Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Our Instant Pot honey garlic chicken has tender chicken breast coated with a sweet, savory ginger and hoisin sauce.
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This honey garlic chicken is one of the dishes we make when we’re craving restaurant takeout. It’s one of favorite Asian-inspired meals.
We use chicken breasts marinated in a soy, honey, ginger, hoisin sauce and serve it over fluffy white rice. The chicken soaks in the marinade for about 30 minutes then the Instant Pot does the rest of the work!
Tips for Great Honey Garlic Chicken
- Don’t skip the natural release once the chicken finishes cooking. Opening the valve too soon results in rubbery chicken.
- Serve this chicken over white or brown rice, a side of roasted broccoli, or your other favorite sides.
How to Make Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Make the Sauce/Marinade
First, in a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, honey, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. You’ll notice on the recipe card we notated that you can use ginger powder.
Personally, I prefer fresh grated ginger whenever possible. It’s fragrant, spicy, and really wakes up your taste buds.
Kim and I love it so much that we make our own ginger soda.
Next, add the cubed chicken to the honey garlic marinade and place it in your fridge to marinate for at least 30-minutes.
This would be a good time to get some rice going on your stove-top. Of course, you don’t have to use white rice. Brown rice or even quinoa works well with this chicken recipe.
Cook it
After the marinating process, we can get started cooking. Add the liner to your pressure cooker, then pour the chicken and sauce into the Instant Pot.
Be sure to move the poultry around to create an even layer for cooking. Then, seal the cooker and set your valve to, “sealed.”
At this point, you can use your pressure cook button or manual button (depending on the brand/model of pressure cooker you own) and set it cook for 12-minutes.
Afterward, let the Instant Pot complete a natural release before you open the valve to let the remaining steam escape.
Open the lid and remove the honey garlic chicken using a fork or tongs (or a spoon as directed below).
Be careful, because the chicken and sauce will be extremely hot. Set the chicken aside and make your cornstarch slurry in a separate bowl.
You can now turn the cooker back on, preferably to the saute function, and slowly pour in the slurry. Stir the mixture as it heats and it should thicken in a few minutes.
Last, plate the chicken and pour the finished sauce over it. Top the dish with any optional garnishes, serve, and enjoy.
More Instant Pot Recipes
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
Honey Garlic Sauce
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Cornstarch Slurry
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 4 teaspoons green onion, thinly sliced
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Instructions
Honey Garlic Sauce
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, honey, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.½ cup soy sauce½ cup water½ cup honey1 tablespoon sesame oil1 tablespoon hoisin sauce1 tablespoon garlic1 tablespoon fresh ginger root¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Place the cubed chicken in a large plastic, zip bag or sealable container, and cover with the sauce. Refrigerate the chicken for 30 minutes.1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Cook
- Pour the chicken and sauce mixture into the Instant Pot. Arrange the chicken pieces in an even layer in the bottom of the liner. Close the lid, making sure the valve is set to sealing.
- Use the manual (pressure cook) button to adjust the time to 12 minutes on high pressure. After the time is up, allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes before opening the valve for a quick release of the remaining pressure. Turn off the Instant Pot.
- Carefully, open the lid and remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water to make the slurry.2 tablespoons cornstarch3 tablespoons cold water
- Turn the Instant Pot back on using the saute function. Pour in the slurry and whisk to combine. The sauce will thicken as it heats.
- Serve the chicken and sauce over rice or whatever you like. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds4 teaspoons green onion
Notes
- The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients and a serving size of only 1-cup of the chicken. Furthermore, the calories count DOES NOT included the rice seen in the photos. Actual calories will vary. The honey garlic chicken can be stored in your fridge for up to 3-days in a sealed container.
- The total time listed includes 30 minutes of marinating time.