Whip up a delicious and healthy Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken with just 3 ingredients and a bottled sauce! This incredibly easy pressure cooker recipe delivers tender, flavorful chicken every time, whether you choose thighs or breasts. It’s a budget-friendly meal that pairs perfectly with rice, and a hint of pineapple adds a delightful sweetness your kids will adore. Say goodbye to takeout and hello to a quick, homemade favorite!
When exploring new ways to utilize my Instant Pot, creating the ultimate teriyaki chicken was high on my list. The results were astounding – a perfectly cooked dish ready in a mere 3 minutes! This recipe quickly became a staple in our home, loved for its simplicity and incredible flavor. It’s now one of our most requested and cherished Instant Pot recipes.
Mastering Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken with Bottled Sauce
Imagine a satisfying, healthy meal that your entire family will eagerly enjoy, prepared with minimal effort. That’s exactly what you get with this Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken. While we typically keep it simple with chicken, bottled teriyaki sauce, and pineapple chunks, feel free to get creative. Adding a sliced onion can introduce another layer of savory depth, but the core combination provides that irresistible sweet and tangy glaze, with the pineapple offering a wonderful textural contrast.
Why the Instant Pot is a Game-Changer for Teriyaki Chicken
The magic of the Instant Pot (or any pressure cooker) lies in its ability to transform ingredients into succulent, tender dishes in a fraction of the traditional cooking time. For teriyaki chicken, this means juicy chicken that practically melts in your mouth, infused with rich flavor, all while you save precious minutes. The high-pressure environment ensures even cooking and deep flavor penetration, making it ideal for busy weeknights.
Cooking Teriyaki Chicken in Other Pressure Cookers (Ninja Foodi, Crockpot Express)
This versatile recipe isn’t exclusive to the Instant Pot. Whether you own a Crockpot Express or a Ninja Foodi, you can achieve the same fantastic results. All these appliances feature a pressure cook function, making the brand irrelevant. The “Brown” setting on a Crockpot Express is equivalent to the “Saute” button, which you might use to sear your chicken initially if desired. For the Ninja Foodi, remember to use the pressure cooking lid, not the air fryer lid, for this particular method.
Perhaps it’s my Hawaiian roots, but I find teriyaki sauce utterly captivating! It has the power to elevate almost any meat into something extraordinary. Just like any good recipe, this one is adaptable; feel free to customize it to your personal taste preferences, adding or omitting ingredients as you see fit.
Expert Cooking Tips for Perfect Teriyaki Chicken
For those who enjoy a little kick, integrating some heat into your teriyaki chicken is effortless. A dash of Sriracha or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes will do the trick. Start with a small amount and taste as you go to ensure you reach a spice level that’s enjoyable without being overwhelming. It’s always easier to add more heat than to mitigate too much!
A smart time-saving tip and flavor enhancer is to cut your chicken into bite-sized chunks before adding it to the pressure cooker. This serves a dual purpose: it makes serving much easier later on, and more importantly, it increases the surface area, allowing the chicken to soak up even more of that delicious teriyaki sauce, resulting in a deeper, more uniform flavor.
The Minimalist Approach: Our 3 Essential Ingredients
Embrace simplicity without sacrificing flavor! This recipe hinges on just three core ingredients, making it ideal for impromptu meals or when your pantry is looking sparse:
- Bottled Teriyaki Sauce / Marinade: The quality of your sauce significantly impacts the final taste. We highly recommend Veri Veri Teriyaki for its balanced flavor and ideal consistency. It’s not too thick or overly sweet, which is crucial for pressure cooking.
- Important Note: Avoid thick, sugary sauces in your Instant Pot. They tend to burn at the bottom due to the high heat.
- If you encounter a “Burn” message, understand what causes it and how to prevent it. We cover common Instant Pot issues like the “Burn” error and troubleshooting tips.
- This same versatile sauce is fantastic for other dishes, like our oven baked teriyaki chicken thighs.
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken: Diced into bite-sized pieces for quick cooking and maximum sauce absorption. While chicken breasts are a popular choice for their lean protein, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are also excellent and offer a richer flavor and even more tenderness. The choice is entirely yours!
- Chunk Pineapple: A small can of chunk pineapple adds a wonderful sweet and tangy dimension, complementing the teriyaki beautifully. Snack packs of pineapple chunks also work great for convenience.
Elevate Your Meal: Optional Add-Ins
While the basic 3-ingredient recipe is fantastic on its own, these optional additions can further enhance your teriyaki chicken:
- Rice: The quintessential pairing!
- Jasmine Rice: Learn how to make perfectly fluffy Instant Pot white rice to serve as a comforting bed for your chicken.
