Instant Pot Honey Bourbon Chicken - Traditional - Dump and Go Dinner

Plan This Recipe Print

Instant Pot Honey Bourbon Chicken - Traditional - Dump and Go Dinner

Mindy
The Cook
4 Servings
12 Ingredients
341 Comments

Try this Instant Pot version of our simple Honey Bourbon Chicken for a quick and easy family dinner. These seductively saucy morsels of juicy chicken are perfectly complimented by a simple side of rice or broccoli and sure to become a fast favorite.

4 Servings
12 Ingredients
341 Comments

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds Chicken, Thighs, Boneless/Skinless
  • ⅛ teaspoons Salt
  • ⅛ teaspoons Black Pepper
  • ½ cups dice Onion
  • ½ cups Soy Sauce
  • ¼ cups Ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
  • 2 teaspoons mince Garlic, Cloves
  • ¼ tablespoons Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1 cup Honey
Serving Day Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon Water

Containers

Supplies

  • Labels

Cooking Instructions

Freeze For Later Cooking Day Directions

Easy Assembly/Dump and Go

These directions help you cook or prepare this meal PRIOR to being frozen for serving later (see Serving Day Directions when you are ready to prepare it to eat).

Why would I want to freeze this?

  1. Combine all ingredients except for cornstarch and water and divide among indicated number of round, freezable containers. Label and freeze.

Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock all recipe instructions

Make From Frozen Serving Day Directions

Prog. Pressure Cooker

These directions help you cook or reheat this meal AFTER it's been frozen for when you are ready to eat it.

  1. Prep from frozen
  2. 8496499 Upgrade to a paid membership 18487 to unlock all instructions 94228
  3. 3116498 Upgrade to a paid membership 94541 to unlock all instructions 61987
  4. 9803014 Upgrade to a paid membership 62651 to unlock all instructions 31768
  5. 3877701 Upgrade to a paid membership 21230 to unlock all instructions 43591
  6. 8299138 Upgrade to a paid membership 98638 to unlock all instructions 54125
  7. 2510369 Upgrade to a paid membership 63188 to unlock all instructions 59215
  8. 9320291 Upgrade to a paid membership 14984 to unlock all instructions 31310
  9. 8231964 Upgrade to a paid membership 30537 to unlock all instructions 27554
  10. 9236004 Upgrade to a paid membership 48118 to unlock all instructions 66115

Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock all recipe instructions

Make It Now Cooking Directions

These directions are for cooking this recipe to serve immediately and NOT to freeze for later.

  1. **Due to the nature of pressure cooking there is always room for inconsistency. The times given here are based on 4 servings fresh. If you are using more servings you may need to increase your cooking time.**
  2. *** Though it doesn't seem likely that this recipe will work for liquid issues--we assure you this recipe has been tested multiple times in the Instant Pot with great success.** Place all ingredients except for cornstarch and water into inner pot.
  3. Lock cover into place and seal steam nozzle.
  4. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. If you are using frozen chicken, add an additional 10 minutes.
  5. Naturally release pressure for 5 minutes then quick release remaining pressure.
  6. Remove chicken and dice.
  7. Set Instant Pot setting to saute.
  8. In a bowl, combine cornstarch and water.
  9. Add cornstarch mixture and chicken to pot and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened.

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe
4 Servings
Serving Size
about 6 ounces chicken and 1/3 cup sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories
570
Total Fat
14g
Saturated Fat
2g
Trans Fat
0g
Cholesterol
136mg
Sodium
1895mg
Total Carbohydrates
80g
Fiber
1g
Sugar
69g
Protein
38g
WW Freestyle
22

341 Comments

Join the discussion
    1. It’s bourbon inspired! You’re welcome to add it, if you like! One of our staffers has done this! πŸ™‚

        1. Pressure cookers don’t evaporate alcohol (well they do, but they also condense it, just like the water). The alcohol remains in the finished food, making it taste tart.

        1. Thanks for the feedback, Thea! We have had many test cooks and staffers add alcohol to their Instant Pot recipes without issue. However, it should be noted that stovetop and electric pressure cookers are different and both should be thoroughly researched to be used with caution and care.

      1. Very misleading. You should change the title if the Ingredient isn’t even listed or an amount not given. There is no inspiration indicated.

        1. Hi Bob! We’re sorry that you feel misled. This is a popular dish – named after “Bourbon Street” in New Orleans. You can feel free to add bourbon if you’d like! You’ll be glad you tried this recipe – it’s a favorite!

        1. It’s bourbon inspired, so there is no bourbon in it. You’re welcome to add it, if you like!

      1. I’m not sure that is what they meant but however I DO like thinking. My father-in-law made “6 Pack” Chile, and not a drop of beer every hit the pot. ?

    2. When the recipe was created, it had bourbon in it. There are those who prefer to forego the alcohol, so now both recipes are common. ?

    3. That’s what I wanted to know. And would the alcohol burn off. How much and when do you add it? Don’t call it that if it’s not even I the recipe.

      1. Hi Portia, We have confirmed with Instant Pot that is safe to add small amounts of alcohol to your Instant Pot. If you want to add Bourbon, we suggest you add it before (in your sauce mix). A couple of tablespoons is sufficient for this recipe. For specific information on how the Pressure Cooker evaporates alcohol would be best answered by the company and manual, not us unfortunately. We give freezer cooking advice and wouldn’t want to give you an incorrect answer.

    4. The original recipe is from New Orleans. The chef that invented it worked on Bourbon Street. Thus, Bourbon Chicken.

      There was never any bourbon ever in the recipe.

