Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs made with just a few ingredients, are sticky delicious, crispy on the outside, and incredibly tender on the inside. Learn quickly how to make this recipe by watching the short video tutorial below.
Making meals in the Instant Pot is fun and easy. We like a good and easy meal like our popular Orange Chicken, Pressure Cooker Mongolian Beef and Instant Pot Mongolian Chicken.
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
The Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken thighs are the perfect quick and easy meal that is also budget-friendly and so tasty that everyone will lick their fingers clean. The thighs are marinated in the most amazing honey garlic sauce, which is a great combination of sweet and savory.
What I love most about this recipe is that you can marinate the chicken in advance and cook it when you are ready. You can also add all the ingredients to a freezer-friendly ziplock bag and freeze it. Just thaw the day you want to cook this for dinner, the flavors will be amazing.
Once cooked, the chicken thighs are broiled for a few minutes to crispy perfection. Served with the delicious, sticky honey garlic sauce. The combination of honey, garlic, and soy sauce always guarantee mouthwatering results, especially when it comes to poultry.
How to make chicken thighs in an electric pressure cooker or Instant Pot?
- You always have to use at least the minimum liquid requirement for your pressure cooker.
- For this recipe, I used a 6 quart Instant Pot and I used about 1.5 lbs of chicken thighs.
- There are different methods to cook the chicken thighs: on the rack that usually comes with your pressure cooker or to directly add the chicken in the liquid on the bottom of the pot.
- The cooking methods depend on the recipe and the result you want. It is best to cook the meat in the liquid. Because it contains all the flavors and its intended to flavor the chicken.
- If the recipe is heavier on seasonings and the intention is to have the rub on the chicken. It’s best to cook the chicken on the rack. In that case, for the liquid part, only water or broth is usually used as it’s not used to add extra flavor to the meat itself.
- Also, I find 15 minutes to be enough cooking on High Pressure for 1.5 lbs of chicken thighs. That comes down to about 4 chicken thighs. If you want the meat to be so tender that it falls off the bone, you can increase the cooking time to 20 minutes. I like 15 minutes, as the chicken is tender and it also gets cooked under the broiler for extra crispiness.
- Always do a 10-15 minute Natural Release when cooking meat. If you do a quick release, the meat will toughen from the quick change in pressure.
- Place thighs on a lined cookie sheet and brush them with the sauce. Then broil for 2-5 minutes, watching carefully not to burn them.
Can I make these Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs ahead of time?
Yes, you can. Here is how you can prep these ahead of time:
- Add all the sauce ingredients to a medium bowl and mix until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Then, add the chicken thighs to a large freezer zip lock bag.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Next, close the bag, shake to coat all the pieces, and freeze flattened so all the chicken thighs are covered in sauce.
- When ready to make, remove the bag from the freezer in the morning and move it to the refrigerator to thaw.
- Once thawed, shake well, and add all the ingredients to the pressure cooker.
What is best to serve with Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs?
- White Rice or Brown Rice
- Vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, or bok choy
- Noodles
What is a 10 Minutes Natural Pressure Release?
A Natural Pressure Release means that the pressure is released gradually. For a Natural Pressure Release, you click on Keep Warm and wait 10 minutes. After this, you open the valve and let any leftover pressure to release. Another option is to Turn Off/Unplug the pressure cooker, wait 10 minutes and after that open the valve.
A natural release is usually used when cooking soups, meat in a large amount of sauce, pasta, or steel cut oats. This method prevents any foam from the dish to shoot out through the valve, which can happen during a Quick Pressure Release.
More delicious chicken recipes:
- Oven Baked Chicken
- Creamy Chicken Francese
- Lemon Chicken Piccata
- Garlic Butter Roasted Chicken
- Panda Express Orange Chicken
Recipe Tips:
- You can make this recipe with boneless chicken breasts as well. Simply follow the exact steps. Also, the cooking time will be the same.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to check that your chicken is cooked to at least 165 degrees F.
- To make it spicier, add some dried red pepper flakes or chopped jalapenos.
- To control the saltiness, I use low sodium soy sauce. However, if you decide to go with the regular soy sauce, ensure to taste and adjust the salt level per your preference.
- Also, you can cook fresh or frozen meat in the instant pot. If using frozen meat, the cooking time should be increase by about 5 minutes.
Tools/Ingredients I used to make the Instant Pot Honey Garlic Thighs Recipe:
- Instant Pot – I use it all the time, I have the 6 quarts one. It makes weeknight meals so much easier.
- Cornstarch – I prefer using cornstarch instead of flour to thicken sauces, and this organic brand is my favorite.
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. chicken thighs bone in and skin on
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce or gluten free Tamari sauce
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Cornstarch Slurry:
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Garnish:
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- chopped green onion
Instructions
- Add all the sauce ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk until all well combined.
Now, you have a few options:
- To add the sauce and the chicken thighs to the Instant Pot and cook.
- To add the chicken to the sauce and marinate for a few hours.
- To add the chicken and the sauce mixture to a freezer friendly ziplock bag and freeze.
Cook:
- When you are ready to cook the meal, add the sauce mixture to the instant pot.
- Add the chicken thighs in one layer on the bottom of the pot.
- Close the lid, make sure you Seal the valve and cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes.
- Once the Instant Pot beeps, let the pressure naturally release for 10-15 minutes.
- In the meantime, turn on the oven broiler and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Gently remove the chicken thighs from the Instant Pot and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush them with some of the sauce and place them under the broiler for 2-5 minutes on each side. Watch them closely not to burn.
- In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water until fully combined.
- In the meantime, turn the Sauté button on, and add the cornstarch slurry to the Instant Pot. Stir to combine and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Let stand, the sauce will thicken.
- Serve the chicken over rice, and pour the sauce on top of the chicken.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Video
