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Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe

Published: / Updated: / 26 Comments

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This Instant Pot honey garlic chicken recipe is fast, delicious, and it's made with a handful of everyday ingredients.

close-up of easy Instant Pot honey garlic chicken served over rice in a bowl

Pretty sure this pressure cooker honey garlic chicken recipe will please the picky eaters out there. It's sweet and warm, and I have trouble seeing anyone actually dislike this unless they don't like sweet recipes in general.

Or garlic, I guess. Watch - now someone is going to tell me they don't like this recipe... it's bound to happen. 😛

You may also like my honey lemon chicken or this honey garlic soy sauce chicken.

bowl of Instant Pot honey garlic chicken in a bowl with white cloth napkin beside it

I debated whether I should make this honey and garlic chicken recipe in the Instant Pot or not. I really like my Instant Pot, but I find a lot of recipes could just as easily be made on the stove. Some people like using their Instant Pot for pretty much everything, though, so that's why I'm not questioning myself too much.

I originally thought I would only post recipes that really benefit from being cooked in an Instant Pot (like it massively speeds up the process e.g. instead of slow cooking for 10 hours you can make it in an hour), but it looks like I'm going with a variety of recipes here and we'll see how it goes.

There's pros and cons of Instant Pot vs. stove top, and I'm sure people could argue it until they're blue in the face. I've included a few tips in the recipe card on how to do this on the stove if you don't own an Instant Pot or you don't want to use it.

I do know that the Instant Pot yields delicious, tender chicken.

honey garlic chicken inside an Instant Pot

How to make honey garlic sauce

There's many ways to do this, but my version includes:

  • Honey
  • Soy sauce
  • Garlic
  • Lemon juice
  • Olive oil

I added a cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken it up a bit. I love the sauté function on the Instant Pot - it's great for reducing sauces.

Other Instant Pot chicken recipes you may like:

Instant Pot honey garlic chicken in a bowl over rice

I hope you'll give this easy Instant Pot honey chicken recipe a try!

Let me know if you've tried it or have any questions in the comments below.

This Instant Pot honey garlic chicken recipe is fast, delicious, and it's made with a handful of everyday ingredients.

Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe

This Instant Pot honey garlic chicken recipe is fast, delicious, and it's made with a handful of everyday ingredients. 
5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 12 mins
Inactive time 10 mins
Total Time 27 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 327 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 3 chicken breasts cut into 1" pieces
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Fresh chives or scallions chopped, for garnish (optional)
  • Fresh parsley to taste for garnish (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Prep your chicken. Add the honey, soy sauce, water, lemon juice, and garlic to a small bowl and whisk together. 
  • If making rice for this recipe, it's good to get it started about now. I would use 2 cups uncooked rice for 4 people, or perhaps a bit less if they prefer smaller portions.
  • Press the "sauté" button on your Instant Pot. Add the olive oil and chicken and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. 
  • Pour the honey garlic mixture into your Instant Pot and give it a good stir. Close the lid, set it to "sealing" and cook the chicken on high pressure for 5 minutes. It'll take a few minutes to get up to pressure. 
  • Once the countdown has finished, do a quick release of the pressure. 
  • Set your Instant Pot to "sauté" again to thicken the sauce. Mix the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water together in a small bowl, then add it to your Instant Pot. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce is thickened. Season with salt & pepper as needed. Serve over rice. 

Notes

  • You could also cook this on the stovetop - I would do it in a large skillet. Sauté like the recipe states, then cover the pan with a lid until the chicken is cooked. Finish off by stirring in the cornstarch mixture at the end.
  • I use this 6-quart Instant Pot.
  • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
     

Nutrition

Calories: 327kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 37gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 452mgPotassium: 671mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 51IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Instant Pot honey garlic chicken
Author Natasha Bull
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  2. Renee Parker says

    5 stars
    More, please! I love that phrase and I got it with this recipe. From the can't leave well enough alone file, I sprinkled powdered ginger (1/2tsp?) over the top before sealing the lid. So simple, fast, easy, delicious. Started the rice then started the chicken and everything was on the table in 25 minutes. It doesn't get in any better.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hello! In general, for doubling recipes in the Instant Pot, cooking time will stay the same. I would straight double all ingredients. I think doubling it in a 6 quart or larger IP will work fine. Hope you enjoy it, Jodi! 🙂

      Reply

  4. samantha sherman says

    Hi there! This recipe is so tasty, I just made it for the second time. I’m curious though, the liquid when the recipe is done doesn’t seem to thicken up. Is it supposed to be a more watery liquid finish?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! I'm so glad you like it! Yes, the sauce in this particular recipe isn't particularly thick. You could always add a bit more cornstarch if you prefer a thicker texture.

      Reply

  6. Julie says

    5 stars
    I made this today (in my Instant Pot) only to discover that I had no cornstarch, flour or thickening agent of any kind. Then I remembered that I had some powdered peanut butter and decided to go Thai on this recipe. Had to tinker a little, but it came out GREAT! I'm anxious to try this recipe as intended, but I'm pretty pleased with my newly found easy Thai sauce, lol! If you try it, remember it will thicken up more than usual after it cools:-)

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Lisa! I don’t think there’s enough liquid in the recipe as written for it to work in a standard sized slow cooker. I recommend trying it on by stove if you don’t want to make it in an Instant Pot. I’d probably do it for 3-4 hours on high in a slow cooker, but again, you may have to play with the recipe a bit to get it to work.

      Reply