This Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken is quick, easy, and healthy. Tender chicken is coated in the best sweet and sticky sauce, then served over a bed of rice!
This instant pot honey garlic chicken was a hit in our house! You can’t go wrong with chicken that’s coated in a sweet and sticky sauce, can you? The best part is that it’s easily customizable to suit your taste buds. Serving this to kiddos? Omit the sriracha and replace it with more ketchup. Want to feel the heat? Add in additional red pepper flakes!
Ingredients
If you ever do any Asian-inspired cooking you’ll likely have these pantry staples on hand already!
- Chicken Broth – gives the chicken moisture and acts as a flavorful base for the honey garlic sauce.
- Honey – adds just the right amount of sticky sweetness to the sauce.
- Soy Sauce and Apple Cider Vinegar – add saltiness and tang to offset the sweet honey. The acidity in both of these ingredients also help to break down the chicken for ultra-tender texture.
- Sriracha and Ketchup – sriracha adds a kick of heat while ketchup adds a bright sweetness to the sauce. If you’re sensitive to spice, replace with sriracha with additional ketchup.
- Garlic – adds a subtle nutty flavor.
- Chicken Breast – use boneless and skinless chicken breasts for tender, juicy results. Chicken thigh will work as well but the cook time may be affected.
- Cornstarch – mixes with chicken broth to form a slurry which helps thicken the sauce.
- Green Onion, Cilantro, and Sesame Seeds – for garnish, if desired!
How to make
This instant pot honey garlic chicken comes together in just 30 minutes from start to finish!
- In a large bowl, whisk together 3/4 cups broth, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, sriracha, ketchup, and garlic. Set aside.
- Pour half of the sauce mixture into a greased instant pot then add in chicken and cover with remaining sauce.
- Cover, lock the lid, and cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth and cornstarch until well-combined. Whisk that into the instant pot.
- Cube the chicken into bite-sized pieces then stir that back into the sauce mixture. Hit SAUTE on the instant pot then bring the mixture to a simmer so the sauce can thicken.
- Serve over rice and enjoy!
Can you use chicken thighs?
You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in place of chicken breasts, if preferred.
The cook time may increase slightly. Start with the time listed and add additional time as needed — the internal temperature of the meat should be a minimum of 165ºF before serving!
Can you use frozen chicken?
You can use frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Follow the recipe as written, but cook for 25 minutes (instead of the original 10 minutes listed).
By using frozen chicken you may end up with a more watery, less flavorful sauce, because frozen chicken will release extra moisture. You’ll likely need to play around with seasonings and may need to add in additional cornstarch or simmer time to thicken.
My suggestion? If you only have frozen chicken on hand, follow these steps to quickly thaw it instead:
- Place the breasts in a baggie in a bowl of room temperature water.
- Change the water out every 20 minutes or so to make sure it doesn’t get too warm.
- Let it sit until the chicken is thawed fully!
- Proceed with recipe as written.
How to thicken honey garlic sauce
The sauce will thicken after you add the cornstarch slurry and as it simmers.
If it still isn’t thickened to your liking, make another cornstarch slurry (with equal parts water or chicken broth and cornstarch) and whisk that into the sauce until it’s reached your desired texture.
Variations
- Make it gluten-free. Sub the soy sauce for a gluten-free variety such as tamari or coconut aminos. As always, be sure all the ingredients you’re using are certified gluten-free.
- Play with spice. For a less spicy version, reduce the sriracha to 2 tablespoons and add an extra 2 tablespoons of ketchup. For a no spice version, omit the sriracha and replace with an additional 1/4 cup ketchup.
What to serve with honey garlic chicken
I love to serve this honey garlic chicken over a bed of rice with a couple of yummy sides!
- Asian Roasted Broccoli
- Egg Rolls
- Side Salad with Asian Dressing
- Egg Drop Soup
How to store
Store leftover honey sriracha chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen then microwave to warm before serving over rice!
– Jennifer

Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken broth divided
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup soy sauce gluten free variety, coconut aminos, or tamari, if necessary
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup Sriracha *
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 6 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- Green onion for garnish
- Cilantro for garnish
- Sesame seeds for garnish
- Instant Pot Basmati Rice for serving
Recipe Video
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together 3/4 cups broth, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, sriracha, ketchup, and garlic. Set aside.
- Grease a 6 quart Instant Pot with cooking spray then pour in half the sauce mixture.
- Add in chicken and cover with remaining sauce.
- Cover and lock the lid. Make sure the pressure valve is pointed toward SEALING.
- Cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes.
- Flip the valve to do a quick release.
- Remove the chicken and set aside on a cutting board.
- In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth and cornstarch until well combined (this is our slurry).
- Slowly whisk the slurry into the Instant Pot.
- Cube the chicken into bite sized pieces, then stir into the Instant Pot.
- Hit SAUTE on the Instant Pot and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Simmer for 1-3 minutes, stirring regularly, or until the sauce has thickened to your liking.
- Serve over rice and garnish with toppings of choice!
- Take 5 seconds to rate this recipe below. We greatly appreciate it!
Notes
Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
Caroline Sussex, New Brunswick
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy
Sue Fort Myers, Florida
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy