after cooking the chicken. This sauce, infused with the chicken’s flavors, is ideal for drizzling over your meal.

  4. This is my favorite instant-pot recipe. My husband loves spicy food, so I substitute sriracha for half the ketchup (1/4 cup sriracha, 1/4 cup regular ketchup). Also, I generally don’t have fresh parsley, so I use 1T dried parsley instead. Otherwise, just as described… Perfect over rice. Thanks for a great recipe.

  5. My favorite weeknight meal! Love the flavor and my whole family (toddler included) loves this recipe. My IP doesn’t have a poultry mode, so I use “meat” mode on 20 mins. Always comes out tender and flavorful!

    1. For boneless chicken thighs, pressure cook on High for 8 minutes and then let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes.

  6. Yummy but more like a barbecue taste than honey and garlic. We’ll certainly add it to our list of keepers but will probably tone down the soy and ketchup on the next batch.

  7. I’m just learning to use the instant pot. Directions say you have to use some liquid or burn. I don’t see that much liquid in this recipe yet everyone seems to say it works. i’m confused.

    1. If you’re worried about the liquid and getting the “burn” notice, add about 1/2-cup chicken broth or water to the rest of the ingredients.

  8. I should’ve written a review a long time ago.. I’ve been making this recipe for about 2 years now and have made it 15+ times, it is SO good! The only change I make is doubling or tripling the sauce. Also sometimes I take the chicken out & add broccoli to the sauce then put the chicken back in & serve as suggested. I also add NO extra salt. My toddlers, husband, and MIL (who hates garlic) LOVE it.

  9. I should have written this months ago. My family LOVES this recipe and begs me to make it often! I love salt but others in the house don’t so I use low sodium soy or ketchup and add no other salt until the end if needed. I also double or triple the sauce because the family will practically make this a soup with a side dish of rice! Love love love. Thank you for posting!!

  10. Story time: When I was a kid, my friend’s mom would make this *delicious* chicken dish. I never learned its name, but it was the most amazing thing. And for something like 30 years, I’ve been searching for that taste again, searching for whatever recipe that was.
    And I’ve found it. This tastes *exactly* like what I remember from my youth. This recipe doesn’t just taste awesome, it gave me *closure*.

  11. Avatar photo
    randymalkoski@gmail.com

    This recipe is excellent – I see that many people have also found such, and have been making it for a few years! Family loved it (kids especially.)

    Thank you so much for sharing!

    Wanted to see if anyone had advice about cook times/temps/techniques for drumsticks or wings? Or even pork or beef ribs?

    *Also wanted to share that I got the burn message – letting the pot cool down and scraping the browned chicken bits before starting again did the trick for me.

    And I also did the full 20 minutes for skinless boneless thighs, and they were fall apart tender and great!

  12. Excellent recipe I’ll be making this often. Sauce was perfect, not too salty
    I followed the recipe and didn’t change a thing. Thank you!

      1. This is one of my go to recipes for quick week night dinners. Lately I started dressing it up with greens and quick cooking veggies from my farm share. I wait until the chicken is done and vented, remove the chicken and throw in spinach (or other greens), snap peas, etc to sautee in the sauce for a couple minutes. I serve it with rice and have a whole meal from one pot.

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Yes, but boneless thighs cook faster so you’ll have to adjust the cooking time. I suggest to pressure cook at 8 minutes and then do a natural pressure release.

      1. Just made this recipe, we found it to be perfect! Not too salty either
        Thank you for the recipe, I’ll be making this often.

  13. Avatar photo
    Kristin Calabrese

    I used sugar free ketchup that I had on hand and then added a little bit of water to the sauce before cooking it using the Pressure Cook setting on my IP. The chicken was so tender and I made a cornstarch slurry to thicken up the sauce. It reminded my husband and I of chicken adobo (since it was less sweet with the low sugar ketchup). It was really good served over rice with steamed broccoli. Thank you!

  14. I have made this recipe many times for my fiancé and our friends and it comes out AMAZING. The only thing I worry about is if I’m making it too much 🙂

  15. Avatar photo
    Marlene Pisani

    Looks and sounds delicious,, but we don’t use honey, could a person substitute pure maple syrup?

  16. Avatar photo
    Tina Narushof

    It was ok I didn’t like the oregano in it but the chicken was tender I used skinless chicken breast and Added teaspooon of ginger and 1/4 cup brown sugar

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      The recipe states to “salt and pepper, to taste” – nowhere does it say how much salt to add; it suggests to add as much as you want… it also suggests to use low sodium soy sauce. 🤷‍♀️

    2. How can it be ‘appallingly overly salty’?!? Recipe specifically states low sodium soy sauce and no salt ketchup. Definitely user error, Fred

    3. 100% agree. I did use reduced sodium soy sauce, but the salt overwhelmed the honey and garlic flavors I was hoping for, but unfortunately you could still taste the Ketchup (should have been a red flag that ketchup was in the recipe).
      Other recipes of this nature use WAY less soy sauce, I will be trying “Easy Honey Garlic Chicken” next which calls for 1 T. of soy sauce (that’s how much I disliked this dish, I’m going far left on the soy sauce).
      Note: I LOVE salt, use way to much on everything, and this dish was barely edible.

      I hate to be harsh but food is expensive and it is awful to waste it.

      1. Katerina - Diethood
        Katerina Petrovska

        The directions state to use “salt, to taste” – no measurements are given. So, maybe it’s not the recipe… you may have added too much salt to the chicken.

        1. We have also tried this recipe many times and it comes out great each time. My family loves it. Since it has Soy Sauce already in it I used very little Salt to start with and that seems to work.

          1. Katerina - Diethood
            Katerina Petrovska

            That’s great! I am very glad everyone enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂

          2. I made this dish tonight and I used regular soy and regular ketsup as I didn’t take the time to get the low sodium/salt alternatives. It was a bit salty but I didn’t add any extra to the dish to offset the expected saltiness. It was a good dish. I would recommend using one or the other low salt items to cut down the salt content unless you are cutting out salt for health reasons. I would do this again. Thank you.

    4. if anyone else had this turn out too salty (i used regular soy sauce and ketchup), adding a 1/2cup of water and 3tbsp of sugar helped balance it out! i also added in a decent amount of cornstarch too, since the extra water made the sauce pretty thin.

  17. My husband and I absolutely love this recipe. It’s a go-to for us. We have found that 20 minutes for BONELESS, skinless thighs still works to make them fall-apart tender. May experiment in the future with reducing the time now that I am reading the recipe over again! We also have experimented with reducing the sauce ingredients slightly since there’s just so much sauce; but we have learned we shouldn’t mess with perfection – the sauce is the tastiest when made as written! Finally, taking the time to thaw your chicken (if frozen) and browning is absolutely worth it. Just isn’t as lip-smacking without the browning. YUM!

  18. Avatar photo
    Cynthia Woodman

    since when is 17 grams of sugar 19% of the daily recommended intake?
    The AHA recommends a maximum of 24 grams of sugar for most women

    1. For a much longer time! I suppose you might need to add a bit of extra liquid at first and perhaps reduce it in a saucepan at the end. Otherwise I would think 3-4 hours on high or 4-6 on low.

  19. This was awesome!! I will be making this again!! Everyone loved it!! I didn’t have fresh parsley so I used Italian seasoning.

  20. Avatar photo
    Sheri Carlson

    Hi Katerina! I’m new to using an Instant Pot, and I don’t see a Poultry setting on mine. I didn’t find one mentioned in the owner’s manual either. The closest setting I have is Meat/Stew. Somehow I muddled around and managed to cook your recipe, and it turned out well, but I’m guessing there’s an easier way. What setting do I use if I don’t have a poultry setting?

    1. While satisfactory, thie sauce lacked some nuance and was more like a Denny’s version of a crock pot Asian chicken. Wanted to follow the recipe, but seriously, some ginger, lose the oregano, and more garlic….just a thought. The pressure cooker did the meat justice though. I appreciate the recipe… I will take some liberty with it and serve this again.
      Thank you.

  21. This was a hit! The Husband said “that chicken is really good” and ate 3 thighs. I had a family pack of bone in thighs, so 8….just browned in batches and cooked in two layers. I put 3on the bottom of the pan, spooned some sauce over them, then layered the other 5 on top with the rest of the sauce. Didn’t need to double the sauce recipe.

    I’d like the chicken to be a little more coated with the sauce…more of a “sticky” style sauce. Not sure how to do that in an IP.

    Very tasty though, and I’ll make again!

        1. You seem to be selective in whom you respond to. I’d love to see your comments to the other folks. I made your recipe but for a large family so I had to double the recipe and do in batches. I also do not have a poultry setting on my IP so I’m waiting for your reply to the others as well. Thanks

          1. Katerina - Diethood
            Katerina Petrovska

            Hi Stephanie, Thank you for your comment. As far as the IP setting, poultry is the same as “manual.” I hope this helps.
            The thread has over 400 comments, it’s impossible to respond to everyone. 🙂

        2. Avatar photo
          KATHIE FISHER

          I haven’t eaten it yet because it’s still in the pot and it says “burn” on the screen. It had only been in 10 minutes or less. I don’t have a poultry setting so what should I use instead. I tried slow cook and pressure cook. Both the same message

          1. It’s just me again. I just wanted to say that I finally finished cooking it on the meat setting and it turned out very good and nothing was burnt so I don’t know what that was about.

          2. Katerina - Diethood
            Katerina Petrovska

            Hi!
            So glad it worked out! I just saw your comment about the “burn” notice… I have found that the IP “thinks” it doesn’t have enough liquid and that’s when the burn notice comes on. 🤷‍♀️ 😀

          3. Not enough liquid can trigger the burn notice, but also, if you leave the browned bits on the bottom of the pot from the searing step, that can also account for the burn notice. I remove the chicken after searing, add the sauce, scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, then add back in the chicken. Usually that solves the burn notice for me. Once in awhile, if I’ve had the SAUTE setting on for a long time, I have to let the pot cool down a little before pressure cooking. My pot is a little temperamental!