- Brown Rice: For a healthier, fiber-rich alternative, brown rice is an excellent choice.
- Cauliflower Rice: If you’re looking for a low-carb option, cauliflower rice makes a light and flavorful base.
- Cornstarch Slurry (Optional): If you prefer a thicker, glossier sauce, a simple cornstarch slurry can be stirred in at the end.
- Diced Green Onions: A sprinkle of fresh green onions adds a vibrant color, a hint of oniony crunch, and a fresh finish to your dish.
The Homemade Touch: Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken with Homemade Sauce
If you have a little extra time and prefer to craft your own teriyaki sauce from scratch, the cooking time for the chicken in the Instant Pot will remain the same. The reward is a truly personalized flavor profile. Here are the common ingredients you’ll need for a delicious homemade teriyaki sauce:
- Chicken broth (or water)
- Soy sauce (regular or low sodium)
- Minced garlic
- Freshly grated ginger
- Brown sugar (for sweetness)
- Hoisin sauce (for richness and depth)
- Rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar (for tang)
- Cornstarch (if you desire a thicker sauce)
- Sesame seeds (for garnish and nutty flavor, optional)
Should you be using pre-cooked chicken, such as leftover whole chicken baked at 350°F, you wouldn’t need to pressure cook it. Instead, you’d simply use the “Saute” function to heat the chicken through and coat it in the sauce. For raw chicken, however, the process is incredibly straightforward: combine all ingredients, seal the lid, and in a matter of minutes, a delightful meal awaits.
We all need those go-to recipes that require minimal ingredients and less than 15 minutes of hands-on time. This is precisely one of them – perfect for those hectic evenings squeezed between soccer practice and homework sessions. I used to prepare a similar dish on the stovetop, but the Instant Pot version is undeniably superior in terms of both speed and tenderness.
Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken with Frozen Chicken
Forgot to defrost your chicken? No problem! The Instant Pot comes to the rescue. The key when cooking from frozen is to ensure your chicken pieces are separated. If they are frozen in a solid block, you can run them under cool water for a moment to help them separate. Once separated, place the chicken directly into your Instant Pot with the sauce and pineapple (if using). Seal the lid and pressure cook 4-5 medium boneless chicken breasts for approximately 12 minutes, followed by a 10-minute natural release. After the natural release, quick release any remaining pressure, open the lid, and shred the meat before serving. This method yields wonderfully tender chicken, even from frozen!
For more specific measurements when adapting for frozen chicken, you can refer to our spicy teriyaki Instant Pot chicken recipe for guidance on ingredient quantities. Feel free to skip the spicy elements if you prefer a mild version.
Step-by-Step: How to Make Teriyaki Chicken in a Pressure Cooker
Follow these simple steps for a quick and delicious meal:
- If opting for homemade teriyaki sauce, whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.
- Dice your chicken into uniform, bite-sized pieces and add them to the inner pot of your pressure cooker.
- Pour in your chosen bottled teriyaki sauce, or the homemade sauce you just prepared, ensuring it coats the chicken.
- If using, add the pineapple chunks at this stage.
- Gently stir the contents to ensure all chicken pieces are mostly submerged and coated in the liquid. As a reminder, avoid overly thick, sugary sauces to prevent a “Burn” warning.
- Secure the lid on your pressure cooker, close the steam release valve, and set the cooker to high pressure for 3 minutes.
- Once the cooking cycle is complete and the cooker beeps, allow a 1-minute natural release before performing a quick release of the remaining pressure. This helps prevent splattering and ensures tender chicken.
- Carefully open the lid. Check the largest piece of chicken to ensure it’s cooked through (no pink remaining).
- (Optional) To Thicken the Sauce: If you prefer a thicker sauce, remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside. Change the pressure cooker setting to “Saute.” In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with about 3 tablespoons of the hot liquid from the pot until smooth. Pour this slurry back into the pot and stir continuously until the sauce begins to bubble and thickens to your desired consistency.
- Return the chicken to the thickened sauce, stir to coat, and serve immediately over your favorite rice!
Frequently Asked Questions About Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
Absolutely! Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are an excellent choice for this recipe. Their slightly higher fat content lends itself to incredibly tender and juicy results in the pressure cooker. The key is to cut them into large bite-sized chunks, allowing them to absorb the sauce effectively, almost like a quick marinade. Whether you opt for white meat (breasts) or dark meat (thighs) will not alter the cooking time in the Instant Pot.
