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!
Ok so 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 these Instant Pot spicy teriyaki chicken thighs came out SO amazing I am still talking about them! You know every once and a while you come up with something you can actually pat yourself on the back for because it is just so amazing, well this is one of them! (originally published 5/17)
I made Instant Pot teriyaki chicken a while back using bottled teriyaki sauce but 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!
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 any other part of the chicken
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, like our Instant Pot crack chicken casserole. 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 that……
This is what you will need to make Instant Pot spicy teriyaki chicken thighs:
- Instant Pot or pressure cooker
- Chicken thighs (skinless, mine had bones and it was fine)
- Rice
- Ingredients for spicy teriyaki sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Brown sugar
- Cornstarch – thickener
- Garlic
- Sriracha – can leave out if you don’t want it spicy at all
Cooking the chicken in the spicy sauce allows it to marinate and soak up all the flavors while it cooks in your pressure cooker so it’s way better than just pouring it on top.
- You can adjust the heat to your liking too. I do not like a lot of spicy foods but this one is just right and my kids loved it too.
Looking for more easy Instant Pot chicken recipes to enjoy for dinner?
- Instant Pot sesame chicken has similar flavor using breasts
- Instant Pot orange chicken recipe
- Crockpot sticky teriyaki chicken
- Pressure cooker chicken and rice
If you love using thighs regularly, you should try this chicken thighs recipe in the oven, so good!
If you don’t have a pressure cooker but looking for amazing chicken thigh recipes, try this chicken thighs recipe as well!
Here’s the printable recipe as well for Instant Pot chicken thighs
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 breasts inside.
- Cook just so outside of thighs are cooked/lightly browned.
- Add your diced (or large pcs) of onion. Turn Instant Pot off.
- 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 to slowly release steam, then lift lid carefully.
- Remove chicken, set Instant Pot to saute, and whisk 4 tbsp of cornstarch into your liquid.
- Allow to bubble for 2-3 minutes so it can thicken, whisk in a bit more if you want it thicker.
- Turn off, 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.
For more easy recipes, tips and free printables please LIKE The Typical Mom on Facebook and follow me on Pinterest! You can also sign up for my free weekly newsletter which is packed with goodies I know you’ll love. 😉
Yum, this recipe was delicious! I used frozen boneless chicken thighs and cooked for the allotted time and it came out so tender and delicious. I also reduced the sriracha to only 1 tablespoon (we have wimpy eaters!), and it was a perfect very mild spice. Next time I might bump it up a bit. Even my picky kids loved this! Thanks for the yummy recipe.
So glad you loved it!
Thank you for this winning recipe. My family loved it and asked when could we have it again. The chicken was fall apart tender (I used 8 boneless skinless thighs) 9 minutes high pressure. The sauce was delicious also. Thank you again!
So glad!
I made this using chicken breasts, and also made Jasmine rice using PIP method before thickening sauce. Tasted really good, but adding the cornstarch to the hot liquid as stated in recipe was a huge mistake. I ended up straining the sauce to remove the chunky cornstarch balls that formed. I knew better but thought it might work out. Next time I will mix the cornstarch with water before adding. Other than that, great recipe and very tasty.
My family loved this chicken…and I loved how easy it was to make! A winner!
OH good, it’s a favorite here too.
So easy and delicious! Used 3 tb cornstarch total and 1 tb Sirachi with the bottle on the table for anyone that wanted it hotter. My boneless skinless thighs were semi frozen still and didn’t adjust the time.
turned out perfect with lots of sauce. its a keeper!
Please inform recipe changes using cast iron pot on top of stove. I just received brand new set & want to use them with your recipe which sounds delicious.
If you made on the stovetop I would brown the outsides of the thighs and then have on low/medium heat and add sauce mixture to boil slowly until meat is the tenderness you desire.
Please inform recipe changes using cast iron pot on top of stove. I just received brand new set & want to use them with your recipe which sounds delicious.
This recipe was a huge hit in my house with one very picky teenager and just a little mod. I followed the recipe almost exactly. My only ingredient change was instead of sriracha, I used one spoonful of sambal oelek (my preferred heat and really mild). As far as time, my Instant pot has a meat setting. I used the meat setting for 20 minutes for 6 boneless skinless thighs. After 10 minutes of natural pressure release, I turned the valve to quick release. Served over hot rice and did not do the last bit with cornstarch in sauté mode to thicken. Just didn’t need it. AWESOME!
So glad everyone loved it!
Is there a way to cook rice along with this pot in pot?
I haven’t done that but I imagine you could put rice on the bottom, then trivet and a pot with the sauce and thighs in it atop that and cook all together. Let me know if you do!
Put the rice in a Corning Ware dish or whatever is safe for your pot. I do 1 1/2 cups of rice to 2 2/3 water put foil over the dish add the trivet and set it on top of the chicken
If I wanted to double this recipe, what would be the best way to do it? (Cooking for two adults and 4 hungry kids!) Just got my IP yesterday 😉
Shouldn’t be a problem, just make sure you don’t fill past 3/4 full for any recipe. Can just double but keep the time should remain the same. Of course with chicken of any kind check when it is done that chicken is fully cooked but 14 minutes should be fine even if doubled, thighs usually aren’t very big.
I ran across you on pinterest. I’m a “pressure” cooker myself. I really like your recipes. My question, how much is a serving of this recipe? I’m a diabetic and I closely monitor my carb intake.
In the recipe widget it says how many it serves so you’d need to divide the entire recipe by that number of servings.
Can I use frozen chicken thighs? If so, will it change the cooking time? I know it’s supposed to b ea no-no for for slow cooking, but I always use frozen chicken in my recipes. I pop everything in the slow cooker before I leave for work, and it’s ready when I come home. Bonus ~ we’re all still alive:) ~ but seriously, I just bought an IP and I’d like this to be my first recipe and I want to make sure I do it right! Thanks!
I need to know this answer too!! I only have frozen….I don’t plan ahead very well! 🙂
I haven’t made with frozen chicken before. Others have said they have and you don’t increase the time. When I do I will post if I made any adjustments.
I just pressured-cooked chicken thighs (bone-in, with skin) from frozen. They were perfect with 24 minutes (I meant to do 25, but didn’t see my finger hit “down” an extra time) and quick release. I then thickened my sauce and spooned over the chicken (which I placed on cookie sheet) and put in the oven/broiler to caramelize the sauce on the skins. Really convenient to take a meat out of the freezer and stick it in the iPot and set it and forget it!
I made this tonight as my very first IP recipe and it was a huge hit with my family. My kids 11 & 9 and my husband each ate 2 chicken thighs, I had 7 thighs and they fit. The sauce was very tasty and the chicken so tender. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for sharing!
OH yeah!!! So glad…it’s one of our favorites too!
Is the chicken soft enough to pull the bones out and to shred before serving?
OH yes, super tender!
How much sauce is in this total? If I buy a bottle at the store do I need 1cup or how much?
Approx 21 oz total.
Tried this tonight. My husband likes it so well that he even ate the extra sauce. He said that with food that yummy we wouldn’t need to go out for Chinese any more. Thanks for a great recipe!
I just made this IP recipe, it was amazingly delicious. I’m part Chinese and the flavor of the sauce reminds me of my moms cooking. In Hawaii we would serve the chicken with the sauce on a bed of shredded cabbage and rice. Mahalo for sharing.
I’m so glad!! I was born in HI and it reminds me of the wonderful food there when I was young too!
Hello. I was wondering if the cabbage was raw or cooked. It sounds really good and if I added cabbage it would be a complete meal. Thank you.
There isn’t cabbage in this recipe.