Remember that Instant Pot with all those buttons Well use it make this Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken to have dinner ready STAT. You ready?
I told myself I didn’t need an Instant Pot. I held out for so long. I thought that the Instant Pot trend wasn’t for me. That is until about a year ago, Black Friday to be exact, I gave in and purchased one for the lowest price I’d ever seen. Can’t tell you what I paid for it but I remember it was a great deal. Immediately, I was intimidated by all the buttons and the valves and their meanings. It’s been a slow progress but now I can’t imagine not having an Instant Pot. It’s literally magic. There are so many recipes out there. It’s about time I joined the club and shared this magic with you all.
Why I love the Instant Pot
Of the most obvious reason is the shortened cooking time. Busy bees like me (whether dealing with work, school, or family life) value cutting down time any way possible.
This Instant Pot has so many features. Out of them all I primarily use the sauté and the manual feature. With the sauté feature I can get a nice sear on meat before finishing on manual mode. Pressure cookers have come a long way. I remember my grandmother’s old school pressure cooker. It was a mean one trick pony mostly used to cook collard greens with smoked neck bones or ham hocks or turkey necks. It was a big part of growing up in Florida.
How to make Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Take the chicken and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside. Add the honey, soy sauce, water/broth and garlic to a medium sized bowl. Mix until honey is completely mixed/dissolved. Set sauce aside.Turn on the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Once heated add olive oil. Place seasoned chicken skin side down. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until top of chicken starts to turn golden brown. Flip chicken over and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes or until back of chicken starts to turn golden brown. The inside of the chicken will not be done. For this recipe I did flip the chicken back over to skin side up. This is completely optional. I simply wanted the skin/top of chicken to be submerged in the sauce when cooking and soak up all the flavor so you can see all it’s deliciousness up close in my photography.
Pour honey garlic mixture evenly over chicken. Change Instant Pot to Manual Mode. Close lid and cook for 10 minutes. When finished switch Instant Pot to Quick release and wait for Instant Pot to come to pressure. Open and sprinkle parsley/sesame seeds. Serve with rice and vegetables.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 chicken thighs-bone in, skin on
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Honey Garlic Sauce
- ½ cup honey
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water or broth
Toppings: (Optional)
- sesame seeds
- chopped parsley
Instructions
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Season chicken with salt and pepper. Set aside
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In a medium sized bowl mix together honey, soy sauce, garlic, water or broth. Stir until honey is completely dissolved into mixture.
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Turn on the instant pot and set to Saute mode. Once heated add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to Instant Pot. Then add seasoned chicken (skin side down) and cook on both sides until outside layer of chicken turns brown. Add the remaining olive oil and garlic and continue to sautee for another 30 seconds.
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Pour the honey garlic mixture over the chicken. Cover the instant pot with the lid and switch to Manual (select cancel and then press Manual) and set to high pressure for 10 minutes.
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When it beeps when finished, turn Instant Pot to Quick Release ( switch valve from sealing to venting). When done releasing, remove lid. Add parsley and/or sesame seeds. Serve with vegetable like broccoli and add rice.
Recipe Notes
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Jasmin Foster is a registered dietitian/food photographer focused on feel good balanced living providing recipes and tips to help you live your best life.