Instant pot teriyaki chicken

Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken can be made in under 30 minutes! Cube it for rice bowls, or shred it for Asian tacos or burritos. An easy, healthy, versatile recipe, great for meal prep or quick weeknight dinners. See recipe notes for stovetop version! 

Serve the Teriyaki Chicken very simply over a bowl of rice with your favorite seasonal veggies, or shred it and turn it into Asian Tacos or Burritos. Or get fancy, and serve it in a pineapple, along with fresh Pina Colada’s! Why not.

You’ll find lots of uses for it. You can cube the chicken- or shred it for tacos or even leave the chicken thighs whole. So many options here!

Feel free to add seasonal veggies- or leave them out. Up to you. I happened to have some fresh asparagus and bell pepper so added to the instant pot after cooking the chicken. So easy.

How to make teriyaki chicken in an instant pot: 

1. Place Teriyaki  Sauce ingredients in the Instant Pot along with skinless, boneless chicken thighs (either cubed or whole).
2. Close and seal the instant pot, set to HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. (9 minutes if cubed).
3. Let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then vent. If shredding, remove chicken and shred the using two forks and place back into the pot. If cubed, leave the chicken in the pot. Set the instant pot to SAUTE. Add veggies if you like and saute until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup of water with 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and when veggies are tender, whisk into the simmering sauce.  Stir until smooth and thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Serve over rice, or in tortillas with Asian Slaw, garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.
6. Add the teriyaki sauce ingredients to the Instant Pot.
7. If shredding the chicken, leave the thighs whole, or cut them into 1-inch cubes- your choice.
8. Set the pressure cooker to high and cook 10 minutes. Manually release after 5 minutes.
9. In the meantime prep your pineapple or make black rice or  Asian Slaw for the tacos!
10. Once you release the pressure, feel free to add quick-cooking veggies if you like- and set to saute function, cooking until just tender.
11. Here I’ve added asparagus and bell pepper. Comb your fridge and see what you have.

Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken can be made in under 30 minutes! Cube it for rice bowls, or shred it for Asian tacos. An easy, healthy and versatile recipe! See notes for STOVETOP VERSION. 

• Author: Tonia Schemmel
• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 25
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 1x
• Category: Chicken, weeknight dinners, meal prep
• Method: instant pot
• Cuisine: Japanese
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Teriyaki Sauce:

• ½ cup  low sodium soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or use a garlic press
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• ½  teaspoon red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
• 1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)- left whole for shredding, or cut into 1-inch cubes.
• ——-
• ¼ cup cold water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Optional additions: quick cooking veggies- broccolini, asparagus, snow peas, green beans, bell pepper, etc.

Garnish: scallions, sesame seeds, chives, cashews, etc.

Serve with: rice, black rice, in tortillas with Asian Slaw, in a Pineapple 🙂

Instructions

1. Place Teriyaki  Sauce ingredients in the Instant Pot: Soy Sauce (or Braggs),  rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes.
2.  Place chicken thighs in the pot (either cubed or whole).
3. Close and seal the instant pot, set to HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. ( 9 minutes if cubed).
4. Let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then vent. If shredding, remove chicken and shred the using two forks and place back into the pot. If cubed, leave chicken in the pot. Set the instant pot to SAUTE. Add veggies if you like and saute until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
5. In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup of water with 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and when veggies are tender, whisk into the simmering sauce.  Stir until smooth and thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Serve over rice, or in tortillas with Asian Slaw, garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.

Notes

STOVETOP VERSION:

1. Make the Teriyaki Sauce and set aside.
2.  Make the cornstarch slurry and set aside i a separate bowl.
3.  In a wok or large skillet, heat 1-2 tablespoons high heat oil and sear cubed chicken on all sides over medium heat, until nice and golden and slightly crispy. Take your time here.
4. Pour the teriyaki sauce over the browned chicken and lower heat letting the chicken cook all the way through.
5. Once the chicken is cooked through, stir in the cornstarch slurry. Stir until thickened and turn off heat.