          4. I have to imagine that a lot of people will be getting the BURN message because of the use of sesame oil early in the recipe. Sesame oil has a very low smoke point and would burn very quickly in an instapot, especially if added at the beginning during searing.

    1. Take the chicken out, turn your instant pot onto sauté, add a cornstarch slurry and cook the sauce until thick.

    2. A quick trick to glazing would be to pull the chicken to a plate after releasing and then switch to saute to thicken the sauce before returning the chicken for enough flips to achieve the desired effect.

      I’m not rating the recipe yet as it’s on today’s lunch list. we’re going to serve with big purple asparagus cooked al dente all over a bed of rice.

    3. I add a mixture of 2 tbsp water and 2tbsp cornstarch at the end to thicken the sauce. I think that’s what you meant. This is one of my favorite recipes. Super quick and easy and delicious.

  22. I make this all the time and everyone loves it!!! I need to make it for a very large crowd though… anyone tried making this in the oven?

  23. Avatar photo
    Allyson Quinn

    Absolutely delicious! My kids say this is one of their favorites! I don’t even have to crisp it up! Don’t change anything!

    1. Very good but unfortunately I didn’t have the no salt ketchup or the low sodium soy sauce. I didn’t salt the chicken and I added less ketchup still a little salty so I’m thinking tomato sauce instead of ketchup if you don’t have those ingredients. Also I cooked my rice and added to the pot and kept on warm so there was no need to thicken the sauce.

  24. This is a delicious and easy recipe! I am new to the instant pot and recipes like this make me realize how handy it is.

    I thought I had oregano and parsley but I didn’t so I just swapped it for a general Italian seasoning I had and it was fine!

    I also added cornstarch to thicken the sauce at the end, putting it on saute for a few minutes. Be careful not to add too much!

    I made it with boneless chicken thighs and cooked it on poultry mode for 14 minutes.

  25. This is the first time I ever wrote a review for a recipe. This was awesome, this is one of the few recipes that I will cook again 🙂

      1. Avatar photo
        Michael Hussey

        Hi Katrina, great recipe. Just made it. One note though. In the “story” part of the recipe it says to cook 10 minutes, however, in the recipe portion it says to cook for 20. Just wanted to let you know. Thanks for the yummy recipe.

        1. This was delicious, I’m so happy I found this recipe. Like others, the sauce came out thin, so I also added corn starch to thicken it. I don’t think my husband and I said more than 10 words to each other during our meal.

      2. I love this recipe. So I’ve only ever used the Crock-Pot recipe so I didn’t brown the thighs before cooking. It came out awesome anyway! Can’t thank you enough for sharing your recipes.

    1. Can this be made in a 8 quart instant pot? I am wondering if there is enough liquid to make it in the bigger pot. Thanks!

      1. We make it all the time in an 8 quart pot. Plenty of liquid. Sometimes when everybody is home we multiple everything in the recipe by 1.5.

  26. This was so good! I don’t normally use thighs but had some from my sister who was moving and didn’t want to take them. Only change I made was to add some chili garlic sauce for a little heat. When it was done cooking, I took the chicken out, put some cornstarch in the sauce and used the saute function for a couple of minutes to help it thicken up. Served it over rice with broccoli. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

      1. Wow ! This dish is always so delicious and pretty fun to make. Tonight I had to substitute chicken breast and was so sad with how overcooked they were in the instant pot. Hopefully the chicken breast I had was freezer burned because I like mixing up chicken thighs and breast occasionally! If anyone else has attempted this with chicken breast and succeeded I’d love to hear the method :D.

        1. Hi Noelle!! I just made this recipe using chicken breast and it was amazing! I set the instant pot in the pressure cook mode for 10 min..! 😊

          1. I’m confused by the directions and comments. Do the thighs cook for 10 or 20 minutes?

          2. Katerina - Diethood
            Katerina Petrovska

            I think the confusion in the comments is with bone-in thighs and boneless thighs. A lot of people think it’s the same cook time, but meat on bone takes longer to cook. So if you are using bone-in thighs, you want to pressure cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the pot and allow it to release the pressure which will take another 5 minutes.

        2. Avatar photo
          Lynda Ricigliano

          Only cook your chicken breasts between 6-10 minutes ( I did 6 but I cut them in half) natural release for 10 minutes… my chicken is so soft you can cut with a fork easily ..

    1. Avatar photo
      david j rosenblum

      It came out so liquidy. Doesn’t look like yours. What did I do wrong.followed direction exactly

      1. Mine was also liquidy, but I added about a tablespoon of cornstarch and switched the setting on the instantpot to saute. I let it boil, stirring constantly until it thickened.

  27. ——— DELICIOUS!! ———

    Substituted ketchup for BBQ sauce
    (sweet baby rays, honey barbecue)
    & parsley for CILANTRO.

    I added Jalapeño juice (2 Tbsp)
    and the following dried spices:
    • Oregano ~ 1 Tablespoon
    • Ginger ~ 1 Tbsp.
    • Basil ~ 1 teaspoon
    • Cumin ~ 1/2 tsp.
    • Paprika ~ 1/2 tsp.
    • Cayenne ~ 1/2 tsp.
    • Black Pepper (freshly ground)

          1. OMG!! This recipe is Amazing!! The only draw back is that only 4 thighs fit 😂!! This will be on our table monthly, Thank you

    1. Avatar photo
      sandrasiqueiros@yahoo.com

      Amazing recipe! I made it exactly as directed the first time, but then I made it a second time with 2 T of cornstarch. It made the sauce a little bit thicker. Absolutely perfect!

      1. Avatar photo
        robinlakemiller@gmail.com

        Made this for my roommate who is a self-proclaimed food critic. When he said (with his mouth half full), “It’s delicious!” I nearly fainted! Thank you!! Have forwarded to my sisters and HIS sister as well❤️

    2. Hi,

      I would like to make this tonight for dinner. However, my chicken thighs are boneless. Should I adjust the cooking time? Thanks!

      1. Katerina - Diethood
        Katerina Petrovska

        Hi!
        Yes, definitely adjust the cooking time. Normally, for boneless thighs, you want to pressure cook on high for 8 minutes.

        1. Hi Katerina, in looking for the cooking time for boneless thighs, here you say 8 minutes total but in a later comment, you say 2 minutes less than the original 20 minutes? Can you please clarify this?

          1. Katerina - Diethood
            Katerina Petrovska

            Chicken thighs are quite forgiving, so if you add a couple more minutes to the cooking time, it will not dry them out. To make things easier, most Instant Pot recipes will instruct to cook bone-in AND boneless thighs at around the same cooking time. If worried about overcooking boneless thighs, then I suggest to cook couple minutes less.

    3. Oh my! I’m just reading your additions! Oh yummy! Next time I’m following your suggestions !
      Thank you

    4. Hi! I want to make this tonight, however my pressure cooker does not have a poultry button. How would I go about that??

  28. Loved this recipe. After trying it takes like a great Chinese Restaurant takeout dish.

    What do you think about cutting the chicken in bite seized pieces and adding cashews or peanuts at the en?

    Do you think cutting the chicken in pieces will effect anything time wise?

  29. Wow, this is a spectacular recipe and very simple! I did add some spices to the sauce, like garlic salt, onion granules, and Italian seasoning. I also didn’t realize I had taken out 8 thighs instead of 4. Mine were skin on although I don’t eat the skin…cook with them on just for flavor. After sauteing, I placed the metal rack that comes with the Instant Pot upside down to lift them up a bit and turned them sideways so they all fit nicely in the bottom. Drizzled them with sauce and they came out so tender! Everyone loved it. Next time I will skim the grease off and thicken the sauce although it was delicious as is. A great recipe and a definite keeper…quick, simple and delicious!

  30. Hello:
    Thank you for this recipe.
    I have a Duo but no “poultry mode”. Is it the same as Pressure Cook?

    Thanks

  31. I’ve made this several times now. I follow the recipe exactly. It’s sooooooooo good. I really don’t enjoy cooking and this is simple and delicious. Family loves it also. Thank you for sharing.

  32. Wow! My very first instant pot recipe. Took it out of the box and made this with little effort. I could never make chicken this tender on my own and I cook quite a bit! I added a few dashes of Lea & Perrins Worsteshire sauce and some red pepper flakes to the sauce. The chicken almost fell apart. Great recipe!

      1. i’m a 20 year old girl who can not cook to save her life (i’m getting better but we’ve all been here ok, don’t judge me haha) anyways i just made this and it was a) the easiest thing i’ve ever done, and b) the tastiest dish i’ve made yet. definitely going to be making this again and again!

      2. I followed the recipe as written and found that the sauce tasted more like ketchup and oregano than honey and garlic. It was disappointing. If I try this again, I think I would opt for less ketchup and no oregano.

  33. Great recipe! I needed something relatively quick to prepare for my frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs (forgot to thaw night before) and this was perfect. I used Bragg’s liquid aminos which is quite salty so I know from past mistakes to reduce the amount, therefore I used 1/3 cup as my soy sauce replacement. I agree with some other reviewers that the sauce could use some dimension, so next time I’ll add a pinch of red pepper flakes as well as some ground ginger or fresh if I have it. I also added some cornstarch slurry at the end w/ saute setting on for 1.5 minutes to slightly thicken sauce. Thanks for the tasty, easy recipe!

    1. More recent Instant Pots have discontinued the chicken setting. Please advise recommended temperature and time.

      1. John1943

        Bone in thighs – 2 lbs (about 4) 12 minutes
        If Frozen 20 minutes
        5 minute natural release

  34. I made this tonight and loved it. It will go in my regular rotation. I usually create my own recipes but decided to try your and am glad I did.

