Instant Pot Asian Chicken Thighs
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Jan 20, 2024 
Instant Pot Asian Chicken Thighs Recipe – Melt in your mouth chicken thighs made in the pressure cooker, with a sweet sticky ginger garlic soy glaze!
Why We Love Asian Chicken Thighs
This chicken, guys…
Ultra-moist, fall-off-the-bone chicken thighs. Salty-sweet sticky glaze. And a rich Asian spiced aroma, wafting from the Instant Pot.
These things together create the most amazing Instant Pot Chicken Thighs.
A Sweet Soy Chicken Recipe For Your Weekly Meal Plan
Today’s Instant Pot Asian Chicken Thighs are one of “those recipes” you are going to make over and over. My kids beg for it on a weekly basis, and have since the first time I made it.
Seasoned with a handful of pantry staple ingredients, these pressure-cooked chicken thighs are undeniably addictive. You can literally press a fork on the top of each thigh and the meat just falls into shreds.
Although they have an enticing Asian flavor, Instant Pot Sweet Soy Chicken Thighs pair well with just about everything. You can serve them with steamed broccoli and rice, or over mashed potatoes.
You can even pull the meat off the bones and mix it into quick pasta dishes!
Chicken Thighs Instant Pot Ingredients Checklist
This soy sauce chicken recipe uses simple pantry staples to make the most tender chicken ever! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Bone-In Chicken Thighs
- Low-Sodium Soy Sauce – I bought a gluten-free version
- Packed Brown Sugar
- Ketchup
- Minced Garlic Cloves
- Fresh Grated Ginger
- Sesame Oil
- Cornstarch or Arrowroot
- Garnish – Sesame Seeds and Chopped Scallions
How to Make Instant Pot Asian Chicken Thighs
Instructions…
Brown the chicken on the skin side only in batches. This gives the skin color which helps it further retain the color of the glaze while pressure cooking, for a prettier finished product.
Then pile all the chicken thighs in the Instant Pot.
Whisk together a quick marinade made with light soy sauce, brown sugar, a little ketchup for color, garlic, and ginger.
Pour the glaze over the chicken.
Soy Sauce Chicken Tips & Tricks
- Make sure to sear the chicken thighs nice and good! This will ensure good color and crispy chicken skin!
- You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast in this recipe. Just make sure to cook the chicken to 165 F!
- If you are unsure if the chicken is done, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
How Long To Cook Chicken Thighs In The Instant Pot?
Seal the lid on the pot and pressure cook the chicken for 20 minutes.
You can enjoy the chicken immediately, or whisk in a little cornstarch at the end to thicken the glaze.
Pull the chicken thighs out of the Instant Pot with tongs and ladle the sweet glaze over the top of each piece.
Don’t have dinner plans tonight? Give our Instant Pot Sweet Soy Chicken Thighs a try.
You will not be sorry!
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I serve with sweet soy chicken?
Sweet soy sauce chicken has Asian-inspired flavors that will go well with a plethora of different side dishes! Try serving this chicken with fried rice and roasted vegetables, or my copycat Panda Express veggies and some dumplings!
How Long Do The Soy Sauce Chicken Leftovers Last?
You can store this dish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
Don’t have an Instant Pot?
You can make this recipe in the slow cooker. Follow step 1 on the stovetop and place the chicken thighs in a slow cooker. Pour the glaze over the top. Then cover the slow cooker and set it on high for approximately 6 hours. Follow step 4 to thicken the sauce.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Bang Bang Shrimp
- Perfect Instant Pot Butter Chicken Curry
- Pressure Cooker Corned Beef Cabbage Irish Stew
- Instant Pot Chinese Sesame Chicken
- Dreamy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice by 40 Aprons
Check out the printable recipe card below for the total cook time and nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, fiber, vitamin c, and calcium percentages.
