Instant Pot Honey Soy Chicken Thighs

Learn how to make Instant Pot Chicken Thighs with a sticky honey soy sauce. Instant Pot Honey Soy Chicken Thighs recipe uses bone in or boneless chicken thighs, a handful of ingredients, 5 minute prep, and can be served in less than 30 minutes!

Pressure Cooker or Slow Cooker Directions Included!

Recipes like these are why I fell in love with Instant Pot cooking! It has the ease of a dump and start slow cooker recipe, but without any of the forethought.

Of course, I love having a crockpot meal waiting for me at dinnertime. However, schedules sometimes make starting the recipe earlier in the day difficult.

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs recipe is perfect for those busy weeknights when you need to come home and make something fast and easy! Throw the bone in or boneless chicken thighs in your pressure cooker. Dump the asian sticky sauce ingredients in, and cook for 10 minutes.

In less than 30 minutes you’ll have tender, fall apart chicken thighs covered in a honey soy sauce served with rice. Kids devour this gluten free meal! With a recipe this easy, you will have no complaints about making it again and again!

If you love easy, dump and bake recipes, try Oven Baked Chicken Cacciatore or Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Chicken! 

Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Thighs with Sauce

• Chicken Thighs (boneless, bone in, or even chicken breasts may be used)
• Ketchup
• Honey
• Soy Sauce – read label to make sure it is gluten free
• Freshly Minced Ginger – See below for quick tutorial if you’ve never minced ginger!
• Garlic
• Rice Vinegar – Asian style vinegar, apple cider vinegar may be substituted

For Serving:

• Cooked Rice
• Sliced Green Onions
• Sesame Seeds
• Crushed Red Pepper – I love the bit of spice it adds to the sticky sweet sauce. Serve on the side so people can add if desired. 

Frozen Chicken Thighs in Instant Pot

When pressure cooking frozen chicken, generally the cooking time stays the same. Since the chicken is frozen, it will just take more time for the instant pot to come to pressure.

However, the beauty of an instant pot cooking is the decreasing the risk of overcooking food! I generally add about 2 minutes cooking time to frozen chicken just to make sure it is cooked through.

Since it is cooking under pressure, it will not dry out, but may be slightly more fall apart tender. No complaints from me about that!

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Cooking Times

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs – High pressure 8-10 minutes, quick release pressure
• Bone In Chicken Thighs – 10-12 minutes, quick release pressure
• Frozen Chicken Thighs – 10-12 minutes, quick release pressure. NOTE: Chicken shouldn’t be frozen together in one mass. 
• Shredded Chicken Thighs – For shredded chicken let pressure naturally release for 5 minutes, then let out any remaining pressure.

Intimidated by using an Instant Pot? Learn in minutes with this Easy Start Instant Pot Guide full of tips, hacks, and tricks.

How to Serve Honey Garlic Soy Chicken Thighs

Honey Soy Chicken Thighs recipe makes a delicious 30 minute meals with very little hands on time.

For make ahead meal prep, mix the sauce together up to 3 days ahead of time. Store in a airtight container separate from the raw chicken. 

1. Chicken Thighs with Rice – Prepare rice ahead of time or while chicken is cooking. I love taste of jasmine rice with asian style chicken, but any preferred rice will work.
2. Shredded Chicken Thighs on Buns – After the cooking time ends, leave the chicken in the Instant Pot for pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes. Remove and shred with 2 forks then add back to the thickened sauce. Serve on buns with Asian Slaw on top. 

Can I Use Bone In Chicken Thighs?

Yes, bone in chicken thighs may be used. Buy about 1/2 pound more to account for the additional weight of the bone.

You will also need to add 2 minutes to the cooking time for bone in chicken thighs. If the skin is on, either remove it before or after cooking. Cooking chicken thighs in the instant pot with the skin on doesn’t leave the most appealing results. 

Two chicken thighs, bone in or boneless, is a typical serving size. Count on less if serving to kids or for a lighter meal.

Can I Use Chicken Breasts Instead of Thighs?

Yes! Just use the same amount of meat and continue everything else in the recipe the same. 

