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Home » Recipes » Instant Pot » Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

6/28/22

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These Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are perfect for your weekly meal prep and are made with the best sticky and sweet sauce!

Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs in meal prep containers

Ingredients and substitutions

  • Sesame oil – olive oil, perilla oil or canola oil will work in place of sesame oil. Note that it won’t be as aromatic as the sesame oil.
  • Chicken thighs – if you’re looking for a leaner cut of meat, use chicken breast instead of chicken thighs.
  • Soy sauce – tamari or coconut aminos are great alternatives to soy sauce.
  • Brown sugar – coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup or white sugar with molasses would also work.
  • Garlic – fresh or jarred minced garlic can be used.
  • Ginger – freshly grated ginger is best but ground ginger powder will provide a similar flavour.
  • White rice – any variation of white rice, brown rice or long grain rice can be used.
  • Cornstarch – wheat flour, arrowroot, potato starch or rice flour can be used in place of cornstarch.

Broccoli slaw

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  • Broccoli slaw – in a pinch, regular coleslaw mix will work in place of broccoli slaw.
  • Rice vinegar – white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or lemon/lime juice will also work.
  • White sugar – honey, maple, agave syrup are great alternatives to white sugar.
  • Sesame oil – canola oil will also work in place of sesame oil for the broccoli slaw
  • Ground dry ginger – swap out for some allspice, nutmeg or cinnamon.
  • Salt & pepper – to taste.

meal prep dinner of Garlic Sesame Chicken Thighs, white rice, and broccoli slaw

How to make this recipe

  1. Sauté the chicken thighs.
  2. Add in the sauce ingredients.
  3. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
  4. Make the rice and broccoli slaw.
  5. Do a quick release of the pressure.
  6. Stir in the cornstarch slurry.
  7. Serve and enjoy!

Garlic Sesame Chicken Thighs (recipe cooked in Instant Pot)

What to serve on the side

I like to serve these garlic sesame chicken thighs with some rice and broccoli slaw, but you can mix up the sides to include whatever you’re craving. You can even use some of the leftover chicken for wraps or as a salad topper.

If you’re looking for more side dish options, here are some ideas:

  • Crispy Green Bean Fries
  • Broccoli Salad
  • Coconut Rice
  • The Best Arugula Salad
meal prep container with garlic sesame chicken dinner

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should you cook chicken thighs in the Instant Pot?

For this recipe, you need to cook the chicken thighs for 3 minutes at high pressure. Keep in mind that the Instant Pot will take 5-10 minutes to get up to that pressure setting, so it’s more like 15-20 minutes of cooking time.

What is the sauce made of?

The sweet and sticky garlic sesame sauce I used in this recipe is made of sesame oil, low-sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic and grated ginger root. I suggest using fresh ginger for the best flavour, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can always use a bit of ground ginger powder instead.

How many calories are in this recipe?

This garlic sesame chicken has 404 calories per serving. It’s super filling and the perfect lunch or dinner meal prep option!

glass meal prep container with Asian sesame chicken dinner

Storing and reheating

Store these meal prep bowls in the fridge for up to 5 days. You have the option to eat the bowls cold so you don’t have to microwave the coleslaw, but you can always pack the coleslaw separately so you can microwave the chicken and rice.

To reheat the chicken, sprinkle some water over top to keep the chicken and rice from drying out, then microwave for 2 minutes.

Freezing the chicken

You can freeze any of the leftover chicken for up to 3 months. Make sure to use freezer-safe bags or airtight containers to prevent freezer burn! When you're ready to make this recipe, thaw the chicken in the fridge overnight, and then reheat it in the oven or in the microwave for a few minutes. If you’re reheating it in the microwave, make sure to sprinkle some water over top to avoid that leftover chicken taste.