  35. Avatar photo
    Analia Squire

    Thank you so much for this easy, delicious recipe. I was so stuck on what to cook and I really wanted to use my IP. So I searched for chicken thighs and IP and your recipe popped up. The only thing I didn’t have was sesame seed oil, so I substituted with canola oil. Also, I left out the sesame seeds because I didn’t have any. My children loved it too and they are so picky. I served this dish with white rice. I sent your recipe link to all my family and posted it on my FB page. Now I have a go to recipe when I don’t know what to cook. Awesome!!

  36. Wow — I am a 22 year old college student who has never posted a review before, but this was best thing I’ve cooked in my instant pot. Used bl / sl thighs for 20 minutes, and they were fall-apart tender. Thought it was restaurant quality. Could have used a slightly less salt, but then again was probably due to my soy sauce and ketchup. Great recipe, will definitely be revisiting the site

  37. I just got a pressure cooker yesterday, and this was the first recipe made in it. The whole family enjoyed it!

      1. Avatar photo
        Melissa Snider

        Once i sauté can I remove to sauté more, we have a large family and add all back in layered with sauce to cook?

  38. Recipe states skinless chicken thighs, but the video shows skin- on chicken. When sautéing, my skinless chicken stuck to pan….even when using more oil than stated in recipe. My sauce came out reddish due to amount of ketchup, nothing like the deep brown in the photos. I reduced it with some cornstarch, but it doesn’t taste of honey or garlic. It is more like sweet ketchup. I would not remake or recommend.

    1. Stephanie,

      If the sauce came out “reddish” you just may have used too much ketchup in the mix?
      Double check the ingredient amounts and I’m sure you will have better luck.

      This recipe could not be any easier or simpler.

      Mine came out perfectly. I served it with a caesar salad, long grain white rice and steamed asparagus tips.
      Hope that helps,
      Sherman

    2. I had the exact same experience with skinless chicken… it stuck to the pan – but i will try this again with skin on chicken to try and achieve the brown caramelization. I added red pepper flakes and ginger and the sauce was good.

    3. I had EXACTLY the same results as Stephanie (boneless thighs stuck, red sweet sauce that had no garlic or honey taste… nothing like the sticky dark black of the photos). This was a major disappointment :(. It was tasty enough, but nothing like what I was expecting based on the photos and the reviews.

  39. I have made this twice now . This was very good I did also add a few dashes of hot sauce red pepper flakes and teriyaki sauce as others recommended. Thanks for a great recipe!

    1. You know those reviews that change up the ingredients? I’m here to tell you I didn’t change a thing, and this recipe is phenomenal! Definitely a keeper. Thank you Katerina!!

  40. I love this recipe! I’ve made it in the past and it was fabulous. But with meat selection limited right now, I only have chicken legs in the freezer. Will this work? And if so, do you have recommendations on the cook time?

  41. This was delicious! Also did not have sesame oil so used olive oil but added a Tbsp of tahini to the sauce since I wanted that sesame taste. Per others suggestions, I halved the ketchup and added a tbsp of sriracha as well as tsp of thai chili paste for a little zing. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs so reduced the cooking on the poultry setting to 15 minutes. I also found I needed to saute the chicken about 5 min per side. The sauce was a bit thin so I added a tbsp of cornstarch and simmered it in the instant pot to reduce it after removing the chicken. Defintely will make this again

  42. I did, and frankly I think that’s the easier way to go. I thickened the sauce with the chicken still in ithe pot, too. Five stars!

  43. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipe! My family has a few Celiac bellies, and I subbed in Bragg’s Amino Acids for the soy sauce. It went over as a huge success!

  44. Plentttty of liquid to make this in an insantpot, do not worry. When heated, this is more than enough liquid to come to pressure (I have an 8 qt instant tot, for reference). Clear the pan after browning if youre worried about a burn notice – I used a rubber spatula lightly and had no issue.
    I made this recipe with 6 small boneless, skinless thighs. I ran out of soy sauce so substituted a combo of teriyaki sauce & worsterchire to make up for the remainder. I also used about a 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and about 5-6 dashes of Tabasco because I enjoy a little spice wit sweet. Thighs turned out perfectly tender and sauce was amazing – if a little thin. Next time I will do as others have done and remove the chicken and add a little cornstarch to thicken sauce at the end. Also replacing a little ketchup with sriracha sounds like a great hack too. As noted, this was “restaurant quality” and I enjoyed it immensely. Will make again & again; thank you for posting and sharing it.

  45. Tried this tonight, followed recipe , used bones skin on thighs, came out perfect!! Cooked it for 20 min., as other recipes I have followed ( and believe in InstaPot instructions), always mentioned if using less meat, you still cook for same amount of time. Sauted thighs skin side down first for 3-4 minutes then turned when they easily were able to turn & weren’t sticking to pot, Cooked another 3-4 minute on saute, then added the sauce. Came out perfectly browned, from the sauting and the sauce, and tender as well. Served over noodles, next time will serve w/ fried rice as a side.

  46. This was delicious.Made it with frozen bone-in thighs and put it up to 25 minutes. I also added a pot of rice on the top. I admit I did not 100% measure everything and it still was delicious. Everyone in my family eat it with no complaint. I will make this again. Only change is to add a thickener add the end to make it more like sauce.

  47. First things first – very tasty . A bit on the salty side, but almost restaurant quality. I will definitively make it again.

    But….. Please correct the prep time and total time. There’s no way you can finish cooking this dish in 25 minutes. I cook for my family every day and it took at least 45 minutes to prep the sauce, preheat, sauté the chicken, pressurize, cook, release the pressure and thicken the sauce. If you would use all pre-cut ingredients and skip the sauté (which I might do next time and instead crisp the chicken under the broiler after cooking) you might shave off 5 minutes.
    A lovely meal with basmati rice, steamed broccoli and bok choi.

  48. This is a GREAT recipe! Very flavorful and super easy. This was the first dish I cooked with my Instantpot. Definitely going to make this again.

  49. Avatar photo
    Ryan J Nunley

    More honey, less soy sauce. The chicken was great but the sauce tasted burnt because of too much soy sauce IMO. Drizzled honey over my chicken, “rice” and sauce combo and it tasted better. I’ll make it again but with a couple modifications.

  50. Avatar photo
    Ronald Epstein

    BURN NOTICE

    How can you even do this with so little liquid?

    I kept asking myself that and even doubled the liquid recipe and still got a BURN notice.

    Most any recipe in the IP calls for more liquid. In this case, chicken broth.

    I don’t know how people were successfully able to cook this.

    1. I’ve been thinking the same thing. I have mine in the pot now so we’ll see! I did deglaze the Pan after searing the chicken..a lot of times my burn notice comes up after sautéing and not deglazing the Pan after. I deglazed it with a tiny bit of chicken broth.

    2. I made this previously with an older model of the Instant Pot which I *think* does not have burn detection. Couldn’t get it to work in the newer model with the circular dial.

      1. hi my husband bought me a Bella 8 quart 10 in 1 pressure cooker/slow cooker with a non stick pot inside, at first I was upset because it wasn’t an instant pot, of course I did not tell him that but what I realized is , there has not been any issues with it, everything I’ve cooked in it came out soooo good and never got a burn notice because there isn’t 1 .the reason I’m telling you this is because the Bella 8 quart works soon good I wouldn’t trade it for the world, nothing g sticks to it , I don’t even have to ad water, even for this re ipe it comes out yummy

    3. I did not get the burn notice on my IP. I made sure that everything was scrubbed off from the bottom of the IP after I finished sautéing and also made sure that the honey was very well mixed into the other ingredients.

    4. By doubling the sauce recipe you might have made the sauce too thick. The chicken would lose juices that would mix with the sauce to thin it out…If you are worried next time try adding half a cup of broth 🙂

  51. I made this recipe as published with the exception of substituting regular soy sauce. Not a fan of the overall flavor of this dish, I think there is too much ketchup.

    The sauce was very thin, so I used a 1 tablespoon corn starch / 1/4 cup water mixture at the end and sauteed for 3 minutes, which produced a beautifully thick sauce.

  52. Delicious! Everyone loved it! This one is a keeper and definitely a repeat in my household. Easy peasy lemon squeezy to make. 😉

    1. Great recipe! I made a few adjustments the second time I made it- used BBQ sauce in place of ketchup and added a nice hit of sriracha!

  53. I wish the times listed for prep/cook included the time it takes for the temp to get high enough to begin the countdown…It says 20 minutes plus 5 minutes for steam release…it actually takes much longer….

    1. A trick I learned to get to pressure more quickly, is to set it to sauté as I’m prepping. I don’t seal the lid, but put it on to help keep the heat in. It comes to pressure much more quickly then, when I put everything in.

      I also add a cup or two of chicken broth to this (and some other alternations), and just remove the chicken and add a corn starch slurry after the chicken is done. Then heat on sauté until it’s boiling and thickens.

      1. That trick might work occasionally but sometimes doing that will throw off (shorten) the cook time of the food in the pot especially if the food item has a short cook time to begin with so you might want to add a bit more to the cooking time which defeats using the Saute to begin with. But using the Saute to gets things started definitely gives a boost if you’re making something that takes more than 20 minutes to cook.

    2. why does everyone have to complain, ?I mean its fast enough is t it ?no matter what someone has to bitch about this beautiful , yummy tasting perfect recipe, if you read re ipe and don’t like it or its wrong for u, just move on

      1. Patty, I think the reason people leave critical comments is to share with other people before they make a dish. Not everyone has the ability to look at a recipe and know if it works. For instance, most of the time I can “taste” flavors without having to combine them. Other things like sauteing in sesame oil, I know that it’s not a sauteing oil, and, it’s best left for flavoring. So I’m not rating the recipe as I changed it completely before making it, but I just wanted to let you know why people make comments that aren’t 100% positive. Ingredients are expensive and not everyone can afford to throw out a dish if it doesn’t work, or get dinner on the table in time if the prep time is off.

