Honey Sesame Instant Pot Chicken

Honey Sesame Instant Pot Chicken - made November 30, 2019 from Rasa Malaysia

Trying to catch up on the blog - the past week has been busy with holiday stuff!

It's been awhile since I used my Instant Pot but I'm glad I broke it out again for this recipe. I'd forgotten how easy it was to use to make flavorful dishes.

This requires a *tiny* bit more work if you want to sear the chicken first on Saute mode. But if you don't, you could skip that step. I tried to do it but I didn't use enough oil and the chicken kept sticking. That was too much work for me so I gave up, added the sauce, and shut the cover to let the Instant Pot do its thing.

I did add a little bit more cornstarch at the end and let the sauce thicken on Saute mode since the main drawback of the Instant Pot is the soupiness of anything I make in it. But this wasn't watery and the sauce thickened nicely. Went perfectly with a little rice and had good flavor.

1 1/2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken thighs (I used bone-in drumsticks)
salt
black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon chopped scallion

Honey Sesame Sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Sriracha or chili garlic sauce (I used gochujang)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch

1. Wash and rinse chicken in cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Season chicken with salt and pepper set aside. Mix all the sauce ingredients together; whisk to combine, dissolving honey and cornstarch completely. Set aside.
2. Turn Instant Pot to Saute mode. Once hot, add oil. Pan sear chicken until slightly brown. Add the garlic and saute until brown. Pour in the sauce and top with sesame seeds. Cover the pot and select Manual, high pressure, for 8 minutes.
3. When completed, turn to Quick Release. When all steam has released, remove cover and set pot to Saute mode, stirring until sauce thickens, 2 minutes.