Chicken breasts vary in size. You may have to add 3-5 minutes more cooking time if using large or frozen chicken breasts.

How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

1. Add chicken thighs to the bottom of the pot. Whisk together ketchup, honey, soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, minced ginger, and garlic in a small bowl.

2. Pour sauce over chicken and stir briefly to coat chicken.

3. Cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. For intact chicken thighs, quick release pressure after cooking time. For shredded chicken, allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release remaining pressure.

4. Remove chicken to a plate. Whisk together cornstarch with remaining water.

5. Press SAUTE  and slowly add water / cornstarch slurry into simmering sauce. Cook and stir for 1 minute. 

6. Pour sauce over chicken. Serve with rice and optional garnishes, like crushed red pepper, green onions, and sesame seeds. 

How to Mince Fresh Ginger

Don’t be intimidated by using fresh ginger in recipes! I tested honey garlic chicken recipe with powdered ginger, but the flavor was lackluster. Fresh ginger gives asian chicken the zing it needs!

Ginger may look all knobby and weird, but it’s actually quite simple to mince (a fancy word for cutting very tiny). First peel off the outer skin using a vegetable peeler.

Slice the peeled ginger very thinly, then cut across in each direction for a small mince. The texture of fresh ginger is fibrous and stringy, so don’t be alarmed!

If you love the taste of ginger, check out all the uses for ginger simple syrup in this post, such as in Pear Ginger Cocktails.

Can I Make This Recipe in the Slow Cooker? 

Yes, this recipe may also be made in the crockpot for an easy dump and start meal. Alternatively, enhance the flavor and texture by seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper. Quickly sear on the stovetop in hot oil before placing chicken in the slow cooker. 

Lay the raw or seared chicken thighs on the bottom of the crockpot. Whisk together ketchup, honey, soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, minced ginger, and garlic. Pour sauce over chicken and stir briefly to coat chicken.

Cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F.

In a small bowl mix the cornstarch and remaining water together. Add the cornstarch mixture to the slow cooker. Cook for 30 minutes – 1 more hour, or until sauce has just thickened.

Cooks Tips

• This recipe requires at least a 6 quart Instant Pot. Halve the recipe for 3 quart Duo Mini.
• I love the zing of crushed red pepper to compliment sticky sweet asian sauce. Serve with the meal so guests can decide if they want it or not. 
• If you get a burn warning while cooking, cancel cooking, and release pressure. Stir the contents, scraping up any possible brown bits on the bottom. Reseal and cook for remaining time. 
• Start to cook the rice before starting this recipe since it cooks so fast! I like to use a rice cooker because you just dump in water, rice, and press start!
• For meal prep or a freezer meal refrigerate or freeze chicken and sauce ingredients separately in airtight containers.  

Click here to see the
step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!

More Easy Instant Pot Recipes 

Instant Pot Meatloaf and mashed potatoes is a complete easy meal cooked together in the pressure cooker! If you are looking for easy Instant Pot dinner recipes, you will fall in love with this dish!

Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin recipe uses fast, simple preparation, but tastes gourmet with tender, juicy pork smothered in a tangy balsamic gravy. 

How to make Instant Pot Baked Potatoes are fast, fluffy, tender, and easy to make! You will never go back to traditional baked potatoes again!

Instant Pot French Dip recipe has tender roast beef flavored with onions, smothered in melted cheese, and a rich flavorful au jus to dip in. 

Easy Homemade Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings are a thicky, creamy bowl of comfort made in the pressure cooker or crockpot. 

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More Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipes

• Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken has five ingredients for a sticky honey garlic sauce that has so much flavor you’ll want to lick the spoon!
• Creamy Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are easy and delicious! Use bone in or boneless chicken thighs — both come out perfectly in the pressure cooker!
• Instant Pot Homestyle Chicken and Vegetables has well seasoned chicken, green beans, red potatoes and carrots are all cooked together quickly in your electric pressure cooker.
• Instant Pot (Keto Low-Carb) Creamy Garlic Tuscan Chicken Thighs with is a quick and easy healthy, pressure cooker recipe that can be made using fresh or frozen bone-in or boneless chicken thighs.