Garlic and Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs dinner in meal prep containers

More chicken thigh recipes

  • Meal Prep Thai Basil Chicken
  • Perfect Baked Chicken Thighs
  • Korean Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Meal prep tools for this recipe

  • Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning these Instant Pot Chicken Thighs into your weekly lunches.
  • I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
  • Get a rice cooker for hands-off cooking time here (they're cheap!).
  • This is the brand of tamari I like, and I love this low-sodium soy sauce!
Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

These Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are perfect for your weekly meal prep and are made with the best sticky and sweet sauce!
4.79 from 19 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 404kcal
Author: Taylor Stinson

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp gingerroot, grated

Broccoli slaw

  • 1 package broccoli slaw
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp white sugar
  • 2 tsp sesame oil (or canola oil)
  • 1 tsp ground dry ginger
  • 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

Rice

  • 1 cup dry white rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tsp butter

Cornstarch slurry

  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp water

Instructions

  • Add sesame oil to Instant Pot and turn Instant Pot into saute mode. Saute chicken thighs for 1-2 minutes per side, then add soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and gingerroot and stir slightly amongst thighs.
  • Place the lid on and press the pressure cook button. Select the high setting, then set to cook for 3 minutes – Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to preheat then the 3 minutes to pressure cook.
  • While chicken is cooking, cook rice with water and butter in a rice cooker and then mix together rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, dry ginger & salt in a small bowl until well combined and sugar is dissolved. Pour over and toss with broccoli slaw then set aside.
  • Make the cornstarch slurry by mixing cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Do a quick release of the pressure when Instant Pot is done by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon, then open lid when safe to do so. Gently stir in the cornstarch slurry.
  • Add two chicken thighs to each meal prep bowl and drizzle a little bit of sauce overtop, garnishing with sesame seeds if desired. Divide the rice and broccoli slaw evenly among bowls. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Stir in the cornstarch slurry to make the sauce nice and thick.
Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Sprinkle some water over top then reheat the chicken and rice for 2 minutes.
Freeze the leftover chicken for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat.

Nutrition

Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 994mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 900IU | Vitamin C: 49.5mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2.2mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @GirlonBloor or tag #girlonbloor!
These Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are perfect for your weekly meal prep and they've got the best sticky, sweet sauce! #GarlicSesame #ChickenThighs These Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are perfect for your weekly meal prep and they've got the best sticky, sweet sauce! #GarlicSesame #ChickenThighs

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About Taylor Stinson

Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!

Comments

  1. Melissa says

    April 11, 2021 at 19:57

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious !! Totally hit the spot tonight. Thank you for the amazing recipes.

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      April 12, 2021 at 09:38

      I’m so happy you enjoyed 🙂

      Reply
  2. Sue says

    April 21, 2020 at 18:08

    5 stars
    This was so easy and tasty. My family loved it! I used brown rice instead of white rice since it is what I had on hand for dinner. This will be added to the rotation of meals. The salad was ok, I tend to like those type’s of salad a little more vinegar tasting, so I am going to have to play around with it.

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      April 22, 2020 at 08:04

      So happy you enjoyed, Sue 🙂

      Reply
  3. Emily says

    March 27, 2019 at 21:06

    This looks SO good but I don’t have an Instant Pot. Do you think it would do okay on the stovetop?

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      April 3, 2019 at 10:27

      I wouldn’t be able to provide alternative instructions unfortunately. I would assume you could just saute the chicken on either side until done using the marinade though!

      Reply
  4. Susan Walker says

    February 4, 2019 at 09:14

    Made this recipe for the family. They pronounced it a keeper.
    There is one problem, soy sauce is listed in the instructions but not the ingredient list

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      February 4, 2019 at 13:31

      So glad you liked it Susan! I just double-checked and I see soy sauce is listed in the ingredient list and the instructions, maybe you missed it by mistake!

      Reply

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Taylor Stinson

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I'm Taylor Stinson, a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto. Looking to switch up your weekly meal prep routine? I've got you covered with healthy recipes and meal planning resources. Join 1.5 million other monthly readers and dive in! MORE ABOUT ME..

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