Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken

At a glance

What stands out: Sweet and garlicky Instant Pot teriyaki chicken is straightforward to mix and comes out ultra-tender and full of flavor. Instant Pot chicken teriyaki is a speedy dinner recipe that you can make once, and enjoy leftovers for a week!

How long it takes: 30 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot
Servings: 6

Tasty Teriyaki Chicken

This saucy, sweet, and sticky Instant Pot teriyaki chicken has us falling in love with our multi-cooker all over again. The flavors in the from-scratch sauce are garlicky and tangy, rounded out with the rich umami flavors of soy sauce and sweetened with brown sugar and honey. This one-pot teriyaki chicken recipe is straightforward to prepare, rich, and great for meal prep. It doesn’t get much better!

Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

Better than takeout. The beauty of making this recipe at home is that you know exactly what goes into it. No funny additives or bucketloads of sugar, just a handful of straightforward ingredients that you already have in the pantry are needed to make this recipe.

From-scratch sauce. This teriyaki sauce is sweet, salty, and bursting with umami. Pressure cooking locks all that flavor right into the chicken, which you’ll shred and stir back into the sauce for glossy, mouthwatering results.

Great for making ahead. Meal preppers, we see you. This juicy Instant Pot teriyaki chicken lasts in the fridge for days, and freezes like a dream. Make a big batch and get creative with leftovers. Don’t forget to keep reading for serving ideas.

What Is Teriyaki?

Traditional teriyaki is an Asian cooking method for grilling or broiling meats with a sweet umami glaze made from soy sauce, mirin (a sweet cooking wine), and sugar. In Japanese, “teri” means shine, and “yaki” means to broil or grill.

No mirin? No worries. We've adapted our Instant Pot teriyaki chicken recipe to use common pantry items, including soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, honey, and garlic. It might not be the real deal, but it does a pretty fantastic job of mimicking the flavors. Be sure to try our teriyaki salmon, too!

What goes in

• Chicken – we recommend boneless skinless chicken breasts, or thighs if you prefer dark meat.
• Soy Sauce –Low-sodium soy sauce adds rich, umami flavor in Asian-style dishes. You can also use regular soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos.
• Chicken Broth – Again, we prefer low-sodium chicken broth or stock.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – For a more authentic flavor, try rice vinegar. The acidity balances the sweetness in the stir-fry sauce.
• Honey and Brown Sugar – You can use brown or granulated sugar in place of honey if it’s what you have on hand.
• Garlic – Freshly minced garlic is an essential part of teriyaki sauce. Don’t skip it!
• Cornstarch – Combined with water, cornstarch is used to help thicken the sauce. Arrowroot powder can be substituted.
• Rice or Quinoa – You’ll want to get the rice or side of your choice cooking before you start the chicken. You can also serve this chicken over noodles or vegetables.
• Garnish – Sesame seeds and green onions are reliable garnishes for teriyaki chicken.

Can we Use Frozen Chicken?

Yes! You can make this straightforward chicken teriyaki recipe with frozen chicken. You’ll need to increase the cooking time (cook for 10 to 12 minutes), depending on how thick your chicken pieces are.

How it comes together

Making teriyaki chicken in a pressure cooker means that everything comes together in one pot, for fast cooking and even faster cleanup. Here’s how it’s done:

Combine the sauce ingredients. Add the soy sauce and half of the chicken broth to the Instant Pot, along with vinegar, honey, brown sugar, and garlic. Whisk to combine.

Add the chicken. Slice your chicken breasts in half lengthwise, and add the cutlets to the pot. Make sure they’re well coated in the sauce.

Cook. Seal the lid and set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook (or Manual, High Pressure) for 7 minutes. It will take approximately 10 minutes to come to pressure. Once the cooking time is up, speedy-release the pressure.

Shred the chicken. Next, take the chicken out and shred it.

Thicken the sauce. Combine cornstarch with the remaining broth to create a slurry. With the Instant Pot set to sauté, stir the slurry into the sauce and simmer to thicken. Finally, return the shredded chicken to the pot, stirring to coat.

Serve! Serve up over rice or quinoa, and sprinkle on sliced green onions and sesame seeds. See below for more straightforward serving suggestions.

A standby Pressure Cooker

Our Instant Pot does it all: steaming, sautéing, and pressure cooking! We recommend the 6-quart or 8-quart model.

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Meal Prep Tip

Double the recipe. If your Instant Pot is large enough, go ahead and make a double batch of teriyaki chicken and freeze the rest for later. Make sure that you don’t go past the “max fill” line. You can keep the cooking time the same but it will take longer for the Instant Pot to reach full pressure.

Freeze. This Instant Pot teriyaki chicken is one of our favorite meal prep ideas. It tastes even better after a day or two in the fridge! You can also let the shredded chicken cool, divide it into freezer containers, and then label and freeze it for up to 6 months.

Ways to change it

• Use store-bought teriyaki sauce. In a pinch, make this recipe using store-bought sauce. Nothing beats the flavor of from-scratch, though!
• Add spice. Amp up the flavors of the sauce with fresh or ground ginger, crushed red pepper flakes, or a squeeze of hot chili sauce (like sriracha).
• Add vegetables. If you’d like to include veggies in this recipe, we recommend adding speedy-cooking vegetables (broccoli, onions, bell peppers, cabbage) after you’ve added the cornstarch slurry. The veggies can simmer and cook while the sauce thickens.
• Make teriyaki pork. Substitute pork tenderloin for the chicken.
• Try an alternative cooking method. If you don’t have a pressure cooker or you’re looking for another way to make teriyaki chicken, try our popular crockpot teriyaki chicken recipe. Grilled teriyaki chicken is pretty memorable, too.

Ways to serve it

Instant Pot teriyaki chicken is SO versatile. We love this teriyaki shredded chicken served over a bowl of fluffy steamed rice, quinoa, or noodles with broccoli. Try cauliflower rice as a low-carb option, or coconut rice for another layer of flavor. You can also pile the chicken into lettuce cups for a tasty light meal.

On the side, try this crunchy Asian salad or a colorful cabbage salad with honey lime dressing, or your choice of vegetables, like green beans or sautéed cabbage.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate. Keep your leftover teriyaki chicken stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freeze. You can freeze your Instant Pot teriyaki chicken for up to 6 months. Thaw the chicken in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Reheat. Reheat portions in the microwave or on the stovetop for straightforward lunches and dinners. If needed, add a splash of water or broth to loosen the sauce up again.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #66. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. We add a new meal plan weekly.

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• Yield: 6
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 10 minutes
• Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth, divided
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar)
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• rice or quinoa, for serving
• sesame seeds, for garnish, optional
• sliced green onions, for garnish, optional

Method

1. Add soy sauce, ¼ cup chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, honey, brown sugar, and garlic to Instant Pot. Whisk until well-blended, making sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.
2. Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Add chicken to sauce, turn to coat.
3. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set for High pressure for 7 minutes. It will take approximately 10 minutes to come to pressure. When timer goes off, turn vent to quick release pressure.
4. Remove chicken to plate or cutting board; cool slightly and shred. Turn Instant Pot to sauté. Whisk cornstarch into remaining ¼ cup broth. Stir mixture into sauce and cook until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add chicken back to pot and stir until coated.
6. Serve with cooked rice or quinoa, if desired. Garnish with sesame seeds and/or green onions.

Notes

Storage: Refrigerate leftover teriyaki chicken for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Meat alternatives: If desired, substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs or pork tenderloin for the boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Meal prep: Recipe can easily be doubled for meal prepping.