Instant Pot Balsamic Ginger Chicken with honey, garlic, and ginger is sticky is an easy one pot recipe. Make it with rice for a one pot meal.
Pressure Cooker Balsamic Ginger Chicken
The most delicious and mouth watering Balsamic Ginger Chicken recipe will be your new best friend.
Instant Pot Balsamic Ginger Chicken with honey, garlic, and ginger is sticky is an easy FRAGRANT one pot recipe. Make it with rice for a one pot meal.
Using the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker seriously infuses all the flavors and is even better after an overnight marinade.
For another super delicious dump and push start recipe, check out my Pressure Cooker Bruschetta Chicken recipe.
Cast of Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Balsamic Ginger Chicken
This recipe comes together so fast and you don’t even really need to measure, but of course, as always, the full recipe and instructions are found on the recipe card below.
Are you checking out that gorgeous cutting board? The Balsamic Vinegar and Fresh Ginger are the stars of this show.
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Ingredients for Instant Pot Balsamic Ginger Chicken
- Balsamic Vinegar
- My Ginger Garlic Paste or Ginger Root + Fresh Garlic
- Spicy Brown Mustard
- Honey for low carb diets, use Sugar Free Honey
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Chicken Thighs (breasts can be used)
As my Pressure Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Wing recipe has been so popular, I knew another recipe with honey and garlic would be as well. You cannot go wrong with recipes using honey, garlic and ginger.
Another wonderful chicken wing recipe and one you must try is my Air Fryer Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken Wings. They are sweet, sticky and garlicky.
Mince the Ginger and Garlic
Years ago, like 1994, I was in the hospital and watching an infomercial on TV. This Ultimate Chopper (Mini Food Processor) showed up and I had to have it. All these years later and it still works as if brand new. If you can get one, get one. If not, try this Cuisinart Mini Prep Chopper. Mini choppers are wonderful and such huge time savers, especially for mincing ginger and garlic. Just dump in the fresh garlic and ginger and push the button.
We make a lot of stir fry vegetables, so we always have a jar of Homemade Ginger Garlic Paste in the fridge. It can be used here in this recipe since equal amounts of ginger and garlic are used.
Whisk up the Marinade
You don’t even really need to dirty an extra Bowl and whisk up the marinade if you don’t wanna.
You can just dump all the ingredients into the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker and add the Chicken.
It is seriously, that easy.
But, if you want to take this Pressure Cooker Balsamic Ginger Chicken to a higher level, without any extra work……………………….
Marinate the Chicken in a Foodsaver
In my humble opinion, Chicken is much better if it is first marinated. Otherwise it tastes like, well, plain Chicken.
You can place the chicken and the marinade in a bowl for an hour and let it marinate in the refrigerator.
Alternatively, use a FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System, which will speed up the flavor infusion process.
Great for Freezer Meals!
- This Balsamic Ginger Chicken recipe is ideal for freezer meals.
- Watch for sales on chicken and stock up. Divide the chicken into dinner portions into FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System.
- Mix up a few batches of the marinade and pour it into each bag of chicken and then seal. Pop the bags into the freezer.
- Before going to work take a bag of Balsamic Ginger Chicken and pop it in your refrigerator. When you get home, toss it all in the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker.
If you forget to take out a bag to defrost, just cook it from frozen and subtract a minute cook time. Yes, I said subtract. 🙂
Add Chicken and Marinade to Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Can Chicken Breasts be Used for Balsamic Ginger Chicken?
- Yes. White meat chicken with or without bones can be used for making Instant pot Balsamic Ginger Chicken.
- The cook time n the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker will be reduced by one to two minutes, depending on if bone-in chicken is used or not. Check the recipe card below for cook time adjustments.
- I would suggest removing the chicken skin first.
- White meat chicken is less juicy than dark meat chicken, so make sure to marinate the chicken.
One of my most popular recipes, which uses white meat chicken is my Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken. Dark meat chicken can be used in that recipe.
For another super delicious ‘dump and push start’ recipe, try my Pressure Cooker Bruschetta Chicken recipe.
Make it Pot in Pot Rice, Potatoes or Vegetables
If you want to add some Pressure Cooker Perfectly Cooked Pot in Pot Rice or Potatoes or Vegetables, add it right on in with the Chicken.
You will need a Tall Legged Trivet and a one pan from this Ekovana Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker Stackable Pans Set Set. I like to use this Ekovana brand, as it has holes in the top. The beauty of holes in the top is that you can cover the rice to steam without worrng about the cooking liquid getting into the rice and discoloring it.
Watch my video and then scroll to the bottom for the printable recipe card.
Tips and Tricks for Instant Pot Balsamic Chicken
- Use skinless chicken.
- Use a mini choppers to finely mince the ginger and garlic.
- Marinating the chicken overnight totally infuses the flavors into the chicken and adds more flavor than just one hour.
- Use the pot in pot method for making rice, or dice potatoes into cubes and cook those pot in pot to easily make mashed potatoes!
- Simmer the sauce to make a balsamic reduction and drizzle it over the chicken, rice, potatoes or veggies.
