This easy Instant Pot Sticky Chicken recipe makes fall-off-the-bone tender chicken thighs in a sweet and salty sauce. This recipe for Instant Pot chicken thighs is bound to become a family favourite! It's a 30-minute meal, perfect for busy weeknights.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- If you're looking for an easy instant pot chicken thigh recipe with sauce, you've found it! This Instant Pot Sticky Chicken makes a favourite weeknight meal when served over rice, pasta, or stir-fried veggies.
- If you've made my Crock Pot Sticky Chicken in your slow cooker, you're in for a treat if you have an Instant Pot! I've adapted my slow cooker sticky chicken recipe and explained how to make sticky chicken thighs in an Instant Pot.
- And even if you've never tried my slow cooker Sticky Chicken recipe, I know you'll love this Instant Pot version.
- This easy recipe makes fall-off-the-bone tender chicken thighs in a sweet and salty sauce. It's a sticky Asian glazed chicken recipe that I've been making for years. A family favourite!
🛒 Ingredients
- chicken thighs: bone-in, skin-on. See the Possible Variations section below if you want to use other chicken parts.
- tamari soy sauce: or coconut aminos for those of you on a Paleo diet.
- balsamic vinegar: gives a subtle mellow flavour to the sticky chicken sauce.
- granulated sweetener: your choice: brown sugar, coconut sugar, or Monkfruit sweetener.
- honey: adds the stickiness!
- a hot sauce like Sriracha: or substitute dried red pepper flakes
- aromatics: fresh garlic, fresh ginger, onion powder
- sesame seeds and cilantro or parsley for garnish
🔪 Instructions
You'll find complete instructions for how to make sticky chicken thighs in an Instant Pot in the recipe card below. Here's a quick overview of what you'll do.
Step 1: Start by combining the sauce ingredients and set them aside.
Step 2: Using the Sauté function on your Instant Pot, brown the chicken parts on both sides. If you're using more than four or five thighs, you may need to brown the chicken in batches.
Step 3: Next, add the sauce, and toss it with the chicken so both sides are coated. Pressure cook for 10 minutes, give it a 5-minute rest with the Instant Pot turned off, then release the residual pressure.
Step 4: Remove the chicken pieces. Thicken the sauce with a little cornstarch mixed with an equal amount of water, then add the chicken pieces back in. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro or parsley.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
This sticky Asian glazed chicken is delicious over rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, pasta, or even mashed potatoes.
It also makes a great accompaniment to stir-fried vegetables.
You can also serve it with a side of broccoli or baby bok choy. It's an Asian chicken thigh recipe that goes well with almost any vegetable!
🔁 Possible Variations
If you'd prefer to use other chicken parts, these will also be delicious with this easy sticky chicken recipe.
Bone-in chicken thighs with or without skin: set for 10 minutes with a 5-minute natural pressure release.
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs: set for 8 minutes with a 5-minute natural pressure release.
Boneless skinless chicken breasts: set for 6 minutes with a 5-minute natural pressure release.
Elaine's Tips
- The cook time that you set will remain the same whether you are cooking a few pieces of chicken or a lot, but the time the Instant Pot takes to come to pressure will increase the more chicken you have. If you're using frozen chicken, the time it takes to come to pressure will also be longer.
- Since the size of chicken parts varies, use these times as a guideline. Always check the internal temperature of your chicken with an instant-read meat thermometer. It should register 165°F. or higher to be safely cooked.
- If your chicken isn’t completely cooked after the pressure cook time finishes, turn your Instant Pot to Sauté mode to finish cooking.
Enjoy! When you make this Instant Pot chicken thigh recipe, be sure to let me know in the comments section below, and leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating. I love hearing how my recipes turn out for you, or what adaptations you've made. Thanks in advance!
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Sticky Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on, (about 12 thighs)
- 2 tablespoon oil
Sticky Chicken Sauce
- ⅓ cup tamari soy sauce, or coconut aminos for paleo diet
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar, or brown sugar, or Monkfruit sweetener
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce,
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ inch knob fresh ginger, or 1 teaspoon powdered ginger, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 2-4 tablespoon cornstarch
Garnish
- fresh cilantro, sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients, except cornstarch and water.
- Pat chicken pieces dry so they won't stick to the pot.
- Turn on the Sauté mode on the Instant Pot. When hot, add oil, then add chicken pieces, skin side down. To prevent the skin from sticking to the pot, wait to turn the chicken until it has released itself. Turn and brown on the other side.
- Add the sauce to the pot, stirring to coat both sides of the chicken thighs.
- Press cancel, lock the lid, press Manual and set for 10 minutes.
- When time is up, turn the Instant Pot off, let it sit for 5 minutes, then release the remaining pressure.
- Remove ¼ cup of the sauce, combine it with 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and add it back to the pot.
- Turn on Sauté mode and stir for 2 - 3 minutes or until sauce is thick and bubbling.
- Remove chicken with tongs, garnish with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro leaves.
Notes
- If you'd prefer to use other chicken parts, these will also be delicious with this easy sticky chicken recipe.
Simone
Elaine, I will be cooking for 25 people and would like to use your recipe. I will make multiple batches of this delicious chicken. Can you advise me on how to best warm the previously cooked (and cooled) thighs?
Elaine
Hi Simone, I'm impressed! That's quite a crowd! I'd suggest using your oven to reheat these. Put the chicken with the sauce in the oven, cover with foil, and reheat at 350°F. for 15 minutes or until heated through. Let me know how it goes!
Lori
OMG! So yummy! And it's so easy to make in my Instant Pot. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Loved it.
Elaine
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! Appreciated!
Danika
So much flavor, and this is easy to make in my Instant Pot. Thanks for another great recipe!
Elaine
You're welcome! Thanks for the 5 star rating!
Tammy
I’m new to instant pot. I have the 8 quart the instructions recommend using 2 cups water to achieve pressure Does this have enough liquid so there isn’t a burn notice? It looks delicious.
Flavour & Savour
Hi Tammy. I haven't found it a problem at all to not add extra water with my 6-quart pot. Since you have the larger one, you could add 1 or 1/13 cups of water to the bottom of the pot. There is already 2/3 cup of liquid from the soy sauce and the vinegar and the chicken will release some liquid, too. You may have to add a little more cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Once pressure cooking is complete and pressure is released, open your pot. Select the Sauté function, whisk in the slurry and let it simmer until the sauce has thickened. I hope this helps! Thanks for your question.
Marit
How much water? It doesn’t say
Flavour & Savour
Thanks for pointing that out! ❤️ Just mix the cornstarch with a couple of tablespoons of water to make a slurry. How much cornstarch to use will depend on how thick you like the sauce. In general, you can use equal parts of cornstarch and water. Thanks for your question!
Mallory
Thought I'd let you know this is a favourite dinner in our house! Kids love it.
Flavour & Savour
That's great to hear! Thanks for the 5 stars!
Elise
This recipe is so easy and so good. I've made your slow cooker Sticky Chicken many times, and now I can use my Instant Pot. My family loves this. Thanks.