Instant Pot Honey Lemon Chicken with amazing sweet and tangy flavors is easy to prep with simple ingredients and is ready in minutes. It’s the perfect weeknight meal!
Honey lemon chicken was one of my favorite things to make in a slow cooker but ever since my first batch of roasted potatoes in a pressure cooker, I am pretty much obsessed with my Instant Pot and use it at every opportunity.
It took me a while to warm up to what I thought was just another appliance to clutter my already cramped kitchen counter, but after my first taste of its convenience, it has become my best friend forever. Anything that can churn out the perfectly moist and flavorful chicken in thirty minutes or less, I am all for it!
If you’re looking for quick and easy weeknight meals, this pressure cooker honey lemon chicken needs to be on your menu rotation. It uses simple pantry ingredients you probably already have on hand plus sears and cooks in the Instant Pot for less mess.
Easy to prep and readies faster than it would take to warm up the oven, you’ll be enjoying amazing sweet and tangy flavors in no time!
Cooking tips
- If substituting boneless chicken dark or white meat, decrease the “pressure cook time” by 2 to 3 minutes.
- To double the recipe, add 2 to 3 minutes per additional pound of bone-in chicken thighs.
- Once cooked, the chicken will be sitting in an amazing pool of sweet and tangy sauce I love to spoon over steamed rice or noodles! If you prefer a thicker glaze, turn on the SAUTE feature of the Instant Pot after the chicken has been pressure cooked and continue to cook, uncovered, for about 1 to 2 minutes to reduce the sauce. Or you can use corn starch slurry (dissolve one teaspoon corn starch in 1/4 cup cold water) and stir into the sauce to thicken.
How to serve
- Serve the chicken with steamed rice, couscous, quinoa, mashed potatoes, or egg noodles along with a green salad or roasted vegetables to round out the meal.
- To store leftovers, allow to cool completely and transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months
- To reheat, place in a baking dish and cover tightly with foil and bake in a 350 F oven to an internal temperature of 165 F.
Instant Pot Honey Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound (about 4 to 5 pieces) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- zest of one lemon
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Corn starch Slurry (to thicken the sauce)
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Trim chicken thighs of excess fat. Season with lemon pepper seasoning.
- PRESS the SAUTE mode button on the Instant Pot. When HOT appears on the display, add oil and heat with the Instant Pot lid open.
- Arrange chicken in a single layer with skin side down. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned and then turn to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Drain excess oil from the Instant Pot. Add garlic and cook, stirring as needed, for about 20 to 30 seconds or until softened.
- In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, water, and soy sauce. Stir until well blended and pour over chicken.
- Press KEEP WARM/CANCEL button. Close and lock the lid, making sure the floating valve is set on SEALING. Press the POULTRY button, use the plus and minus buttons to adjust the cooking time to 12 minutes.
- Once done, use quick release by pressing CANCEL and then turning the steam floating valve on the lid to VENTING position. Open lid.
- To reduce the sauce, press the SAUTE button and cook, with the lid open, for about 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce is reduced. Alternatively, add corn starch slurry and cook using SAUTE mode for about 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
- Serve hot.
Nutrition
I love this recipe! I love lemon so this is right up my alley. I use boneless chicken & make a big batch to portion out for easy lunches during the week. I put it in small containers with cooked quinoa and it reheats beautifully even several days later! If there is anything that can make plain boring quinoa fun it’s this sauce!
Thank you for the 5-stars! I am glad the recipe works well for you.
Is white chicken breast meat ok?
Yes, you can boneless chicken breast is fine. Just adjust time as bone-in cooks longer. I’d say 10 minutes is ok for boneless meat. Enjoy!
Can I do it in cooker instead of instant pot please?
Do you mean in a slow cooker?
YUM I totally have to make this for my family it looks and sounds delicious! Most of all I love that it is quick and has ingredients that I can find any store! Thanks for sharing!
Enjoy!
I would love to make this recipe! I don’t have an Instant Pot device, but I will try to use your ingredients and bake it maybe. I have never made this dish before, we usually just stick the thighs in the oven with salt and pepper. This looks delicious and so perfectly crispy, mouth-watering!
I am sure they’ll be just as delicious in the oven 🙂
With a crispy skin chicken covered with a sweet, sticky sauce is amazing and tangy.
Thanks Karen 🙂
This sounds like an amazing recipe that my family would enjoy. There are two things they love-chicken and honey!
Thanks! They surely will enjoy this.
looks mouth watering , gonna try this this weekend, thanks for the recipe
Enjoy!
In our household, we eat a lot of chicken! I love running across recipes that will spice up that dish! I am going to have to try this one out soon!
Thanks, Wendy! I hope you enjoy this!
My husband and I love trying out different flavors especially when it comes to chicken since it’s a versatile ingredient. I love this recipe and it would be easier to prepare if you use an instant pot, without a doubt.
Thanks, Carol! Instant pot is a life saver 🙂
Great. One more recipe that is making me lust after an InstaPot! This looks super tasty and a lot easier than i thought it would be when I saw the recipe name!
Thanks, Trisha! You should definitely try this!
I love using my instant pot for cooking because it makes everything so easy! I would love to try this recipe, I always like the combination of lemon and chicken.
Instant pots are heaven sent 😉
Thanks for sharing that recipe. I have to invest in the instant pot. This looks fantastic!
Instant pots work like magic!