  54. Avatar photo
    Donald B. Fugitt

    20 minutes for thighs but only 10 for breasts? Something is not right here. Can you fix it? Please.

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi! Did you try the recipe with both breasts and thighs? Because, breasts need less time than bone-in thighs.

      1. I think the longer time is for bone in thighs, versus boneless thighs. But i could be mistaken. Boneless thighs are so little, I can’t imagine them taking twice as long as chicken breast.

  55. Hi!
    I used chicken breasts! Had two large ones I cut into 2 pieces each for a total of 4. I kept the 20 minute time and they turned out PERFECTLY! I substituted Worcestershire Sauce for Soy and Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Chipotle BBQ sauce for ketchup. OMG it was super yummy! First night I made it with sea salt crusted baked potatoes and then had it for lunch today with some Instant Pot brown rice. My fav with the rice! YUM YUM YUM!

  56. Avatar photo
    my instant pot

    Hey! I tried this tonight – my first Instapot recipe! I actually have the “QuickPot” which is basically the same thing. I had 8 BL/SL chicken thighs that I tried to sauté in oil (in the pot) and then put it on 20 minutes poultry mode. I opened the lid afterwards, and the chicken appears barely cooked and the sauce is thin and watery 😬! I’m sure I’ve done something wrong, being my first attempt, but I’m not sure what? I put it back on for another 10 mins now. Any tips are appreciated!!

    1. I had the same problem…the recipe didn’t tell us to set to “sealing”, so we didn’t. This was my first instant pot meal and it took me some careful reading to discover this mistake in the recipe

      1. I think that setting to sealing would be a big duh for anyone that uses an instant pot. SMH

        Basic instant pot directions that come with the unit tell you to always set to seal when pressure cooking.

        1. Daisy, Is your condescending tone really necessary? Instant pot isn’t only used for pressure cooking, and a well-written recipe wouldn’t skip steps. The recipe is great, but could have been more clear for those new to instant pot. Be kind to the newbies, don’t discourage them!

  57. maybe you really didn’t cook it long enough to get tender so it turned out tough. I cooked thighs 18min without any browning and they came out tender, delicious and brown from the sauce. My picky family loved it, took seconds and my daughter told me next time to make a LOT more. I also think I would like to add the rice directly into it. Anyone know how to alter it for cooking the rice with it?

  58. Great recipe! This was so easy to make and my husband and I loved it! We will definitely make this again!

  59. Awesome dish. Our whole family loves it, even our young kiddos. They couldn’t get enough.

    Like others have mentioned, the sauce is thin and watered down, which is the nature of pressure cooking. Rather than simply adding a startch to thin it, I removed the chicken, strained the sauce, reduced for about 5 mins on a shallow skillet on high to make the flavor of the delicious sauce even better, then added back all the yumminess that was filtered out with the strainer. Then we had a nice thick sauce to add to the chicken and to glaze the rice. Our kids always ask for seconds and often thirds of this dish. Enjoy!

  60. My family liked it but I think it could use a little more “zing”. May try adding ginger and/or hot pepper flakes next time. Also, the sauce, like most from the Instant Pot, was a little thin. Adding a tablespoon of cornstarch suspended in a little cold water and cooking on saute until it boiled for 1 minute took care of that problem nicely.

  61. Even though I didn’t have the poultry setting, I was able to use the manual setting and it turned out amazing! I still have leftover sauce to make another batch!

  62. I cooked the thighs with this skin on and I absolutely loved it! The skin has all the flavor but it may be unappetizing to some. One of the best instant pot recipes I’ve ever made and it was just as delicious the next day in microwave.

  63. This may very well be my first recipe review. It smelled just, “eh”, once I mixed up the sauce, but I like all of the ingredients so I was anxious to smell and taste the end result. Can I just say this was absolutely, addictively delicious?!?!! OMG SOOOO good. Thank you for sharing!!!

  64. Delicious! I used boneless, skinless thighs. I skipped the browning. I don’t have a Poultry button, so I did 15 minutes at Pressure High and natural venting for five minutes. I substituted sriracha for half the ketchup. As others have noted, the sauce is a little thin, but this didn’t bother me at all. It’s still a delicious sauce! The chicken was tender and delicious. I’ll definitely be making this one again.

    1. I added sriracha along with the ketchup. This is the second time I am making this recipe in 5 days. My son adored it and ate it gone. I added a little knob of fresh ginger and pounded it with the garlic. Otherwise, no changes until the very end. I put my chicken on a plate and used saute to reduce the sauce to a nice consistency. I shredded the chicken to stretch it beyond the 6 thighs. Oh, so good!

      1. I also used boneless skinless thighs and added a bit of sriracha along with the ketchup as well. My family LOVED it!

  65. I have made this twice this week and it is absolutely fabulous. but when it finished I switched to saute again, added cornstarch in water, and thickened it. Perfect!

  66. Avatar photo
    Judi Tatsuyama

    I’ve got this in my IP right now. Have 10 huge partially frozen thighs so I tripled sauce recipe and skipped the browning. I love honey-garlic anything so we can always use any extra sauce. Plan to add sesame oil to the sauce afterward when I thicken with slurry. Can’t wait! 😁

  67. I just made this in my new Instant pot. I think I have the same one you show, the Duo plus 60 but I don’t have a “poultry” button. I used the pressure cooker button for 10 min because I had breasts not thighs. The sauce was really watery and the chicken a little over done. Overall flavor was great, but I’d love to know how to make this with a thicker sauce and the chicken moist.

    1. I’ve made this recipe in the oven before, and I like to use my Dutch oven. This way, I can take the chicken out when it’s finished, then make a sauce/gravy from the Honey Garlic sauce. Just add a couple of tablespoons of flour or Wonder flour , whichever you have on hand, to about 2/3c of cool water and mix it to dissolve it. While doing that, bring your sauce to a boil. Add the cool mixture to the boiling sauce until it starts to thicken, and allow to simmer for a few minutes to let the flour cook off.
      Hope that this helps!

        1. Made this using 6 boneless chicken thighs.
          My insta pot does not have a poultry setting, I used the meat setting and cooked for 15 minutes instead of 20 minutes. Everything else I followed to the letter.
          At the end of cooking, the sauce is thin, I made a slurry with cornstarch and it thickened the sauce nicely.
          This was a big hit with my hubby.
          This recipe is a keeper!

      1. I just tried this recipe and it is a keeper. I’ve been trying different things in my instant pot and this is easy and even my husband enjoyed it.
        I will be trying the beef broccoli next and am looking forward to it. Thank you for taking the hard work out of cooking!

  68. Avatar photo
    Bethany Pelletier

    Hey! I tried this tonight – my first Instapot recipe! I actually have the “QuickPot” which is basically the same thing. I had 8 BL/SL chicken thighs that I tried to sauté in oil (in the pot) and then put it on 20 minutes poultry mode. I opened the lid afterwards, and the chicken appears barely cooked and the sauce is thin and watery 😬! I’m sure I’ve done something wrong, being my first attempt, but I’m not sure what? I put it back on for another 10 mins now. Any tips are appreciated!!

    1. Just made this as my first Instant Pot meal and it was quick, easy and super delicious! Will definitely make it often 😊

    2. I know what you did bc I almost did it myself. After you sauté/brown the chicken on both sides, hit poultry and lock lid in. Make sure the pressure cooker steam is turned off before you cook. It will say heat for a while while it’s pressurizing. Don’t count that as your 20 mins. Let it keep cooking. You’ll see your instapot will start counting down from 15/20 mins and that’s when it’s cooking. While it says heat it is pressurizing but not cooking. So that time isn’t included in the 20.

      Recipe was delicious-a little too sweet but still very good.

    3. Did you thicken your sauce with cornstarch after the chicken was cooked. Sounds like you should have sautéed you chicken a little more

      1. loved this recipe, super easy and delicious! I used a large pack of bones less, skinless chicken thighs, lightly browned them, poured in the sauce and cooked on high pressure for 20 mins, removed chicken and thickened the sauce on high sauté with some cornstarch. Will definitely make this again

  69. Hi!
    I used chicken breasts! Had two large ones I cut into 2 pieces each for a total of 4. I kept the 20 minute time and they turned out PERFECTLY! I substituted Worcestershire Sauce for Soy and Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Chipotle BBQ sauce for ketchup. OMG it was super yummy! First night I made it with sea salt crusted baked potatoes and then had it for lunch today with some Instant Pot brown rice. My fav with the rice! YUM YUM YUM!

  70. Not sure about this recipe. I don’t have a poultry setting. However, while waiting for instant pot to come to pressure I keep getting a burn notice. Last time this happened I was told I did not have enough thin liquid at the bottom of the pot. I am guessing this is also the case.

    1. I had the same experience. While it was heating up I got a “burn” alert. The manual said not enough liquid. When we opened it to check it was quite liquidy. We closed it and cooked it on high pressure for 15 minutes. It was my first time using an instant pot. The sauce tasted burned and was darker than I the photos here. We don’t have a poultry setting.

  71. Avatar photo
    Jennifer Kraber

    I’m meal prepping this and will freeze the chicken after browning it. How should I adjust the cooking time since I plan to cook it from a frozen state?

    1. From my reading about frozen chicken, if it’s not frozen in a giant block, you don’t need to change the cooking time. The pot will just take longer to come to pressure. I wonder if it could be frozen more individually. Chicken in individual pieces and then the sauce in its own bag that you place in warm water to begin defrosting before cooking? Maybe that is helpful?

      1. Avatar photo
        Abby Haubrich

        If you are meal prepping, try buying containers that fit in your instant pot, and then either freeze the food in those with lids, or put in freezer ziplock bag inside that container so they mold into the shape and fit into instant pot. Then when you are ready to cook, you just open the container and dump the frozen food into instant pot on SAUTE setting for about 5 minutes. This creates liquid for the cooking time, then you just cook according to recipe (Susanne is right, it will just take longer to pressurize if it is frozen).

