These are some of the most incredible Instant Pot spicy teriyaki chicken thighs I’ve ever made in my pressure cooker! Moist chicken with a thick sweet and spicy homemade teriyaki sauce you and your kids will love. Healthy dinner loaded with lots of flavor and made in less than 15 minutes!
These Instant Pot spicy teriyaki chicken thighs came out SO amazing I am still talking about them! I have created a lot of new Instant Pot recipes here on The Typical Mom since I got my favorite 7 in 1 pressure cooker appliance but this is a favorite. (originally published 5/17, affiliate links present)
Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
You know every once and a while you come up with something you can actually pat yourself on the back for? Well these thighs in the Instant Pot is one of those.
- I made Instant Pot teriyaki chicken a while back using bottled teriyaki sauce. You can use your Ninja Foodi or other brand too if you like.
This time I wanted to see if I could come up with a sauce of my own that had some spice to it and they came out so amazing!
If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with 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.
- 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.
Instant Pot Spicy Teriyaki Chicken
Chicken is a staple in our house and I probably cook it 3-4 times a week in some form. So, I like to have a few great recipes to choose from so things don’t get too redundant.
Why do I love chicken thighs vs. other parts?
- They are super cheap
- Chicken thighs have a ton of flavor compared to breasts
- Thighs are so much more tender than chicken breasts
Of course this is my opinion so of course you will have your own preference but typically when I try a new recipe I like to use chicken thighs even if they aren’t the traditional cut used.
Ninja Foodi Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
- I did this with our Instant Pot crack chicken casserole and Instant Pot Korean chicken recipe too.
- Most recipes call for breasts but I will tell you it’s so much better using thighs….and super cheap too.
Ok…..that’s my 2 cents on to a few questions you might have right about now:
My first thought is pineapple! I use a small can of tidbits sometimes when I use this type of sauce. Sesame seeds are often found inside or sprinkled on top too. A bit of sweetness like honey is nice too.
Add rice with a one pot Instant Pot teriyaki chicken and rice meal and the flavors will really explode.
Not typically but when you make homemade teriyaki sauce like we did here you can amp up the heat if you want! We like it closer to mild or medium but it is totally up to you. Add more Sriracha if you desire.
That is one of the many great things about this creation. Make it exactly as you wish. Below is a pic of our 2nd time making it, now we have a non stick pot which I highly recommend.
Not only is cleanup easier but it doesn’t trigger the burn notice like ever. Most of the time that is false and quite annoying.
Instant Pot spicy teriyaki chicken thighs
- Instant Pot or pressure cooker
- I HIGHLY suggest you use this non stick pot
- Chicken thighs (mine were skinless, bone in, I’ve used skin on too)
- some have used boneless skinless chicken thighs and it works well too
- this is how to make frozen chicken thighs Instant Pot style
- Olive oil
- Ingredients for spicy teriyaki sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Brown sugar
- Soy sauce
- Cornstarch – thickener
- Garlic
- Sriracha – can leave out if you don’t want it spicy at all
- Salt and pepper to taste
We serve these over a bed of rice or as is with a side of dinner rolls.
This are the steps to take in order to make our spicy Instant Pot teriyaki chicken thighs
You can use either skin on or off. I prefer skinless but it depends on what I have on hand really so I have used both.
- First set pot to saute and add olive oil or a bit of sesame oil.
- Then once it is hot add your thighs inside so you can brown the outsides, the inside meat will not be fully cooked yet.
- Turn pot off and remove chicken so you can deglaze the pot with a bit of your broth
- make sure you get all browned bits off the bottom to avoid burn message
- having a non stick pot is very helpful for this too, that pot is not shown above as I bought it later and it’s amazing
- Add the chicken in the Instant Pot with your onions.
In a bowl whisk together your homemade teriyaki sauce (with only 1 tbsp corn starch) and pour that in too. Taste as you mix. If you want it spicier then add some red pepper flakes into the mix.
Teriyaki Chicken Thighs Instant Pot
Close lid and steam valve and set to high pressure for 12 minutes.
- After your Asian chicken is done I move the steam valve just slightly so the steam comes out really slowly and then lift the lid.
- Remove chicken and keep warm.
- In a small bowl whisk together some of your hot liquid with remainder of your cornstarch until smooth.
- Set pot to saute and pour this in, allow heat to allow it to bubble and thicken the sauce. Then serve it over brown rice or alone.
Then it will look like this, a thick glaze that is sweet, savory and spicy if you want the heat. By all means you can make pressure cooker teriyaki chicken thighs mild too and skip all of the hot elements.
