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Instant Pot Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs - Dump and Go Dinner

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Instant Pot Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs - Dump and Go Dinner

Tricia
The Cook
4 Servings
10 Ingredients
91 Comments

Spice rubbed chicken thighs are pressure cooked in a tangy sauce and finished off as a glaze.

4 Servings
10 Ingredients
91 Comments

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
  • 2 teaspoons Paprika
  • 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
  • ½ cups Honey
  • 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
  • ½ cups Water
  • 1 pound Chicken, Thighs, Boneless/Skinless

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Supplies

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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. Mix salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, chili powder, paprika and garlic powder together and set aside.
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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
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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. Mix salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, chili powder, paprika and garlic powder together and set aside.
  3. Mix honey, cider vinegar and water. Set aside.
  4. Untuck the chicken thighs so they lie flat.
  5. Cover all sides in seasoning and place the chicken in the inner pot.
  6. Pour the honey mixture over the chicken.
  7. Lock the lid in place and seal the steam nozzle.
  8. Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes.
  9. Natural release for 5 minutes then quick release any remaining pressure.
  10. Serve the chicken with the excess glaze.

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe
4 Servings
Serving Size
about 4 ounces
Amount Per Serving
Calories
275
Total Fat
4g
Saturated Fat
1g
Trans Fat
0g
Cholesterol
90mg
Sodium
592mg
Total Carbohydrates
37g
Fiber
1g
Sugar
33g
Protein
24g
WW Freestyle
10

91 Comments

Join the discussion
  1. Hi, This looks amazing! I was getting ready to make this and plugged it in to MasterCook. The nutrition information (which they get from the USDA nutrition database if I recall correctly) is completely different. The only difference is that I just used skinless chicken thighs in the ingredients, but even with the bone in that would make it less calories per serving. I’m getting 218 calories for 1 serving (436 for 2 servings). I see that your nutrition information is for 8 ounces, so I would assume that would be 2 servings? Or is the liquid amount throwing it off somehow? I wouldn’t think it would because MasterCook assumes you’re going to eat 100% of the ingredients. Anyway, no big deal… I was just curious.
    Love the site! Thank you for your hard work 🙂

    1. Thank you so much! Our MenuBuilder team re-ran the nutrition information and updated this recipe accordingly. Happy cooking!

  2. Please add that you must reduce the sauce on high sauce for about 10 minutes before it becomes a glaze. It’s completely watery when you first open the pot.

      1. Our test cooks recommend: Place the frozen contents (including chicken) inside the inner pot, Saute for 5 minutes, Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes, Natural release for 5 minutes then quick release any remaining pressure.

        Then, you’ll serve the chicken with the excess glaze left over in the pot. If you would like to try sauteing without the chicken at the end, we’d love to hear any feedback on the end result!

    1. Sure! Just be aware you may need to adjust your cooking time. We’d love to hear how they turn out! Enjoy!

  3. I’ve made this twice, even mixed bone in thighs and boneless. I cook for 18 minutes because I do a larger amount. Absolutely fabulous! I could eat this every week.

  4. I made this tonight, it was delicious – this one’s a keeper! As a couple of other commenters noted, I needed to boil the sauce on the sautée function for several minutes after he chicken was done to reduce it to a thicker consistency. I think the next time I make it I’ll try reducing the water to 1/4 cup, as the chicken releases a lot of moisture as it cooks. It was pretty spicy, too – which was fine, as we like spicy food, but if I were going to serve it to company, I’d reduce the amount of red pepper flakes, and maybe the paprika too. I’m glad I used smoked paprika, instead of the hot Hungarian paprika I often use!

  5. Those who made this…..Did you use an inner pot inside the main pot on a trivit or cook everything in the main pot?
    I want to try this tonight as my FIRST IP meal.

    Has anyone adapted the recipe to cook rice along with this?

    1. I cooked this in the bottom of my pot then but in a footed trivet right on top of the chicken and put a PIP bowl with rice and water right on top. Both cooked perfectly in 12 minutes but my sauce was quite watery. Will reduce the water in the chicken next time.

  6. My first IP meal was a success! I just made this and the chicken melted in your mouth! This is definitely a keeper.

  7. I made this today! It is absolutely delicious. The red pepper flakes gives it the appearance of a crust. I will definitely make it often. I didn’t reduce the sauce. I thought it was good like that!

  8. I made this last night and it was delicious. I have the 7 quart insta pot and did 4 pounds of boned in chicken thighs. Since the recipe above was using 1 pound of chicken thighs (boneless), I did try it with quadruple the measurements of the ingredients. That worked well with the spices and such. The only problem was that the reduction phase (after you pulled out the chicken) was about 30 minutes to reduce the liquid to a glaze. My questions to the group: did I need to quadruple the water (from 1/2 cups to 2 cups) since it seems the chicken added fair amount of water itself? If it is required, as a new cook, what can I do with the chicken so it doesn’t get cold or dry out while the sauce is getting reduced?

    1. I wouldn’t increase the water that much. I would maybe increase it to .75 cup or at max 1 cup. If it takes a little additional time to reduce – you could plate the chicken covered with foil. I hope this helps!

        1. Hi Jill — here’s a great post on making adjustments in the Instant Pot — the general rule is to increase your cook time by 2-5 minutes every every 2 increases in serving size. Hope this helps!