Pressure Cooker Balsamic Ginger Chicken
I know this will become a go-to meal as is it so delicious and very easy. Suzanne says to server this meal with a Garden Salad and Red Potatoes with a drizzle of the Balsamic Reduction.
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes to Make:
- Instant Pot Spicy Crack Chicken (Pressure Cooker)
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Enchiladas Suizas
- Pressure Cooker Jalapeno Honey Chicken w/Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Pressure Cooker Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Olives
The full and complete recipe is found below on the Recipe Card.
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker
- J.A. Henckels Classic 7-inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk– a MUST have, probably my most used utensil
- Alton Brown Salt Box
- Gravity Electric Salt and Pepper Grinder
- My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
- Salbree Steamer Basket
- Ekovana Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker Stackable Pans Set
- Stainless Steel Tall/Short Trivet & Egg Cooker Set
- Small 1.5 Quart “Pot in Pot” Mixing Bowl
- Ultimate Chopper (Mini Food Processor) or Cuisinart Mini Prep Chopper
- FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Chicken Thighs skinless (about 8 thighs)
- 1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons Spicy Brown Mustard
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Garlic* minced (about 6 cloves)
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Root* peeled/minced (about 2 inches)
- 4 Tablespoons Clover Honey or Sugar Free Honey
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspooon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Garnish
- 2 Scallions for garnish
Recommended Products
Instructions
- Place chicken into bowl or baggie.
- Whisk together all ingredients and pour over chicken.
- Place chicken in refrigerator and marinate for at least one hour.
- When you are ready to cook, place chicken and marinade into pressure cooker.
- Lock on lid and close pressure valve. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes.
- When Beep sounds, wait 10 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure.
- Plate chicken and garnish with chopped scallions.
Video
Notes
What to Serve with Instant Pot Balsamic Ginger Chicken.
- Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes pairs nicely.
- Pressure Cooker Mashed Turmeric Cauliflower would be wonderful to soak up the yummy ginger sauce.
- Instant Pot Skirlie (Scottish Stuffing) is always wonderful as a side dish.
Nutrition
PIN this Pressure Cooker Balsamic Ginger Chicken!
Pressure Cooker Balsamic Ginger Chicken
I would love to know exactly how you use this as a freezer meal. My family loves this recipe. my first attempt from frozen just gave me a lump of frozen chicken in my instant pot. Should I add more liquid for that?
Thom, I suggest removing the package of chicken with sauce from the freezer the night before. This way, it marinates as it defrosts. Jill
This recipe is a 5 star restaurant chicken recipe. It is one of the best recipes I have came across on the internet. I made and cooked it exactly how the recipe stated except I used with the skin on the chicken. I did have to go back to add 2 minutes on the cooking time since my chicken wasn’t fully cooked. Yes it will be made quite often.
Thank you, Judi. Jill
Absolute delicious!!! I would tell you more but I am eating. Yummy yummy.! And I don’t like ginger but this is superb. I used a slow cooker, added a little water and later thickened the sauce with cornstarch. MmmmmMmmmm.
Wonderful Fran. Thank you. Jill
Thank you for this recipe, which came to my rescue on a night when I’d planned to make something else. When I thawed out what I thought was chicken breasts, it turned out to be 2 large boneless, skinless thighs, which wouldn’t work with my planned meal.. Remembering having seen this recipe, I made it, using half of the marinade ingredients + an additional 2 Tbsp of water. Cooked for 7 minutes along with PIP rice + 10 minutes NPR. Perfectly cooked and delicious. A happy “mistake.”
Did you use skinless bone-in thighs? If not please provide the time. Thanks and I Cant wait to try this recipe.
This is a family favorite! Tender and so flavorful!!
Thank you, Melissa. Jill
Fantastic chicken. I was tired and forgot to marinate, so I started with Saute, lightly browned 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts in a bit of ghee. Deglazed with a bit of water. Mixed up the sauce. I had to swap out the honey (allergic) so I used brown rice syrup. I poured the sauce over the chicken and put a trivet on top of the chicken and sauce so I could do some PIP rice. I set it to HP 7 minutes, 10 NPR then QR. Removed chicken and cut into chunks, added back to sauce, turned Saute on again to thicken sauce with cornstarch slurry. It was so fabulously moist and tender.
Your recipe sounds delish. Jill
Why add a minute for frozen chicken vs fresh? I’m so curious!! 🙂
I have tried to make this but my Mealthy doesn’t come to pressure with just 1/3 cup of vinegar. Is this correct? I added a cup of broth this time and will see if it turns out and if it tastes ok.
This was made in a Mealthy, as are many of my recipes. It will come to pressure. You should check the seal and the valve. Jill
made this last night but only had bone-in skin-on thighs. Also used stone ground mustard because that’s all I had. We still LOVED it! First time I did pot-in-pot rice & it was all so awesome!!
Hi Cindy. Stone ground is great for this too, as you know. Thank you so much. I am trilled you enjoyed this recipe. Jill
I’m making this tonight. Looks delicious. What would be a good substitute for brown mustard?
PS I used your link to get the 3q size Ekovana pans.
