Get dinner ready fast with this Instant Pot honey garlic chicken! Better than takeout, this gluten-free and dairy-free meal is delicious with rice and veggies for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
When I crave Chinese food, I know that ordering take-out will hurt my wallet and leave me feeling less than ideal.
So, I set out to re-create a family favorite dish at home instead. (Just like I did with Kung Pao Chicken, Cashew Chicken, and Sweet and Sour Chicken!)
I’m not kidding when I say I’m pretty sure this easy honey garlic chicken is BETTER than anything you could possibly order from take-out.
And because it’s made in the Instant Pot, this easy recipe can be ready in a total of 30 minutes! Can I get a high five for adding another 30-minute meal to our repertoire?!
WHY MAKE HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN
One of the best reasons to make food from scratch is because you can control the ingredients.
- To make honey garlic chicken, you get to pick out the quality of chicken (such as conventional, organic, or free-range). If you can’t find the quality of meat you desire at your local stores, try Butcher Box. They offer grass-fed beef, pastured pork, and free-range organic chicken delivered to your door for prices better than local!
- You can check ingredient labels on your sriracha and ketchup to make sure they don’t contain high-fructose corn syrup. HFCS is one of the top ingredients we avoid in food.
- If you have a gluten intolerance you can skip the soy sauce and use liquid aminos or coconut aminos instead – both are gluten free!
- Tapioca starch or arrowroot powder also work in place of cornstarch if you need to make it corn-free.
INSTANT POT HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN
I’ve seen recipes for slow cooker honey garlic chicken and baked honey garlic chicken. But honestly, if I’m craving take-out, I want it to taste BETTER than take-out.
And boy does this recipe overachieve!
Using the Instant Pot really makes the flavors come together. (I have this one!) The chicken gets cooked just perfectly and the honey garlic sauce is AMAZING!
GARLIC CHICKEN WITH HONEY INGREDIENTS
- Chicken thighs: boneless skinless chicken thighs are what I prefer for this recipe.
- You can substitute boneless skinless chicken breasts – reduce the cooking time by one minute.
- You can even use shredded chicken by batch-cooking a whole chicken! If you go this route, make the sauce separately and add the cooked shredded chicken afterward (see below for instructions).
- Honey Garlic Sauce. Some honey + soy sauce (or liquid aminos or coconut aminos) + garlic powder (or minced garlic) + sriracha + ketchup make a CRAZY GOOD sauce that the family loves.
- Cornstarch (You can use tapioca starch or arrowroot powder as a substitute)
- Water
Note: If your kids are super sensitive to spicy foods, you might want to omit the sriracha in the recipe itself and serve it at the table instead. Other possible garnishes for this garlic chicken with honey are red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, salt and pepper, green onions, and even sesame oil.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN GARLIC HONEY RECIPE IN THE INSTANT POT
Step 1: Place cut chicken pieces in the Instant Pot (or pressure cooker).
Note: If you use chicken breasts instead of thighs, reduce the cooking time by one minute.
Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients, except the cornstarch and water, to the Instant Pot.
Step 3: Close the Instant Pot and turn the vent knob to “seal.”
Step 4: Cook on “high pressure” for 7 minutes. When finished cooking, press “cancel” to stop the cooking and quickly release the pressure by turning the venting knob to “venting.” Be careful – hot steam will come out!
Step 5: Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch and water together in a small mug.
Step 6: When the pressure is fully released, remove the lid. Press the “sauté” button.
Step 7: When the liquid begins to bubble, add the cornstarch slurry, and stir well to incorporate it into the sauce.
Step 8: Let it cook for about 1-2 minutes, and then press “cancel” to turn the Instant Pot off. The sauce will continue to thicken slightly as it cools.
I love to serve over rice with roasted broccoli on the side.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave, oven, or in a small pan on the stove top.
HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN THIGHS
You can turn honey garlic chicken thighs into a slow cooker recipe too! Follow these instructions:
Step 1: Skip cutting the chicken. Place the whole chicken thighs in the crockpot.
Step 2: Mix all of the sauce ingredients, except cornstarch and water, in a bowl. Pour over the chicken.
Step 3: Add the lid and cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours until chicken is cooked through and tender.
Step 4: Remove the chicken from the crock pot and set aside. Mix cornstarch and water in a bowl and add to the sauce in the slow cooker.