For this Instant Pot recipe, the teriyaki sauce is added directly into the pot with the raw chicken before pressure cooking. This allows the chicken to cook in and absorb the flavors of the sauce, resulting in a deeply infused dish. You can always drizzle a little extra sauce over the chicken when serving for an added burst of flavor. If you’re looking to add vegetables like sliced bell peppers or thick-sliced onion, they can be added along with the chicken and sauce before pressure cooking. For larger quantities (more than 3 medium diced chicken breasts), you might need to increase the cooking time to 4-5 minutes to ensure everything is cooked through.
Yes, absolutely! Many vegetables hold up well to pressure cooking. Broccoli florets, sliced carrots, snow peas, or bell pepper strips can be added along with the chicken and sauce. For best results and to prevent overcooking, consider adding quicker-cooking vegetables (like bell peppers or snow peas) during the last minute or two of cooking, or even after the pressure cooking cycle using the sauté function briefly to crisp them up. Root vegetables like carrots can be added from the start.
Store any leftover Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, you can use the microwave for quick individual portions, or gently warm it on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of chicken broth or water if the sauce has thickened too much. The chicken should remain tender and flavorful upon reheating.
This Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken is a fantastic one-pot meal. While we’ve designed it for the chicken and sauce to cook together, you can also explore alternative cooking methods. For instance, you could try a “pot-in-pot” method, cooking rice in a separate, approved pot placed on a trivet above the chicken and sauce. This would likely require a slightly longer cooking time, perhaps 12 minutes on high pressure, to ensure the rice is fully cooked. If you’re a fan of slower cooking, a slow cooker teriyaki chicken recipe is also a wonderful option to explore.
More Delicious Pressure Cooker & Teriyaki-Inspired Recipes:
- Our Honey Instant Pot Chicken offers a delightful balance of sweet and savory, with an optional touch of heat for those who like it.
- If you enjoy ribs, this Instant Pot Teriyaki Ribs recipe utilizes a similar teriyaki sauce base and yields ribs so tender and juicy, you’ll never want to cook them any other way.
- For a different cooking method that delivers similar bold flavors, give our Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken a try for a crispy finish.
Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
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Print Recipe
Equipment
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1 pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2 c Homemade Teriyaki Sauce, or use 1 bottle of store-bought sauce (approx. 16-20 oz)
- 1.5-2 lbs chicken, boneless skinless breasts or thighs, cubed into bite-size pieces
- 1 c pineapple, chunk, optional (small can or snack pack)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch, optional, for thickening sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce, optional, to enhance flavor
Instructions
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Cube the chicken into small, uniform bite-sized pieces. Place them into the inner pot of your Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
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Pour the entire jar of teriyaki sauce, pineapple chunks (if using), and optional soy sauce into the pot. If you are making homemade teriyaki, whisk all homemade sauce ingredients in a separate bowl first, then pour it over the chicken.
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Stir the contents gently to ensure all chicken pieces are mostly covered with the liquid. Remember to avoid using very thick, sugary teriyaki sauces as they are prone to burning at the bottom of the pot.
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Secure the lid on your pressure cooker, ensure the pressure release valve is set to the “Sealing” position, and set the cooking time to “Pressure Cook” on high for 3 minutes.
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Once the cooking cycle is complete and the Instant Pot beeps, allow a 1-minute natural pressure release. After 1 minute, carefully switch the steam release valve to the “Venting” position for a quick release of the remaining pressure. Once the float valve drops, you can safely lift the lid and check that the largest piece of chicken is no longer pink inside.
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If you desire a thicker sauce, carefully remove the cooked chicken from the pot and set it aside. Change the Instant Pot setting to “Saute.” In a small bowl, whisk approximately 3 tablespoons of the hot liquid from the pot with about 2 tablespoons of cornstarch until smooth (this is your cornstarch slurry). Add this slurry back into the pot with the sauce and stir continuously.
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Allow the sauce to bubble and simmer on the Saute setting for a few minutes until it reaches your desired thickness. Return the chicken to the pot, stir to coat, and serve immediately over freshly cooked rice!
Video
(Video on how to prepare Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken usually appears here.)
Nutrition
Calories: 39kcal,
Carbohydrates: 9g,
Protein: 1g,
Fat: 1g,
Saturated Fat: 1g,
Sodium: 262mg,
Potassium: 55mg,
Fiber: 1g,
Sugar: 4g,
Vitamin A: 24IU,
Vitamin C: 20mg,
Calcium: 5mg,
Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation. It can vary based on specific ingredients and preparations.
Additional Info
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There you have it – a phenomenal Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken recipe that promises ease, flavor, and a satisfying meal for your whole family. Whether you’re a seasoned pressure cooker enthusiast or a beginner, this recipe is sure to become a cherished part of your culinary repertoire. Enjoy the simplicity and deliciousness!
