This spicy honey Instant Pot chicken takes just 4 minutes to cook and comes out moist and full of flavor! Sweet and spicy chicken bites smothered in delicious sauce which we love atop a bed of rice. A great healthy pressure cooker dinner our whole family enjoys.
Ever since I got my fancy pressure cooker I have been fiddling with new Instant Pot recipes and have come up with many that are so quick and my family loves! This spicy honey Instant Pot chicken is one of our favorites though! (affiliate link present, originally published 6/17)
My littlest love orders “sweet chicken” when we get to Chinese food restaurants so I aimed to create something similar. I wanted a little bit of heat this time though since we love Sriracha!
- This sweet and spicy honey Instant Pot chicken recipe turned out great the first time around. We will definitely be making this one again!
- If you don’t have an Instant Pot yet and are busy like we are I highly recommend getting one!
It has made making dinners so much easier. I tend to cook healthier overall too. I can add chicken, whip up this sauce in a small bowl, close the lid and in less than 20 minutes it’s done. Seriously!
Here are simple step by step directions for honey Instant Pot chicken as well as an instructional video.
If you’re looking for a healthy Instant Pot recipe that tastes amazing for dinner or even serve this as an appetizer in a bowl with some toothpicks on the side to snack on without the rice!
Use as much or as little Sriracha as you want to adjust the heat level, or leave it out entirely and make a sweet honey chicken, that would be amazing too.
I added 2 tbsp of Sriracha to this Instant Pot spicy honey chicken and it was a bit spicy, but not over the top.
If you really like heat just add more, or cut out entirely if it’s not your thing. I added large chunks of chicken to the pot knowing they would shrink a bit when cooking.
If you cut them smaller I would decrease the cook time to 3 minutes to maintain it’s moisture. You still want to give it time to soak up all the yummy sauce juices.
- That is the great thing about the pressure cooker function.
You can use the same meat but create a different sauce and it is infused into the meat when it cooks. It does it so quickly too and allows us to eat dinner as a family much more often because I can make a complete meal in about 20 minutes.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy Instant Pot spicy honey garlic chicken recipe
- Instant Pot or any other pressure cooker
- I HIGHLY suggest you get a non stick pot too!
- Chicken breasts – boneless skinless, could use chicken thigh meat if you preferred
- Brown sugar
- Honey
- Minced ginger & garlic
- Soy sauce
- Sriracha – can leave out if you don’t want any heat
- Onion
- Cornstarch
- Here’s how to make the perfect Instant Pot white rice
Once everything is in the pot (minus the cornstarch) you just lock lid and cook! Then do a quick pressure release once the beep goes off and enjoy the yumminess my friends. I start my rice before preparing this so everything is done at once. 😉
Looking for more easy InstaPot recipes?
- We have a few more you have to try too like our Instant Pot Hawaiian chicken recipe that is so good
- Our pressure cooker apricot chicken is a family fave
- We love this Instant Pot sesame chicken and Instant Pot Korean chicken too
- Instant Pot chicken noodle soup
- Try our Instant Pot spicy teriyaki chicken thighs
- Mushroom masala looks good too
This spicy chicken is great served with Instant Pot broccoli to. It only takes 1 minute on high pressure!
- Keep in mind the sauce thickens in the last step when adding cornstarch. BUT will continue to thicken as it sits so just add a bit.
Options to consider:
- NO problem if you’d rather use boneless skinless diced chicken thighs instead of breasts.
- If you want to omit all of the heat by golly you can make it mild too. Just don’t add the Sriracha.
- We serve this over rice but you could serve it with perfect quinoa or even noodles.
Printable directions to pressure cook this easy spicy honey garlic chicken are below.
Spicy Honey Instant Pot Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts cut into bite size chunks
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1.5 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/4 c soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Sriracha or more if you want it really spicy
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 onion sliced or diced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds optional to top
- 2 green onions optional to top
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts into large bite size chunks and cut onion into chunks.
- Put chicken and onions into the Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
- Mix all other ingredients together (except the cornstarch) well with a fork and pour on top of chicken.
- Close the lid and steam valve and set Instant Pot to manual, pressure, high, 4 minutes.
