A deep, mahogany-colored, glaze-like sauce with a rich, multi-layered flavor profile becomes a warm and cozy partner for tender, dark-meat chicken with tasty vegetables. Honey Ginger Chicken Thighs is a complex and satisfying dish – truly restaurant-quality.
6-8
servings8
minutes1
hour17
minutes1
hour25
minutesIngredients
- For the chicken:
½ cup honey
¼ cup + 2 Tbs chicken broth
¼ cup hoisin
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbs gochujang
1½ Tbs sesame oil
8 cloves garlic, minced (about ¼ cup)
¼ cup minced fresh ginger
3½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- For the rice:
14 oz. (2 cups) jasmin rice
16 oz. (2 cups) water
¼ tsp salt
- For the stir fry:
Coconut oil
Carrots, sliced very thinly
Broccoli florets
Mushrooms, sliced
- For the sauce:
2 Tbs cornstarch, mixed with 2 Tbs cold water
Zest from 1 lime
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Directions
- Add all “chicken ingredients” EXCEPT the chicken to the Instant Pot. Whisk to combine. Lay the chicken thighs over the sauce.
- Add rice ingredients to a PIP. Stir, and place the PIP over the chicken on a tall trivet. (If you don’t want to use a PIP, you can make the rice first in the Instant Pot, and keep the rice warm as you wash out the pot and re-use it for the chicken.
- Secure the lid. Set the pot to POULTRY, normal (10 minutes), high (pressure); Natural Release for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, stir fry the vegetables: pre-heat a cast-iron skillet over a high flame for twice as long as you normally would. Add oil. Add the carrots and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes. Add the broccoli and continue to stir constantly for another 1-2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to stir constantly until they’re browned. Off heat. Set aside.
- Remove the thighs from the pot and set them aside.
- Set the pot to SAUTÉ, more (30 minutes). Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce is reduced at least by half, and thickens to a glaze-like consistency. CANCEL the sauté. Stir in the zest.
- Return the chicken to the pot, toss to coat. To plate, start with rice, add vegetables, top with chicken and sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Notes
- Substitutions: ¾ tsp powdered ginger for the fresh
- I developed this recipe for a six-quart Instant Pot. If using a different size or type of pot, you may need to make modifications.
Social Learning
The rice should come out of the PIP with no sticking. Use a stiff-but-flexible silicone spatula to cut and remove pie-shaped wedges and fluff them in the serving bowls.
Not just “good” leftover, but fantastic. Store the rice, vegetables, and chicken separately. Use kitchen shears to snip the vegetables and chicken into small pieces. Layer the three ingredients in a bowl, add a small pat of butter and a light sprinkling of kosher salt, and microwave until steaming hot. It reminds me of fried rice.
Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs in an Instant Pot
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. References: Fit Foodie Finds. Thank you, Kesor. Thank you, ⌘+C. Make It Like a Man! is ranked by Feedspot as #5 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs. Would it make good pierogi? I think so. What goes in the pierogi? All the solids from the finished dish, minced – plus the rice, if you feel you need to stretch it. What goes on the pierogi? The sauce and garnish. Still serve them with sour cream? Maybe. Maybe.
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Fabulous! I love hoisin and all of the other ingredients. A spectacular dish.
Thanks, Mimi!
While I don’t have an Instant Pot, this is easily done on the stovetop. Reading through the list of ingredients, I can almost taste it.
Thanks, Karen! I’m sure it could!
What a terrific flavour combination, Jeff. Honey and ginger match nicely.
Thanks, Gary!
You’ve jam-packed so much amazing flavor into these chicken thighs, yet the prep time is almost nothing. I love how the Instant Pot takes over and does the rest. This chicken dinner is what my busy week needs!
Yeah, there’s not a whole lot of prep. Just a few easy things to chop. The rest of it is just measuring things into the pot, turning it on, and cooking the vegetables while the pot is doing it’s thing.
Have never thought making chicken this way with IP…usually with a skillet or wok. Looks super yummy though!
I think you could probably do this in a casserole pot on the stovetop. Thanks!
That combination of ingredients that go into the IP with the chicken sound phenomenal!
Thanks! I think this is one of my favorite Instant Pot dishes.
I am thinking that this dish will definitely have punchy flavours, with the addition of gochujang and fresh ginger and all the other sauces that I love to use. It’s interesting that the chicken is still able to be lifted out as whole pieces after cooking them, incredibly tender I would think. I am keen to try this combination of flavours, however either in a pressure cooker or even in the oven. I don’t have an instant pot. Great recipe, thanks Jeff.
Thanks, Pauline! In the post, I’d wanted to say that the chicken was “melt in your mouth,” but I wasn’t sure if people said that kind of thing about chicken. But it was very much like that.
Golosissimo il pollo così cucinato, molto invitante!!!
Thanks!
C’est un joli plat bien gourmand.
Bisous.
Thank you!
C’est un plat appétissant j’aime ces saveurs
Bonne journée
Thank you!
Lovely twist! That honey-ginger chicken looks cozy and exciting – a nice update for a holiday season.
Thanks, Ben!
What a great recipe. I love all the sauces. I could use tofu instead of chicken.
That sounds like a great idea, Judee!
This sounds amazing. I love the flavor combinations.
Thanks!
I love how the Instant Pot does most of the heavy lifting while you just prep a few simple ingredients
Yeah. I like how you can just walk away from it and let it do its thing.