Hi Leslie. Thank you very much. The flavor would be different with a substitute, so I don’t want to advise without first trying something different. Jill
have you tried this recipe with skin-on bone-in thighs? That’s all I have currently. Curious to see if I can use them. Thanks!
Sure, you can use them. The skin will be soggy and add some fat/grease to the liquid. You could always remove the skin. Jill
Awesome recipe Jill! We LOVED IT! Thank you so much. Did pot in pot for the rice and roasted some asparagus to go with it. You ROCK!
Thank you so much, Karen. I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Jill
Very yummy! The second time I made it I reduced the amount of Balsamic to 1/4 cup and added a bit shy of 1/4 cup of chicken broth.
I love all your recipes! I’m new to instant pot cooking. I have a 3 qt and I’m only cooking for my husband and myself. Should I half the recipe? Or just half the amount of chicken? I’m really looking forward to making this as a freezer meal also, for my friend that’s having her first baby! (She has a 6 qt but I’m assuming I would just half the chicken only for her size pot? It’s just her and her husband eating also.)
You can make it as is or just the recipe in half. Jill
If you double the recipe, how does that effect the cooking time? Love this recipe. It’s great for dinner and I cut up the left overs and add it to the salads I make for work! ?
No change in time, Jezzri. Jill
Great recipe super easy. Followed the directions as written. I let it sit in refrigerator a couple of hours. Just used zip lock bag. Then dumped in pot and cooked. Thank you. Definitely in the rotation
Hi Jill ~
Question, how many pounds of chicken and would there be a difference in time if using chicken breasts? Unfortunately I cannot eat dark meat so that is not an option for me but the balsamic and ginger is enough to make me want to try it! Thank you in advance!!!!!
I have a new 3 quart ultra and I found this recipe just before dinner. I didn’t have time to marinate, but it was awesome anyway! Afterward I reduced the sauce and poured it over the leftovers. So yummy! I’m bringing it to the next camping pot luck!
What adjustments would I need to make using boneless skinless chicken breasts? Thanks
Yes, Tina, please check the notes section of the recipe. Jill
How many breasts would that be in lieu of the 8 thighs, to only cook 3 mins? And should they be thinly sliced? Thx! Looking forward to making this dish.
Four, Wilda. Jill
An excellent recipe! I will be making it again and again. My family loved it.
This recipe is amazing and delicious and FAST!! So easy! Thank you!!
This was a super easy, delicious recipe. A huge hit with my husband!
I did cut the pepper by half because sometimes in the pressure cooker I have found that a little pepper goes a long way and we didn’t want it too hot.
My thighs were rather small,… and I might cut a minute off the 5 minute time if the thighs are small next time, as it was a tiny bit dry for me. Then again after releasing the pressure I put a lid on to hold it and it may have kept cooking more. (should have let it cool a bit beforehand..) I’m one of those picky people when it comes to overcooking chicken however.
This one is a keeper for a quick delicious meal. Thanks This Old Gal for an awesome recipe!
* I did marinate for one hour
I would imagine that keeping a lid on the cooker after it was finished would cause the chicken to continue cooking. Jill
Just made this last night and it was amazing! I did not have the right mustard…used stone ground so might have changed the taste but was amazing!
Thank you for this recipe! My hubby and son loved it and so did I. My husband loved the flavors in the sauce and is already planning ways to use it on pork.
I made this the other night for dinner along with your pip rice. It was delicious!
Your recipe for ginger garlic paste didn’t call for honey. But the recipe for the chicken had honey. I added a little so hope it’s good!
i enjoy your recipesand now that weight watchers has 0 points for white meat chicken i am starting to eat that instead of thighs which i love. do i need to adjust the cooking time for frozen and or fresh breasts. boneless skinless ones. thanks
This looks amazing. I love the ingredients – will be trying this weekend.
I’m curious how you cut the chicken thighs… In small pieces? A chicken breast whole for 3 minutes sounds too low, and I’m wondering if there’s enough liquid for this to come to pressure, with only 1/3 cup balsamic? Thanks in advance for any advice.
Wondering the same thing about the liquid.
I prepped the marinade in the morning before work and couldn’t stop thinking about making it all day! When I got home at 6:30 pm, I literally dumped the works into the pot, prepped a pot-in-pot bowl of rice, and was enjoying dinner a half hour later. It was divine! I followed the recipe to the letter and wouldn’t change a thing. Now, I get to have leftovers for lunch. I will make this again. Thanks for all of your recipes. I’ve made many of them, including the yogurt, which is in my weekly rotation. Blessings to you!
Tricia, I LOVE this comment and it is exactly my goal for the recipe. I sure hope that you share this in your FB groups (with my link, of course). There are many more recipes that are this easy, coming your way. Thank you so much. Jill
I love all her recipes
The recipe doesn’t list the green onions in the ingredient list so I forgot to purchase them! 🙁
In the photo with the chicken in the Food Savor bag, was the bag vacuumed and sealed? Or just sealed on both ends?
Cheryl, it was vacuumed and sealed. Jill
How did you vacuum with the liquid?!