- Do a quick release and carefully lift lid.
- Put some of the hot sauce in a small bowl with the cornstarch and whisk together, then add back into the pot and stir.
- Set Instant Pot to saute, normal and let bubble for a few minutes.
- Allow to sit for a few minutes so the sauce thickens.
- Serve spicy honey chicken over rice.
Karen Miller says
Delicious recipe I did not know that honey with chicken could be combined, I hope it is not so spicy
Robin K. says
I am planning on making this tonight (and am super excited about it!), but it appears in the picture that there are pineapple tidbits but they do not appear anywhere in the recipe…. did you use pineapple tidbits?
Justine says
No that photo is of my Hawaiian chicken you could try with a link above it.
Kristal says
Made this tonight for dinner. I doubled the sauce. Husband loved it and said it’s a keeper.
5 stars!!!
Robert L says
Great Recipe!
I use a non-stick insert in a 6 quart Instant Pot. I wondered if this Spicy Honey Chicken is an IP recipe and I want to make IP rice, why not combine the two to cook at the same time? I only made minor adjustments. Not a fan of Sriracha, (I prefer Chile with flavor and less heat.) I used an Asian Sweet Chile sauce instead and less Honey. Started in the Saute mode for the chicken and got it well seared in only two batches. I deglazed with about a cup of chicken broth then added the rest of the ingredients (minus the cornstarch) into the pot and gave it a good stirring. I washed 1 1/2 cups of regular white rice, combined it with an equal measure of water and 2 Tablespoons of butter then put it in the pot on top of the chicken. I closed the lid and used the rice setting, which is 10 minutes on my IP. It made such a good dinner. My wife told me to make sure I marked this recipe with several stars. Even the leftovers were great the next day…
Tracie says
If I want to add frozen broccoli florets do you think it work? Should I change cooking time
The Typical Mom says
Broccoli will turn to mush. It only takes 1 minute for that to cook so it would be in too long. Best to cook that separately. https://temeculablogs.com/instant-pot-broccoli/
Pat says
I don’t see any liquid –with brown sugar and honey won’t it burn?
I am using chicken tenders
DOesnt it requre1 cup of water?
The Typical Mom says
Believe me if you follow the directions it comes out incredible.
Camlle Christian says
I substituted 4 tablespoons of Ultra Gel for the cornstarch (stirred it in before pressuring) and it turned out great with no extra cooking–it was ready to serve directly from the pan. SOOO EASY and SOOO GOOD! A keeper at our house!
The Typical Mom says
So glad you loved it too.
Sweetlifeasfive says
Thanks for that tip as I bought some of this from amazon (I’m in the UK) and haven’t managed to use it for anything yet!
Hayley says
Do you have a recommendation on how to modify for a crock pot instead of an instant pot?
Shyla says
Hi! My family loved this. Has anyone tried it with pork tenderloin pieces instead of chicken? Trying to use up some pork ?
The Typical Mom says
I believe that would taste incredible too, just dice them up like the chicken.
Alex says
For the boneless chicken breast, do you have to cook them prior to putting them into the pot? Or do you jus let put them in raw with the sauce & cook
For 4 minutes and the chicken comes out completely cooked?
Amber says
Made this tonight for dinner. Didn’t have onion, minced ginger or garlic so used ground ginger and 3 Tbs of granulated garlic instead. I thought it was a bit spicy, but the husband said this recipe is a keeper!
The Typical Mom says
So glad!
Ashley says
I am trying this recipe today, but want to leave the siracha out for my toddler….anything else that you recommend mixing with the cornstarch or should I just use water
The Typical Mom says
Either use water, chicken broth, or some of the hot liquid in the pot to whisk in a small bowl with cornstarch until smooth. Then dump in to thicken. 😉
Ashley says
Thank you! It was delicious, everyone loved it! Will definitely make again 🙂
The Typical Mom says
So glad it was a hit.
Charlene Velsini says
I used some sesame oil and a little bit of water. Really loved the heightened taste of the sesame.
Mary says
Loved this. Next time I will steam some broccoli and add when finished.