Step 5: Turn heat to high and let simmer for 15 minutes or until desired thickness. Cut or shred chicken and return to the slow cooker. Mix to coat.
Step 6: Serve with rice and roasted broccoli!
HOW TO MAKE HONEY-GARLIC CHICKEN SAUCE
This recipe is perfect on its own. But the honey-garlic chicken sauce is great as a dipping sauce for Homemade Chicken Nuggets or for making Honey Garlic Chicken Wings. Or pair it with a different protein – using this sauce as a glaze for salmon would be delicious!
Step 1: Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl or mug. Set aside.
Step 2: Add honey, soy sauce, garlic powder, sriracha, and ketchup to the Instant Pot. Set on Sauté to heat. (Or cook in a small saucepan on the stove over medium high heat.)
Step 3: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Step 4: Add cornstarch slurry to thicken and stir until desired consistency.
Step 5: Serve over your favorite meat or vegetables.
Psst! Want to kick this up a notch? Try finishing this recipe with a pinch of finishing salt! I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!) Just add a pinch after topping your meat and veggies with honey garlic deliciousness and try not to drool over this savory sauce! (Get your free 8oz. bag of salt on this page.)
WHAT TO SERVE WITH INSTANT POT HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN
I like to make this Instant Pot honey garlic chicken recipe with brown rice and roasted broccoli.
- I typically make big batches of Instant Pot brown rice. Then I freeze them in 4-cup portions in quart-size plastic bags. When I need rice, I can just pull one bag from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before and the rice is already done.
- Roasted broccoli takes 15-20 minutes in the oven, which means it will cook as the chicken cooks too. Plus, roasted broccoli doesn’t run the risk of getting mushy as steamed broccoli sometimes does.
- Other side options include Crispy Cauliflower Rice, 5-Minute Asparagus, Instant Pot Quinoa, Butter Parmesan Zoodles, or Instant Pot Steamed Vegetables!
HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN TIPS
Instant Pot Timing: Instant Pots really aren’t “instant.” (Read more about that in 20+ Things to Know Before You Buy an Instant Pot.) They require time to come to pressure, time to cook, and then time to release pressure. When I timed this recipe, it took about:
- 15 minutes to pressurize
- 7 minutes to cook
- and less than 5 minutes to release pressure
When it comes to measuring the sauce, use a 1-cup measuring glass. I pour the honey in first (to the ⅓ cup line), then the soy sauce (to the ⅔ cup line). Next, I add the garlic, sriracha sauce, and ketchup until it gets to the 1-cup mark. It comes out to about ¼ cup of ketchup, but it’s MUCH easier to measure the ingredients this way. And you’re left with just one dishwasher-friendly dish! You can also use the same measuring glass for the cornstarch and water slurry.
HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN FAQS
Can you freeze honey garlic chicken?
Yes! Simply mix up the sauce with the raw chicken and put it in a freezer-safe bag or container. Label and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. When you’re ready to cook, dump it in the Instant Pot and follow the rest of the recipe as written.
In fact, when you make this, I HIGHLY recommend doubling it and putting half in the freezer for later! You can use this dump dinner freezer cooking meal plan and this guide to planning a freezer cooking session to help!
What kind of Instant Pot do you use for this recipe?
I have the 8-quart DUO 7 in 1 Instant Pot.
MORE EASY CHICKEN DINNER RECIPES
- Sweet and Sour Chicken (with Homemade Sauce!)
- Chinese 5 Spice Chicken
- Bacon Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
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Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Get dinner ready fast with this Instant Pot honey garlic chicken! Better than takeout, this gluten-free and dairy-free meal is delicious with rice and veggies for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Meals
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 ½ – 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)*
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup soy sauce (I use liquid aminos)
- 3 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 ½ tsp Sriracha
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp water
Instructions
- Cut 1 ½-2 lbs of chicken into 1″ pieces and place in the Instant Pot (or pressure cooker).
- Add ⅓ cup honey, ⅓ cup soy sauce, 3 tsp of garlic, 1 ½ tsp sriracha, ¼ cup ketchup to the Instant Pot. Use a spoon to stir well.
- Close the Instant Pot and turn the vent knob to “seal.”