    5. It’s based on “Bourbon STREET” chicken. Everyone leaves out the “STREET” part. Bourbon Street Chicken was created in a New Orleans LA restaurant located on BOURBON STREET in the French Quarter. It became very popular. It NEVER had bourbon or any other alcohol in it. Unfortunately, many people think it’s supposed to have bourbon in it because everyone leaves out part of the name of the recipe.

    1. It’s bourbon inspired! You’re welcome to add it, if you like! One of our staffers has done this! πŸ™‚

  1. There is no bourbon because the title of the recipe refers to the origin of the recipe. Bourbon chicken was created by a chef from Bourbon Street, New Orleans.

  2. In order to get the label with the cooking instructions, do you have to sign up for the Once A MOnth meal plan? I love the idea of having the instructions right on the label! πŸ™‚

    1. Yes, that is a benefit of membership πŸ™‚ If you have questions about membership we’re happy to talk with you via chat in the bottom right-hand corner of the website!

  3. So to freeze, you do not need to cook anything first? Just put ingredients minus the couple that you add the day of and freeze? Thank you

  4. This is super good with apple juice in place of the water or half water, half apple juice. Most bourbon street chicken recipes call for Apple juice. πŸ™‚

    1. Apple juice in place of what water? It only calls for 1 Tbsp. of water for mixing in the corn starch. I’m a little confused with this recipe and wondering if it was correct. Is the liquids of the soy sauce and honey enough to use in the instant pot for bringing up pressure?

      1. I have personally made this recipe several times (a family favorite) and all our recipes are tested before they’re published. If you follow the instructions there should be plenty of liquid for your pot to come to pressure! If you have more questions, we’d love to chat with you in the bottom right-hand corner of the website!

        1. If I double the recipe fresh for the bouborn honey chicken,for my instant pot.Do I double cooking time? e.g. 15 min. for 4 servings. 8 servings 30 mins.cooking time???. 12 servings 45 mins. cooking time ???. Pease help me My first instant pot dish , 8 qt. capacity pot! Thank You waiting for your reply.

        2. Dennis, welcome! Excited you’ll be making this as your first dish! We wouldn’t necessarily double your cooking time, but increase it by a little for sure. Remember, your Instant Pot is going to cook things WAY faster than normal. We’d probably recommend starting with 25 minutes and see how it goes from there.

          Below are some of our recommendations for times based on servings.

          Average Cooking Times:

          1-2 Servings: 5-10 minutes
          3-4 Servings: 10-20 minutes
          5-6 Servings: 15-25 minutes
          7-8 Servings: 25-35 minutes

          To increase your serving size for every 2 servings add 2 – 5 minutes
          To decrease your serving size for every 2 servings add 2 – 5 minutes.

          * Remember, these are recommendations, so adjust as you cook and learn!

          This excerpt was taken from our post >> https://onceamonthmeals.com/blog/series/kitchen-tips/troubleshooting-instant-pot-recipes/

        1. The water is listed under the Serving Day Ingredients so that and the cornstarch aren’t added until the day you cook it and eat it. πŸ™‚

  5. Would I be able to make this with only the chicken frozen and adding the other ingredients unfrozen at 25mins high pressure?

    1. Kat, we would think so! Just know your chicken will not have marinated in the sauce, so it might taste slightly different from normal, but should still taste great!

  6. We really enjoyed this recipe. It was easy to make and start to finish, making it from fresh, we had food on the table in under an hour. It was a little sweet for me and I wondered if it was because we use low sodium tamari and perhaps that didn’t cut the sweetness as much as full powered soy sauce would have. Making it again I will most likely reduce the amount of honey and increase the other liquids evenly to make up for the loss. I would say this serves four perfectly.

    1. I’ve made this a twice now… the second time I didn’t have enough honey- so I used half honey, half molasses. It was slightly less sweet with a deeper flavor. My boys enjoyed it more with the molasses.

      1. Ohh that sounds GREAT! (I think it could have half as much honey and be just as good too. We always have leftover sauce).

      2. Thank you SO much for mentioning this!! I was in the middle of making this for dinner tonight and realized I didn’t have enough honey. But, I have molasses so I’m going to use that. Again, thank you!!!

      1. I didn’t have enough honey so I added a 1/4 water hopefully this will be ok? Thoughts? I believe I was only about 1/4 shy on the honey

        1. Hi Mindy — You should be fine. I cut down on the honey for this recipe in our family (just a personal preference) and add extra liquid and it’s always turned out great! Hope this helps! ~ OAMM

  7. How much time do I add for 2 pounds of chicken? Is there a standard rule of thumb per pound of chicken? What would I do if I didn’t have enough time and the chicken wasn’t cooked all the way?

    1. As a member, you would have the ability customize serving sizes. If you have questions about membership, we’d love to chat with you in the bottom-right hand corner! We include a disclaimer on all of our IP recipes that states what the original serving size was when we made it fresh and that if cooking different amounts the time might need to be adjusted. If you cook and the chicken is not cooked all the way, you can always cook it longer. We encourage you to consult the Instant Pot Time Tables for reference: http://instantpot.com/cooking-time/
      Enjoy!

  8. Does a 64 oz container get full with this recipe? Will it have extra room if I increase the recipes by 1/3? I need to feed 2 kids and 5 adults.

    1. Since this recipe is for 4 servings and you’d like to feed 7, I would go ahead and prepare to fill 2 64oz containers. It might not hurt to just double the recipe, then you’ll have a little left over πŸ™‚ Enjoy!

  9. We loved it, but will reduce the amount of honey because of the sugar in the ketchup and add a bit more pepper. I used the correct amount of chicken but there was quite a lot of liquid. I may reuse it with a thigh or two on the stovetop.

    1. If you Google “ketchup substitute” a recipe appears to make your own substitute but it doesn’t seem like there is something already made, if that makes sense. I hope that helps! Enjoy!