Julie says
4 Tablespoons.,85 grams or 3 oz.
Brandi says
I just got my IP for Christmas and this was my first try at it. Family of 5 says… “Winner winner chicken dinner!” I’m the picky water of the group and man this is good! Thank you so much! I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
The Typical Mom says
OH Yeah!!
Denise S says
Ok but kinda bland. I used 2 tbsp of sriracha and there was no heat at all. Need to double the sauce and add more sriracha.
jenni jacob says
How long do I keep in IP if chicken is frozen?
The Typical Mom says
Pieces would need to be precut into bite size pieces beforehand, I wouldn’t adjust time but of course check to ensure it is cooked thru when done.
Robin Hays says
Can I use boneless thighs for this recipe?.
Thanks
RH
Amelia says
Such a yummy dinner! My husband and family LOVED it! I added a cup of water to make sure there was enough liquid. I left out the Worcester sauce and sesame seeds and also used a Tbs onion powder and 1/4th tsp ground ginger as replacements for fresh onion and ginger. Next time I’m definitely doubling it! ? SO yummy!!!
Karen says
I made this tonight in a skillet with frozen grilled chicken strips! It was delicious! Only took about 4 minutes to cook the chicken since it was already cooked and it was very tender. Love this recipe and will definitely fix it again! I will use my new IP next time with fresh chicken as called for in recipe. Wasn’t sure how to adjust it for the frozen grilled chicken.
Wilhelmina Wessel says
This yummy dinner is going on the menu!
Jennifer Banz says
Love using my instant pot. This will be a great recipe!
Krystal says
First time user and not sure if your calling for cubed cooked chicken or raw cubed chicken?
Sarah says
I’m pretty sure raw… it cooks fast!
Jackie says
If you don’t have ginger you can use allspice. Awesome recipe
Michelle says
I have everything but cornstarch. Trying not to go to the store. Is there something else to substitute for cornstarch? Thank you !
Heather says
Flour would likely work too
Harry says
Build a simple Roux…. small pan…Medium heat… 2Tbs butter 2Tbs flour…work it together and treat as cornstarch in recipe.
Good luck!!
susan sendelbach says
Hi Haven’t tried it yet, but will. Can I do the rice in the same pot?
Cindy A Hampton says
you would have to add equal amounts of water but yes you can then instead of QR then NPR ten minutes.
Gina says
What does QR and NPR mean? And would you increase the cook time from 4 min to 10 min if you add the rice?
The Typical Mom says
QR means quick release the steam valve, NPR means natural release which means to not touch it at all and let steam come out on it’s own which takes quite a while. I haven’t added rice together with this as you’d need more liquid and 10 min. to me would dry out the chicken.
Cristina says
I really love the combination of sweet and spicy taste, especially when cooking chicken. I only have Tabasco at home so I might use it to replace Sriracha. I also love slightly toasted sesame seeds. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Ashley says
I have an 8 qt I am trying this with for the first time using it…. I plan to use a little less chicken. The liquid is enough? I though you need one cup of liquid for the instant pot no matter what?
The Typical Mom says
I would use the same amount of liquid.
Michelle says
Same amount of liquid as what? I am new to this and do I need to add chicken broth or water or not? The Instant Pot guide says all recipes should have 3 cups of liquid but I am not seeing this much liquid in any of the recipes. I have the Instant Pot 7 in 1 Duo 6 qt.
Faith says
The only ingredient I am missing is an onion (trying to avoid going to the grocery store). Do you think it would alter the taste too much if I do not include?
The Typical Mom says
It will be just fine without it.
Amy says
I had the same question. Answer was not clear. I am sticking to recipe and hope it doesn’t blow up
The Typical Mom says
Have never had even a near blow up experience so no worries about that….recipes are meant to be a base so if you don’t have onion then leave out. That isn’t a must but it is good.
S says
It wouldn’t blow up from not enough liquid. If there were a problem, it would be a burn warning.
Chicken releases a lot of water as it cooks
Cathy says
Had never used my instant pot before so decided this would be my first dinner in it. Loved it, didn’t put as much spice in it, boyfriend doesn’t like it too spicy. Will make again!! Thanks for the recipe!
The Typical Mom says
So glad!