    2. When I start from frozen, I usually add 5 minutes to my cook time and everything turns out great. I start from frozen a good bit during the week.

  72. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Made this today and my boys loved it. I made a few changes:
    – used 12 bone in, skin on thighs, and doubled the sauce.
    – browned the skin side only with peanut oil in a cast iron pan to get a nice char, but I didn’t season it, because I used regular soy sauce and ketchup (instead of low-sodium) in the sauce.
    – wasn’t sure what kind of parsley, but I used flat leaf parsley and only half the amt it called for.
    – Used about 1/4 of the amt of oregano.
    – Mixed the sesame oil into the sauce before cooking.

    It came out beautiful. My husband also put it in a toasted baguette with cilantro and mayo (like a Vietnamese ban mi) and loved it. We will probably just omit the oregano and parsley next time.

  73. Avatar photo
    Sarah K Bennett

    So good! I added some fresh ginger and toasted sesame oil to the sauce. It was awesome! Used chicken breast and 10 mins was perfect. Served with basmati rice and sauteed garlic green beans. Will definitely be having this again.

  74. I just made that for dinner and my family loved it ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😍😍😍😍😍 my family meaning my husband and my two year old❤️😍

  75. Delicious!!! I was a bit skeptical about the meat coming off the bone, but it sure did! I had room for 5 thighs in my 6qt pot. My Instant Pot had a ‘burn’ alert after a couple of minutes, but it stopped. Just to be sure, I cancelled, did a quick steam release and checked the contents, which was totally fine. Added a bit of hot water but I’m positive it wasn’t necessary.
    Thanks for the great recipe, it’s a keeper!

  76. delicious! a hit!
    my son doesnt like chicken but he loved this.
    i used coconut anmios and 6 chicken thighs with bone. It was quick and definitely going on the regular menu rotation.

    1. I made it with 4 boneless chicken thighs and cooked 20 minutes. I also left out the soy sauce in error and added a fourth cup of water. Sometimes I get an error message where I have to add water. It came out perfect and I also thickened the sauce with a little cornstarch. Served over steamed rice and my company loved it.

  77. Terrific! I followed another comment and put the sauce on the stove and thickened with a slurry. Added siracha too. I will repurpose the extra sauce because it was super good!

    1. Made this for dinner tonight. Loved it. I left out the oregano(flavor profile did not appeal to me) and added about a teaspoon of dry ginger instead. Put the chicken on the bottom of pot with sauce after Browning chicken. Added a small bowl on trivet with broken spaghetti with broth/water to cover. Cooked for 9 minutes. Allowed to slow release for 6 minutes. Removed bowl and chicken and thickened sauce with corn starch. Drained water from spaghetti and mixed with sauce.came out perfect.

  78. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs. I didn’t brown them first. In my experience, chicken thighs absorb the flavors and color of the sauce and the soy makes them brown. I used 12 thighs and doubled the sauce. I did get a burn message, emptied the pot, cleaned it, and put everything back in. After that it was fine. I think I got the burn message because there wasn’t enough liquid at the very bottom of the pot. Next time I would use the trivet to elevate the chicken a bit to keep it off of the bottom,. I also thought the sauce had a very heavy soy sauce flavor. I would cut back on that a bit and maybe add some more honey and definitely some red pepper or chili flakes. This was a great, recipe.

  79. This was delicious ! Didn’t have sesame seed oil or parsley ,used olive oil – and drained the off the grease from browning the chicken , since I didn’t have sesame oil I added 1/2 tsp tahini to the sauce , deglazed the ip with some of the sauce before I put the chicken back in and cooked for 20 mins , thickened the sauce with tapioca starch . Came out fall off the bone tender and juicy. Will cook again!

  80. Avatar photo
    Sandra L. Barton

    I love this recipe. I added red peppers. The pepper flakes at a nice touch. I would definitely use this recipe over and over again.

  81. Made this—-so good! Used chicken breast tenders cut in bite sized pieces and 4 min High Pressure and 3 min quick release. Chicken was so tender! The sauce was amazing!!

  82. Would I be able to throw in some broccoli and potatoes with the chicken or would they turn to mush during cooking?

  83. I have all boys so 4 chicken thighs won’t cut it. I used 15 boneless thighs browned in skillet first then doubled the sauce. Layeted and poured sauce in turning each layer to make sure it was coated. We like it spicy so I added 1/4 cup red pepper flakes to sauce. Cooked on poultry setting for 15 minutes with quick release and it turned out perfect. I made spaghetti noodles on stove. Took out chicken and added 2 tbsp corn starch to 1/4 cup cold water then thickened the sauce. Mixed it all together. No leftovers they ate every bite. Spicy deliciousness. Will make once a week now. I would think if you don’t have poultry setting you could just use hp for 15 minutes with quick release.

  84. Avatar photo
    “Soo” aka Sue

    *Delicious!* Top recipe O have made in my few days InstantPot endeavoring. Sautéed in monounsaturated oil w/higher smoke point than sesame, then added it. Used Ultra on Meat setting. Did not have enough honey, used >1/2 total as maple syrup , and did not have parsley, but able to garnish w/toasted sesame seeds. Can’t wait to get some green onions to add to garnish.

  85. My first ever experience tonight with my Instant Pot was this recipe and it was fantastic! Served it over quinoa with some broccoli and I’m hooked!

  86. Avatar photo
    Elizabeth Higgins

    While I was scouring the worldwide web for a new recipe to try, I happened to your site, Katerina. And thankfully so; I browsed through your posts and found this Honey Garlic Chicken recipe. This is just the perfect one to prepare for a special celebration this week. Thanks for adding a recipe notes at the end and a nutritional facts, too. How would you recommend going about for something spicier for this specific recipe? Thank you!

  87. Avatar photo
    Alinka knisley

    Easy to make and it tasted so good. The whole family enjoyed it. I left out the sesame seeds and green onions.

  88. I just found and made this tonight, and I absolutely LOVE the method and recipe. Very easy – I accidentally used grapeseed oil instead of sesame, but the overall result was very good. Served with garlic taters and broccoli- big hit.

  89. This was a hit! I did sautee some oninons, leeks and red pepper with the chicken. I also added a tablespoon of sesame oil to the sauce and used canola oil to sautee/brown the chicken and vegetable.I might add some brown sugar next time, I used Barts liquid amino sauce instead of the LS soy sauce- I would probably use a little less next time, as the Amino sauce has a tendency to be stronger (saltier) than regulaer soy sauce. I seved it with rice and steamed green beens. My family was super happy! I will definitely make this again with some minor tweeks.

  90. This really is delicious , I have made a few revisions that work better for me. I brown my chicken in a skillet on stove, it’s much easier than the deep instapot, I use canola oil not the sesame. For the sauce I add around 1/4 cup real maple syrup it sweetens it up a bit and is a natural sugar. Cook chicken in instapot 20 min, release the steam, remove chicken to plate , while pot is still hot I add the sesame oil and cornstarch slurry to thicken . Chicken is fall off the bone and that sauce is so good. I serve with jasmine rice and steamed broccoli or fresh steamed green beans.

  91. Avatar photo
    Sarah Brambley

    Do I have to thaw the chicken first or can I put it directly in the instapot from frozen? Thanks in advance!

    1. I would thaw it first. You need to cook/sauté it for a few minutes on each side. If it is frozen there will be little to no cooking happening and the chicken might be undercooked when the IP is done.

      1. This is not true. Cooking chicken in the pot from frozen adds no more time onto cooking and just might take longer to come to pressure. Sill cooks the same, comes out delicious every time. Only step you’re missing is sautéing the chicken to add a bit of a crust, but I don’t it will matter much.

        1. I have the PPXL and have only used it once. hoping I can figure this out. I hear the instapot is more user-friendly. :/

    2. If your chicken is frozen I hope you cleaned it first the chicken shouldn’t be frozen because you have to brown it ,make sure you pat it dry before browning after you clean it all chicken should be cleaned before cooking !!!!!!!

      1. Avatar photo
        Angela Archdeacon

        Washing raw chicken before cooking it can increase your risk of food poisoning from campylobacter bacteria. Splashing water from washing chicken under a tap can spread the bacteria onto hands, work surfaces, clothing, and cooking equipment. … Campylobacter is the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK.

  92. This was my first IP attempt. It was ok, but I don’t think I’d make it again. I did use boneless skinless chicken breasts, which I realize are boring. It definitely wasn’t a 30 minute meal. 10 prep, 6-7 saute, 20 cooking, another 10 at least to let the pressure lower (based on the comment to do it that way to avoid toughness). All in all, it was an hour. The sauce didn’t reduce, and I wasn’t that crazy about it. So, meh, but obviously I’m not the popular opinion. I appreciate the clear instructions and maybe I’d try something similar with a different sauce / less ketchup next time.

  93. This is my first run with an Instant Pot. I used 2 boneless breasts cut in half (3 qt pot) and did 8 minutes on steam. It was decent, but I’d call the chicken a little bit chewy. Almost like it would be if it were dry, but it’s not dry . Hope that makes sense. What should I adjust?

    1. For chicken you want to use the poultry setting not steam. It will automatically set to 15 minutes and I always up it to 20 because it’s fall apart tender. Also you DONT want to quick release the pressure. That will make it chewy and/or dry. After it beeps let it be until the silver pressure indicator goes down. Usually between 12 and 15 minutes. The longer you leave it in the warming mode to depressurize the more juicy and tender meat will be. All of this is for meat in general. The instructions and tips that come with the IP should definitely be better.

      1. The newer pots do not have the poultry setting. Had to use the Pressure setting. After about 8 min of steam venting the “burn” message comes on. Hit cancel and checked the chicken – it didn’t appear to be burning – guess it was the skin that was stuck on after sauteing. So won’t use the pot to saute anymore. I added 1/3 cup of water and turned it on again. Same thing but chicken appeared to be “boiled” anyways so we ate.