Instant Pot Asian Chicken Thighs Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs (10-12 thighs)
- 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce (I bought gluten-free)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot
- Garnishes: sesame seeds and chopped scallions
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on the Sauté setting and add the sesame oil. Add several of the chicken thighs, skin-side-down. Brown the skin for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Then remove the chicken thighs and repeat with the remaining thighs until all have been browned on the skin side. Place all the chicken thighs back in the Instant Pot, skin-side-up. *This first step is optional. Then skin will not stay crisp once pressure cooked, but the browning process gives the skin a much richer color once finished. If skipping the browning, pile the raw thighs in the Instant Pot and move onto step 2.
- Pour the soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, garlic, and ginger in a bowl. Whisk well, then pour the glaze over the top of the chicken.
- Lock the lid into place. Set the Instant Pot on Pressure Cook High for 20 minutes. Then turn the Instant Pot Off and perform a Quick Release . Once the pressure valve button drops, it’s safe to open the lid.
- Scoop 1/4 cup of the glaze out of the pot. Whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch into the glaze. Then turn the Instant Pot back on Sauté and stir the cornstarch slurry back into the pot. Let it simmer for 2-4 minutes to thicken the glaze. Turn off the pot. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped scallions before servings.
What do you mean by Low-Sodium Gluten free Soy Sauce? it’s same as Light Soya Sauce? Here in India we are not able to find the low-sodium version. Please help.
Hi Roshes,
It doesn’t have to be gluten-free, unless you need it to be. Yes, Light Soya Sauce will work. :)
This is one of my favorite recipes!!! My kids love it too! Since the sauce is so yummy, I use skinless thighs for less fat/grease in the sauce. I steam broccoli and carrots and serve over rice. So simple and truly delicious!!!
I doubted a recipe this simple could be astoundingly good. It is. This dish is now in the primary rotation.
I love chicken recipes. SO easy to make sweet soy chicken at home, I really enjoy this great recipe. Thank you so much for sharing this. I will surely try this.
Very simple and delicious. I didn’t have ginger so I substituted cinnamon. It was tasty but I will use ginger next time to compare. Thanks for sharing this recipe. My husband loved it and he IS a picky eater.
Delicious. The sauce was just like my mom used to make it!
Thank you
Fabulous flavor…no leftovers! Two adults and two hungry teens polished off the entire pot. The only substitution I made (since my family likes things spicy) was a Korean Gochujang chili paste for the ketchup. This kept the glaze thicker and spicier and was perfect for my family. Highly recommend it.
I have a ton of extra sauce, can it be saved somehow for another dish?
Hi Tricia,
Sure! Place the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should last for about one week. It would taste amazing with beef and pork as well as chicken. :)
This recipe is without doubt one of the best recipes for “Instant Pot” I’ve had in many moons! I followed it to the letter, with maybe a bit more garlic and a tadge more fresh ginger…”Fantastic” I did use potato starch, as it thickens on contact, and I prefer it.
Hi, How long would you recommend for chicken legs? If I don’t brown them, should I take the skin off? Thanks!
Hi Monica,
You can cook chicken legs on Pressure Cook High for 20 minutes as well. You can leave the skins on the chicken legs, even if you don’t brown them. Hope this helps!
I made this tonight, having made others like it in the past. This truly kicked hell out of the others. It’s simply a stunner! I do a lot of Asian dishes, so I increased the ginger to 3Tbs and the garlic to 5 larger cloves! By the time it was done…the whole house bore the fruits my 45 minutes of being in the kitchen! I did use potato starch, as I find it much quicker to thicken, and it’s cheaper than the other choices. I’t was devoured instantly. thanks so much, well worth the work. JMKeller
I made it for my eldercare clients because I wanted a recipe for chicken thighs using my Instant Pot. The husband has dysphasia (swallowing difficulty) so I wanted something tender. This fit the bill! The chicken thighs, at 20 min were very tender. Because they are seniors, I only used 4 thighs. Previous reviews suggested that I still needed same amount of sauce, to avoid burn messages. But, it my opinion, I would cut back on the soy (or liquid aminos) to 2/3 cup. No need for that much soy sauce. To cut the heavy soy, I added water and other neutralizing liquid. Served it over brown rice with the chicken, the sauce, the scallions and the sesame seeds.
Regardless, Ben & Sara thought it was delicious and tender! I know they will be requesting this again.