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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.
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!
I’m very glad you and your family enjoyed it! Thank you for chiming in! 🙂
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
I do not have an IP. How could one cook this in the crockpot?
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.
This is one of my kids’ favorite go to recipes!!!
Yay! That’s great! I’m very happy everyone loves it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This is for an instapot, not a crockpot.
There is a slow cooker recipe for this dish. Just do a search. I saw it earlier.
A instant pot is a quicker slow cooker. You must not have one if you are stating this.
This was awesome!! I will be making this again!! Everyone loved it!! I didn’t have fresh parsley so I used Italian seasoning.
Family favorite in my house, even the kids can’t get enough.
That’s great! I’m very happy everyone loved it! 🙂 Thank YOU! 🙂
I used Cilantro and it was perfect. Have made it several times.
I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
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?
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.
Use the pressure button and cook on high pressure for 20 min.
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!
Easy to follow, fool-proof recipe! Turned out delicious 🤤
That’s great! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
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
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. 🙂
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
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.
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. 🤷♀️ 😀
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!
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.
I was thinking the same thing about being more sticky. Maybe add some corn starch then broil?
Use a little bit of corn starch or flour at the end (just mix in sauce) to thicken it
Take the chicken out, turn your instant pot onto sauté, add a cornstarch slurry and cook the sauce until thick.
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.
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.
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?
Absolutely delicious! My kids say this is one of their favorites! I don’t even have to crisp it up! Don’t change anything!
That’s great! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
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.
Delicious! I’ll make this again!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
My pot doesn’t have poultry setting so I just used pressure! Fingers crossed
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.
Thank YOU! I am very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