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Packed with flavor these thighs are done in minutes thanks to the Instant Pot!
Oh pressure cooker let me give thanks to you for not letting us starve during this kitchen remodel. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you. You’ve kept me sane, fed and most importantly given me some really cool topics of conversation. I mean how many people prep food in their bedroom? Yes, I actually have a pressure cooker and hot plate in my bedroom right now. I have a card table set up to do all of my prep work and a huge plastic tub I put all of the dirty stuff in that I then lug out to the pool house when the dishes need to be washed.
I had every intention of calling this dish “Bedroom Thighs” but I decided against it as lord only knows what kind of search my recipe would end up in. Again I love kitchen and food porn but yeah, ‘bedroom porn’ is not something this blog is about.
And before you see this recipe and go “Aw man, there she goes again with another pressure cooker recipe. What am I supposed to do if I don’t own one?” Fear not loved family – read the notes section of this recipe as I also tell you how you can bake these! So now you have no excuse not to make this!
Chicken thighs are one of those indulgences for me as I don’t buy them often. They taste amazing but then they should, dark meat always has a better richer taste but that also means they are higher in fat and calories. So for me, these are deemed a ‘cheat’ meal. It’s funny though as they are ridiculously cheap here. What are they in your area? Like my butcher typically sells the boneless, skinless ones for 49 cents a pound! I know, right?! That’s insane! So I’ll buy up a big batch of them, portion them out, and freeze them.
Now full disclosure this sauce took me a few tries to get right. The first time I made it, it was way too hot (i.e., too much Sriracha). The second time, too much ginger – and I love ginger but this was HOT ginger. The third time I burnt the sauce – cause I forgot about it because Mr. Fantabulous needed my help in the garage. FYI.. don’t burn the sauce as it’s a PITA to get out of the pan. It gets uber thick and sticky – like candy sticky. Finally, about the fifth try, I nailed it.
That sauce was so incredible that I could have eaten just that and forgot about the chicken. But hey, this was a cheat day, and I did not forget that rich dark meat. So into the pressure cooker, the chicken went and once it was done a few minutes under the broiler and I was golden… er should I say caramelized as I had sauce from chin to elbow and could not care one iota!
When it comes to chicken, Mr. Fantabulous is so not a dark meat fan. I think it stems from his days as a bodybuilder (when he was hardcore into it) – it was white plain chicken only. Then I come into the picture with my “Honey try this!”, “Honey taste this fattening thing.” and let’s just say he loosened up quite a bit. So once these came out of the oven seriously they just LOOKED delicious! You could smell that sauce and honestly made me start to drool a bit. I plate this along with a few sides and wait… let me share which sides rock with this dish…
Shaved Brussels Sprouts salad – because at least you are eating healthy, right?!
and of course, you need herb roasted baby potatoes!
So anyway as I was saying, I create the plates and set this in front of him. He kinda shook his head, muttered “bbq…again” and sighed. I smirked because I knew this was going to blow his mind. Folks when he took that first bite… no seriously that FIRST BITE and tasted that sauce his eyes lit up.
IMMEDIATELY the fork and knife went into super ninja slicing mode and he devoured that chicken. He raved over and over about this chicken and about the sauce. He could have cared less that it was thighs instead of white meat. He loved it so much that he asked for more – which he had never done with thighs.
So yeah you will LOOOOOOOOOOOVE this recipe and this sauce. WAIT until you see how I mix it up for other recipes *pizza…* WHA?!?
PrintPressure Cooker Sticky Hoisin Ginger Sesame Thighs
Packed with flavor these thighs are done in minutes thanks to the Instant Pot!
Ingredients
- 2–3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thawed
- 1 3/4 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic, divided
- 3 teaspoons grated ginger, divided
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, divided
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons hoisin, divided
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 4 tablespoons Sriracha, divided
- 5 tablespoons brown sugar, divided
- 3 green onions, white and green parts sliced
Instructions
- Pat dry the thighs. Add the thighs to the pressure cooker.
- In a bowl whisk together the stock, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger. 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoon hoisin, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon Sriracha. Pour over the thighs.
- Lock the lid down and set it to High pressure, for 10 minutes. If using a Gas Pressure Cooker, place over high heat and once the pressure cooker is up to temperature, reduce the heat to low to maintain a high pressure and set the timer for 10 minutes. If using an Electric Pressure Cooker, set it to high with a timer of 10 minutes.
- While the thighs are cooking place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon garlic, 2 teaspoons ginger, honey, 2 teaspoons, 2 grated ginger, 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce, 1/2 cup hoisin, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 3 tablespoons Sriracha, 4 tablespoons brown sugar and whisk.
- Bring the mixture to a slight boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until slightly thickened like bbq sauce. ~10-15 minutes.
- When the 10 minutes is up do a quick release. While the quick release is relieving pressure, place the oven to broil with a rack in the middle.
- Line a rimmed pan with foil and place a cooling rack on top. Lightly spray the rack. Gently remove the thighs from the pressure cooker with tongs and place them on the rack; discard the cooking liquid. Place the thighs in the oven and broil for 5-7 minutes on each side.
- Remove the pan from the oven and slather on some sauce. Return to the broiler for 5 minutes.
