Craving sweet-savory teriyaki without the fuss? This Instant Pot Chicken Teriyaki Chicken is juicy, saucy, and ready in a flash—just toss it in, press a button, and boom: dinner’s done!
Why This Recipe Works
- Authentic Taste: This recipe captures the classic, sweet-savory flavors of traditional Japanese teriyaki.
- Quick and Easy: The Instant Pot ensures a fast, foolproof cooking process.
- Versatile Dish: Serve over rice, noodles or steamed vegetables for a complete meal.
📋 Ingredients
- Skinless Chicken Thighs: The star of the dish, offering a rich, juicy base that absorbs all the flavors.
- Soy Sauce: Provides a deep, savory umami flavor that's essential to any teriyaki dish.
- Honey: Balances out the saltiness of the soy sauce with a touch of natural sweetness.
- Minced Garlic: Adds a kick of pungent, earthy flavor that pairs well with the other savory ingredients.
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavors of the dish, making them more pronounced.
- Rice Vinegar: Brings a tangy note to the dish, balancing out the sweetness and saltiness.
- Pepper: Gives the dish a hint of heat, adding another layer of complexity to the flavors.
- Ginger Purée: Infuses the dish with a warm, spicy flavor that's a classic in Asian cuisine.
- Cornstarch Thickener: Helps to create a thick, glossy sauce that clings to the chicken.
- Butter: Adds a subtle richness to the sauce, rounding out the flavors and giving it a silky finish.
- Diced Green Onions: Used as a garnish, they add a pop of color and a fresh, crisp flavor.
- Sesame Seeds: Another garnish, they add a nutty flavor and a bit of crunch for textural contrast.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
- Chicken Thighs: You can use either skin-on or skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. However, we recommend using skinless as it will be healthier and have less fat. If you do use chicken with the skin on, you'll want it to be a little crispy so add a few extra minutes to the saute time at the start of the cooking process.
- Chicken Breast: You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe as a substitute for chicken thighs. If using chicken breast, chop the chicken into cubes before cooking. If you want to use pre-cooked chicken, shredded chicken or cooked chicken pieces then skip the saute instructions at the start as the chicken is already cooked.
- Ginger Powder: You can use ginger powder instead of ginger puree. Simply add one teaspoon of ground ginger or powdered ginger in place of the fresh ginger root. Ginger powder will lend a milder flavor compared to fresh ginger so you may need to adjust the amount of soy sauce and rice vinegar depending on your taste preference.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: If you don't have rice wine vinegar try using apple cider vinegar.
🔪How to Make Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
Here are the step-by-step instructions for Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken:
Step One: Turn on Saute Function
Place the Instant Pot on sauté mode and melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, add cubes of chicken and garlic. Cook for 4 minutes to brown the outside.
Step Two: Add Spices and Flavorings
Cancel the sauté mode, add the spices, rice vinegar, honey, and soy sauce to the Instant Pot insert.
Step Three: Pressure Cook Teriyaki Chicken
Close the Instant Pot lid and set the sealing valve to closed. Set your electric pressure cooker to pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
Step Four: Naturally Release Pressure
When the honey teriyaki chicken has finished cooking, release the steam naturally for 10 minutes then quick release any remaining pressure.
Step Five: Turn On Saute
While simmering, whisk in the cornstarch slurry mixture slowly to thicken up your Teriyaki sauce.
Step Six: Garnish and Serve
Remove chicken from the pot and serve into bowls with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve your Instant Pot teriyaki chicken over white steamed rice or brown rice for a delicious main course cuisine.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
- Light Honey: When making teriyaki chicken with honey, use a light-colored honey such as clover or orange blossom. This will help to produce a more subtle sweetness compared to darker varieties.
- Thin Glaze: To make the glaze thinner, add a little water and whisk until combined before brushing it on the chicken.
- Sesame Seeds: For extra flavor, sprinkle your chicken with sesame seeds after glazing.
💭 FAQs
Teriyaki Chicken is a traditional Japanese dish made with marinated chicken that has been cooked in a sweet and sticky teriyaki sauce. It can be served as an entree, over white or fried rice, or even used as a topping for salads.
The teriyaki sauce in this recipe is made from soy sauce, honey, garlic powder, ground ginger, and rice wine vinegar. Teriyaki Chicken has a sweet and savory flavor with hints of garlic and ginger.
To thicken the teriyaki sauce, you can whisk in a mixture of cornstarch and cold water to the Instant Pot before serving. A cornstarch slurry will help the sauce become thicker and more like a traditional teriyaki sauce.
It is best to use a good quality soy sauce like Kikkoman or Tamari. Both of these are gluten-free and low in sodium, which makes them perfect for this recipe.
Refrigerate leftover Teriyaki Chicken promptly in an airtight container and consume within 3-4 days for optimal freshness. For longer storage, portion the chicken into airtight containers or freezer bags, removing excess air, and label with the freezing date. You can freeze teriyaki chicken for 2-3 months.
Serving Suggestions
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Teriyaki Chicken:
Wondering what to eat with teriyaki chicken? This teriyaki chicken is great served over hot cooked white rice. You can also serve it with steamed vegetables or your favorite side dishes such as Fried Rice, Noodles, or Salad. Enjoy!
- Garlic Fried Rice: A fragrant blend of garlic-infused rice, stir-fried to perfection for a savory companion to your Teriyaki Chicken.
- Asian Slaw: Crunchy cabbage, carrots, and sesame seeds tossed in a tangy Asian dressing—refreshing and light.
- Edamame Beans: Steamed and lightly salted edamame pods make for a protein-packed, easy-to-share side dish.
- Roasted Vegetables: Vibrant oven-roasted veggies like zucchini, bell peppers, and carrots, seasoned to perfection for a hearty side.
- Quinoa Pilaf: Fluffy quinoa cooked with broth, mixed with diced vegetables— a nutritious and flavorful side to complement your Teriyaki Chicken.
🍜 More Homely Recipes
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Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 7-8 Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 1 Cup Soy Sauce
- ½ Cup Of Honey
- 1 Tablespoon Of Minced Garlic
- 1 Teaspoon Of Salt
- ¼ Cup Of Rice Vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon Of Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Of Ginger Purée
- Cornstarch Thickener 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water mixed
- 2 Tablespoons Of Butter
- Diced Green Onions for garnish
- Teaspoon Sesame Seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Place the Instant Pot on sauté mode and melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, add cubes of chicken and garlic. Cook for 4 minutes to brown the outside.
- Cancel the sauté mode, add the spices, rice vinegar, honey, and soy sauce to the Instant Pot insert.
- Close the Instant Pot lid and set the sealing valve to closed. Set your electric pressure cooker to pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- When the honey teriyaki chicken has finished cooking, release the steam naturally for 10 minutes then quick release any remaining pressure.
- While simmering, whisk in the cornstarch slurry mixture slowly to thicken up your Teriyaki sauce.
- Remove chicken from the pot and serve into bowls with green onions and sesame seeds.
- Serve your Instant Pot teriyaki chicken over white steamed rice or brown rice for a delicious main course cuisine.
Notes
Nutrition
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