- Cook on “high” for 7 minutes. When the timer goes off, release the pressure by turning the venting knob to “venting.” Be careful – hot steam will come out!
- Meanwhile, mix 2 Tbsp of cornstarch and 2 Tbsp of water together in a small mug (or reuse the glass measuring cup from making the sauce).
- When the pressure is fully released, remove the lid and set aside.
- Press the “sauté” button. When the liquid begins to bubble, add the cornstarch slurry and stir well to incorporate.
- Let it cook for about 1-2 minutes, and then press “cancel” to turn the Instant Pot off. The sauce will continue to thicken slightly as it cools.
- Serve with rice and vegetables, or however else you’d like! (I like sprinkling sesame seeds on too!)
Notes
* If you use chicken breasts, reduce the cooking time by one minute.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 395
Can I start this with frozen chicken?
Hi Elicia, This recipe is for thawed chicken that is cut into 1-inch pieces. Here is our info on cooking frozen chicken in your Instant Pot: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/instant-pot-frozen-chicken-breast/
I guess I am in the minority. I didn’t think this was very good. Yes, it was quick and easy. But the flavor was lacking… 🙁
We love Chinese food! Do you have a substitute for the Sriracha sauce? I don’t have it on hand and don’t want to rush to the store to purchase it since I am not sure if it will be too spicy for the sensitive taste buds here.
Just skip the sriracha. You can add another lighter hot sauce if you feel like it.
For freezer meal, I just dump and go ? No need to thaw or add liquid to the instant pot?
Hello Mari,
Sauté the frozen meal for 5 minutes and that will create some liquid. Enjoy!
This was delicious! I would like to double or triple the recipe, should the time and pressure settings remain the same if I double or triple the recipe? Or do I need to change those do you think?
Time and pressure stay the same!
Made this last night. So easy and so delicious. Many thanks!
I haven´t made this yet, but would have thought it needed some water to start with, my pressure cooker has a Minimum line for liquid. The cornstarc ( in my case Arrowroot) can be added later with a little less water.. What do you think?
Hi Amanda! My IP doesn’t have a minimum line for liquid, but it’s standard to need 1 to 1 1/2 cups of liquid for the IP to come to pressure correctly. The honey, soy sauce and ketchup provide the liquid in this recipe, and I’ve tested it multiple times (my minimum is 3 before posting, but we’ve also had it plenty of times since then too).
This is a favorite of ours! My original recipe which I got from a meal plan had 1 Tbsp Sriracha. I just noticed it was different after printing so I looked for it and sure enough it was only 1 1/2. It’s fine with a whole tablespoon however.
Since we are a grain free household we use arrowroot also. It makes a decent slurry when added to water but it needs to set a bit — in my previous per paleo life I used cornstarch and it works fine. Arrowroot works the same but it must sit for a few minutes. Then stir again. I’ve never had any issues with burn notice on this recipe and I’ve never added water.
Just made this. It was awesome. Thanks so much for the recipe! It’s a keeper!
Music to my ears Colleen – so glad you liked it!
Delicious!! I was skeptical with the ketchup in the recipe but I am so glad I tried it!!
Have you tried using cooked meat such as left over from roast chicken?
I haven’t, but if you want to make just the sauce, you could do that! I’d cut the amounts in half, maybe bring to a simmer on the stove and go from there.
OMG! This looks mouthwatering! Grabbing all the ingredients right now!!
I hope you enjoy it Sasha!
Yumm sweet and delicious 😋😋😋😋
We have siracha ketchup in the fridge 🙂
YASSSS!
Oh yum! Now, all of your instant pot recipes can be made in a crock pot, right Tiffany?
Technically any slow cooker recipe can be made in an Instant Pot, and visa versa, but the catch is knowing how long to cook them on each appliance, and at what temperature. This post should help! https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2018/01/slow-cooker-recipes-in-instant-pot/
I don’t know what I’d do without my Instant Pot! This chicken looks so flavorful, and I love that it’s done in 30 minutes!
This looks delicious! I haven’t used my IP as much as I thought I would. I think I just need to find some tried and true recipes. Hopefully this will be one of them!
I hope so too – it hasn’t failed us yet!
How long in a slow cooker if we haven’t broken down & purchased an Instapot?
I’m not really sure KK – I’d guess 4-6 hours on high?