        1. Avatar photo
          Terry Jackson

          Need to deglaze pot after browning thighs. Just add some of the liquid while it is still on saute and use spatula to scrape all chicken bits off the bottom of the pot. the bits of meat after sauteing will cause the burn message to come on.

      2. I have been using the IP for some time now and I have a different experience. When I cook bone-in chicken thighs in the IP for 6 minutes on high pressure with natural release (which takes a little more than 20 minutes) the chicken comes out too dry. I do believe that quick releasing right away is probably not the best thing to do, but letting meat natural release for the entire duration often makes the meat too dry. I would do quick release after 5-10 minutes for best results.

        I am surprised that 20 minutes on high pressure can produce tender chicken. I don’t know if it’s possible that some instant pots run hotter than others?

  94. I just got an instant pot for my birthday. I wanted a chicken recipe that used normal ingredients I had on hand. I googled “Instant Pot Chicken Recipe” and yours was at the top of the list. (I had everything but sesame seeds and green onions, so I omitted those.) This was fabulous; my picky eater wanted seconds AND thirds! Definitely a winner. I’ll definitely be making this again. Thank you for giving me a successful introduction to the Instant Pot.

  95. Avatar photo
    Faith (The Keto Queens)

    I love the sweet/salty combination and depth of flavor here! This would be a fan favorite at my house!

  96. Avatar photo
    rachid @ instapot

    Hello, I tried this recipe for the first time tonight with 2 chicken breasts cut in half and cooked for 9 minutes. They were done as close to perfect. 8-9 minutes will be all the time 2 chicken breast need.

    I would definitely thicken the sauce(juice) with corn starch at the end of cooking time, like recommended by others next time. Pretty good recipe over-all.

      1. Mine doesn’t either so i used “manual high” for 12 minutes and it was amazing! I used boneless thighs and it was so moist and tender. I also thickened up the sauce with 2 tbsp of cornstarch, A keeper for sure!

  97. Ahh hoping this works!! I’ve gotten the burn warning twice now and I’ve followed the recipe exactly – only difference is chicken breasts instead of thighs

  98. Hello
    I only have chicken tenderloins. 10 minutes still ok? Or should I do it for less? I’m still very new at this IP thing.

    Thank you

    1. I only had 3 big thighs for the four of us so when the chicken was done, I shredded it and tossed it back in to cook the sauce down. Used a little cornstarch to help thicken.

      I also added fresh ginger, Sriracha black pepper blend, and lime juice. I think next time I will add some actual Sriracha sauce. It needs some heat to offset the sweetness. But I will definitely make it again.

  99. I did breasts, cut in half to make short, fat pieces, with the saute and 10 minutes on Poultry as suggested. They were perfect (if anything I might cut the time down a minute or two). I think this would be quite nice if the chicken were shredded or diced before adding back to the thickened sauce as well. Served over jasmine rice, this was great and my five and seven year olds agreed!

  100. Avatar photo
    Corinne Vines

    I made this tonight and my husband loved it! It was super easy & quick. I’ll add it to my Instant Pot rotation for sure!

  101. This was so much better than the last honey garlic chicken I made, so thank you! When I make it again, I will either brown the chicken on the stovetop or not at all. I like that you can brown in the IP, but it’s slow and if you have a lot of meat, takes way to long, and it is awkward for large pieces of meat. Next time I would add pepper flakes to this recipe.

  102. I love this recipe! It’s been a huge hit in our house. I have a couple of suggestions that others might be interested in:

    1) Do not sauté in sesame oil. Instead, use a light flavoured oil (canola or grapeseed) to sauté the chicken, and then when the dish is completely done, add a drizzle of sesame oil before serving to get that great sesame flavour. Why? Sesame oil is a ‘finishing oil’. When it is overheated, it becomes very bitter and that bitterness will be imparted to the dish. I made this dish as written the first time and it was definitely bitter. Changed up the method to how I described and it was much better

    2) If you don’t have low sodium soy sauce, cut the amount back to 1/3 cup. No need to supplement with any other liquid, this still provides plenty of cooking sauce. As another person mentioned I also added some dark brown sugar which deepened the flavour a bit.

    3) I used boneless thighs and after sautéing, 12 minutes on poultry was more than enough cooking time.

    1. Hi! i want to take your suggestion and not sautee in sesame oil, but i dont have canola oil…would vegetable oil do? or regular olive oil?

  103. I made this this evening it was tasty- I did however add 1 1/2 tbspn of brown sugar after removing the chicken because it tasted a little bland. Adding a thick cornstarch mix is a must at the end as well. I will also be doing boneless thighs next time as it’s a bit less messy and can fit more chicken in my 6qt. For those of you that are beginners like me to the instant pot. I left it on normal(which is the automatic setting) after setting it to poultry.
    I served it with rice & simi steamed broccoli
    . My son who’s 14 ate everything on his plate.
    It is going in our favorites – thanks so much for the recipe.

  104. How long is normal for the instant pot to warm up? Mine took 15 minutes, so tack that on to the 20-minute cook time, and this meal is no longer quick like most IP recipes claim. I guess that’s more of my complaint about IP recipes in general. Those 5-minute recipes? Not so quick if you add on prepping, sautéing and warming up!

    1. It is still fairly quick though since roasting in the oven would take longer. Most recipes don’t include the heat up and pressure release time. It kind of drives me nuts, but I still love the IP and the fact that I can go from rock solid, frozen chicken to fork shreddible chicken in about an hours time. I’ve never been one who can prep a crock pot dinner during breakfast so the IP is still a win for me. 😀

    2. It depends on the size of your JP. I have the largest one so yes, it takes a little longer to come to pressure. The amount of food in the IP will also have a factor. Still much easier overall than the alternative 🙂

  105. I’m new to IP, so please forgive my ignorance! For the step that says to cook for 20 minutes… when does the 20 minutes start? When you close the lid? When the pressure reaches full? When the timer on the panel starts?

    1. If you set the instant pot timer to 20 minutes, it will start after full pressure is applied and beep when the 20 minutes (full pressure) is done. From there you can begin depressurizing!

  106. Made this tonight, turned out pretty good. Definitely need to add cornstarch to the end, but I didn’t have any on hand so I just saved the sauce for later. How long can you keep the sauce like this in the refrigerator? It’s good enough that I would put it on other stuff, or use as a dip for pot stickers or something. Will def be making again.

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      As long as it’s in the fridge, it will definitely last 2 to 3 days, possibly longer.

  107. Made exactly as directed, and made a cornstarch slurry which thickened beautifully! Served over brown rice. I’m wondering if anyone has added pineapple to the mix at the end? I’m thinking it may be a great addition! Might try it next time, because I will surely be making it again!

  108. Avatar photo
    Janis Southern

    This is a great recipe & have made it 3 or 4 times. I was the sauce over rice so just take the mest out and thicken it when done. Yummmm

  109. Pretty good recipe. I found it a little too sweet, I wasn’t a huge fan of the oregano, and it tasted much more like a teriyaki sauce than a honey garlic which was somewhat disappointing. But it was my very first instant pot recipe and so I’d say it was a good start. I made jasmine rice in the instant pot too (separately) and it was a good combo.

  110. This has been a weekly go to in my house. Everyone loves it, even the picky teenagers. I’ve even done this with pork chops and a roast that I shredded. We just can’t get enough of this sauce. Adding some cornstarch at the end on sauté mode is all that’s needed to thicken the sauce. Easy peasy. Thank you so much for this recipe!

  111. I made this last night with 2kg chicken thigh. I doubled the sauce and took the chicken out at the end and reduced the sauce then added the chicken back in. So So So good. Note to self – buy low salt soy sauce.

  112. I maces this tonight for dinner.

    In Australia we don’t really have the Insta Pot. However I do have an electric pressure cooker by another brand.

    I used 2kg of boneless chicken thighs
    Didn’t have salt reduced soy sauce so just added 1 tbs of brown sugar
    Browned chicken piled it all in the pot covered with the sauce.
    Cooked for 17 minutes at high pressure setting then used quick release at the end
    Tipped the sauce into a pan on the stove and reduced the sauce

    Served with jasmine rice and steamed broccoli

    It was a hit with husband, and 4 kids ranging from 22 to 2

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      Thank you very much for chiming in and sharing your tips!!
      AND I am so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed their dinner! 🙂

  113. This is good and very simple. I followed direction precisely and used low salt soy, however I would cut it back to maybe a third of a cup and add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. I drained the juices and poured into a saucepan and boils down a bit to thicken. This is good over rice vermicelli noodles to give an Asian flair. You could add a few sprouts, cucumbers chopped, and maybe a little Asian lettuce.

  114. This was so good! I replaced soy sauce with coconut aminos. The chicken has all been eaten and I cant get enough of the leftover sauce! Ive been putting it on everything!

  115. Not sure if anyone else had this problem, but my chicken thighs turned into shredded chicken after cooking on the poultry setting and QR!

  116. I tried this tonight, and didn’t have ketchup (I don’t use it so I don’t have it) and substituted tomato paste – it worked out great. I used 3 medium chicken breasts and cooked on high/manual for 11 minutes, and served with mashed potatoes. Also, thanks to those posting about the runny sauce, I preemptively did a tsp of cornstarch and whisked as soon as I removed the chicken and it was perfect. Thanks for the great recipe!

  117. Avatar photo
    Marlene Harkcom

    If I wanted to make this with say 8 to 10 thighs… Is it okay to have them piled on top of each other? I’m worried about them cooking between. Also for a recipe like this that I would like to add broccoli to, how do I add it? If I put it in with the raw chicken it’ll be mush till the meat is done. If I interrupt the cooking time to add it, then the meal takes 10 minutes longer to cook…

  118. I made this exactly as directed and it turned out well, to great compliments from all. The sauce left in the pot was thin and runny, not at all like in the photo. I used only a few tbsp on the meat tray and the rest went down the drain. If I’d been less rushed, I’d have heated it stovetop and thickened it with cornstarch, as others have suggested. The green onion/sesame seed garnish just dresses it all up; not essential but sure makes it appetizing!

