When you’re hangry and craving an easy simple meal, this Instant Pot teriyaki chicken recipe is here for you. Just 5 minutes, a handful of ingredients that you (hopefully) have in your pantry, and you’re good to go.
Teriyaki chicken is one of my faves. It might not be particularly authentic – you’ll be hard pressed to find teriyaki chicken in Japan, but there’s just something about that sweet and savory sauce on chicken that gets me every time. I’ve tried this recipe both with and without browning, and while there is a bit more flavor if you take the time to brown, I find it strictly not necessary. Plus, the fact that the chicken is covered in sauce means that the skin doesn’t stay crispy anyway, so if you’re in a hurry, just pop everything into your instant pot, turn it on, make a pot of rice, and you’ll be eating in the time it takes you to get into your comfy home clothes.
What is teriyaki chicken?
Teriyaki chicken is a cooking technique used in Japanese food – foods are brushed with a glaze of soy sauce, mirin, and sugar, then either broiled or grilled. Traditional teriyaki chicken isn’t as saucy as we know it in North America, it’s more of a glaze. Teriyaki chicken as we know it is a sweet and saucy chicken dish that’s served with fluffy rice. It’s quick, easy, and flavorful and probably one of the most popular chicken recipes out there. Lots of people go out and buy bottled teriyaki sauce, but it’s incredibly easy to make it at home.
How to make instant pot teriyaki chicken
While the instant pot may not be as hot of a commodity and plays second fiddle to the air fryer these days, making teriyaki chicken in the instant pot is easy and only takes one pot, so you can even do it in a dorm room:
- Marinate (optional) and stew your chicken thighs in the instant pot for 7 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and reduce the sauce in the same pot.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve with rice or noodles as your heart desires.
What ingredients do I need for teriyaki sauce?
For this teriyaki sauce you’ll need: soy sauce, sake, and mirin. These three ingredients make up the backbone of Japanese cooking.
Soy Sauce – I’m pretty sure you have a bottle of soy sauce in your pantry. It adds umami, a glorious brown sheen, and is delicious. If you can, try to use Japanese soy sauce for this dish. Kikkoman is a good brand that is found in most grocery stores and it is naturally brewed.
Sake – Sake is Japanese rice wine. It adds umami and a natural sweetness. Just like wine is used in French cooking to add an extra layer of aroma and flavor, sake is used in Japanese cooking – almost in every sauce. They sell cooking sake at Asian grocery stores. If you don’t have any you can substitute it with Chinese rice wine but it won’t have the same flavor. Buy a bottle and you won’t regret it, it’ll take your Japanese cooking to another level.
Mirin – Mirin is Japanese sweet rice wine and the other ingredient that is key in Japanese cooking. It’s similar to sake in that it is a sweet rice wine. Compared to sake, it has a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content that occurs naturally from fermentation. It’s used as a seasoning and glazing agent. They sell mirin in the Asian aisle and Asian grocery stores.
PS – If you want to make teriyaki chicken on the stove, check out this recipe.
Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup sake
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 6 chicken thighs bone in, skin on
- 1.5 tbsp cornstarch
- sliced green onions and sesame seeds if desired
Special Equipment
Instructions
- Add the garlic, soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar to the Instant Pot insert. Nestle in the chicken thighs skin side up. Turn the Instant Pot on to High Pressure and cook for 7 minutes. When the Instant Pot is done cooking, quick release the pressure. Carefully open the lid and remove the chicken thighs onto a plate.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 1.5 tablespoons of water. Turn the Instant Pot sautè function to medium and add the cornstarch and water mix to the the sauce in the insert. Stir and let simmer and thicken to your liking.
- Turn off the Instant Pot and spoon sauce onto the thighs. Top off with green onions and toasted sesame seeds, if desired. Enjoy!
Estimated Nutrition
My household will fall over themselves for this! Did you brown the chicken before pressure cooking?
hi,
i did, but i’ve done it without too, it’s your choice. i kind of prefer without though :)
could beer be used in place of “sake”
hi parth,
i haven’t tried that…not sure how it would affect the taste, but you’re welcome to try and report back!
This looks so good. I’m confused, though, because doesn’t there need to be at lease 1 cup of liquid in the Instant Pot?
hi duc, it depends on the size of your pot and also how much liquid the food you’re making will release. i’ve used the instant pot with just 1/2 cup, but do whatever is comfortable for you, just add a bit of water to make up the extra liquid. hope that helps!
Thanks so much for this recipe! Tried last night and it was delicious. Hubs was licking the plate! I did find my chicken was undercooked near the bone, and my pieces may have been bigger. If this happened to you, would you increase the cooking time, or do natural release for a few extra min?
it they were very undercooked i’d add a minute to the cooking time, if it was just a little pink, natural release for an extra few mins will work! hope that helps :)
Sounds wonderful! Is there is any non-alcoholic substitute for saki.
.
hi jan,
you can just skip it if you don’t have it :)
I have made this before and loved it! If I double the recipe, how long would I cook it for in the instant pot? Thanks!
hi kale,
it should be the same cook time, but you can add an extra minute if you want to be safe!
Recently, I was in the mood for a tasty Asian recipe. At the same time, I didn’t want to spend the entire day cooking since I’m quite a busy person. I decided to make chicken using this recipe, and I know it will definitely stay with us for a long time. The chicken is delicious.