Instant Pot Korean chicken thighs is what we called this! Served over rice it is sweet with a bit of spicy flavors in the sauce you’ll love. Use boneless skinless breasts or thighs as a Ninja Foodi recipe or in any pressure cooker.
Chicken recipes are the best! Add a delicious sauce like this Instant Pot Korean chicken we call this and OH WOW! It’s a family favorite sweet and savory dinner. added to our long list of Instant Pot recipes we make weekly.
Our version is REALLY different because it is healthy with NO frying required. That’s right, I skipped the breading but not any of the bold flavors! You will love it just as much but without any oil required and a lot less calories. To make things even more simple to eat I prefer to use boneless, skinless thighs and cut them into bite size pieces. No there wouldn’t be an issue using chicken breasts either, I just think thighs are much more tender.
You can use any brand of electric pressure cooker to make this. A Crockpot Express or Ninja Foodi have the same saute and high pressure functions so that doesn’t matter. With this brand though you need to remember to use the lid that is not attached to pressure cook.
How Long to Cook Korean Chicken in Instant Pot
You will want to first dice into pieces about 1″ by 1″ or so like our Instant Pot Hawaiian chicken dish. This will allow the meat to soak up the sauce better and make it easier to eat too. Then add the sauce and stir the contents together so it’s all nicely coated and close the lid to cook for just 5 minutes on high pressure cook = the perfect time to cook the chicken all the way thru.
This will still keep it nice and tender though. Release the pressure quickly once it is done (quick release), then decide whether you want to thicken the Korean sauce once it’s done.
Korean Chicken with Frozen Chicken Thighs
If all you have are frozen pieces you will want to separate them from one another. Add into the pot with a bit of broth and this is how to cook frozen chicken in the Instant Pot first. Then drain liquid, dice meat, and follow directions in recipe card below. Decrease cook time to 2 minutes in this case since it is precooked.
The steps for this Instant Pot chicken recipe are simple because there is NO precooking required. I’ve used the same technique for many other dinners because cutting the meat into small pieces cuts down on cook time.
How to Make Spicy
Bibimbap is another name for this dish and you can make as mild or spicy as you want. If you want some real heat to it add a bit of gochujang for your best flavor. Other options would be to include a bit of Sriracha or red pepper flakes into the sauce like we do with our Instant Pot teriyaki chicken thighs.
How to Thicken the Sauce
I will say this last step isn’t necessary but for consistency purposes I think it makes it better. You’ll need the saute function for this part. You know that thick sauce you get when you go to places like Panda Express or PF Chang’s? A bit of cornstarch will do the trick. Once you have whisked together some cold water or hot liquid from your pot, wait until your contents are bubbling. You’ll need to put it on the saute mode to do this.
When you have a smooth cornstarch slurry, pour it in and stir slowly for about a minute. That is all the time it needs. Turn the pot off and let it sit for a good 5 minutes to thicken even more.
Sesame seeds and/or diced green onions were used but optional. Chives could be used as an alternative topping as well. Use what you have on hand I always say.
Instant Pot Korean Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, diced into bite size pieces
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 -3 tsp Sriracha, depending on how much heat you want
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp cornstarch, in mixture
- 2 tbsp cornstarch, to thicken sauce at the end
Instructions
- Add diced onions and chicken cut into bite size pieces into your pressure cooker.
- Whisk other ingredients (except only add 1 tbsp cornstarch) in a bowl and pour that into your pot, stir together.
- Close lid and steam valve and set to high pressure for 5 minutes followed by a quick release.
- Stir contents. If you want sauce to be thicker, add some of the hot liquid from the pot into a dish (about 4 tbsp) and whisk in 2 tbsp cornstarch until smooth. Then set pot to saute and when bubbling, pour this in and stir.
- Allow to cook for 1 minute, stir, then turn off and allow it to sit for a good 5 minutes to thicken more. Serve this over rice topped with diced green onions and sesame seeds.
- NOTE: this continues to thicken a lot as it cools too so don't add too much more cornstarch.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQ
For the fried version is is super crispy on the outside. We’re skipping that part but both are coated with a sticky, spicy, and sweet sauce you’ll be obsessed with. Our quick and easy method will make it so that you can enjoy this a lot more often. No deep frying or stove top required. Just a one pot meal your kids will adore too.
How to reheat leftovers
I suppose you could drizzle on some sesame oil, and use the air crisp mode on your Ninja Foodi or air fryer. I’d just throw it into a pan and reheat it though. I did try this once. Once I removed the chicken after trying to crisp it a second time and thought it made it too dry. I think it really needs to be fried ahead of time to really work well.
If you do have leftovers you might wonder what to do with it. I would just refrigerate it and eat it within the next 2 days to maintain the flavors and texture. BUT yes, technically you can freeze it even after it’s already been cooked. Save it in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months. Just keep in mind the integrity of the meat will be altered.
Other easy pressure cooker chicken recipes you’ll love
Now it’s probably our favorite way to cook Instant Pot chicken thighs bone in, just ask my kids! We love our Instant Pot Korean beef so much I had to find a way to tweak it with chicken and here it is!
After you print recipe below and enjoy it thoroughly, you’ll want something similar the next night. Try our Instant Pot sesame chicken then.
Good evening
My name is Savi,i was wondering whether your pot is same as G Pot .
Thank you.
I dont know what G pot is
Can I prepare without dicing the chicken breast? I want to serve them whole.
They won’t cook through properly if they aren’t cubed or diced
Did you mean to have minced garlic listed twice in the ingredients? (it shows 1T and then 1tsp) Also, the photo near at the top of the page shows a bottle of “squeeze ginger”….did you add that to the chicken?
Yes thanks for catching my error, fixed!
Thank you! 🙂