Danielle Shields says
For Step 5 Am I taking some sauce from the pot and mixing cornstarch or was the hot sauce not suppose to be added until this step? Step 1 says mix everything but the cornstarch so I’m assuming the sriracha went it then?
The Typical Mom says
Yes everything other than the cornstarch.
Amy says
Is there an adaptation for a slow cooker or stove top? I don’t have an IP yet (no room for it) and would like to try this recipe – it looks like something i can have without too much adaption for my allergies.
The Typical Mom says
Hmmmm, I haven’t done that but if I were to venture a guess I would half the breasts, add all the sauce, stir so all was coated and put on low for maybe 6 hours or until the chicken was cooked thru (depending on how thick they were). I am sure it would work great that way too.
Mary Jane Mitchell says
This was super good. I used 6 breasts and doubled the sauce. Also – subbed fish sauce for Worcestershire Sauce. Added one sliced up red pepper; next time I’ll add some carrots too. Also, instead of sesame seeds, I used Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel sesame seasoning blend – so good!
The Typical Mom says
Yeah!!!
Cherry says
Just made this for lunch in my new Instant Pot that I got during Prime Day. Wow! Like others, I used powdered ginger because this is what I had on hand. My husband and I both loved it other than he needed more salt. I told him it was most likely because I use a sweet soy instead of the salty soy. Has a better flavor and he can always add salt. Thank you so much. This was my first try at using my Instant Pot and the directions were fantastic and easy to follow. Thanks.
The Typical Mom says
So glad you loved it!
Ann says
How much soy sauce….it said 1/4 c….i am not familiar with that measurement
Jess says
1/4 cup.
The Typical Mom says
1/4 of a cup
Wendy Lorenz says
My husband LOVED this, and so did I. I thought it was full of flavor and I also used 1 tsp of powdered ginger in place of the fresh. But other than that, I kept it the same, and added steamed broccoli. It’s a keeper. Thanks.
Magui Rodriguez says
Really easy and quick. I substituted powdered ginger for fresh, added ground chiles instead of hot sauce and added a tbsp of rice vinegar for tang. Delicious!!
Jana says
Our new favorite IP supper! I substituted Franks Hot Sauce for the sriracha sauce, and also doubled the sauce. Served over chow mein noodles, delicious!!!!!!!!! I’ve already shared this recipe with IP friends. Thank you posting! ?
Andrea says
It can sometimes be a challenge to make a weeknight dinner that’s easy and quick for me, without defaulting to frozen pizza, that is also loved by adults and kids alike. I did leave out the spicy heat, but it was a huge success! The 8 year old wants it again soon, and the 7 year old was on board!
Shavonne says
I made this tonight and my husband and I couldn’t get enough! I put some bell pepper and shredded carrots along with powdered ginger since I didn’t have fresh. Also I used chicken thighs instead of breasts. Came out fall apart tender! Will definitely make again
The Typical Mom says
So glad you loved it!!
Ashleigh says
When sautéing do I put the lid back on or leave it off?? I’m new to the whole instapot thing .. lol
The Typical Mom says
No you never put the lid on when you are using the saute feature.
Cindy Brooks says
I made this for dinner tonight and everyone agreed it’s a keeper! I used thighs instead of breast, but I’m sure it’d be great with either. I didn’t have any ginger, so I just left it out and it wasn’t missed. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
PAULA WAVAK says
Im new to this pressure cooker phase (crock pot express multi cooker) So if I have whole boneless skinless chicken breasts that are frozen….should i pressure cook them first, cut them up into chunks, then start with your instructions???
Micki says
I think your best bet would be to thaw the chicken first. If you have a microwave oven you can speed up the thawing process but use the lowest setting so the edges don’t get cooked.
krystal says
So you just cube the raw chicken then put it in?
Amanda says
Made this tonight for dinner and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Only thoughts were how we could incorporate vegetables into the dish. My son came up with water chestnuts and carrots. I was thinking of green pepper and bamboo shoots. Since we did not make it spicy I just made a slurry of water and cornstarch to thicken up the sauce and served it over brown rice. Thank you for an easy and tasty meal!
Terry Zazzara says
Try serving over riced cauliflower!
Ava says
My daughter wants it more saucy sweet and Spicer. How would I do that?