    1. Sauce is running, however, what we did was after we removed the thighs is turned IP to saute and added cornstarch…came out perfect

  119. Made this as directed (except I didn’t have no salt ketchup or low sodium soy sauce, so used the normal stuff I had on hand) and it came out amazing! The chicken just fell off the bones.

    I am on weight watchers and was trying to figure out points without adding the extra sauce that was left in the pot. I measured about a cup and 1/4 of sauce that went down the drain….I know the chicken would have added some liquid so hard to figure it out. I guess I should just enjoy that I had an amazing dinner! If anyone has an idea, I’d be happy to hear. I logged the 2 thighs that I ate and then 3 points for the sauce…such a guessing game sometimes.

    Thanks again for the great recipe!

  120. So grateful to have another excellent instant pot dish in my arsenal – THANK YOU! Wowing the in-laws with said dish – PRICELESS. You saved me tonight! LOL

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      WOOOOT!! Always a SUCCESS when the in-laws are involved! haha 😀 SO happy you all enjoyed it!

  121. Hi everyone! I made this tonight! It was great! I do have one question! For weight watchers, I had half of a chicken breast! How many points would that be including the sauce? Thanks so much!

  122. this was my first instant pot attempt… came out pretty good! I don’t have a poultry setting and had boneless thighs. I did 13 minutes on meat/stew and it was cooked perfectly. Served in bowls over rice and used some cornstarch to thicken the sauce a bit. It was a hit!

  123. I made this tonight with 5 chicken thighs. I thought it was really good. The sauce could have maybe been a little thicker but I thought it was really tasty. I cooked it on the meat/stew setting for 10minutes and it came out perfect. Will definitely keep this recipe.

  124. Made this tonight, following the recipe exactly except I threw in one boneless breast for my wife who dislikes dark meat, and I didn’t use low sodium soy sauce or ketchup. I regret that I didn’t follow the low salt recommendation because it turned out a little saltier than desired, though tolerable. I’m just cheap and already had regular soy sauce and ketchup. Everybody loved it. I served it in bowls over white rice and drizzled some sauce over the meat and rice before garnishing with the onions and toasted sesame seeds. Next time I think I’ll strain the sauce then thicken it with a little cornstarch slurry before drizzling. I’m also considering putting the garlic in the oil immediately after browning the chicken and giving it a little sear before adding the sauce and meat back into the cooker. Of course, those extra steps add prep time which sort of offsets some of the benefits of using the pressure cooker and the simplicity of the recipe.

    1. Did you make the rice in a separate pot or did you do it all in the instant pot? If you did it all in one, how did you do it?

  125. Great recipe. First dinner ever made in my Instant Pot! It was delish and I would make it again. Thanks for sharing.

  126. I made this tonight using about 20 diced boneless thighs. I doubled the ingredients, omitting soy sauce. I’m on an a low iodine diet for upcoming radiation. So instead of soy sauce used 2 tbs of rice vinegar, kosher salt and only used a tsp of sesame oil as it’s too strong for our taste used evoo for rest of the amount needed…browned a bit on sauté setting (in 2 batches) then added all together with sauce mixture and pressure cooker setting for 5 mins and natural release (about 10 mins). Added cornstarch mixed with water after cooking while it was hot. Topped with the green onions and sesame seeds. Served over white rice. Family loved it! Next time will add some broccoli. Thank you for this recipe!

  127. This was awesome. A huge hit with the family so it’s been added to the dinner rotation. I made it with chicken breasts and I’m making it again tonight.

  128. Hi!
    I plan on cooking this tonight. I have the Instant Pot IP-LUX. There is no poultry setting so what would I use? Cooking 2 boneless chicken breasts. How long would I cook for this? Thank you!!

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!

      You can just set it manually, but for 2 chicken breasts, I wouldn’t do more than 10 minutes. I can’t say with certainty exactly how much time since I haven’t tested it, so I could be a minute or two off.

    2. Hello, I tried this recipe for the first time tonight with 2 chicken breasts cut in half and cooked for 9 minutes. They were done as close to perfect. 8-9 minutes will be all the time 2 chicken breast need.

      I would definitely thicken the sauce(juice) with corn starch at the end of cooking time, like recommended by others next time. Pretty good recipe over-all.

  129. I was so excited to try this out….but the sauce didn’t turn out that great…it was rather runny, and sort of smelled like stinky feet, according to my daughter! The chicken cooked perfectly though. So, our ketchup was a bit past expiration date, so prob not as fresh as could be….would this make the difference between yummy and not so yummy? The other thing is my daughter bought cilantro instead of parsley. I was going to leave it out entirely, but decided to add about a tablespoon chopped. I was thinking maybe this is what threw the flavor off. Thoughts?
    I really want to try this again!

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi Lyn!

      Cilantro is not my fave and tastes nothing like parsley, so that definitely had a lot to do with the end result… to me, cilantro smells/tastes like soap. 😀 I’d say give it another try with Heinz ketchup and parsley. :-))

      1. A lot of people think that cilantro smells like bed bugs. Not kidding, Google it. That may have been the source of your funky flavor.

    2. I’d definitely say the cilantro was the cause of the taste problem. I like cilantro but only in things like salsa. Major taste difference between parsley and cilantro

  130. I made this tonight and it was awesome. I used boneless skinless thighs. When done i removed the thighs and added cornstarch/water mix to thicken. I also added 1/4 cup brown sugar and then poured over the thighs. As my family says this is a keeper.

      1. Hi! New to the IP world. This would be my 2nd attempt 🙂 I cant eat a lot of sugar. Can I sub anything else for the honey? Like Truvia brown sugar blend or something like that?

        Is there a way to cook rice simultaneously but not in the chicken or the sauce? Or better to do it separately?

        If I want to double the amount of chicken, can they just be piled up on top of each other? Any adjustment on the cooking time!

        Excited to try this! Thanks in advance!!

  131. I am making this now with boneless skinless chicken breast. They are still a little frozen so i have it set on pressure cook high for 12. Im keeping my fingers crossed.

  132. Avatar photo
    Litecoin (LTC)

    Anyone able to make it look even close to as good as the pic?? The newer Instant Pots don’t have a “Poultry” setting. Do we use the Meat setting or Pressure Cooker setting and set to the times as stated or other? Thanks!

  133. Please help me out here. I have the IP ultra and has no poultry button so I used the meat/stew button and set time for 20 min 8 thighs in a 6 qt. Nothing browned and ended up canceling the cycle at 10 min. Was fearful it would overlook. It was cooked perfect but it looked nothing like the pick. Sauce was not thick and dark. Very light colored and watery. Any suggestions?

  134. So this was a good recipe. But my instant pot did not have a “poultry” setting. So I picked the next closest thing which was “Meat/Stew” and set it on that for 20 mins. Results were that chicken thighs were a bit over cooked (like shredded chicken ). Lots of sauce, it would have made a great recipe to put over rice due to its saucy/shredded consistency, but not the same as the recipe description. Wondering if I should have set the cook time for 10-15 minutes instead on the Meat/stew setting. My husband liked it since he likes overcooked chicken.

  135. can i cook rice with this at the same time? if so how?! I just got my instant pot and want to make this with rice. thank you.

    1. I asked the same thing 1/31 and am still awaiting an answer. It seems like we should be able to do it all in 1 pot. I’ve seen another recipe where they state to add the rice after the chicken, in other words sprinkle it on over the chicken and then pour the sauce over that, it doesn’t scorch the rice that way. However, this is a different recipe and I’m not sure how much liquid needs to be added.

      1. You should be able to cook rice at the same time in a separate container. I am going to make this tonight with jasmine rice. I have a rack that goes over the chicken and a covered stainless steel pan that I’ve successfully used for rice in numerous other dishes.

        1. I’m reading all comments hoping to learn the same thing! I have been cooking with my Instant pot for over a year and love it, just got a new accessory I have not tried yet, it’s two stainless bowls that stack with a lid for “pot in pot” cooking, I am hoping this recipe works for cooking together with rice. How did. You come out with the stainless bowl and rack?

  136. Do I need to place the thighs on the trivet while pressure cooking (after they are browned)? This sounds delicious and I don’t want the thighs to burn on the bottom of the pot. Thank you!

    1. I used the metal trivet that came with mine upside down so the thighs would still be in the sauce but lifted up a little. And I had 8 thighs instead of 4 so I put them on their sides and they fit very nicely. No burn at all and came out perfect!

  137. Out Instant Pot has been sitting on the counter for months and I finally got up the nerve to use it. This recipe was SO GOOD.
    I used boneless chicken thighs and added a tablespoon of chopped candied ginger. Delicious!!!

      1. I made this last night with 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (removed white fat pieces), cooked on poultry setting for 20 minutes : tasted great, but they were maybe a tad overcooked. The pieces were falling apart (which I kind of like) but tasted a little dry, needed lots of sauce per bite. I would try 15-17 minutes, maybe, next time? I’ll report back if I get around to testing. Still and all, I did like this recipe.

      2. I did ten minutes on high pressure, quick released after 5 minutes. Digital thermometer read between 180-195 and the chicken was falling apart. Just about perfect for me.

  138. Just made these tonight. Kinda bummed. Mine didn’t turn out like the picture. I have the Duo Mini and did 3 thawed chicken breasts instead. I ended up with really delicious, perfectly cooked chicken in 10 minutes, but unfortunately, it was floating in a bath of watered down sauce. Any tips for next time?

    1. I find that it takes forever to reduce the liquid so what I do now is cook the chicken in stock or even “jacked up water”. Dump the liquid after the chicken is cooked (best to let it rest covered a few minutes anyway) and reserve it for another use. Then put your soya sauce mixture in the IP on “Saute”, thicken it a bit and put the chicken back in the IP to coat. No more watery tasting sauce.