  9. I made this as written in my 3 quart mini with locally harvested honey. I reduced the sauce as recommended by other readers. it turned out so well, I can’t wait to make it again. Thanks for sharing

  10. Made this for dinner using bone in thighs. Sautéed them first in the instant pot. Used the poultry setting to cook for 15 minutes. My family loved them and they came together so quickly.

  11. Can someone please tell me if they have tried to sear/brown the chicken first? I would like some caramelization first. Also, my model of the IP doesn’t have a poultry setting. The next best option I guess is the meat/stew. Or maybe manual? I am hoping to make this tomorrow, so hope for a speedy reply. Thanks 🙂 Christine

    1. I have seared on the stove first before and then added meat to the IP. I would use manual setting. Let us know how it goes!

    1. When cooking on manual, it will automatically set to high pressure. You could also use the poultry setting if you are not sure.

  12. This chicken dish is a keeper!!! The spicy crunch of the spice mixed with the sweet honey sauce, is a perfect harmony in your mouth. Not to mention that the chicken was falling off the bone. I did exactly what the directions said, however I used 4 bone-in chicken thighs. I also used the sauce button for the sauce to thicken it up as suggested above. I wonder if throwing in some veggies or little potatoes would work?

  13. i made this tonight using chicken thigh with bone and skin. i extended the time to 14 minutes since the chicken has bones. it became watery. there was no glaze.

    1. Mollie, roasted sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes are always great as starch sides, or try roasted/steamed broccoli, brussel sprouts, or green beans for veggie options!

  14. Made this, this week and my husband raved about it. It really was delicious. One note was that my sauce did not thicken into a “glaze” it was still pretty much water when it was done. I did skip the beginning saute step, but I am not sure that would have made much of a difference. However, even with the watery glaze, it was still amazing. Served it over basmati rice Thanks OAMM!

    1. So glad you loved the recipe! If you want a thicker glaze next time, you can remove the chicken after cooking and simmer the sauce (using saute on low) for an additional 5-10 minutes.

  15. Wow. This was my first chicken recipe in my 3 qt mini IP and my rather picky husband loved it. Whew! Flavors were really subtle- not too spicy or sweet. Just right. I may have used a little less water since so many people mentioned it being watery. He loves tacos so we ended up shredding the meat to put into soft tortillas with all the fixings and kept dipping into the sauce.- au jus Really delicious. Super moist with such a nice flavor. Super easy to make and totally worth trying. Will definitely make again. Thanks for this!

  16. Omg I just made my first meal with the instant pot. Honey glaze chicken and basmati rice and it’s so delicious didn’t take long at all. So happy with this purchase. Winning ?

    1. We’re so glad your first meal with the Instant Pot turned out so well! We’re so happy you’re here and enjoying OAMM. Happy Cooking!

  17. If you put the seasoning on the chicken and then pour the water mixture to the new wash away the seasonings or do I have it wrong?

  18. I made this exactly as the recipe called for and it was fabulous! I also threw in some turnips which soaked up some of the sauce and they were great too! This is a keeper!

  19. I received an IP for Christmas. Today, I only have frozen chicken thighs on hand. Can I use frozen chicken? What adjustments should I make?

    1. Hi Jennifer — You can definitely use frozen chicken thighs. You may have some issues getting the spices to stick to the frozen chicken thighs. You may want to try spritzing a little water or oil on the chicken first. I hope this helps. Happy Cooking! ~ OAMM

  20. Made this tonight as my second dish ever using my Instant Pot. It was absolutely delicious and the meat just fell apart!! Definitely a keeper. It was so fast but still so flavorful. Made it with a side of rice and I cut the bones out of the thighs, and I ended up having the meat sit on the warmer for about 40 minutes while the rice cooked, so by that time the sauce/glaze was perfect for us.

    1. Great, I’m so glad this recipe worked out for you Hannah! Thanks for the feedback, happy cooking! ~OAMM

  21. Some recipes like this recommend putting the meat on a trivet and some recommend putting it on the bottom to be immersed in the sauce. You don’t specify. What would you recommend?

    1. I typically make this recipe on the bottom in the sauce, but if you are worried about it drying out (or don’t like a lot of sauce), you can definitely do it on the trivet.

  22. The sauce was good but mine never thickened up. Whenever I make it will try to cut down on water until I get it right.

    1. It is a really balancing act to have enough water to make the pot come to pressure but not too much to make it watery. The chicken itself is also a variable that produces water. You can always add some arrowroot or cornstarch and saute a few moments to thicken it up.

  23. Newbie here. I just tried making this dish and after sauteing and then putting the lid on after only a few minutes my instant pot said burn. Was I supposed to add water or something?

    1. I’m sorry for your experience. Water is listed in the ingredients, but no additional water should be needed for this recipe. This recipe has been tested, and we have not had that experience. However, I will pass along your comments to our Menu Builder team so they can take another look at this. Thank you!

  24. I made this for my son and daughter in law. They now request it every week! The past 2 times I’ve thrown in some quartered potatoes and carrots. All cooked perfectly! This is definitely a favorite dish!

  25. Made these last night using bone in, skin on chicken thighs and cooked for 15 minutes. I also boiled the liquid a few minutes to reduce it. The sauce was nice and sweet yet had a pretty spicy kick to it. They were delicious. Thank you for sharing!

  26. I. Ever follow instructions without adding my own touch. For some reason, I didn’t this time. These are excellent. Love em! Thanks.