Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Hello! John Wright here. I was lucky enough to be given an Instant Pot last Christmas. I’ve really enjoyed cooking dinner in the Instant Pot, and friends and family members send me recipes. This latest offering from a friend, Honey Garlic Chicken, combines two wellness superfoods – honey and garlic. So, I’m looking forward to trying the recipe. If you get to this before I do, let me know how you like it.
Garlic Is a Wellness Superfood
The Wellness Project has a great article about Garlic. It’s called, “Garlic: The Ultimate Superfood.” In this post they listed the beneficial wellness properties of garlic:
Garlic Properties
It’s no wonder that garlic is good for us when we look at its nutritional value. In fact, three cloves of garlic contain the following vitamins, minerals and nutrients:
- 8 mg vitamin C (5% recommended daily intake)
- 1 mg vitamin B6 (6% RDI)
- 16 mg calcium
- 36 mg potassium
- 13 mg phosphorus
- 8 mg omega-3 fatty acids
- 3 g carbohydrates
- Traces of vitamin A, K and B-group vitamins
- 13 calories
The medicinal property of garlic comes from a compound called allicin, which is the main bioactive chemical in raw garlic. Allicin is a sulfur-based compound that has an anti-cancer, anti-hypertensive, and antimicrobial effect. You can see the extensive list of medicinal uses for garlic courtesy of Medical News Today, but do keep in mind that only some of the claimed uses are backed by research.
Adding garlic to your soups, stews, and sauces creates big flavors. When you try this recipe for Honey Garlic Chicken, you’ll find that garlic greatly contributes to the delicious dish!
The Recipe – Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed of extra fat
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/4 c. low-sodium soy sauce (I use Tamari, as it is gluten free.)
- 2 tbsp. honey (Bee Wild Gallberry Honey is great for sauces and glazes.)
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
- Cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season well with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Set Instant Pot to Sauté function and add 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until golden, about 3 minutes.
- Then, flip the chicken and cook 3 minutes more.
- Work in batches as necessary. Turn Instant Pot off of Sauté function.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining ¼ cup olive oil, soy sauce (Tamari), honey, sesame oil, garlic, lime juice, green onions, and pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Place all chicken in Instant Pot and pour sauce over.
- Lock lid and set to Pressure Cook on High for 10 minutes.
- Follow manufacturer's guide for quick release, making sure to wait until cycle is completely before, unlocking and removing lid.
- Using tongs, remove chicken from Instant Pot and set on plate to keep warm.
- Ladle out about ¼ cup of sauce from Instant Pot and whisk in cornstarch.
- Pour liquid back into Instant Pot and set to Sauté function.
- Let sauce simmer until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds and serve over rice.
