Quick and easy recipe for Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken. Enjoy sweet and tangy teriyaki with juicy chicken in less than 30 minutes.
Making teriyaki chicken in the instant pot is a quick and easy dinner option that your whole family will love. The chicken is cooked in a flavorful teriyaki sauce, making it moist and delicious.
Serve the chicken over rice or noodles for a complete meal. Plus, this dish is perfect for busy weeknights! Give this instant pot teriyaki chicken recipe a try tonight. Pair this with my Instant Pot White Rice too!
Since we moved to this property getting takeout happens very infrequently. It just isn’t as convenient as it was when we lived in the city.
But that doesn’t mean that the cravings for it have gone away. So that means that I’m pulling out old recipes we haven’t made in ages, like this Teriyaki Chicken, so we can curb those cravings whenever they strike.
The fun part is that I’m taking those traditional recipes we used to make on the stovetop or even in the slow cooker and updating them to make them super quick using the Instant Pot.
I know you’ll love this one as much as we do.
Here are some commonly asked questions
What is “natural pressure release”?
Often, an Instant Pot recipe would call for you to release all the pressure at the end of the timed pressure cycle. However, the cooking process stops when the pressure is released.
For recipes that call for a natural pressure release, you would refrain from releasing the pressure from the unit for a set amount of time. This allows for a little extra cooking time as the pressure inside naturally goes down.
At the end of the natural pressure release cycle, you would then use the valve to release the remaining pressure and stop the cooking process.
Can I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe?
Yes, you can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Please see the notes in the recipe as the cooking time will change a bit.
Can I make this recipe in the slow cooker?
Yes, you can make this recipe in the slow cooker. You’ll need to saute the chicken in a skillet on the stovetop before adding it to the slow cooker – if you want it to have a little crisp on the outside.
Then just cook the chicken on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. Add the cornstarch slurry at the end.
Can I use Frozen Chicken?
Cooking frozen foods is a whole lot easier when using the pressure cooker. For this recipe, I would recommend NOT using frozen unless it is already in pieces and not frozen together.
You can always thaw it first – but because of the saute part at the beginning of the recipe and the size of the pieces – it would make it quite difficult to make this if you are starting from a frozen state.
What to serve with Pressure Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
In our family everyone likes a little bit of everything when we order takeout – so we have a huge variety of choices when the meal arrives. That isn’t any different when we make “takeout” at home.
We often make several main dish choices for everyone to have the full takeout experience. Here are some of our favorites.
Can this recipe be doubled?
Absolutely. If you are feeding larger appetites, like leftovers, or just have more than 4 people to feed – this recipe doubles well. The saute portion of the recipe might take a bit longer to get all of the pieces browned.
But once you add the sauce and cook it on the pressure setting you don’t need to increase the time or change any other part of the recipe.
Instant Pot Chicken Teriyaki
Ingredients for Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
Sauce
- low sodium soy sauce
- rice vinegar
- brown sugar
- garlic minced
- ginger minced
- honey
- sesame oil
- water
- Sichuan chili flakes *optional but recommended; you can use regular chili flakes as well
Chicken
- boneless skinless chicken thighs – cut into small bite-size pieces
- salt
- black pepper powder
- oil
After Pressure Cooking
- corn starch
- water
Garnish
- sesame seeds
- sliced spring onions to garnish
How to Make Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
- In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, minced garlic, minced ginger, honey, sesame oil, water, and Sichuan chili flakes. Set aside.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Set the instant pot on SAUTE function, let it heat up. Add 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Add the chicken pieces and cook until the chicken changes color to light brown.
- Pour in the sauce mixture and stir to coat the chicken with the sauce.
- Close the lid and pressure valve. Select the PRESSURE COOK button on HIGH PRESSURE and cook for 7 minutes.
- Once the pressure-cooking cycle is over, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
- Open the lid and select the CANCEL button.
- Select the SAUTE button.
- In a small bowl whisk together corn-starch and water until completely dissolved.
- Once the sauce starts bubbling, slowly pour in the corn starch slurry while whisking the sauce.
- Allow to bubble and cook for a minute, until the sauce thickens.
- Select the CANCEL button and add sesame seeds.
- Serve hot with steamed rice and broccoli garnished with spring onions.
NOTES – FOR THE BEST TERIYAKI CHICKEN
- You can store the TERIYAKI CHICKEN in an airtight container for 3 days in the refrigerator or around 2 months in the freezer.
- Using sesame oil and Sichuan flakes in the sauce will bring out authentic flavors. However, if you don’t have that you can replace it with regular chili flakes / any other oil.
- You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs. Just cook them for 10 minutes on high pressure and allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
chicken teriyaki pressure cooker
What size Instant Pot do you use for this recipe?
I am currently using an 8-quart pot, but this recipe can be made in the 6-quart pot too. If you have one of the smaller versions (3-quart mini), I recommend cutting this recipe in half.
What is the difference between a pressure cooker and an instant pot?
By today’s definition, they are virtually the same – if you are talking about an electric pressure cooker. However, a traditional pressure cooker and an instant pot are two different cooking methods.
A traditional pressure cooker is a sealed metal container that cooks food quickly by steam under increased atmospheric pressure and heats the pot to boiling point.
An Instant Pot, on the other hand, is an electric-style pressure cooker that uses the same idea for cooking foods but can do so with very little liquid. They are incredibly efficient, safer than a traditional pressure cooker, and super easy to use too. Plus they come with a multitude of other functions making them great for quick meal prep.
Here are my favorite Instant Pot Tools and Accessories!
- Instant Pot
- Non-Stick Instant Pot Insert with Silicone Lid
- Accessory Set
- Glass Lid
- Sealing Rings
- Silicone Egg Bites Mold
- Large Mesh Steamer Basket
- Complete Cook & Bake Set
If you love this Easy Teriyaki Chicken recipe, you’re going to love these other quick dinner ideas too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Other Instant Pot Meals
Hearty Instant Pot Chicken Chili
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Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
Sauce
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan chili flakes optional but recommended; you can use regular chili flakes as well
Chicken
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs – cut into small bite-size pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 tablespoon oil
After Pressure Cooking
- 1 ½ tablespoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons water
Garnish
- 2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- Sliced spring onions to garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, minced garlic, minced ginger, honey, sesame oil, water, and Sichuan chili flakes. Set aside.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Set the instant pot on SAUTE function, let it heat up. Add 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Add the chicken pieces and cook until the chicken changes color to light brown.
- Add the sauce mixture and stir to coat the chicken with the sauce.
- Close the lid and pressure valve. Select the PRESSURE COOK button on HIGH PRESSURE and cook for 7 minutes.
- Once the pressure-cooking cycle is over, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
- Open the lid and select the CANCEL button.
- Select the SAUTE button.
- In a small bowl whisk together corn-starch and water until completely dissolved.
- Once the sauce starts bubbling, slowly pour in the corn starch slurry while whisking the sauce.
- Allow to bubble and cook for a minute, until the sauce thickens.
- Select the CANCEL button and add sesame seeds.
- Serve hot with steamed rice and broccoli garnished with spring onions.
Notes
- You can store the TERIYAKI CHICKEN in an airtight container for 3 days in the refrigerator or around 2 months in the freezer.
- Using sesame oil and Sichuan flakes in the sauce will bring out authentic flavors. However, if you don’t have that you can replace it with regular chili flakes / any other oil.
- You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs. Just cook them for 10 minutes on high pressure and allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Rachel says
What if I don’t have an instant pot?
Gina Kleinworth says
I have instructions in the post for making this in the slow cooker instead.