Tender and juicy Instant Pot Chicken Thighs cooked in a delicious honey garlic sauce with green beans and baby potatoes for a complete meal. This one-pot chicken recipe is family-friendly and perfect for a quick weeknight dinner!
Easy Instant Pot chicken dinners are the best! They’re lifesavers on busy days, and the Instant Pot can definitely cook really good and healthy home-cooked meals that your whole family will love.
I buy trays of chicken thighs quite often, and turn them into delicious dinners thanks to the Instant Pot. My favorites include this delicious honey mustard chicken, garlic brown sugar chicken thighs, and chicken thighs with gravy served over rice.
I recently started making this honey chicken thigh recipe, and I love the fact that I can just throw in some baby potatoes and green beans, and call it a complete meal. Because it really is a complete and filling meal, and the kids love it too!
For more delicious Instant Pot dinners, find my Instant Pot recipe collection here.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One Pot – You get the chicken, sauce, carb, and veg all cooked in the Instant Pot. Easy to clean up, not many dishes to wash, and it’s a filling meal.
- Family Friendly – This chicken turns out very flavorful, it’s sweet and savory at the same time and it’s quite mild. There is no spice or heat in this recipe, there are tender potatoes, so it’s 100% kid approved.
- Versatile Recipe – You can use your favorite chicken parts or different vegetables here, I will tell you more about this below.
Ingredients Needed
Here’s what you need to make this:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Chicken Thighs: I used bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (6 in total weighing around 1.5 pounds/650g), you can use boneless and skinless chicken thighs instead but you’ll need to adjust the cooking time.
- Olive oil and butter: Used for browning the chicken for that deep golden brown color, and to flavor the chicken.
- Garlic, Paprika, Salt and Pepper: These are the seasonings we’re using. You can also add fresh or dried herbs if you like.
- Honey: The honey is the main ingredient in our sauce, it gives sweetness to the sauce, and turns it into a delicious glaze when thickened with cornstarch slurry.
- Green Beans and Potatoes: I like to use green beans and baby potatoes, but you can also use carrots, red potatoes, broccoli, or broccolini.
- Water: An important ingredient to allow the Instant Pot to build pressure and pressure cook the food.
- Cornstarch Slurry: Combine 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, add that to the sauce and thicken it to the perfect consistency.
How To Cook Chicken Thighs in the Instant Pot
- Heat. On the Instant Pot press the SAUTE button, add olive oil and half of the butter and let the butter melt.
- Brown the Chicken. Add the chicken skin side down, and brown it for 2-3 minutes (season with salt, pepper, and paprika), flip and cook for 1 more minute. Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and set aside. Switch OFF the Instant Pot.
- Deglaze. Add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds then add water. Deglaze, and scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot using a wooden spoon.
- Add Remaining Ingredients. Add honey, the remaining butter, and return the chicken to the sauce. Add the potatoes to the pot, then secure the lid and make sure that the vent is in SEALING position.
- Pressure Cook. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 8 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 6-7 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, quickly release the steam.
- Cook Green Beans. Remove the lid, add the green beans, and secure the lid again. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 0 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will come to pressure again, and end the cooking cycle. Quickly release the steam and remove the lid.
- Thicken the Sauce. Move the vegetables to one side to expose the sauce. Press the SAUTE setting, and mix in the cornstarch slurry. The sauce will take a minute to thicken. Once thickened, switch OFF the saute setting and mix all of the ingredients so the sauce coats everything. Serve hot and enjoy!
Tip!
When reading an Instant Pot recipe, you will probably always see “pressure cook” or “manual.” This is because there are many models of Instant Pots on the market, some that have a manual button and some that have a pressure cook button. Just know, whatever yours says, it means the exact same thing!
Top Tips
- Brown the Chicken in Batches. If necessary, I recommend that you brown the chicken thighs in batches without overcrowding the Instant Pot. I had smaller chicken thighs and was able to brown them in one batch.