    2. Hi Kelly,

      I ran out of ketchup and used 1/4 c. jarred spaghetti sauce and 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar (any other vinegar would work, too). It came out fantastic, just like a restaurant’s. It was a great substitute. Enjoy!

  10. Made this tonight and it was excellent. I only changed the amount of honey and soy. My husband doesn’t like really sweet so I did 3/4 cups honey and 3/4 soy. I will probably do 1/2 cup of honey next time but it was still very good!

  11. It was delicious! My family couldn’t believe I had made it from scratch! It was the 2nd time I had ever used my new InstatntPot and we are sold on both the pot and the recipe! Thank-you!

    1. Barbara, we are so sorry it burned! Can we ask: How many servings did you make yours for? And did you cook it from frozen, or already thawed? Unfortunately overcooking can easily occur pending some of those variables. We would love to assist you further to help get it right!

      Please note our disclaimer at the top of the recipe instructions: “Due to the nature of pressure cooking there is always room for inconsistency. The times given here are based on 4 servings fresh. If you are using more servings you may need to increase your cooking time.”

      1. I also made exactly according to the instructions, for 4 servings, and this burned when I prepared from frozen according to instructions.

  12. Is this recipe a Pot in pot recipe? Or is this supposed to be cooked in the regular stainless steel pot? I am new to the instant pot and just learned that PIP was a thing today. The recipe says “inner pot” so is that what signifies a PIP vs regular? Could that be what caused Barbara’s meal to burn?

  13. Made this tonight and it was delicious. The only change was that I had frozen bone-in thighs with skin. I cooked for 25 minutes (added the 10 minutes as suggested for frozen). It had plenty of liquid. My only complaint is that it was so good, I wish I had doubled the recipe. I plan on using the leftover sauce on more chicken.

  14. Do you put the chicken directly in the pot or on the little rack? I’m fairly new to the pot but saw a post above that it burned and wondering if that is why.

    1. Hey Barbara, great question! This is not a pot in pot recipe so you can put the chicken directly in the big steel pot. I personally have made this recipe several times and never had my chicken burn. Hope that helps! Enjoy!

  15. Made this tonight when a schedule change meant I needed to make something for dinner instead of grab and go later.

    I cut the honey to 3/4 cup.

    I used frozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cooked at high pressure for 27 minutes and natural release. I like a slightly shredded but not totally shredded chicken in dishes like this. It was perfect – soft chunks and a few shredded pieces.

    after the sautΓ©e and thickening of the sauce I tossed in some. Aged frozen peas and carrots that I needed to use up. Over rice it was perfect and easy. Definitely a keeper recipe. πŸ™‚

    1. Oh Mary we are SO glad this turned out so well for you! And those are some great adaptions you made! Let us know what other recipes you are enjoying! Many thanks!

  16. you said to use the 64oz freezer containers.. do you put those directly into the pot, still in the container or remove it?

    1. Nope, it’s only recommended that you put oven safe containers in your Instant Pot. You would dump the contents of the bowl into the stainless steel pot. Enjoy!

        1. You can run warm water around the container and it should release just fine for you. πŸ™‚

  17. OMGOSH, I made this tonight. I actually used 4 large breasts (could actually have done 6 breasts) & added 1/2 a cup of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Whiskey. This was absolutely excellent!

  18. I made this and froze it in a zip-lock freezer bag. It never froze solid which concerns me. Is that possibly because of the honey?

    1. Betsey, the answer is yes! Honey does not freeze solid, but everything else will freeze just fine. So don’t worry!

    1. Great question Linda! P.S. It tastes really good with some added Bourbon ? But the amount depends a little on your serving size; however, we might start with 1/4 cup. Let us know how it turns out!

    1. I have made this recipe several times and to be honest – it takes the duration of the cooking process for the sauce to thicken. It’s hard to say while the pot is cooking since the lid is on but you also have to add the cornstarch (to help thicken) after the pot comes to pressure. It is a family favorite! Hope this helps! Happy cooking!

  19. If you diced the chicken in advance, would that be a problem? It would be great to minimize the cleanup on the day it’s cooked.

  20. I made this last night, and it was really, really good. I followed the directions (fresh, not frozen) exactly as written, and the chicken was the perfect texture. There was a LOT of liquid in the pot when I opened it. I fished out the chicken, and while the sauce was thickening in the pot with the cornstarch, I put the chicken in a large, non-stick pan on high heat and caramelized the exterior of just one side of the pieces.

    When I used to get Bourbon Chicken at the mall food court, the guy there told me that they used oyster sauce in the marinade. After tasting the sauce in the pot, I decided to add some oyster sauce to cut the sweetness. I accidentally grabbed a bottle of fish sauce instead, and tossed about 2 teaspoons worth in. I realized my error when I put the bottle down, but when I tasted the liquid the fish sauce had really cut down the sweetness. I then added about another teaspoon from a bottle of oyster sauce. I think those two additions really balanced the flavor.

    I ended up with a LOT of sauce left over (more than a cup). Next time I will definitely double the amount of chicken, there is plenty of sauce for that, and this makes great leftovers. I’ve got the left over sauce in the fridge, and will use it as a BBQ sauce next time I grill.

    One of the side dishes they served with the chicken at the mall was a noodle dish with cabbage, which I hoped to replicate. I found a recipe (http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/06/print/lo-mein-shiitake-cabbage-recipe.html) that sounded good , and I think it went well with this chicken. I substituted savoy cabbage for white cabbage, dried udon noodles instead of the fresh lo mein, sliced onion in place of the chives, and skipped the mushrooms. (This dish was finished before the chicken, so I dumped the noodles into a bowl and used the same pan to caramelize the chicken.)

