Instant Pot honey garlic chicken is just 5 ingredients and a few minutes to prep and comes out with a deep, rich, delicious flavor! You’ll want to drizzle the yummy sauce over your whole plate!
Today, I’m bringing you an Instant Pot version of one of my most popular recipes here on Family Food on the Table!
This Instant Pot honey garlic chicken has the same amazing sauce as the original 15-minute honey garlic chicken, which gets rave reviews. Even picky eaters can’t resist it!
But this is made in the Instant Pot and uses chicken thighs, so it’s got tons of rich, deep flavor without any work - and hardly much more time!
It takes just a few minutes to prep and it’s only 5 ingredients, so this delicious dinner is perfect for crazy days.
It’s perfectly cooked through, has plenty of delicious sauce for serving and smells simply amazing when you open your Instant Pot.
The whole family will be excited to sit down and tuck into this meal!
(And if you love these flavors as much as we do, check out slow cooker honey garlic chicken and honey garlic shrimp for more dinner faves.)
So let’s get cooking.
Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make pressure cooker honey garlic chicken. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Recipe Notes:
- I use and recommend boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but you can substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts as well. I’ve made it that way and while it’s a tad less flavorful, it’s still really good.
- You can adjust the heat of this dish by adjusting how much red pepper flakes you use. As is, it’s a low-medium level of spicy. I use a bit less than what the recipe calls for when I’m making it for my kids and they’re fine with it.
- Want to make this gluten-free? Just sub some gluten-free tamari for the soy sauce.
- You know me, I’m all about the toppings. Read on below for my favorites!
Oh, a quick disclaimer: Instant Pot recipes often fail to mention the time it takes for the pot to come to pressure or to release it.
I have found it misleading when trying to plan and time my dinner, so I wanted to be sure to include it here.
I’ve listed “additional time” as 20 minutes to account for the amount of time it will take for the pot to come to pressure and then the time for the release. The exact amount of time can vary, but that’s at least a rough estimate.
(I also added another 5 minutes to the "additional time" to account for the minimum amount of time you'll want to let the chicken soak in the sauce after you chop or shred it. That step really infuses the flavor!)
In case you’re in the market for one, I have and love this 6-quart Instant Pot.
OK, we’re ready to eat. So let’s talk serving ideas.
Serving Ideas:
- We love having this honey garlic chicken with steamed brown rice with a veggie side - broccoli, peas and snow peas are all great here.
- You could also keep it low-carb and serve it with some of my easy cauliflower rice.
- I bet it’d also be delicious over quinoa or some rice noodles or a long, thin noodle like angel hair. Anything to sop up more of that sauce!
- You can even make honey garlic chicken stir fry or rice bowls with this chicken. (These are also a great way to repurpose any leftovers.)
And of course, there are toppings. You know I’m always going to give you topping options!
Topping Ideas:
- Sliced green onions
- Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
- Chopped peanuts
- An extra sprinkle of red pepper flakes or
- Drizzle of sriracha for a spicy kick
Use any of these toppings that you have on hand that sound good to you. Or skip them, that’s fine, too. This is plenty flavorful all on its own.
Whatever you do though, make sure you drizzle some extra of that scrumptious honey garlic sauce over everything on your plate! You won’t regret it.
Finally, let’s talk about any leftovers you might have.
How to store leftovers:
- Leftovers, once cooled, will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Store in an airtight container and be sure to store the chicken with the remaining sauce.
- Reheat individual servings in the microwave or reheat slowly on the stove, until warmed through.
- You can also freeze leftovers. Place in a freezer-safe bag or container - be sure to label and date it - and freeze for up to 4-5 months.
- Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat and serve.
The sauce helps keep the leftovers from drying out or tasting bland. Yup, it’s pretty much a miracle sauce.
I hope you give this recipe a try when you need a super easy, super yummy dinner!
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. You might also want to check out this Instant Pot lemon chicken for another great recipe that uses chicken thighs in the Instant Pot - and has a swoon-worthy sauce!
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Salt and black pepper
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional, adjust for heat
Optional toppings:
- Sliced green onions, chopped peanuts, chopped parsley or cilantro, extra sprinkle of red pepper flakes or even a drizzle of sriracha for a spicy kick
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. (Go easy on the salt because the soy sauce has a lot of sodium.)
- Heat the oil in the Instant Pot insert on Sauté mode. Add chicken and cook for about 4 minutes per side, until browned and they release from the bottom of the pot.
- Meanwhile, mix together the honey, soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
- Add the sauce to the Instant Pot and turn to coat the chicken thighs. Also, be sure to scrape up any stuck-on bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot insert so you can avoid the burn notice.
- Cover and seal the Instant Pot then set to cook at high pressure for 7 minutes.
- Once the cook time is up, allow for a natural release for 3 minutes, then switch to a quick release.
- Once the pressure has been released, open the Instant Pot. Remove and chop or shred the chicken thighs, then return to the Instant Pot and let the chicken sit in the sauce for 5-10 minutes. This really helps it soak up all the flavor.
- Serve the chicken with extra sauce drizzled over it.
Notes
- We love having this honey garlic chicken with steamed brown rice with a veggie side - broccoli, peas and snow peas are all great here.
- You could also keep it low-carb and serve it with cauliflower rice.
- I bet it’d also be delicious over quinoa or some rice noodles or a long, thin noodle like angel hair. Anything to sop up more of that sauce!
- You can even make honey garlic chicken stir fry or rice bowls with this chicken. (These are also great options for the leftovers.)
- Leftovers, once cooled, will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Store in an airtight container and be sure to store the chicken with the remaining sauce.
- Reheat individual servings in the microwave or reheat slowly on the stove, until warmed through.
- You can also freeze leftovers. Place in a freezer-safe bag or container - be sure to label and date it - and freeze for up to 4-5 months.
- Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat and serve.
- Bonus: The sauce helps keep the leftovers from drying out or tasting bland.
Jodi Kaye
Omg yum! Just made this with skinless chicken breast and minus the red pepper flakes and it was sooooo good! So easy! Thank you!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you loved it Jodi! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Summer
can you use garlic powder instead of minced?
Kathryn Doherty
Hi! I haven't tried that and have a feeling it would have a somewhat significant impact on the flavor of the sauce and chicken. But if you decide to experiment, I'd love to hear how it goes.