Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken is a way to use up your chicken thighs. An Instant Pot Chicken thigh recipe that is browned then pour in your homemade honey garlic sauce and cook.

The truth is this recipe practically cooks itself! We love the hint of sweetness that goes with this chicken dish. Garlic honey chicken in the pressure cooker is crazy simple.

Try our chicken leg quarters recipe that is pan-seared with mushroom gravy!

We will be honest we have never cooked with chicken thighs. It is what we got as a substitute for breasts. So we thought why not make our favorite garlic chicken and use our chicken thighs.

What Cut of Chicken To Use

Our bone-in chicken thighs worked great. You can use boneless chicken breast, tenderloins, or even Drumsticks.

Pretty much any cut of chicken works in the recipe for honey garlic. You might need to adjust the cooking time.

This Instant Pot honey garlic chicken thighs recipe is crazy simple. But feel free to swap out the meat if you don’t want or have thighs.

How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken

Step 1: Start by preparing your honey sauce. You will mix up ingredients in a bowl, mix well until honey and sugar incorporate.

Step 2: Set that aside then pour oil in Instant Pot and select sauté. Salt and pepper both sides of chicken and then place skins down in Instant pot.

Step 3: Once your chicken has browned up a bit, toss in the garlic and stir around. Then turn saute off, add in sauce mixture. Stir around with chicken.

Step 4: Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes with a quick release of pressure.

The full list of ingredients and recipe are in the printable recipe card below. This is a favorite chicken thighs instant pot recipe.

What to Serve With Chicken

• Salad
• Mashed potatoes
• Rice
• Favorite vegetable side
• Coleslaw
• Cucumber and Onions
• Pasta

This chicken recipe in the instant pot is truly versatile. Pair with any or all your usual side dishes.

How To Know Chicken Is Done

The best way to know when Chicken is done is to use a meat thermometer.

Stick in your meat making sure to not touch bone. Then let it climb to the correct temperature of 165 degrees.

Another method is slicing chicken and seeing juice runs clear and the flesh of the chicken is white and no pink showing.

Craving More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

• Easy Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken | This is a shredded chicken that is smothered in a teriyaki sauce that is homemade. So easy and loaded with flavor.
• Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas | Here is a fun new way to serve up chicken fajitas on your Mexican night at home!
• Instant Pot Chicken Cesear Wraps | These are light and refreshing lunch or dinner to serve up family and friends.
• BBQ Shredded Chicken | Pile on buns, baked potatoes or even a bed of rice. The ultimate shredded bbq chicken.

Ingredients

Makes 3 -4 chicken thighs

• 3-4 chicken thighs, mine were bone-in
• Salt and pepper to season chicken thighs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, canola or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons water
• Parsley, optional

Method

1. In a small bowl, you will mix your water, soy sauce, honey, and brown sugar. Mix until the sugar is dissolved and honey is mixed in.
2. Now you will salt and pepper both sides of your chicken thighs. We always season pretty good so it really locks in flavor.
3. Then in your Instant pot turn it to saute and pour oil in. Let it get hot and then place your skin side down on chicken thighs, and sear.
4. Once seared you will then pour in your garlic and give a quick stir and shut off the saute feature.
5. Now pour in your sauce, and use a wooden spoon to lift off any stuck-on chicken pieces on the pot or it will give you a burn notice.
6. Now close the lid, and make sure the vent is sealed. Cook high pressure for 20 minutes with a quick release.
7. Make sure your chicken reads the proper internal temperature, and if not add 5 minutes or so to cooking. Depending on the thickness of chicken cooking time can vary a bit.
8. Once the chicken is done, remove from the pressure cooker, and drizzle sauce on and serve. You can now sprinkle fresh parsley on top of chicken if you want.
9. Serve your Instant Pot Honey Garlic chicken with all your favorite sides. It is such an easy pressure cooker chicken recipe.

Kitchen notes

You can use boneless chicken in this recipe or even drumsticks. And you can cook more chicken just batch searing the chicken and then double the sauce.