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Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken are 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!
If you love making Instant Pot chicken dishes, check out my Instant Pot Chicken Mole for a flavorful twist with a hint of chocolate and spices. Craving something comforting? This Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings recipe is perfect for a cozy dinner.
My #1 recipe for honey garlic chicken has been 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 between crock pot honey garlic chicken and instant pot honey garlic chicken. One takes hours to cook, and the other is ready in minutes. Honestly, though, the Instant Pot might be my new favorite way to cook. I do love my Crock Pot, but this pressure cooker thingamajig is a game-changer. Or maybe you’re more into good ol’ boneless skinless chicken thigh recipes on the stovetop? I love that, too.
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
This easy recipe for honey garlic chicken thighs 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.
Clearly, I’m not talking about just any old chicken here. I’m referring to that special kind of garlic chicken that finds the perfect balance between sweet and savory, tender and juicy, similar to how the best bourbon chicken recipe masters that blend. 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. Adding it over a green goddess salad is pure bliss!
Gosh… There is not one single thing I don’t love about this type of food. 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.
Recipe Ingredients
No big deal – the following are just a handful of ingredients you probably have sitting around. But once you put them all together? GIRL! The magic happens. This blend of sweet, savory, and aromatic ingredients creates a sauce that will take your taste buds on a joyride. Trust me, there’s nah.thing better. Let’s dive into what you’ll need to make these honey garlic chicken thighs.
For the honey garlic sauce
- Honey – Adds sweetness and helps create a caramelized glaze. Maple syrup or agave nectar are good alternatives.
- Garlic—I love this sauce with tons of fresh garlic, but you can also use garlic powder. You’ll need about a teaspoon.
- Soy sauce – Contributes an umami flavor and balances the sweetness of the sauce. Tamari or coconut aminos will also work.
- Ketchup – Adds some tanginess and body to the sauce.
- Dried oregano – For a hint of herbal flavor. Italian seasoning or dried thyme are okay to use.
- Parsley – Fresh parsley provides freshness and a pop of color, but fresh cilantro or basil is a great substitute.
For the chicken
- Sesame seed oil – Adds a nutty flavor and aroma, perfect for sautéing. Olive oil or canola oil can also be used.
- Bone-in, skinless chicken thighs – Boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts can be used, but you’ll have to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- Salt and black pepper – Basic seasonings to enhance overall flavor.
- Toasted sesame seeds – These add a bit of crunch and pretty visual appeal. I have also used chopped cashews and it was delicious.
- Sliced green onions – I use these for a garnish and to add a mild onion flavor and freshness. Chives are a good alternative.
How To Make Honey Garlic Chicken in the Instant Pot
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 made it. Once you’ve prepared the sauce, you can move on to browning the chicken thighs right inside your Instant Pot – one pot means one meal and fewer dishes to wash. I used bone-in chicken thighs and could fit only 4 at a time, but if you choose boneless thighs, you can fit 6 to 8 at once.
- Prepare the sauce: In a small mixing bowl, combine honey, minced garlic, soy sauce, ketchup, oregano, and parsley. Mix until well combined and set aside.
- Heat the Instant Pot: Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and add sesame oil to the pot.
- Brown the chicken: Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Arrange the seasoned chicken thighs in the Instant Pot and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Browning the chicken adds depth of flavor and helps to lock in juices.
- Add the sauce: Pour the prepared honey garlic sauce over the chicken thighs.
- Cook in poultry mode: Cover and lock the lid of the Instant Pot, then cook in poultry mode for 20 minutes.
- Release the pressure: Turn off the Instant Pot and allow it to release the pressure naturally for about 5 minutes. This step is important for safely opening the pot and ensuring the chicken remains tender.
- Serve and garnish: Transfer the cooked chicken to a serving plate and spoon the sauce over the top. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions and enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- Chicken options. If you only have chicken breasts, don’t worry! Just use the same method, but cook on the poultry setting for 10 minutes.
- Soy sauce substitute. 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.
- Thicken it. Want a thicker sauce? After cooking, remove the chicken and set the Instant Pot to sauté mode. Simmer the sauce until it reduces to your desired consistency.
- Make it spicy. For an extra kick, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce.
- Make it with fish. I also have a seafood option with the same wonderful flavors Grab this recipe for honey garlic sauce salmon.
Serving Suggestions
To soak up all the delicious honey garlic sauce, I often serve honey garlic chicken over rice or with beef ramen (minus the beef). I like to add a side of my air fryer roasted broccoli and mashed potato pancakes for a complete meal. For dessert, a slice of German marble cake is the perfect finish!
Storing and Reheating
To store leftover chicken, let it cool completely before placing it in an airtight container. Keep it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. For longer storage, you can freeze the chicken for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
- Spicy Sweet Sticky Chicken Thighs
- Crock Pot Chicken Drumsticks
- Instant Pot Chicken Tinga
- Black Pepper Chicken
- Crock Pot Honey Lemon Chicken
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Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup honey
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup ketchup, I use no-salt ketchup
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano, or any other dried herbs that you prefer
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil, vegetable oil or olive oil can be used
- 4 to 6 bone-in skinless chicken thighs
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
- sliced green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the sauce. In a small mixing bowl combine honey, minced garlic, soy sauce, ketchup, oregano and parsley; mix until well combined and set aside.
- Prep and cook the chicken. Heat the Instant Pot in sauté mode. Add sesame oil to the pot to heat up. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and cook them for about 2 to 3 minutes per side or until browned.
- Add the sauce. Add the prepared honey garlic sauce to the pot; cover and lock the lid.
- Cook. Set the IP on poultry mode (or pressure cook mode) and cook the chicken for 20 minutes. Turn off the pot and allow it to release the pressure, about 5 minutes.
- Serve. Transfer the chicken to a serving plate and spoon the remaining sauce from the pot over the top. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions, then serve.
Video
Notes
- Soy sauce alternatives. 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.
- Chicken. You can make this with boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts, but you will have to adjust the cooking time because boneless meat cooks faster than bone-in.
- Burn notice. If you get a “burn notice” on your Instant Pot, it usually means there’s not enough liquid in the pot or that something is stuck to the bottom. To avoid this, you can deglaze the pot after browning the chicken by adding a bit of broth or water and scraping up any browned bits before adding the honey garlic sauce.
Nutrition
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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 🙂
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.
Do you not add any extra liquid? I thought you always have to do that ?
I did not add any extra liquid and it turned out great!
yes mine as well, but I’m cooking I s Bella pot
Delicious! Everyone loved it! This one is a keeper and definitely a repeat in my household. Easy peasy lemon squeezy to make. 😉
Can this be done with frozen chicken thighs? If so, what would the instruction changes be?
Thanks!
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!
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….
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.
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.
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
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.
20 minutes for thighs but only 10 for breasts? Something is not right here. Can you fix it? Please.
Hi! Did you try the recipe with both breasts and thighs? Because, breasts need less time than bone-in thighs.
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.
I used chicken breasts at the suggested time of 10 minutes and it turned out perfectly.
Tried this, delicious! 1yo and 4yo and hubby all loved it. Will definitely make again
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!
Yummmmm
I’m taking your advice tonight and making all of your mentioned!!