    1. It looks like you can substitute with flour, arrowroot, potato starch, tapioca, and even instant mashed potato granules. You’ll just want to make sure your ratios are correct as they’ll likely be different. Enjoy!

  21. Yum! I made this tonight for the first time. I subbed 1/2 a cup of pineapple juice and 1/2 cup of honey for the 1 cup of honey and it worked beautifully. There is nothing left. I will make it again.

  22. I used 6.3 pounds of chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, and I used 19 minutes because none of the chicken was frozen.
    I also didn’t measure the liquids, the catch-up, the soy sauce, and the honey very exactly. It still came out delicious.

  23. Ok, I am new to the instapot world and I am not a great cook so this question may be obvious to others. If I want to freeze for later do I cook it all before then freeze or do I put all ingredients in raw then freeze? Sorry, I am just confused

    1. Welcome to the Instant Pot world! ? This is a great recipe to start with – a fan favorite! There are three sets of directions for all our recipes. To freeze for later you’ll want to follow the second set of directions, this is an easy assembly recipe or “throw-n-go” so you’re just tossing the ingredients and freezing and cooking on cooking day. If you have more questions, we’d love to chat with you in the bottom right-hand corner of our site! Happy cooking!

    1. Regular soy sauce was used, but you could definitely use a reduced sodium one if it was saltier than you’d like.

  24. Do you have to add the red pepper flakes? My hubby is not a fan of anything spicy but I want to make this because he loves Bourbon Chicken.

    1. You could certainly leave the red pepper flakes out if you feel it will suit your preferences better. You know best how to make what your family likes. πŸ™‚

  25. This is a terribly written recipe. It just says add chicken. What about the rest of the ingredients? Do the onions get sautΓ©ed?

    1. We’re sorry you feel that way. This is one of our most popular recipes. There are three sets of directions – so it depends on if you cooking fresh or from frozen. The phrase “add chicken” is actually not used in the directions. If you’re cooking from fresh it begins with “Place all ingredients except for cornstarch and water into inner pot.” No, you do not need to saute the onions. You might also like to watch the video to see the directions in action. Enjoy!

  26. I made these tonight and everyone loved it! It will certainly be a keeper recipe. I used bone in skinless thighs that were already thawed. Every thing else was to recipe. I cooked it high pressure for 11 minutes with quick release. I removed the chicken and thickened the sauce. Poured the sauce over the chicken thighs. Served with rice and fresh asparagus. Everyone from the kid to the grandma enjoyed it.

  27. Delicious recipe! Only difference is I added chicken broth instead of water for roux part. Depends how many red pepper flakes you add, but those who have no tolerance at all should skip it or add very little. More of a background heat that was delicous! Adding to my recipes for the instant pot.

  28. Recipe says “2 teaspoons minced garlic, cloves”……does that mean 2 teaspoons of each? Does it mean one or the other?

    If you’re supposed to use both, how much cloves?

  29. Perhaps it’s because I cubed my chicken before I cooked, as I hate trying to handle insanely hot chicken to cut it after, but my chicken was soooo dry! Any insight as to why? I’ve seen other recipes where you can cube the chicken before cooking. I’m still pretty new to this!

    1. Hey, Sarah sorry to hear your chicken turned out dry! Here is a helpful post and if you have more questions we’d love to chat with you in the bottom right-hand corner.

  30. Thank you for this recipe, my husband LOVED it! Used 3/4 c honey and 1/4 c Jack Daniels Honey Whiskey. Then instead of soy sauce, I used same amount of coconut aminos.

    Can I make twice as much of the liquid part? Husband really liked the flavor! Also, when I mixed the cornstarch and cold water, it made a hard icky substance. Is there a secret I need to know about this?

    THANKS again for sharing this! It was actually a recipe he asked me to make again!

    1. Oh yum! You can make 2x as much liquid but just be aware it may affect the cooking time. In regard to the cornstarch, you might just have to add a little more water – cornstarch/water can be touch and go. We’re THRILLED this was such a hit for you guys!

  31. What type of onions do I need to use? It just says onions but the picture shows green onions. Is it a regular white onion or green onions for the recipe?

  32. I made this last night totally last minute with frozen chicken, getting some rice going in my rice cooker at the same time to serve with it. I was so worried it wouldn’t turn out but it did! It was fantastic! My two boys, aged 12 & 14, along with my husband, LOVED it! This will definitely be a go-to meal for us, saving us from those unhealthy drive-thrus when we think there’s no time to cook dinner. There is! THANK YOU!!

  33. This is literally the 3rd thing I’ve made in my new electric pressure cooker! Jasmine rice, the-most–perfect-ever hard boiled eggs, and this pot of deliciousness… the only thing I did differently was tonsaute the onions first and I added a tablespoon (or 2) of bourbon. Served over jasmine rice with broccoli on the side. Amazing. I.Am.Hooked.

  34. Does anyone have a recipe for leftover Honey Bourbon Chicken

    I made it one night and we didn’t end up eating it. Family drama. It is now in my freezer and I would like to remake it into something else. Any suggestions?

  35. This was my first Instant Pot recipe. I halved the honey as per comments and it turned out fantastic. Really nice recipe!

    1. I agree, it is fantastic! On a side note, I ran out of ketchup and used 1/4 c. spaghetti sauce and 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar because I was desperate. Still came out PERFECT! Thanks for a new family staple.

  36. Love that this does not contain alcohol
    For those that want it it can be added
    Hard to find recipes that list a alternative.

