Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (2024)

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Juicy and fall-off-the-bone chicken thighs with brown sugar garlic sauce, pressure cooked in an Instant Pot for 8 mins. Instant Pot chicken dinner is so easy!

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (1)

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (2)

Table of Contents

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

How to cook chicken thighs in an Instant Pot? This brown sugar garlic chicken is the perfect recipe to make chicken thighs in an Instant Pot.

The pressure cooking of Instant Pot ensures that the chicken thighs are perfectly cooked, stay juicy, moist and tender.

The combinations of garlic and brown sugar work like magic with chicken, making it one of the easiest instant pot chicken recipes you can make for the entire family.

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (3)

Other Recipes You Might Like

  • Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
  • Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken
  • Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

How Long Does It Take to Cook Instant Pot Chicken?

It takes about 5 -10 minutes to cook chicken in an Instant Pot, depending on the chicken parts used in the recipe.

Below are the general guidelines on the time for cooking chicken in an Instant Pot, based on my past experiences:

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (4)
  • Wingettes and drumettes – 5 minutes
  • Whole chicken wings – 6 minutes
  • Chicken drumsticks and chicken thighs – 8 minutes
  • Chicken breasts – 10 minutes

Can you cook frozen chicken in an Instant Pot? Yes, you can cook frozen chicken thighs, chicken breasts, wings and legs in an Instant Pot.

Just add 2 minutes to the time above if you use frozen chicken from the refrigerator.

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (5)

How Do You Pressure Cook Chicken in an Instant Pot?

You need at least 1/2 cup of liquid in an Instant Pot to pressure cook chicken. You may also use up to 1 cup of liquid but 1/2 cup is enough to cook chicken.

1 cup is too much liquid as the process of pressure cooking doesn’t vaporize the liquid, instead, it forces the moisture of the chicken out of the meat, creating more liquid in the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (6)
Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (7)

How Many Calories per Serving?

This recipe is only 477 calories per serving.

What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?

For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

Pasta Recipes – One Pot Pasta

Brown Butter Garlic Honey Roasted Carrots

Lemon Herb Roasted Potatoes

Garlic Green Beans

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Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken

Juicy and fall-off-the-bone chicken thighs with brown sugar garlic sauce, pressure cooked in an Instant Pot for 8 mins. Instant Pot chicken dinner is so easy!

4.52 from 201 votes

Print

By Bee Yinn Low

Yield 4 people

Prep 10 minutes mins

Cook 10 minutes mins

Total 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. (750g-900g) bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
  • salt
  • ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 - 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 3 dashes cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Instructions

  • Season the chicken thighs with salt and ground black pepper on both sides of the chicken. Turn on the Saute mode on your Instant Pot. As soon as the pot is fully heated and hot, add the olive oil. Pan sear the chicken thighs (skin side down first) until both sides turn nicely brown.

    Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (12)

  • You can also pan-sear the chicken in a skillet and then transfer them over to the Instant Pot. Add the minced garlic and saute until light brown.Add the chicken broth, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper and salt.

    Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (13)

  • Cover the pot and select Manual and set to High pressure for 8 minutes. When it beeps, turn to Quick Release. When the valve drops, remove the lid carefully and turn to Saute mode to reduce the sauce if it's too watery.

  • Add the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Notes

Watch the cooking video on this page for step-by-step guide.

I used a 6-quart Instant Pot. If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can make this recipe in a slow cooker, or on your stove top. If you use a slow cooker, Use high heat and cook for 3 hours. For stove top, just pan-fry the chicken and then add in all the ingredients of the sauce. Simmer on low heat and cook until the chicken meat is tender.

I used organic chicken thighs, so they are very small. If you use regular chicken thighs, you can increase the pressure cooking time to 10 minutes for tender meat.

Course: Instant Pot Recipes

Cuisine: Asian

Keywords: Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken

Amount Per Serving (4 people)

Calories 477Calories from Fat 315

% Daily Value*

Fat 35g54%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Cholesterol 166mg55%

Sodium 387mg17%

Carbohydrates 10g3%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 28g56%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (2024)

FAQs

Does chicken get more tender the longer you cook it in an Instant Pot? ›

This dinner staple cooks up perfectly every time in the Instant Pot. You can aim for firm but juicy chicken for cubing, or let it cook a little bit longer for tender shredded chicken.

Why is chicken tough after cooking in Instant Pot? ›

If your boneless chicken breast winds up with a weird, rubbery texture, it probably means that you need to cook it longer. In general, the Instant Pot does better with longer cook times for meat.

Does chicken cook faster in pressure cooker? ›

Pressure cookers save you time by cooking foods TWO to TEN times faster than other cooking methods. They are the fastest way to cook delicious meals: beef roasts, chicken, rice, dry beans, you name it.

Can you overcook chicken in a pressure cooker? ›

Because chicken breast is so lean, just a couple of extra minutes of cook time turns them from juicy to overcooked and dry. Thighs, on the other hand, are a fattier cut, and not prone to dry out as quickly even after an extra minute or two of cooking.

Should I slow cook or pressure cook chicken? ›

So can a Crock-Pot cook better chicken than an Instant Pot? Well, it really depends on what you're making. The Instant Pot cooks chicken much faster than its non-pressure counterparts, but the resulting texture isn't going to be the same as what you'd get with a slow cooker or Dutch oven.

Does pressure cooking chicken longer make it softer? ›

Cooking any meat on high heat (or high pressure) for an extended period will both: denature more the proteins / collagen making the meat more tender; "squeeze" more water out of the meat, making it drier / chalkier in texture.

Does pressure cooking longer make meat softer? ›

Pressure cooking, like slow cooking, will tenderize tough cuts of meat like beef brisket, beef chuck, pork shoulder and lots of other cheaper, tougher cuts. Pressure cooking (or slow cooking) is not the best approach for cooking expensive, tender steaks or rib roasts.

Why does KFC pressure cook their chicken? ›

KFC swears by high-temperature, industrial-strength pressure fryers for their extra-crispy skin. While you won't be able to deep fry with your at-home pressure cooker, you can still recreate the KFC crunch with a deep fryer, a Dutch oven, or a heavy-bottomed pot.

Does a pressure cooker dry out chicken? ›

Oh also, when you make this, don't skip the part where I tell you to add some water or chicken broth to the Instant Pot (or crockpot). You'll want to do this so that the meat doesn't dry out. I also add the broth to the containers with cooked chicken to help keep it moist.

How long do you can chicken in a pressure cooker? ›

Once you're getting 4 “jiggles” per minute, or your dial gauge has come up to pressure, start your timer and process the chicken. If you're canning pint jars, you will process them for 1 hour 15 minutes (75 minutes). If you're using quart jars, you will process for 1 hour 30 minutes (90 minutes).

How long does it take for meat to become tender in a pressure cooker? ›

There's another aspect of pressure cookers to consider too. Steam penetrates food easily under pressure. So connective tissues in cubes of beef for soups or stews soften in 15 minutes or less, and a pot roast will be medium-rare in 30 minutes.

Does cooking meat longer make it more tender? ›

Your meat will be juicier and more tender

The longer cooking time and the low heat complement each other perfectly. As a result, even though the meat is cooked for far longer, it doesn't dry out because the temperature is low. As a result, this is the best way to retain all the natural juices of the meat.

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