This Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken is finger licking good, so delicious and super quick and easy! With a teriyaki sauce made from scratch and only 8 minutes in the Instant Pot, this chicken will come out outrageously tender!
Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
Teriyaki chicken is one of my favorite and most ordered dish whenever I frequent a Japanese restaurant. There’s just something about that slightly sweet, decidedly tangy, and richly savory sauce that I just can’t seem to get enough of.
Teriyaki is such a classic sauce and marinade and while sometimes it’s easier to buy the bottled version, homemade is always better. This recipe is so quick and easy prepared in your pressure cooker that you’ll barely have time to sit down before it’s ready to be served up.
What Is Teriyaki?
Did you know that teriyaki is actually a cooking method? It’s used in Japanese cooking and just involves cooking your food in a glaze typically made from soy sauce, some type of sugar, and mirin – also known as rice wine. Adding chicken to the dish is a pretty western twist on this classic, so consider this dish an Americanized homage to Japan and all its culinary contributions. Let’s get teriyaki-ing!
Ingredients In Teriyaki Chicken
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Wet ingredients – Water, soy sauce, mirin, and sesame oil make up the base of this saucy dish. These are such key ingredients in Asian cooking so I recommend you be sure to stock up next time you’re at the store.
- Honey – We need a sweet component to this dish that will allow it to cook down into a glaze.
- Aromatics – Fresh ginger and fresh garlic will pack so much flavor into this dish so be sure to use these over their powdered alternatives if available.
- Chicken – I used thighs for this recipe, bone-in and skin-on. You can use breasts, or go for skinless and boneless. Keep in mind cooking time will change.
- Cornstarch – We’re going to be making a slurry using cornstarch and cold water to allow the sauce to thicken.
How To Make Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Prepare your pressure cooker: Turn your pressure cooker onto the saute setting.
- Create the sauce: Add the water, soy sauce, mirin, honey, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger to the pot and stir.
- Cook the chicken: Add the chicken to the pressure cooker, make sure that the thighs are fully immersed in the liquid before closing the lid. Turn the pressure cooker onto its poultry setting and allow to cook for 8 minutes. Allow the pressure and heat to release naturally before removing the lid.
- Assemble the dish: Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce in the pot and cook for 3 minutes on the saute setting while stirring. Brush the chicken with the sauce before finishing under the broiler till golden.
- Finish the one pot teriyaki chicken: Serve the chicken over fluffy white rice, with the sauce poured on top. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion (optional).
What To Serve With Teriyaki Chicken
- I always serve it over rice. I love Jasmine rice or Basmati rice. Feel free to make this the day before or even while the chicken is cooking.
- Serve it with steamed vegetables such as broccoli or baby bok choy.
- Don’t be afraid to garnish your teriyaki chicken, my favorite garnishes are sesame seeds and green onions.
Tips For Making The Best Teriyaki Chicken
- Both chicken thighs or chicken breasts work for the recipe (read recipe notes), however I prefer chicken thighs because they are juicier and are more flavorful.
- Always use a light soy sauce to reduce the sodium content. Sometimes I like to add a 1/2 to 1 tsp of dark soy sauce for that extra dark color.
- Use mirin if you can find it. I usually find it in my regular grocery store in the Asian aisle, however feel free to substitute it with brown sugar if you can’t find it, as it’s used to add sweetness to the teriyaki sauce.
- Prepare your rice as you begin this recipe, it’ll take about as long to cook.
Storing Leftover Teriyaki Chicken
This teriyaki chicken recipe can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. The sauce can be stored separately in the fridge and should last for weeks. If you’d like to freeze your cooked chicken just freeze each piece spaced on a cookie sheet before removing and placing in an airtight container. The sauce can be frozen indefinitely – perfect for marinades in the future!
Craving More Chicken? Try These Recipes:
- Grilled Harissa Sesame Chicken Thighs
- Spicy Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs with Rice and Broccolini
- Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes Corn and Kale Bake
- Crockpot Thai Chicken Thighs
- Skillet Braised Greek Chicken Thighs
- Honey Mustard Chicken
- Mongolian Chicken
- Baked Chicken Breast
- Firecracker Chicken
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Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup soy sauce low sodium
- 3 tablespoon mirin (use more if using brown sugar)
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon ginger freshly ground
- 3 pounds chicken thighs with skin and bones
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon cold water
Garnish
- 3 green onions chopped
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. (See your manufacturer’s guide for detailed instructions on how to use your instant pot.)
- Add the water, soy sauce, mirin, honey, sesame oil, garlic and ginger to the instant pot and stir.
- Place chicken thighs in the instant pot, they should be immersed in the liquid.
- Close the lid (follow the manufacturer’s guide for instructions on how to close the instant pot lid). Set the Instant Pot to the Poultry setting and set the timer to 8 minutes.
- Once the Instant Pot cycle is complete, wait until the natural release cycle is complete, should take about 10 minutes. Follow the manufacturer’s guide for quick release, if in a rush. Carefully unlock and remove the lid from the instant pot.
- Remove chicken from the instant pot and place on a baking sheet.
- Switch the Instant Pot to the saute setting (do not put the lid on). Transfer the chicken to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Thicken the sauce by stirring the cornstarch with 3 tbsp cold water and stir it into the sauce. Cook for 5 minutes on the Saute mode, stirring occasionally. Turn off your Instant Pot by pressing the cancel button.
- Brush the chicken with the sauce, then place the baking sheet under the broiler until browned, for about 5 minutes.
- Garnish the chicken with sesame seeds or green onions. Serve over rice.
I’d like to use boneless,skinless thighs. Should the cook time be less? Thank you, looking forward to making this!
Nope, the same.
Hello, you say to use 3lbs of chicken. Does the recipe really make enough sauce to fully immerse all of the chicken? If my math is right it just comes up to about a cup and a half
You don’t need the chicken fully immersed in a pressure cooker! You’ll end up with a lot of liquid coming from the chicken as it cooks and adding to the sauce.
Your list of ingredients says to use “3 lbs of chicken thighs with skin and bones.” But you state that you used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Which is correct? What is the cooking time for one vs. the other? Thank you!
They’re bone-in and skin-on! Thanks for catching that 🙂
Oops. Ignore my email as I just read your suggestion in the comments about not having an instant pot. Thanks.
Is there any way I can make this using another cooking method as I don’t have an instant pot but would like to make it as it sounds delicious. Thanks.
Amazing! A new family favorite! Even my 4 year old wanted 3rds! I substituted the mirin with 4TB of brown sugar but followed the rest of the recipe!
So happy to hear you liked this! 🙂
Very easy to make, teriyaki flavor was too mild. I did use rice vinegar as I did not have mirin. Maybe swap the volume of water and soy sauce?