      1. do you cook from frozen directly in the instant pot or do you need to keep it in an oven-safe glass container (like Pyrex) to cook in the IP? Could you freeze in gallon size freezer-ziploc bags or would that not work because it won’t fit into the pot? New to the IP world πŸ™‚

        1. Hi Alicia, Welcome! For this recipe, you just put the contents in your Instant Pot. If a oven safe container is required, we put it in the instructions and list it as a supply needed. You can definitely freeze your contents in a bag. We like to use containers just because since we’re cooking directly from frozen, it’s a lot easier to get out then trying to get something frozen out of a freezer bag. I hope this helps. ~OAMM

  37. I would highly recommend cutting the honey down to 3/4 cup . WOW was it overly sweet at the full cup.
    Also I had trouble with the cornstarch. Normally I see ratios of 2 to 1 with more water, not my CS. When I mixed it in the bowl it was chunky and then when I added it to the sauce it just jelled in big clumps. I used a strainer to remove it.
    Next time I’ll make a better cornstarch slurry and add a cup of the sauce into that bowl before adding it back to the instant pot to simmer.

    1. You can easily reduce all of the liquid ingredients by 1/2 and still have plenty of sauce left. You could reduce the honey by 3/4 if you really needed to.

  38. Your site is not usable due to overwhelming number of advertisements you have crammed into the page. Will not be back, which is a shame because I would have liked to use these recipes.

    1. We are sorry to hear that you feel that way. Those advertisements do go away when you become a member. Websites like ours aren’t free and we do have to supplement those costs in some ways.

  39. I cooked frozen chicken breasts (hallelujah!) for 15 minutes but they were pretty dry, except for the really thick breast. Everything else worked out splendidly, and though I’m not crazy about the sauce (I didn’t keep the extra), it was pretty good. I brought the sauce back up to pressure to steam my frozen broccoli for zero minutes (while I cubed the chicken), and that was a little too soggy. Very easy.

  40. New to this site. Loving it!

    Is there a print button on the page I’m missing? I function best when I can print it, tape it to my kitchen cabinet @ eye level with painter’s tape

    1. Hey Alethea, so glad you found us! There is no official print button but you should be able to “file > print” from your top navigation bar or hit
      “command + p”. Happy cooking!

  41. I will have to adjust the soy sauce next time to half… it turned out way too salty! But quick and easy recipe I made using frozen chicken breasts at the last minute!

  42. Anyone else had a problem with contents spewing out valve when you did quick release?! I’m fairly new to pressure cooking, but I’ve used it about 10 times and have never had that happen. Any ideas?

  43. I am making this tonight for a crowd and so I will need to double this recipe. In the recipe it indicates that if you increase serving size you may need to increase cooking time so what would you suggest to increase cooking time if I double this recipe

  44. Wow. My husband is slowly starting to like the instant pot after 2 initial flops. I added 6 fluid oz of honey and some extra hot garlic paste. He said it was deep and flavorful. I trusted in the pot and the recipe and was NOT disappointed. A keeper. Thanks!

  45. I tried the recipe tonight and would only change one thing. I would leave out the honey until after the chicken is cooked and add it in at the saute section. Honey can burn and my food was good but there was a subtle smell of burned sugar. I used frozen chicken and cooked it for 25 minutes and didn’t let it rest before hitting the release. It was perfect. Thanks so much for the great instructions and really good meal.

  46. I made this as my first OAMM and my husband loved it, but I felt it was too sweet. For next time, I would like to halve the honey. Can I do that and not adjust anything else in the recipe?

    1. Glad to hear that you liked it!

      Yes, for sure! Use half the honey and it will work the same. It really is all about personal taste. I hope you find some more recipes that you like!

  47. Hello! Do you have to use chicken thighs? I was thinking of using chicken breasts. Would I need to make timing adjustments? Also if I’m doing PIP and cooking rice as well, would you recommend putting this on the top or bottom?

    1. You could definitely use chicken breasts! I have made that substitution and not noticed any difference in time needed. As far as the rice, you should put it on top.

  48. We love this! I did add 1/4 cup bourbon and it was wonderful. Next time I’ll cut back on the honey, but overall this is a great recipe. Thanks!

  49. Just wondering what the reason is for the vegetable oil? Is it dumped in with all the other ingredients other than the corn starch and water? TIA!

  50. Is 1/4 TABLEspoons red pepper flakes really correct? It’s not 1/4 TEAspoons? I’ve just never heard someone say to use 1/4 tablespoons of anything in a recipe.

  51. Love this recipe. I’ve been making it for awhile now and always making my rice separately but tonight I watched a PIP video that said to cook the rice in the bottom of the liner and the chicken in a pot in the trivet. If you did this then how do you reduce the sauce afterwards? Do you have to take out the rice then dump the chicken into the liner to reduce it do it in the stove? Wouldn’t that cancel out the benefit of PIP two things at once?

    1. Yes, if you would like the thicker sauce, you would need to remove the rice and then dump the sauce into the main pot and saute. Otherwise, you could run the risk of the rice overcooking.

  52. 1/4T or 1/4t red pepper flakes? Recipe shows as tablespoon but that seems like an awful lot. I don’t mind spicy, used about 1/2t and was really good but too spicy for my 3 year old

    1. The recipe calls for 1/4 Tablespoon, which is the same as 3/4 teaspoon. If you find that’s too much pepper you are certainly welcome to modify the amount to suit your family’s taste!

    1. These ingredients are for 1 dinner serving 4 people. For the doubled recipe directions/list, that would require a membership.

    1. Hi Adam, With our Instant Pot recipes, you can put it directly in your IP without thawing to cook. Happy Cooking! ~OAMM P.S. This recipe is amazing (we serve it with brown rice and broccoli in our family)

  53. Just wondering what size Instant Pot was used and whether I would need to change anything for an 8 qt pot, which is the size I have. Thanks!

