Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs Recipe
Jan 15, 2018, Updated May 01, 2021
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Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs 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!
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. Or are you more into boneless skinless chicken thigh recipes?
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.
Gosh… There is not one single thing I don’t love about this type of food.
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.
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:
If chicken breasts are all you’ve got, not to worry! Just use the same method, but cook on poultry setting for 10 minutes.
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?
- Spicy, Sweet and Sticky Chicken Thighs
- Crock Pot Citrus Soy Chicken Drumsticks
- Crock Pot Honey Lemon Chicken
ENJOY!
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WATCH HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN
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Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
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.
- 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.
- Add the prepared honey garlic sauce to the pot; cover and lock the lid.
- 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
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.
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.
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! 🙂
Add a few crushed up cloves of star anise to this recipe. You won’t regret it.
Thanks for the tip! Adding crushed star anise sounds like a flavorful twist. Will definitely try it!
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.
Do you have a vegetarian recommendation for this dish please? To substitute the chcicken
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.
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?
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.
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.
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
In the recipe it said skinless thighs but in the video the chicken had skin. 🤔
Yes, the videographer made a mistake and left the skin on. Just follow the written recipe.
Is there a way to make this either in slow cooker or oven??
Hi! Yes, here’s the slow cooker version: https://diethood.com/crock-pot-honey-garlic-chicken/
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!
Everything turns out delicious every time! I highly recommend this recipe!
That’s great! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