Chicken breast cubes are coated in a flavorful honey garlic sauce for an easy meal that is cooked in the Instant Pot and ready in less than 30 minutes. It’s a one pot dish with minimal clean-up.
I’ve shared my honey garlic chicken and honey garlic cauliflower recipes on the blog already. My honey garlic sauce is one of my favorite sauces to make, so I’m excited to share an Instant Pot version of my honey garlic chicken.
It’s so easy, quick and the chicken absorbs all the flavors of the sauce in a very short amount of time as a result of the pressure cooking. This is much easier than making it on the stove and everything cooks in one pot for minimal clean-up.
First you saute the chicken in your Instant Pot just until it starts to turn white. Then you add in the sauce and cook the chicken on high pressure. In about 3 minutes, your chicken is tender and cooked. You then add a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce and then it’s ready to eat. You’re chicken will likely be done even before your rice!
I paired my chicken with brown rice and steamed broccoli for a more well rounded meal, but you can also serve it with salad, cauliflower rice, quinoa, etc.
More Recipes to Try
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 green scallions thinly sliced
- 3 tsp cornstarch
for the sauce
- 6 tbsp honey
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp sriracha sauce
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add all your sauce ingredients and whisk until smooth.
- Add chicken to your Instant Pot. Set it on saute function and lightly cook the chicken for about 1-2 minutes, just so it is starting to turn white around the outer edges.
- Pour sauce over your chicken. Seal your Instant Pot and set to manual mode, cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, do a quick release so that the chicken does not overcook. Chicken should be cooked and tender when you open your Instant Pot.
- Add cornstarch to your sauce and immediately whisk it in to dissolve it. Then turn your Instant Pot back to saute function and stir the sauce until it thickens. Careful not to cook the sauce too long as it will cause your chicken to overcook. Keep it mind that sauce will thicken further as it cools. Garnish with scallions. Serve immediately.
Notes
- I used the Instant Pot 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker (6 Quart Version)*
- *Some of the product links contained in this post are affiliate links. Much like referral codes, this means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I referred (at no extra charge to you).
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Hello, this recipe looks so delicious, and I can’t wait to try it! I just have a question about the cornstarch. Can I substitute arrowroot for the cornstarch, and will I need to adjust cooking time if I do so?
Thanks!
I have not tried arrowroot so I’m not sure. It shouldn’t affect cooking time since it would be added at the end to thicken the sauce.
Can i use cholula hot sauce in place of sriracha? I dont have any on hand
yes most hot sauces will work
This is very delicious but it definitely isn’t enough for my family of six. My teenage boys said I should make 1 recipe per person. lol Thanks for the easy IP recipe.
I’m glad your family enjoyed the recipe! The 6 servings is based on the recommended 4 oz for a single serving of chicken.
can you substitute pork loin cubes for the chicken?
I think it can work with pork but the cooking time may need to be adjusted.
I have an 8 qt instant pot. Your recipe does not call for much liquid. My directions say I should always have over 2 cups of liquid. Any idea how I should modify the liquid amount?
You would need to adjust for the 8 quart, but unfortunately without testing, I don’t know how much to modify.
I made this last night and it was DELICIOUS. It was also very easy to make. It will definitely become part of our normal rotation.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
If I was making 4 chicken breasts would I double everything?
I’m not sure what the weight of your chicken breasts are, but assuming it’s around 3 lbs, you would double the ingredients. I don’t know how much the cooking time would be affected though without trying it out myself
Can I use frozen chicken that isn’t cubed?
the chicken needs to be fully defrosted and cubed, otherwise it will not cook properly
Quick question – my experience with chicken has always been that quick release makes the chicken a bit rubbery. Does that not happen here because it is cubed? Would it become tough if you did a 10min natural release? Thanks so much!!
I haven’t had issues with the chicken being rubbery. I do think the chicken will be tough if you do the natural release because the chicken will overcook
You say in recipe:
1. In a small bowl, add all your sauce ingredients and whisk until smooth.
Then you say:
4. Add cornstarch to your sauce and immediately whisk it in to dissolve it.
Are we adding cornstarch twice? in 1.? and in 4.?
apologies, the cornstarch should not have been listed with the sauce ingredients. I’ve changed it now
I’m a breast cancer survivor and I can’t use soy sauce. What could I substitute for soy sauce?
sorry I don’t have an answer to that. I haven’t tried doing soy sauce substitution before
Tamara may be a substitute ore Braggs Liquid amigos
Coconut aminos is a good substitute too! Slightly sweeter than soy sauce though.
Can you make this with tofu as well?
to be honest, I’m not quite sure. It may work with very firm tofu but I haven’t tried it. Because of the pressurized cooking, if you use a soft tofu it will definitely break apart during cooking.
Hi Kirbie,
I’m very new to the Instant Pot so still trying to learn. Just a quick question about your recipe for Honey Garlic Chicken. It looks delicious, by the way! Is there enough liquid in this to let the IP come up to pressure? I have the 8 Qt. and I’m supposed to have about 1 1/2 C liquid for it to work properly. I’ve read through your recipe several times and am not seeing much liquid in there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much,
Robyn
I use the 6 quart version and the sauce was liquidy enough to bring the cooker to come to pressure. Unfortunately, I’m not sure for the 8 quart version. You may need to adjust/ increase the recipe.