    1. You can use any size IP for this recipe as long as the number of servings you’re preparing will fit in the size pot you have. No special adaptation needed for the 8 quart!

  54. I doubled the recipe and cooked from using frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts and it was perfectly done in 25 minutes. I did not have any soy sauce so I substituted Worcestershire sauce. There was plenty of liquid. My family loved it and said I would be making this again.

  55. I tried this but mixing the cornstarch & water I got an extremely hard lump I think the amounts are backwards. The next recipe I tried called for 1T cornstarch & 2T water and it mixed quite well.
    Also though it was way too much Honey and I didn’t even put the full cup in.

    1. Hi DJ! Thank you for the feedback! For the honey, you can adjust according to taste if needed. As far as the cornstarch goes, you can definitely add more water if it’s hard to mix. So sorry you had an issue!

  56. Thanks so much for the recipe! I wish people understood that recipes aren’t “hard and fast” rule guidelines, but are sort of jumping off steps instead. All these questions have me going “Oh my god! Are you kidding me!” Better you than me sister.

    Look, I, like almost everyone on here, just got an instapot. I got a huge overwhelming looking one with all the buttons and whistles and I’m still trying to figure out if it has a flux capacitor:) What I do know is this: Recipes are made to be adjusted. I knew looking at this one that would be way too much honey for my kids to handle. They like the bourbon chicken they get at the mall. So instead of ketchup, I highly suggest using a honey BBQ (any cheap one will do) and double the amount if you like it saucy:) I found the chicken is better if you use it frozen and just dump it in. IF YOU MAKE THE SAUCE TOO SWEET: No worries. You can either add more soy, or if you’d rather not double your salt intake, an Little apple cider vinegar actually cuts through that without tasting funky.

    Because I wanted a bit more liquid in this, I added a box of my kids apple juice to it. It all came out perfect. We had zero leftovers and the kids liked it better than the place at the mall.

    I’m still figuring out the whole instapot thing. I’m southern, so I’m not sure how I feel about cooking a whole chicken in an hour ? But my advice to most of you worried is to give things a try. This is a great recipe as is. Make it and then, if it’s too sweet, you can always doctor it up. Good luck guys!

  57. What do you do after all is sautΓ©ed? Do you drain the fluid that the chicken makes or do you add the corn starch and water to it? Seems like the finishing touches are missing

  58. My family loved the chicken. I did 2 lbs bones skinless chicken thighs not frozen. This made enough for a family of 4. This was messier meal in ip. Make sure to clean all your ip parts to lid after this one. Will definitely make this again. Thanks for this recipe. Made lots of sauce.

    1. I’m sure you could, but not sure about how the flavor would be. If you decide to try it, be sure to let us know how it turned out!

  59. So…. the ingredient that says 2 tsp minced garlic, Cloves. Does that mean 2 tsp cloves? Or is that an error? I’m smelling an excessive clove odor and wonder if I added this in error?

  60. OMG!
    Made this last night.?
    It was amazing!
    This is a keeper for sure!
    It was so easy and so good!
    Can’t go wrong with that!

  61. I usually cook chicken at 7-8 minutes and it’s perfect, this is for fresh chicken breasts. 15 minutes seems like way too long. And 25 for frozen I’ve done before and they have turned out like dry string.

    1. Liz, you are always more than welcome to adjust times based on your experience and desired doneness. Please feel the freedom to make a note to change the time to your liking!

  62. Thank you for making this site available. I bought my Instant Pot yesterday and this was my first meal! On the recommendation of others, I cut the honey to 3/4 c and added 1/4 c water.
    My skeptical family was very pleased! Looking forward to more cooking!

    1. We recommend you quarter the chicken breasts (so the pieces are a similar size to thighs), and then you can use the same cook time. If you leave the chicken breasts whole, you’ll probably want to add 2-3 minutes additional cook time.

  63. I made this with 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes instead of the recommended 1/4TB and for low spice tolerant people, that was a good call! Lots of liquid in my 3qt pot so I could probably have cooked another pound chicken thighs at the same time.

  64. This is my family’s current favorite IP meal!! Love it!! I double it to feed husband, 3 teenage boys, and me. Easy Peasy… my favorite kind πŸ™‚

  65. I cooked this from frozen and followed the directions exactly, but it came out very burned. Did anyone else have this issue? What did I do wrong?

  66. My IP just gave me the burn notice, I even used more soy sauce than called for in the recipe. I needed up adding more soy sauce and some water. Fingers crossed it takes ok.

    1. Hi Jillian, I’m so sorry to hear about your burn notice. How did the meal end up for you? Just a couple questions to see if we can help troubleshoot. Were you making it from fresh or frozen? And what size Instant Pot were you using?

  67. OMG this was incredible! I added about 1/4 cup Marsala cooking wine. I served it over linguini. This was heavenly!

  68. YUMMY!

    I made this tonight and it was a HIT!!
    I used 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup Jim Beam Apple.
    OMG!!!!!!

    I was asked if it could make the rotation! LOL!

    From frozen chicken to dinner table was 45min!

    Thank you for this recipe!

  69. Can these be frozen into gallon size ziploc bags instead of the container? also, are we supposed to defrost before cooking or throw in everything frozen from bag?

    1. Rebecca, they can indeed be frozen in gallon sized bags instead of containers, and you can cooked from frozen or from thawed! Either way, it’s fine! If from frozen, you do throw everything in at the same time.

  70. My husband advised that this recipe has made him an IP believer. He was skeptical, but he said, “That was some f—ing good chicken!” I left it for him to eat while I’m on a business trip, sadly, so I didn’t get to try it, but with that kind of endorsement, I’ll definitely make it again!