Ninja Foodi Chicken Thighs
Pressure cooking the chicken in the spicy sauce allows it to marinate and soak up all the flavors while it cooks. It’s way better than just pouring it on top.
- You just brown the chicken on saute function
- The sauce can be adjusted to the heat level of your liking
- I do not like a lot of spicy foods but this one is just right and my kids loved it too.
Looking for more Instant Pot chicken recipes to enjoy for dinner?
- Instant Pot sesame chicken has similar flavor using breasts
- Healthy Instant Pot orange chicken recipe
- Pressure cooker chicken and rice
These Instant Pot bone in chicken thighs are great too.
Teriyaki Chicken Recipes in Pressure Cooker
If you love using thighs regularly, you should try baked teriyaki chicken thighs or teriyaki chicken legs in the oven, so good!
The cooking time is quick for this meal vs. a slow cooker so it’s my go to method. If you don’t have a pressure cooker but looking for amazing chicken thigh recipes, try this chicken thighs recipe or air fryer chicken thighs as well
Easy side dishes that are great served with this spicy teriyaki chicken recipe.
- Instant Pot mashed potatoes are simple and very inexpensive to make.
- Best green bean recipe is here to try, or whip up some of our lightly breaded and crispy air fryer green beans.
Then try our spicy honey Instant Pot chicken or air fryer teriyaki chicken. The latter is great for little hands because it’s cut into bite size pieces initially.
When it’s done make sure to spoon the sauce at the bottom of the pot on top of each piece! Here’s the printable recipe.
Instant Pot chicken thighs
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Instant Pot Spicy Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs (skinless, I use bone in)
- 1 onion
- 1/2 c chicken broth
- 1/2 c soy sauce
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 4 tbsp brown sugar (heaping tbsp)
- 3 tbsp Sriracha (more or less depending on how spicy you want it, I’ve used up to 1/4 c.)
- 5 tbsp cornstarch (total, some during cooking other when chicken is removed)
- 1/4 c hoisin sauce
Instructions
- Remove skin from chicken thighs.
- Turn your Instant Pot to saute, low.
- Pour a few tbsp of olive oil in and set your chicken thighs inside.
- Cook just so outside of thighs are cooked/lightly browned. Turn pot off and remove meat so you can deglaze the pot with a bit of your broth (scrape bottom to get stuck on meat off)
- Add your chicken back in the pot, then add diced (or large pcs) of onion.
- In a bowl whisk together all other ingredients, (but only use 1 tbsp of cornstarch right now). Remaining 4 tbsp of cornstarch will be used at the end once the chicken is done to thicken sauce.
- Pour sauce over chicken and onions in your Instant Pot.
- Put lid on Instant Pot, close steam valve and set to manual, pressure, high, for 14 minutes.
- When done move steam valve just slightly so steam comes out slowly, then lift lid carefully.
- Remove chicken, set Instant Pot to saute, and in a little bowl whisk 4 tbsp of cornstarch with some of the hot liquid in your pot. Pour this into your pot when that liquid is bubbling.
- Allow to bubble for 2-3 minutes so it can thicken.
- Turn off, sauce will thicken as it sits too. Put chicken back into liquid to coat outside.
- Serve over rice with a drizzle of more spicy teriyaki sauce and diced chives if desired on top.
Video
Renee
Saturday 10th of October 2020
Hello can you use a slow cooker instead if so can you advise thank you
teracia
Saturday 18th of January 2020
best and will be the best recipe of teriyaki chicken for me. it's taste is awesome . thanks for sharing this. You can check the latest best instant pot for the kitchen. Which may help you in your best recipes. Having superb quality. Check it’s reviews. best instant pot
Olivia T Miller
Sunday 4th of August 2019
This recipe is bomb af!!!! Love it:)
The Typical Mom
Monday 5th of August 2019
So glad you loved it too!
Barb
Thursday 27th of June 2019
This was really good. The next time I’m going to stir fry some veggies and add them just before serving or on the side. I used chicken breasts and sliced them so they weren’t so thick. Thanks for the recipe.
The Typical Mom
Saturday 29th of June 2019
Glad you loved it
Jasmine
Saturday 2nd of March 2019
This recipe is AMAZING. I could seriously eat it everyday. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs and followed the cooking directions as directed and the chicken was tender and delicious. I only had to use about 2 1/2 tablespoons combined of cornstarch to get my desired sauce consistency. I tossed in some fresh broccoli after everything was done cooking just to add some greens :) Thanks for a great recipe!
The Typical Mom
Sunday 3rd of March 2019
Glad you loved it!!