The Typical Mom says
Well you can always double the recipe for the sauce to make more of it and increase the Sriracha for spice.
Ava says
I made this tonight for my hubby and extremely finicky daughter. When I say she’s picky,… I’m talking the worst. So, I put it on her plate and to my surprise and my husband’s, SHE ATE EVERYTHING!!!!
Thank you ,thank you ,thank you…..
The Typical Mom says
OH yeah!!! It’s one of our faves too!
Robin says
OMGeee!! This is amazing! I only switched out the Sriracha for Red Chili Sauce (as someone else mentioned), added a half of green bell pepper to the onions and 1/2 tsp salt. This is a KEEPER!!
Barbara Lerman says
This was my first dish made with my brand new instant pot and could not have been more pleased!! Cooking time of 3 minutes was perfect and my husband who is a fan of tasty food was well satisfied!
Pat says
I haven’t tried this yet, just wondering if that is enough liquid?
Carole says
That’s what I’m wondering too but this has rave reviews so I’m trying it. If I have issues I’ll let you know
Carole says
It worked and was good!
The Typical Mom says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Roxanne says
If you’re not using siracha, can I mix the corn starch with rest if they wet ingredients?
Sydney says
What is the weight of the chicken you’re using? Or the general size? I have two chicken breasts but they are HUGE. Not sure if I should pick up more at the store.
The Typical Mom says
I would say they are medium sized generally. I suggest cubing the chicken into fork size pieces when you cook it so the breast size initially shouldn’t matter much.
Teri says
Is your carb count including the rice? This sounds amazing but I count carbs.
Sara says
I am new to the Instant Pot (have the Crockpot Express Cooker, largest size). Can you double this recipe (want to cook it for 8-9 people)?
The Typical Mom says
Should work without a problem, yes.
Amy says
The ingredients doesn’t include an onion (other than green onions for garnish), but the instructions ask for a chopped onion. How much onion did you add to the chicken?
The Typical Mom says
Yes it states 1/2 onion in ingredients, you can slice or dice whichever you prefer. Small or larger pieces
Charissa says
Does the onion go in the instant pot? Or is it added after the dish has completed cooking? Is this a white onion or green onion?
Tammi Fellows says
Hi Typical Mom,
I just made turkey noodle soup tonight, my first dish in my new IP. I want to try your recipe however I only have ground ginger and I’m not the best with spicy dishes. Do you think I’d be OK with the ground ginger instead of minced? Thank you
Ashlee says
How long do you think I would need to cook it if I used chicken tenders?
Pam says
We really liked this dish. Finally got a recipe that I didn’t get the “Burn” message on my Instant Pot. 🙂
We aren’t fans of Siracha sauce so I used Sweet Chili Sauce and ground ginger. It was delicious!!
Lolo says
Trying this tonight and have only had BURN messages on my instant pot thus far your comment has given me hope!
Margaret Bell says
Did you use frozen or thawed chicken? I’m making this as my first instant pot go. I’m so excited!!!!!
The Typical Mom says
I did not use frozen chicken. ?
Lauren says
How would you modify if you used frozen chicken breasts?
The Typical Mom says
If you have whole frozen breasts instead of bite size pieces like I did frozen breasts at about 2 lbs. total take about 12 minutes to cook well, so depends if they’re whole or not.
B says
Easy recipe- thumbs up! My family loved this. I’m usually not a fan of chicken dishes and I enjoyed it! I used fresh ginger. I imagine it wouldn’t taste as good with ground (powder) ginger. This was great because I reserved some without the hot sauce for my child and for the adults I mixed the hot sauce in our portion. Tasty both ways! I served it with white rice and Asian slaw. The next day I mixed all three leftovers into a bowl and that was delicious too.
The Typical Mom says
OH good!!
Joan says
Made it this evening for dinner. The only switch I made was powdered ginger because I didn’t have fresh. Otherwise, followed to the letter. Just meh. My husband, who will generally eat anything, didn’t like it. Not a keeper. Needs more flavor.
Pam says
Add 1 tbsp of fish sauce and 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice to the liquid ingredients before pressuring.
The Typical Mom says
That would be a good add in also.