  71. It’s actuallycalled bourbon chicken cause it was created in a restaurant on Bourbon street in New Orleans… so I have heard. ?

  72. After reading the recipe instructions and skimming through the comments; I will freeze the ingredients in a plastic bag that has been set inside a container smaller than the inner pot to give it a “form” that will easily fit in the IP

    1. Hi Barbara, For this recipe, you just need to combine all the ingredients in a freezable container that will fit inside your Instant Pot. You don’t need to use a plastic freezer bag. Some people like to freeze inside freezer bags as opposed to containers, so they use the container as a mold to ensure the contents will fit in their IP. Once the bag has frozen to the shape of the container/mold, they remove the bag from the container. I hope this helps.

  73. I’m sorry this is not bourbon street chicken the flavor is not there. It’s ok but not even %50 close. I dont know what up with ya’ll taste buds but no you can keep this sister.

  74. So, I made this last night as my first IP endeavor. It did not come out so great. It never did thicken. I added more cornstarch, but that only gave it a weird flavor. Is it because I have a 6 quart pot instead of a 2 quart pot? Aside from the extra cornstarch, the flavor was pretty good. Just soupy. Thanks!

    1. I’m sorry that you didn’t have a great experience. All recipes are tested in a 6qt Instant Pot, so that should not be an issue. Did you set the IP to saute for the thickening of the sauce?

  75. Your recipe does not have enough liquid and according to my instructions for my in 6 quart instant pot just want to make sure that I’m reading the recipe correctly so I’m not adding any extra liquid (just soy sauce and honey) to it when I cook the chicken

    1. Hi Karen, We test all of our recipes with test cooks before we publish them to our site. We have found the sauce is enough liquid for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. The ketchup and oil also add to the liquid as well. I hope this helps. If you’re worried about the liquid, you can always add a little water to thin out the sauce. I hope this helps!

  76. Hi. Cooked this as my first recipe from this site, and the whole family loved it. I’ll definitely make it again, but not so sweet. I’ll reduce the amount of honey by half, and add more red pepper and maybe hot paprika. I’ll also refrain from putting the chicken back in the pot in the final step and plate it dry so to speak. Then I can serve the thickened sauce on the side so folks can sweeten to taste.

    1. Great Raymond, so glad this recipe worked for you. Yes, we also have members who cut down on the honey based on their sweetness preference. Some even add a little Bourbon! Happy Cooking.

  77. I just made the recipe using frozen chicken breasts and I am beyond impressed! I added some ginger paste and apple juice and didn’t use the full amount of honey. Rice is cooking on the stove right now. Can’t wait to dig in!

    1. YAY, Leanne! That sounds delicious! So excited it turned out so well for you! And what great additions — we might have to try those too! ?

    1. Great question! The poultry setting is just a pre-setting on your instant pot. For best results, we would suggest following the recipe and adjusting as-needed due to the nature of pressure cooking. If you use different settings/times, please let us know how it worked for you!

  78. This was WAY TOO SWEET! Way too sweet. Cut down the honey. As I was adding 1 cup I knew it felt wrong…..but I followed the recipe. Mistake. I will never make this again.

    1. Hi Linds, I’m sorry this recipe was too sweet for you. We have had people cut down on the honey to 1/4 cup based on their preference. You can add a little more liquid to make up for the honey (or add bourbon as well).

  79. Is this a pot-in-a-pot recipe, and if so do I need a special 2nd pot from the manufacturer? I’m clearly new at this. I’ve just been trying mine out for the last 3 weeks or so. I was swimming along just fine until my last 2 recipes, which ended in the unhappy burn message, after following the recipes exactly. =(

    I would like to avoid more problems. Thanks for posting all of these recipes for all of us!

    1. Hi Willa, I’m sorry for the burn notices you’ve received on your Instant Pot. This dish does not require a second pot. If you are concerned about a burn notice, you can do a couple of things 1) cut down on the honey in the recipe and 2) make sure you mix the sauce ingredients together so everything is combined. Our staff makes this dish fairly often with no issues, so I hope this turns out well for you!

  80. I made this twice today, once at my home with my new Instant Pot and once at my mom’s with her new one. This recipe is amazing. I NEVER cook because I hate it (and I suck at it), but this was actually pretty easy for me except for the cornstarch/water ratio made a little dough ball so I just didn’t bother with that. My kids even loved it! I’m beside myself. Thank you!

  81. Do you put some kind of liquid in the insta pot with this recipe. Mine says I have to. Pretty new to freezer cooking and insta pot. Thanks.

    1. With all of the liquid ingredients in the recipe, there is more than enough liquid for the pot to come to pressure. This is one of the most popular recipes on our site and has been tested to ensure your success!

  82. Hi! I put this together a couple months ago before surgery, and just took it out of the freezer to make tonight. Question:portions of the honey sauce did not freeze solid. My guess is the honey. The chicken seems frozen. Is this still safe to cook? Has anyone else run into this?

    1. As long as everything else your freezer seems frozen, then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Your guess is correct – honey does not freeze πŸ™‚

  83. I use a frozen 3 lb turkey breast from Jennio-O (I’m allergic to chicken…ikr?) so can I just add like it was frozen chicken breasts? The roast is pretty round & the ingredients will just sort of sit all around the roast (if that matters)

      1. I am currently waiting for another 10 minutes to cook the turkey roast. It was not done in the middle. So at 25 minutes for a 3 lb frozen roast…one will need to cook at 35. FYI. It smells yummy.

      2. Wowsa. I used a teaspoon of red pepper flakes and everyone was gasping. I liked it but I’ll use / tspn next time. It still needs something else though. It’s a do again, but will tweek a bit.

