This Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken is an easy dinner that brings bold, sweet and savory flavor straight to your kitchen. You get that crave worthy takeout flavor at home in only 30 minutes! A family friendly dinner that everyone can agree on.
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This post was originally posted on 2/3/2021 and updated on 2/5/2026.
I developed this recipe using the same skills I learned working in restaurant kitchens and the same standards I use for every dish I share on my site. I test my recipes multiple times at home to make sure they are reliable, flavorful, and practical for real life cooking. My family is always my first group of taste testers, so this meal has been kid approved and husband approved more than once. You can trust this recipe because it is built from experience, careful testing, and years of cooking from scratch.
Why We Love This Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
- Tastes like takeout but made easily right at home.
- Ready in about 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
- Everything cooks in the Instant Pot, so cleanup is quick and easy.
- Uses simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
- Kid approved but still flavorful enough for adults.
- A great meal prep option for easy lunches for the week.
- A tasty way to change up the usual chicken dinner routine.
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts, Boneless and Skinless
- Honey
- Soy Sauce
- Sweet Chili Sauce
- Minced Onion, Dried
- Olive Oil
- Minced Garlic
- Corn Starch
- Water
Substitution Suggestions
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs would work well in this recipe, increase the cook time to 10 minutes and continue with a 10 minute natural release, then do a quick release.
- Soy Sauce: Liquid aminos or coconut aminos are good substitutes.
- Sweet Chili Sauce: Ketchup or tomato paste with a pinch or red pepper flakes can be used in place of the sweet chili sauce. I do suggest the next time you are out shopping to get yourself a bottle of it. It is a tasty condiment to have on hand in the fridge for making easy dishes like this one. Be sure to check the labels of different brands, some will have a lot of food dye in them and other unnecessary ingredients.
- Dried Onion Flakes: You can use some grated fresh onion or a teaspoon of onion powder.
- Olive Oil: Any neutral oil like avocado oil, canola oil or vegetable oil are good options.
How to Make Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
- First, in a small bowl combine: honey, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, onion flakes, minced garlic and olive oil. Give it a good whisk until it is well blended and smooth.
- Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the instant pot and if desired, season them with a little salt and pepper. Remember there is soy in the sauce, so go easy on the salt.
- Then pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to sealing. Set the pot to high pressure for 6 minutes.
- Allow the pot to do a 10 minute natural pressure release and then carefully do a quick release.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board and set aside. Make sure it has reached at least 160°F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water until dissolved.
- Set the pot to Saute and drizzle the cornstarch slurry into the sauce while whisking at the same time.
- Bring sauce to a bubble and cook until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. It'll coat the back of a spoon.
- Turn the instant pot off.
- Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and place in a serving dish. Pour sauce over the chicken and give it a gentle mix or add the chicken back into the Instant Pot.
- Serve chicken over cooked rice with sesame seeds and green onions.
How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken without an Instant Pot
There are a couple other ways you could make this, stove top and crock pot.
Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken: Place the chicken and sauce mix in the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours. Once the time is up, remove chicken and whisk slurry into sauce and let thicken for 15-30 minutes. Or pour the sauce into a sauce pot and place over medium heat. Drizzle in the cornstarch slurry and whisk often until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
Stove Top Method: Dice up the chicken breast and sauté it in some olive oil over medium heat until fully cooked. Add the sauce mix over the chicken and bring to a low bubble. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and keep stirring until the sauce has thickened.
Serving Honey Garlic Chicken
This honey garlic chicken is delicious served over my easy recipes for instant pot white rice or brown rice with some simple steamed vegetables like broccoli or peas. Finish it off with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
It would also be delicious served over cauliflower rice for a lower carb option.
Repurpose the leftover chicken, sauce and rice to make a delicious fried rice!
For more easy dinner inspiration using chicken and the Instant Pot try my: Teriyaki Chicken, Shredded Chicken, Salsa Chicken, Whole Chicken, or Chicken Stew. They are all great and delicious options for busy nights.
Storing Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Storing: Add the chicken and honey garlic sauce to an airtight container and store in fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Reheat quickly in the microwave until warmed through. Or you can reheat on the stove over low heat.
Freezing: Place the leftover honey garlic chicken in a freezer safe airtight container or freezer bag, label, date and freeze for up to 4 months.
Thawing: Thaw the chicken in the fridge overnight and the reheat and serve.
Heather's Favorite Tools for this Recipe
- I love my Instant Pot Multi Cooker! I use it so much and for so many different recipes!
- These nestled mixing bowls are my favorite for prepping ingredients.
- These glass measuring cups from Pyrex are my favorite to use when measuring sauces or liquids.
- An instant-read thermometer is ideal for checking the temperature quickly. I use the Pampered Chef one but this instant read thermometer from OXO is great too!
- I love my crock pot that is programmable. It allows me to leave the house knowing the chicken won't be overcooked.
- Use these crock pot liners for super easy clean up!
Tips for Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
- Make sure you let the instant pot release naturally for 10 minutes. The chicken needs that time to finish cooking.
- If you are using 2 large chicken breasts (instead of 3 medium), increase the time to 8 minutes with a 10 minute natural release.
- You can use frozen chicken breasts, increase the cook time by 5 minutes and do a 10 minute natural release.
More Easy Chicken Recipes:
- Roasted Chicken Breast
- Chicken Gravy over Mashed Potatoes
- Creamy Chicken Orzo
- One Pan Chicken and Potatoes
- Breaded Chicken Cutlets
- Baked Cumin Chicken
- Sheet Pan Teriyaki Chicken
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Did you make this recipe? Rate it!
If you enjoyed this recipe give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comments below. It really helps the recipe stand out and I appreciate the feedback to make recipes everyone will enjoy.
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast, boneless, skinless, about 3 medium breasts
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced onion, dried
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic, about 3 cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, heaping
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, minced onion, minced garlic and olive oil until smooth.
- Place chicken in bottom of instant pot and season with a little salt and black pepper, if desired.
- Pour sauce over chicken.
- Place lid on pot and set valve to sealing.
- Set cooker to high pressure for 6 minutes. Naturally release pressure for 10 minutes and then do a quick release.
- Once the pin has dropped, remove lid. Remove chicken and set aside on a cutting board.
- Whisk together the cornstarch and water to create a slurry.
- Set instant pot to sauté mode and slowly drizzle the slurry into the sauce while whisking.
- Bring the sauce to a bubble and cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened, then turn off the instant pot.
- Dice chicken into bite size pieces and place in serving bowl. Pour sauce over chicken and give it a gentle mix. Or you can add chicken right back into the pot and serve out of that.
Lara H. says
I made this for the first time tonight and it was absolutely delicious!! We liked it so much, I'm making it again this weekend for family members. Thank you for such an amazing new recipe for my rotation.
Heather Warburton says
Thank you! Glad you all enjoyed it!