Tender, deliciously juicy, fall-off-the-bone chicken thighs prepared in the Instant Pot with a sweet and savory sticky sauce. A delicious chicken thighs recipe that’s easy to make and tastes amazing!

Instant pot sticky chicken thighs yields tender pieces of meat and crispy, juicy skin. The extra sauce is drizzled over each piece of chicken for a complete sweet and savory taste. These sticky, crispy chicken thighs are an easy dinner option that your family will love. Sweet and salty with a kick of hot sauce, it’s a perfect easy weeknight dinner served over vegetable stir fry or rice. Or both!

Chicken Thighs baked to perfection in a wonderful sauce that gives them a delicious sticky coating that is finger-licking amazing?
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: chicken recipes, chicken thighs recipe, instant pot chicken thighs recipe
Servings: 6 thighs
Calories: 430 kcal
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Pressure Release
5 mins
Total Time
30 mins

Ingredients

6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
1 tablespoon paprika
fresh ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil divided

FOR THE STICKY SAUCE
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot chili sauce, or to taste (like Sriracha)
3 cloves garlic minced
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds for garnish
chopped cilantro (optional)

Instructions

Set Instant Pot to sauté mode.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the Instant Pot.
Season chicken thighs with paprika and ground pepper.
Add 3 chicken thighs at a time, skin side down, to the Instant Pot; brown all thighs for 2 minutes on each side, or until browned.
In the meantime, prepare the sauce by whisking together 1 tablespoon olive oil, vinegar, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, minced garlic, and ground ginger.
Arrange all chicken thighs on the bottom of the Instant Pot.

Pour the prepared sticky sauce over the chicken thighs. Stir the chicken around so they are coated on all sides.

Lock the lid and pressure cook on HIGH (OR Poultry Mode) for 20 minutes.

Turn off the pot and allow to release the pressure, about 5 minutes.

Transfer chicken thighs to a serving plate.
To thicken the sauce (optional), scoop out 1/4 cup of the liquid and whisk a tablespoon of cornstarch in it.

Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and stir in the cornstarch mixture into the sauce in the instant pot; cook for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Serve the sauce separately or pour it over the chicken.

Sprinkle chicken with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro; serve.

Recipe Notes

Remove the skin after cooking to reduce your points down to 12.

For a lighter meal, remove the skin: One medium chicken thigh without skin is 90 calories. One medium chicken thigh with skin is 140 calories. This is all before adding the sauce.

Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.