Hold up! There’s no way you can make Honey Bourbon Chicken like at the mall food court at home, is there? You bet! Thanks to the Instant Pot. Done.
If you’ve ever walked through a mall food court, you’re probably familiar with the sticky-sweet dish that’s Honey Bourbon Chicken. It’s a Cajun spin on a Chinese chicken dish, and it’s so good! Plus, using the Instant Pot makes it super easy to make any night of the week, no mall outing required.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Is There Bourbon In Bourbon Chicken?
The recipe gets its name from where it was originally created – Bourbon Street in New Orleans. If you ask two people if Bourbon Chicken actually contains bourbon, you’ll likely get two different answers. Since I subscribe to the motto “more is more”, I usually include it, but this recipe is just as delicious with or without the alcohol.
Some people also use vanilla as a substitution – the deep musky flavor goes surprisingly well in savory recipes. You’ll only need about 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla though.
How To Make Instant Pot Honey Bourbon Chicken
Honey Bourbon Chicken is incredibly easy to make at home – especially with an Instant Pot (like this one). Cooking Bourbon Chicken under pressure infuses every single bite with sweet barbecue-like glaze made from soy sauce, ketchup, and honey. You don’t even need to marinate the chicken ahead of time.
Just season the chicken thighs (cut into bite-sized pieces) with salt and pepper, then add that to the Instant Pot along with the glaze ingredients. Pressure cook for 10 minutes and allow a natural release for 5 minutes.
After the pressure is released, you can open it up and switch it to sauté. Pour in your cornstarch mixture and give it a good stir. Simmer until the glaze thickens, about 5 minutes. Then it’s ready to enjoy!
Serving Honey Bourbon Chicken
I like to serve mine over rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
You could also toss in some cooked broccoli or other veggies right before serving so they get coated in that tasty sauce too. Yum!
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
We’ve got plenty of great chicken recipes for you, but here’s some favorites to add your list.
Podcast Episode: Making Bourbon Chicken
Listen to learn how to make this recipe, along with some great tips from Christine:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
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Instant Pot Honey Bourbon Chicken Recipe
Make Honey Bourbon Chicken just like you used to get at the mall food court.
Serve over white rice. Optionally, garnish with 2 scallions, sliced, and 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. ginger, minced
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 Tbsp. bourbon (optional)
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp. water
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken along with the onion, soy sauce, honey, ketchup, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and bourbon to your Instant Pot and stir.
- Close the lid and set the vent to sealing. Set for high pressure for 10 minutes.
- When the cycle is completed, allow pressure to naturally release the pressure for 5 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure by switching the valve to venting.
- Once the pressure is fully released, remove the lid and set the pot to the sauté function. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir into pot.
- Simmer the bourbon chicken until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
- Top with scallions and sesame seeds. Serve with white rice.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
This post originally appeared in September 2018 and was revised and republished in December 2024.
Love this recipe. It is a family favorite. Do you have to double the liquid if you double the meat? 1 cups of honey is a LOT and $$. I did double it last time but it seemed like there was so much liquid that maybe I didn’t have to. Thanks for the recipe.
Lisa, I’m so happy you all like it. Thanks for letting me know. As to doubling the liquid, I totally hear you about the cost of honey. And no, I don’t think you have to double it. However, I am concerned that with the extra meat, the mixture will be too dense in the Instant Pot and you could get a burn notice, which is when food is touching the bottom of the Instant Pot and is getting so hot that the machine thinks it will burn. Here’s what I suggest: Double the meat, salt, and pepper. Extra onion is optional and shouldn’t make much of a difference. Keep all of the other amounts the same as in the original recipe, but add 1/2 cup of water to the Instant Pot when you add the honey and other items. After you’ve finished pressure cooking the meal, add the cornstarch and water mixture as normal. Once the mixture thickens, continue to simmer it for a couple of extra minutes to evaporate away the excess water and concentrate the flavor. Taste the sauce and if it isn’t quite right, add a drizzle of honey, or soy sauce or ketchup, salt or pepper to adjust it. I’m actually putting this on my list to test because I think it would be good info to include in the recipe. But if you try it before I do, please come back and let me know how it goes.
My husband is gluten and dairy intolerant… we have extremely busy schedules… this recipe saved the day! Thank you!
So happy to hear that, Lorelei!
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
Chris, yes, you can cook the chicken as instructed and then freeze it. Defrost it either in the fridge overnight or in the microwave and then heat it in the microwave or in the oven.
Question, says 1 hour cook time but all I see is 10 mins in the IP. What am I missing?
Made this tonight and WOW…it w as a amazing. Only thing I changed was instead of using bourbon, I substituted it with vanilla.
That’s fantastic, Trish! Yum!
Made this tonight and it is DELISH!! Perfect amount of heat. Thank you for a great (and easy) recipe.
That’s fantastic, Cathy! So glad you enjoyed.
I made this honey bourbon chicken recipe last night in my 3 qt IP using 6 thighs. It was delicious! The peppers add just the right amount heat! I made 2 minor changes. I sauteed the chicken thighs first and then kept them whole. I set the IP time for 15 minutes due to the larger pieces.
Thanks for sharing your adjustments, Anne! Glad it hear it worked so well for you!
Hello! This recipe looks absolutely amazing, and I am looking forward to trying it. Do you have any recommendations for what bourbon to use? I’m a little bit of a novice when it comes to cooking with alcohol. Thanks so much! 🙂
Megan, I don’t think it matters that much. I’d say buy a small bottle of a mid-priced one and you should be fine.
I just made the recipe using frozen chicken breasts and I am beyond impressed! I added some ginger paste and apple juice and didn’t use the full amount of honey. Rice is cooking on the stove right now. Can’t wait to dig in!
So happy you liked it, Sasha!