Instant Pot Bourbon Chicken can now easily be made in your very own Instant Pot! This boozy chicken dish is bursting with rich Chinese-inspired ingredients, marinating the chicken to fork-tenderness in under 30 minutes.
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When it comes to making wholesome family meals without the stress of unending hours spent in the kitchen, nothing quite beats the convenience of an Instant Pot. While I love most Instant Pot recipes (whether sweet or savory), this honey and bourbon chicken is definitely one of our favorite Easy Instant Pot Meals!
So if you’ve found yourself in a dinner rut or just need a little inspiration, keep reading on for a winner-winner chicken dinner!
❤️ Why You'll Love Our Recipe
- Honey Bourbon Chicken is an amazing weeknight dinner that's easy to whip up in under 30 minutes thanks to the Instant Pot!
- It’s a restaurant-quality dish without the restaurant prices!
- You can easily double the recipe if you anticipate feeding a crowd.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days - allowing you to enjoy a ready-made meal later in the week.
- The alcohol content is minimal and mostly burnt off during cooking, making this dish appropriate for all ages.
🧂 Ingredients
This is meant to be a brief overview of the Instant Pot Bourbon Chicken recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.
- Chicken thighs
- Oil
- Bourbon
- Soy sauce
- Honey
- Barbecue sauce
- Minced garlic
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Green onions
⭐ Ang's Tips
Cut the chicken into uniform sizes so that they cook evenly.
Be careful where you place your instant pot, keeping in mind where the steam will vent.
If the sauce is too thick for you, add in some broth or water at the end till you achieve the consistency you desire.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions (and answers!) readers often ask about making Instant Pot Bourbon Chicken.
An Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker that cooks food quickly under controlled pressure settings in the pot while a Crock-Pot is a slow cooking food appliance, heating food over an extended time (for example, 8-10 hours), allowing you to set it in the morning and come home to a meal ready to be enjoyed!
Thanks to the honey and bourbon, this dish is sweet and slightly sticky with a rich smoky bourbon flavor while not being overpowering at all! Additional ingredients in the marinade such as the soy and barbecue sauce pair beautifully with the honey and bourbon with their sweet and salty contributions.
While most initially think that this dish is named after the whiskey added to the ingredients, this dish itself actually originates from local restaurants along Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, which is why it's referred to as “bourbon” chicken. Whether it’s a happy coincidence that this dish also includes bourbon whiskey or was intentional makes no difference to the fact that it’s extremely popular due to such great flavor!
Absolutely! As with most alcohol used in recipes, the bourbon’s alcohol content is burnt off during the cooking process while the rich bourbon flavor remains. It’s certainly not going to make anyone feel light-headed or dizzy and is child-appropriate.
If you don’t enjoy bourbon or you’d prefer not to include any form of alcohol in your meals, simply remove the bourbon and replace it with apple juice or broth (vegetable or chicken). The substitution will alter the taste of this dish somewhat but it’ll certainly still be delicious.
Quick-release pressure allows you to release the steam in the pot quickly at the point that the cooking time is complete. You’ll notice pressured steam will be released through the pressure release value which is why it’s important to keep your face away and keep it out of reach of children. It should sit in an area of your kitchen that won’t be affected by the release of steam.
📖 Variations
We recommend that you try our honey bourbon chicken recipe for the first time just as it is written for the best results because that is how the recipe has been tested.
However, the next time you make it, you might consider one of these different ways of making this great recipe.
- For an alcohol-free recipe, use apple juice or broth (vegetable or chicken) instead of the bourbon.
- If you don’t own an Instant Pot then use your slow cooker or crock pot. First, brown your chicken pieces in a pan, add all ingredients to the slow cooker, and set on LOW for 2-3 hours, adding your cornstarch in the last 20 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Add in some red chili flakes or cayenne pepper for a kick of heat to your dish.
- For a little kick, add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Substitute brown sugar for the honey.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
Honey bourbon chicken is typically enjoyed with a serving of freshly steamed rice (either white or brown) It's also delicious with jasmine rice. This easy dinner pairs well with the following side dishes:
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
- Cauliflower rice or Mashed Cauliflower (as a low-carb option)
- Fried rice
- Mashed potatoes
- An assortment of Grilled Vegetables.
😋 Similar Recipes
The Instant Pot makes dinnertime so fast! Here are a few more awesome recipes our readers love.
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice - Another great chicken and rice dish, easy to make on any busy weeknight!
- Best Instant Pot Mac and Cheese - The best kind of comfort food with even more cooking convenience added. Super creamy, super cheesy, super delicious.
- Instant Pot Beef Stew - Beef up your meal planning with this hearty Instant Pot Beef Stew. It’s perfect for those cold winter days!
- Orange Chicken Instant Pot Recipe - Skip the takeout and make your own orange chicken at home in just minutes.
Instant Pot Bourbon Chicken
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Ingredients
- 1 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup bourbon
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ tablespoons water
- kosher salt and black pepper
- Green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Cube chicken into 1-inch pieces.1 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast
- Add to the instant pot.
- Add the sauce ingredients and seasonings.1 tablespoon olive oil, ⅓ cup bourbon, ¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup honey, 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, kosher salt and black pepper
- Close the lid and seal the pressure valve.
- Set the instant pot to cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Do a quick release pressure.
- Set the pot to sauté and mix the water and the cornstarch to create a cornstarch slurry.1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch, 1 ½ tablespoons water
- Stir cornstarch mixture into chicken to thicken the sauce.
- Turn the instant pot off.
- Serve over noodles, brown rice or white rice. Grnish with green onions.Green onions
Equipment
- Small Mixing Bowl
Nutrition
Meal Planning
Want to add this recipe to your meal plan? Download our free printable meal plan here.
This recipe is included in Meal Plan 44 along with:
- homemade chicken tenders
- chicken hashbrown casserole
- potato soup
- slow cooker taco beef
- sweet potato casserole
- pancake bundt cake
- sweet potato casserole
... and more!
👉 Be sure to check out all our meal plan ideas here.
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