Instant Pot Korean chicken is what we’re calling this! Served over rice it is sweet with a bit of spicy flavors you’ll love. Killer pressure cooker recipe.
InstaPot chicken is 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. Find this and 100 other Instant Pot recipes here on The Typical Mom blog. (originally published 5/20, affiliate links present)
Ninja Foodi Korean Chicken
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.
If you’re looking for a really deliciously easy InstaPot chicken recipe, this is it! With bold flavors, moist meat, and no breading required, you too can make chicken bowls in no time.
FIRST – You should sign up for my free newsletter so you get new posts emailed to you twice a week and never miss out on anything! Now let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
- This is a great InstaPot cookbook and a set of wooden utensils are great to grab too.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should still deglaze pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.
What is different about Korean fried chicken?
Well ours 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!
I used our spicy Instant Pot teriyaki chicken thighs as a base for our easy Korean chicken recipe here. I’d recommend making that sometime as well if you need directions for bone-in thighs.
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.
Is Korean fried chicken healthy?
- Traditional frying technique renders out the fat in the skin and makes it into a crackly crust…so this one wouldn’t be.
If you skip that step like we did here, it’s quite high in protein. If you’re watching your sodium intake you may want to use low sodium broth and soy sauce though.
Korean chicken Instant Pot recipe
You’re going to need the following ingredients to make this main dish. What you serve it with is up to you, but InstaPot white rice is our go to. I mean we eat this stuff with like everything. From Korean oxtail soup to just a bowl with soy sauce it is a regular side we love.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- You could use boneless breasts
- This is how to cook frozen chicken in the Instant Pot
- Then drain, dice meat, and follow directions
- Decrease cook time to 2 minutes in this case
- Cut into bite size pieces
- You could use boneless breasts
- Soy sauce
- Minced garlic and ginger
- Chicken broth
- Brown sugar
- Sriracha
- Hoisin sauce
- Cornstarch is used to thicken the sauce
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 Thighs
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.
Just dice into pieces about 1″ by 1″ or so like our Instant Pot Hawaiian chicken dish. Then add the sauce and stir the contents together so it’s all nicely coated.
- Close the lid for 5 minutes 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.
Chicken Bibimbap Instant Pot
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.
Sprinkle with diced green onions and/or sesame seeds and serve your chicken pieces over rice or with veggies.
What does Korean fried chicken taste like?
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.
- Now it’s probably our favorite way to cook Instant Pot chicken thighs, 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.
How do you reuse leftovers?
I usually eat it for lunch the next day as is without the rice (that doesn’t save very well). You could make a batch of ramen and add it into that too which is a cheap Instant Pot recipe.
Or you can make a batch of fried rice and throw in whatever you have left over.
Can I fry leftover chicken?
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.
Can you freeze already cooked chicken?
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.
NOW it’s time to get it done my friends…..just follow the step by step directions below and let us know what you think!
Time needed: 10 minutes
Instant Pot Korean Chicken
- Prepare
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. - Cook
Close lid and steam valve and set to high pressure for 5 minutes followed by a quick release. Stir contents.
- Thicken sauce
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
We 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.
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Instant Pot Korean Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thighs boneless, skinless, diced into bite size pieces
- 1 onion diced
- 1/2 c soy sauce
- 1/3 c chicken broth
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 -3 tsp Sriracha depending on how much heat you want
- 1/4 c hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 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.
Savita
Tuesday 6th of September 2022
Good evening My name is Savi,i was wondering whether your pot is same as G Pot . Thank you.
The Typical Mom
Wednesday 7th of September 2022
I dont know what G pot is
Jane
Tuesday 1st of September 2020
Can I prepare without dicing the chicken breast? I want to serve them whole.
The Typical Mom
Tuesday 1st of September 2020
They won't cook through properly if they aren't cubed or diced
Sue
Tuesday 19th of May 2020
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?
The Typical Mom
Wednesday 20th of May 2020
Yes thanks for catching my error, fixed!