  84. If I put a pot in the pot and put a cup of white or brown rice with a cup of water in it, would it cook correctly? (I haven’t done this before.) Then the whole meal would be done at the same time. Yeah!

    1. Hi Jennifer, we haven’t tested that option with this recipe. Usually in addition to adding water to the smaller pot with rice, you also need to add water to the larger pot to help the Instant Pot to come to pressure. The Honey Bourbon Chicken sauce is pretty thick and can splatter, so I’m not sure I would recommend it with this recipe. But if you do give it a try and experiment, please let us know how it turns out!

  85. Why does the recipe say to remove the chicken and dice? I see nothing about dice or even rice if that is what is supposed to be.

    1. You’ll be removing the chicken after it’s been cooked to dice it into smaller pieces before adding it back to your Instant Pot to coat it in the sauce. We hope this helps!

    1. Alessandra, we do have members who prefer to use chicken breast with this meal instead of chicken thighs. It works just the same, we recommend you quarter your chicken breasts (slice once horizontally and once vertically). Hope this helps. Happy Cooking!

  86. We only wanted one pound of chicken, and after reading many of the good comments, made the following alterations. Everything else was followed exactly as indicated. This was our first meal prepared in a new Instant Pot, and it was a great success! Note: Since we kept the pepper flakes the same as the larger recipe, it probably had a bit more kick.

    1 pound chicken thighs
    pinch salt
    1/8 tsp. black pepper
    1/4 cup soya sauce (with 30% less salt)
    1/4 cup honey
    1/4 cup molasses

    1 tbs corn starch

  87. This is my first instant pot meal. Can I use fresh instead of frozen? Do I adjust cooking time? Thanks
    Kathie

    1. Hi Kathie! For Instant Pot recipes, we have tested all recipes, and mostly find that it would be the same amount of time to cook from fresh or frozen. (It will take longer to come to pressure when frozen, though!) We do realize that because of different variables (how thick pieces of meat are etc.), others could have a different experience.
      ​
      If you find that it is not cooked through after the initial time listed, you can simply add a little time at the end. We would rather have you add time than for it to be overcooked ?

    1. We think that you could definitely use the pot-in-pot method to cook rice with this. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out!

    1. Hi, Robin! You’ll cook the chicken in whole pieces, then dice it during the last steps as directed. Happy cooking! πŸ™‚

    1. Great question! Unfortunately, there isn’t a great replacement for ketchup that you probably already have on hand. We have seen recipes that use sriracha sauce in ketchup’s place, but that will had some heat you may not want. There are also some no-tomato ketchups you can find online to purchase. Additionally, we found this No-Tomato Ketchup recipe you might find helpful.

      Happy cooking!

  88. Made this tonight as my FIRST EVER Instant Pot recipe. And Oh. My. Yum! My family loved this, and even my kids had seconds! As I was just piling ingredients on top of frozen chicken breasts, I kept thinking, β€œI’m either going to blow up my house with this contraption or it’s going to burn horribly. Neither! We had tender, moist chicken after following the directions exactly (cooked for 25 min). Unbelievable! And even more unbelievable is how long I lasted without an Instant Pot in my life! I look forward to trying more of your recipes!

    1. If you are making this to freezer for later, you’ll add all of the ingredients expect for the serving day ingredients. πŸ™‚

  89. Has anyone tried adding veggies to this when you cook? I want to toss in Broccoli but wasnt sure if it would cook properly

    1. Great question! Broccoli cooks really quickly in the IP so it would probably be best to cook it separately and add at the end.

    2. I add it to the pot after cooking the chicken for about 2 minutes. We do t take the chicken out…just add it in! It’s super soft and delicious with broccoli. It’s our favorite way to eat it!

      Of course, we’ve done steamable bags separately and it’s just as good πŸ™‚

  90. I don’t usually comment on recipes I’ve cooked but this one was amazing. My 9 month pregnant wife approved so you know it’s a hit.

    I’m making meals to freeze for post-baby so I doubled all the ingredients, adjusted the cooking time according to IP’s recommended cook times and everything was delicious. Not too sweet, not too much heat. Served it over white rice and Parmesan broccoli and it was just perfect.

    That said, are there any suggestions for reheating the fully cooked leftovers from frozen? Thanks!

  91. You should have someone take a look at your ‘print’ stylesheets. When you click on the print option, it chops off steps 4 and 5 between the pages so those don’t print. This is one of my favorite ‘go-to’ recipes so I tried to print off a hardcopy to keep in my recipe file, but it won’t print all the steps.

    1. You might try changing your margins on your print settings. When people have trouble that is typically the problem we have found. I printed this with no issue. If you need further help, please hop onto our live chat feature on our website. Thanks.

    1. When doubling a recipe (keeping in mind the max fill lines) if cooking from frozen, I typically cook it for 1.5 x the called for cook time.

  92. I am eager to try this recipe but am concerned about the white goo that comes out of frozen chicken when cooking. What is your experience with this?

    1. From our research, that is simply protein. However, when cooking dishes with sauce- where the chicken isn’t cooked by itself – we haven’t noticed this or found it to be unappetizing as it can be when the chicken is cooked alone.

  93. 4yo, before cooking: “I don’t like anything with honey in it.”
    4yo, after dinner: “I ate all of my chicken!”
    Thanks for this recipe, it made cooking chicken for dinner so easy and the entire family enjoyed it.

  94. I am stunned at the amount of sodium per serving given that depending upon which countries daily sodium levels (2000-2500) thi
    is a significant percentage of the daily recommended amount of salt. Wow!

    1. If you want to reduce the amount of sodium you could use low-sodium soy sauce and no salt ketchup. Both of those are driving up the sodium in this recipe.