- Flip the thighs over, cover with more sauce, and broil for 5 more minutes or until they are nicely charred. Place the sauce in a container for serving. Garnish with green onions. Store any leftovers in the fridge.
Notes
For oven baking:
1. Preheat oven to 425F, rack in the middle.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil and top with a cooling rack.
3. Spray the cooling rack with non-stick spray and set aside.
4. Pat dry with paper towels.
5. Place a medium sauce pan over medium heat. 5. Place a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add in 1 tablespoon garlic, 2 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup hoisin, 2 tablespoon sesame oil, 2 tablespoon Sriracha and 4 tablespoon brown sugar and whisk.
6. Bring the mixture to a slight boil, reduce the heat to medium low and cook until slightly thickened like bbq sauce. ~10-15 minutes.
7. Place the thighs on the cooling rack and brush on part of the sauce.
8. Bake for 15 minutes, flip, brush with a bit more sauce and bake for another 15 minutes or until the internal temp is 165F.
9. Remove from the oven, brush with more sauce and let rest for a few minutes before serving.
And yes I know I’m repeating myself here but if you looking for the BEST Gas Pressure cooker out there then I HIGHLY recommend the All-Clad PC8! It’s INCREDIBLE!!!
If you’re looking for an Electric Pressure Cooker I recommend one of these 2 as they both are awesome:
Emeril by T-fal CY4000 Nonstick Dishwasher Safe Electric Pressure Cooker
or the Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker
I was wondering what the IP cooking time would be if I was using drumettes or wingettes or is that not recommended? TIA
Amazing!! I made the sauce exactly as per instructions and it was a beautiful balance of tang, and sweet and just a hint of warmth but far from spicy. So good. This will be a go too! Printing it now for my recipe keeper.
Yeah so happy you loved it Alicia! Thank you so much!!!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
I forgot to rate! I will make this again. Not a gourmet meal, but fast and tasty, with good instructions.
★★★★
Thanks Hannah 🙂
Best Kitchen Wishes!
We enjoyed this recipe. Thank you. The chicken didn’t have the same red hue as shown in your photos. I’m a spice fiend, my husband is not. But this really wasn’t spicy. Nice flavours. I used some cheap skin-on chicken legs along with some breasts. I seared both using the saute function for a few minutes, and yes, I broiled again at the end. I am planning on using the cooking broth and any leftover chicken to make a nice weekday soup. It might be a tad salty from the soy and hoisin sauces, but I won’t need to add any!
So happy you loved it. For the soy did you use low sodium? That’s the only thing I can think of that will affect the salt but other than that I’m so happy you loved it!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Am I reading this right? A total of a minimum 30 minutes cooking time? 10 in the IP, 5 & 5 in the oven, then sauce the chicken and 5 & 5 more?
Hi Kristen,
Wings take 10 minutes once under pressure. The 5 & 5 in the oven is if you want a really crispy wing. You can totally omit that and sauce them before you broil. I’ll update the recipe for that come to think of it. So here’s the thing about pressure cooking foods. Not everything is faster – soup for example. I can make tomato soup on the stove top in about the same amount of time as I can in the pressure cooker. Where the difference is in the taste. When you pressure cook something you’re essentially power infusing the flavor into the meat with force thus the outcome is way more flavorful and juicy. Make sense?
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Hi – could you just add everything all at once to the IP (except the green onions), cook, then reduce to make the sauce?
Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi Kim!
I would cook the thighs in the liquid mixture as called out in the recipe. When they are done, remove them and as they are broiling add the rest of the ingredients sans onions to the Instant Pot set to sauté to thicken the sauce.
I wouldn’t dump it all in at once as you’re boiling the thighs versus pressure steam cooking them.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
This recipe is so amazing! I can’t wsut to try more of your stuff!!! 5*
★★★★★
Hi this looks so yummy! Question – I have a hubby and 2 teenage sons who eat a ton. I’m essentially tripling this recipe with the chicken. Do I triple the rest of the ingredients too? Seems like it would be too much liquid in the IP.
Isn’t it crazy how cheap chicken thighs are? My supermarket regularly sells 6 of em per pack for like $2.xx?!? It’s just my wife and I, so that’s typically 3 different meals worth of protein! And I love thighs and dark meat, it’s where all the flavor is. Fat? Meh, there’s worse things than chicken fat. As a side note, thighs are great to make a chicken soup/broth with. Now that winter’s coming!
Anywho, this is a great Asian bbq recipe! Hoisin sauce rules! I did them in the oven and they came out perfectly. I marinated the thighs first for a little extra flavor and did re-sauce a few times while cooking, finishing under a broiler for a bit more crispyness. Served with rice and green beans. Meh, healthy enough. lol.
Thanks as always for the inspiration! 🙂
(I know what you mean about taste cycles btw. And personally I’m always obsessed with sauces, gravies and condiments!)
★★★★★
Hey Matt!
I totally agree with you on using dark meat when making stock. That’s where the flavor is all at! And thank you so much on your kind words! I’m so happy you loved these as much as I did. HAHAHA yes, rice and beans gave it the healthy note! And I’m totally one that believes gravy/sauces/condiments are a food group unto it’s own!
Best Kitchen Wishes!