Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken

This instant pot teriyaki chicken is one of those recipes I come back to all the time. It’s quick, flavorful, and honestly easier than ordering takeout.

The sauce is made from scratch with soy sauce, honey, and a few other simple ingredients. It gets nice and thick, coating every piece of chicken perfectly.

I use boneless skinless chicken thighs here because they stay tender and juicy under pressure. They come out so good every single time.

The whole thing takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, including the time it takes for the sauce to thicken up. Perfect for a busy weeknight.

Serve it over white rice with some sesame seeds and green onions on top, and you’ve got a complete meal the whole family will enjoy.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

The Sauce Is Homemade in Seconds – You just whisk together soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger, and you’ve got a from-scratch teriyaki sauce that tastes way better than anything from a bottle.

Chicken Thighs Stay Incredibly Juicy – Pressure cooking boneless skinless chicken thighs locks in all that moisture, so you end up with tender, almost fall-apart meat instead of the dry rubbery chicken you sometimes get with other cooking methods.

That Glossy Thickened Sauce Is Everything – The cornstarch slurry step at the end turns the cooking liquid into a rich, shiny teriyaki glaze that clings to every piece of chicken and soaks beautifully into the rice.

Ingredients

• 2 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
• 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
• 1/3 cup Honey
• 1/4 cup Rice Vinegar
• 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp Fresh Ginger, grated
• 1/4 cup Water
• 2 tbsp Cornstarch
• 2 tbsp Water (for slurry)
• 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
• 2 Green Onions, sliced
• Cooked White Rice, for serving

Directions

Step 1

In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and 1/4 cup water until well combined.

Step 2

Place the chicken thighs in the Instant Pot and pour the teriyaki sauce over the top. Lock the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.

Step 3

When the cook time is done, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then carefully turn the valve to venting to release any remaining pressure. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board.

Step 4

Set the Instant Pot to saute mode. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. Pour the slurry into the sauce in the pot and stir continuously for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.

Step 5

Slice or shred the chicken and return it to the pot. Toss to coat everything in the thickened teriyaki sauce. Press cancel to turn off the heat.

Step 6

Serve the teriyaki chicken over cooked white rice and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

Pro Tips

Pat the Chicken Dry First

Before you put the chicken thighs in the Instant Pot, pat them dry with paper towels. Excess moisture on the surface of the chicken will water down the teriyaki sauce, and you’ll end up with a thinner, less flavorful result.

This is especially important if your chicken was frozen and thawed, since it tends to release a lot of extra liquid. A quick pat-down makes a real difference in how rich and concentrated the final sauce turns out.

Don’t Skip the Natural Release

That 5 minutes of natural pressure release isn’t just a random wait time. It lets the chicken finish cooking gently so it stays tender and juicy instead of tightening up from a sudden pressure drop.

If you do a full quick release right away, the chicken thighs can end up tougher and squeeze out more moisture. Five minutes of patience here goes a long way for the texture.

Make Sure the Cornstarch Slurry Has No Lumps

When you mix the cornstarch and water together, whisk it really well in a separate small bowl before adding it to the pot. If there are any lumps in the slurry, you’ll get little gummy clumps floating in your sauce instead of a smooth, glossy finish.

Also, make sure you mix the slurry right before you pour it in. If it sits too long, the cornstarch settles to the bottom and you’ll basically just pour water into the sauce. Give it one more quick stir right before it goes in.

Related Recipes

• Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
• Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
• Slow Cooker Beef & Broccoli
• Instant Pot Butter Chicken
• Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use instead of honey to make this lower in sugar?

You can swap the honey for a sugar-free alternative like monk fruit sweetener or a low-carb maple-style syrup. Just keep in mind that some sugar substitutes don’t caramelize the same way, so the sauce might taste slightly different but it will still be delicious.

If you’re going low-carb, you can also skip the cornstarch slurry and use xanthan gum instead – just a tiny pinch whisked into the sauce will thicken it without adding carbs.