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      My advice is to cook it in batches because you don’t want to crowd the IP – the chicken won’t cook properly nor evenly.

    2. I have an 8 quart IP and quadrupled the recipe and it turned out perfect. I just seared the chicken thighs on the stovetop rather than in the pot all at once.

  139. Hi! Do you have a recommended way to cook this over stovetop if we don’t have an instant pot or slow cooker? Looks delicious!

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      So you will want to heat a pan or skillet over medium high heat; sear chicken thighs or breasts on both sides until cooked through.
      FOR BONE IN THIGHS: Reduce heat after searing on both sides, cover skillet with a lid and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, while turning every several minutes until chicken is done.Drain most of the excess oil from the pan, and make the sauce.
      When chicken is done and cooked through, add the prepared sauce to the pan. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook until the sauce reduces down and thickens slightly, which should take about 4 minutes, maybe less.
      I hope that helps!

  140. Hello! My thighs were sticking to the bottom of the pot while browning – did I maybe not use enough sesame oil?

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!

      Could be that, but maybe the heat was too high. Lower the heat and you shouldn’t have that problem. Just a guess. I hope I am right 😀 Thing is, all stoves/ovens are not created equal – yours might need to be at a lower temp when sauteeing/browning/frying.

        1. Katerina - Diethood
          Katerina Petrovska

          Hi!
          I didn’t/don’t deglaze and have yet to see that burn notice. 🙂 I understand the concern, though! 😀

    2. If the meat is sticking just turn off the heat and put on a lid. The steam will help it loosen without tearing the skin. Then use a spatula to loosen it from the pot. The liquid in there will help keep it from sticking again. I use this method when I make frozen dumplings too.

    3. Make sure your pan is hot before adding the oil. If you put cold oil on a cold surface then heat the meat will stick.

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      Yes. Another reader said that she used frozen chicken and it turned out delicious. You just can’t brown the chicken beforehand. Obviously. hehe 😀

      1. I would think you could brown thighs with skin, even frozen, to crisp the skin and render the fat. Yes? I made this tonight and we loved it. I removed the chicken after natural release and thickened the sauce on Saute with a bit of cornstarch in water. Thanks!

  141. Made this tonight as my first attempt at using my new pressure cooker. IT WAS DEEEEELISH! My pickiest child had seconds and said it was the “best chicken EVER!” And hubby said it tasted like it restaurant entree.
    Thank you for making my forst attempt such a succesful one!!!!

  142. This was my first recipe in my new Instant Pot. It was so easy and amazing! Stuck true to the recipe with the exception of bone in. I used boneless thighs and followed the recipe exactly. Super easy, fast and delicious. Clean up was a breeze! Thank you!

      1. Katerina - Diethood
        Katerina Petrovska

        Yes, you can definitely use chicken breasts, but cooking time will be around 10 minutes.

  143. Did you remove the skin from the chicken before cooking? Seems like even if it is browned the skin gets flabby.

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      Yes, I did remove the skin. I agree, the skin does get flabby even when browned, and it gets stuck to the pan no matter what. 😀

      1. Is there any substitute for the ketchup? I can’t have wheat and ketchup is full of it! Thanks 🙂

        1. Im SEVERLY coeliac and HIGH allergy to wheat and gluten and there is NO wheat in ketchup. Look at the bottle as legally companies have to have WHEAT written in bold if the ingredient contains wheat. A bottle of Heinz ketchup has NO wheat. I eat ketchup all the time and I NEVER have a reaction and I react to even using a knife that my kids used to butter their bread and it has a crumb on it.
          ]

        2. Many ketchups have no wheat. Be careful about the soy sauce brands you use. Soy sauce often has gluten. If those two ingredients are wheat/gluten free, the recipe should be fine.

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      It’s the same – about 10 minutes should be enough for breasts. That’s 10 minutes before releasing pressure.

  144. Hi this might be a silly question but aren’t you suppose to put water in the instant pot? Or does the sauce count as the liquid? It’s cooking now. I hope i didn’t mess it up or ruin my Instant Pot.

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      I used bone-in chicken thighs, as stated in the recipe. Chicken breasts are zero points, but thighs are 2 to 3 points, depending on their size. 4-ounce chicken thigh with bone-in and skinless is 2 points. Then there’s the honey, the soy sauce, the ketchup, the sesame seed oil… it all adds up to 10 points per serving. 🙂 I hope that helps.

  145. If I use boneless thighs then do I cook for less time since there’s no bone? Would likely be using 8. Thanks, this sounds super yummy!

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      15 minutes should be good enough for boneless thighs. They need to cook a bit more than chicken breasts, but less than bone-in thighs. :-))

  146. I have the duo plus, which does not have the poultry setting. How do you suggest I manually program it to cook? I am using bone in thighs with the 8quart pot, so probably fitting around 6 in it from the looks of things.

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      I had to call my mom to ask because she has a pressure cooker and it’s all manual. For this recipe, she said she cooked it for 20 minutes and the chicken was perfect. I’m assuming that it would be the same for you.

        1. Katerina - Diethood
          Katerina Petrovska

          Hi!
          I just set it on “poultry” mode which sets itself to high pressure 15 minute cook time, but you have to adjust it to 20 minutes. I hope that helps. 🙂

    2. How did it turn out in the 8qt IP? Did you adjust any of the liquid amount or do recipe as stated? Thank you!

  147. This looks amazing will try tonite but was wondering why the sodium is so high if the only source is low sodium soy sauce?

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      A serving of low sodium soy sauce is only 1 teaspoon, but the recipe uses 1/2 cup for 4 servings. In one serving (or in 1 teaspoon) there’s about 176 mg of sodium. When you add it all up, it comes to around 1055 mg/serving. On the brighter side, much of the sauce will be at the bottom of the pot when you’re done cooking, and you can either pour some more sauce over the chicken, or leave it as is, without the extras. 🙂

      1. I wonder how much sodium you are consuming if say, you just took the chicken out and served just the chicken without the sauce? thoughts?

        I love the recipe, but am trying to really minimize my sodium intake

  148. Can you mix thighs and bone in chicken breasts? I have one member of the family who will not eat thighs. How long will it need to cook?

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      Sorry I didn’t see this sooner! Breasts need less time to cook, and *might* dry up because they will cook faster than the thighs.

  149. I made this tonite- did not vary from recipe at all. My chicken thighs were actually a little frozen and I was afraid they wouldn’t get done- fell off the bone and delicious!! My whole family loved them!! They looked just like the picture- I fit 5 thighs in my Instant pot.

  150. I loved this!! I used tomato paste instead of ketchup. While I was shredding the chicken after it cooked I added some frozen broccoli to the sauce and let it sit. Yum! My picky teen went back for seconds – high praise!! Perfect over quinoa.

  151. Avatar photo
    Rebecca Castro

    Idk what happened!!!
    I was so upset because I made it in my instant pot on slow cook and it was AMAZING
    Pressure cook not so much

    Nicole comment above is confiusing. First she said she cooked in IP and it was horrible then comment above.
    Which way so I’ll know because I have chicken breast for IP.

    1. I made this for my two boys tonight (17 and 20 yrs old), and they couldn’t stop tasting the sauce while the chicken was browning! I’m not sure why the chicken stuck to the pot so badly while browning. I preheated it, then added the oil, but it stuck horribly. I had to deglaze with a little chicken broth and white wine to get the stuck bits off before pressure cooking.

      I made a few changes–I used Chinese 5 spice powder and ginger instead of oregano and parsley, and threw in some smoked chipotle pepper flakes to add a little zing. After the chicken was done, I made a slurry with orange juice and corn starch to thicken the sauce a little. Ooooh, so good! I wasn’t sure how many thighs to cook, but when my boys tasted the sauce, they told me to go ahead and make all 8 from the package, because they said they were SURE they’d eat the leftovers!

      This is definitely going in the regular rotation. . .

    1. Avatar photo
      chuck coslet

      I’d like to know this as well. Maybe brown in the frying pan then put in a crock pot for how long?

    2. We make a similar dish in the oven in the winter/fall. Place all ingredients and chicken in bakeware for like 50 minutes basting twice or so times.

      Its good in the instant pot, but in the oven, the skin gets crisp and there is more texture to the chicken.

  152. Trying this recipe tonight with 8 chicken thighs at 30 minutes. I addedwas an additional 10 minutes since I was cooking 8thighs. Hope it’s enough time. So far, it smells amazing. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

  153. wonderful recipe and flavors! I’ll do the slow cooker method so thank you for the link above, I love the aromas that a slow cooker will make and don’t want to make space for an instant pot, at least not yet

    1. Can I use drumsticks for this? Is the timing the Same? I made it with bone in thighs and it was delicious!

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi! I have yet to cook a whole chicken in my IP so I am not certain as to how long it would need to cook for. However, you can most definitely use this honey garlic sauce on a small chicken, about 2 pounds, or cornish hen.

  154. Avatar photo
    Nicole DiDomenico

    I made this in the instant pot with chicken breasts cooked for 6 minutes it came out horrible totally overcooked.
    I made this as a slowcooker recipe and it was AMAZING

      1. Avatar photo
        Nicole DiDomenico

        Idk what happened!!!
        I was so upset because I made it in my instant pot on slow cook and it was AMAZING
        Pressure cook not so much

    1. maybe you really didn’t cook it long enough to get tender so it turned out tough. I cooked thighs 18min without any browning and they came out tender, delicious and brown from the sauce. My picky family loved it, took seconds and my daughter told me next time to make a LOT more. I also think I would like to add the rice directly into it. Anyone know how to alter it for cooking the rice with it?

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      The thighs take longer because these are on the bone, but chicken breasts inside an instant pot will be done within 10 minutes, especially after browning them a bit. Not too long ago I made the mistake of cooking them for 15 minutes and they were overcooked.

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