- Substitue. You can substitute the chicken thighs with chicken breasts, but keep in mind that white meat is drier than dark meat.
- Thickening the sauce is optional but HIGHLY recommended to get that awesome glaze and thick sauce. If you don’t thicken it, you’ll end up with a watery liquid that won’t hold onto the chicken or veggies.
FAQs
Yes! And we want to avoid overcooking our chicken. If the chicken thighs are seared, then pressure cooked without a rack. I found that 8 minutes on high pressure is perfect. For extra large chicken thighs, pressure cook for 10 minutes with quick release.
If using boneless and skinless chicken thighs, pressure cook for 6 minutes with quick release.
This is up to you. I personally prefer the texture of the chicken when it’s seared prior to pressure cooking, but if you’re in a hurry you can certainly just dump and start without searing.
Storing Tips
Fridge: Store the chicken in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave, or in the oven until it’s heated through.
Freezer: These chicken thighs can last up to three months in the freezer, so be sure to write the date on the bag with a freezer-proof marker.
More Instant Pot Chicken Thigh Recipes
Instant Pot Honey Mustard Chicken
Instant Pot Creamy Mustard Chicken
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Instant Pot Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken
Save this recipe for the next time you have chicken thighs in your fridge and need to whip up a quick and healthy chicken dinner. Pin it for more people to enjoy too!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Instant Pot Honey Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds (650g) chicken thighs bone-in skin-on
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 pound (450g) baby potatoes halved, if the potatoes are small then leave whole
- 1 pound (450g) green beans trimmed and cut in half
To thicken the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- On the Instant Pot press the SAUTE button, add olive oil and half of the butter and let the butter melt.
- Add the chicken skin side down, and brown it for 2-3 minutes (season with salt, pepper, and paprika), flip and cook for 1 more minute. Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and set aside. Switch OFF the Instant Pot.
- Add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds then add water. Deglaze, and scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot using a wooden spoon.
- Add honey, the remaining butter, and return the chicken to the sauce. Add the potatoes to the pot, then secure the lid and make sure that the vent is in SEALING position.
- Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 8-10 minutes at high pressure (see my notes on cooking times depending on what cut of chicken you're using and its size). The Instant Pot will take around 6-7 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, quickly release the steam.
- Remove the lid, add the green beans, and secure the lid again. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 0 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will come to pressure again, and end the cooking cycle. Quickly release the steam and remove the lid.
- To thicken the sauce, move the vegetables to one side to expose the sauce. Press the SAUTE setting, and mix in the cornstarch slurry. The sauce will take a minute to thicken. Once thickened, switch OFF the saute setting and mix all of the ingredients so the sauce coats everything. Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes:
- Fridge: Store the chicken in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave, or in the oven until it’s heated through.
- Freezer: These chicken thighs can last up to three months in the freezer, so be sure to write the date on the bag with a freezer-proof marker.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Dori says
I just made this. It’s a hit all around. It was so easy to make. It will definitely be going into the regular rotation. I’m also going to trying some of your other recipes if this is an example of your work. Thanks.
Diana says
Thank you, Dori, for your kind words! I’m thrilled to hear that the honey chicken thighs were a hit and that you found the recipe easy to follow. I can’t wait to hear how you like the other recipes.
Diane says
Recipe was very easy to make and was delicious. Even hubby likes it and he’s a picky eater
Brittany says
Love this recipe have made it several times. My store was out of thighs, so I got boneless skinless breasts. How long would you recommend cooking? Thank you!
Debbie says
Can you use frozen green beans instead
Diana says
If you pressure cook frozen green beans, they’ll become mushy. So I suggest briefly steaming them in the microwave (about 4 minutes) and serving them with the chicken.
Dale says
If I use boneless, skinless thighs what would be a recommended time?
Diana says
If using boneless and skinless chicken thighs, pressure cook for 6 minutes with quick release. Enjoy!