Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

Name: Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
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; 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; 1 cup dry white rice; 2 cups water; 1 tsp butter; 2 tbsp cornstarch; 1 tbsp water

1/29/19

These Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are perfect for your weekly meal prep and they are covered in the best sticky, sweet sauce – serve with rice and veggies for a full meal!

Instant Pot Sesame Chicken Thighs

When deciding what Instant Pot recipes to make for your weekly meal prep, choosing chicken thigh recipes is a must!

Chicken thighs are inexpensive, pair well with a wide variety of seasonings, and more importantly, they fit easily into meal prep containers. You know we love meal prep over here!

One of the best benefits of making Instant Pot chicken thighs, however, is their ability to stay moist, even under long periods of cooking. Because breast meat is leaner than thighs, the same cannot always be said about slow cooking or pressure cooking chicken breasts. Breast meat can dry out quickly, so if you're able to use chicken thighs, please do so!

Now, let's talk about this recipe for Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs. I think you are going to love this Instant Pot chicken dinner!

Meal Prep Dinner: Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

What's in the meal prep containers?

Garlic sesame chicken thighs

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs covered in sticky-sweet garlic and sesame sauce, with a sprinkling of black and white sesame seeds.

Buttered white rice

Using white rice keeps this Instant Pot chicken thighs recipe gluten-free. Either Jasmine or Basmati rice are great choices for an Asian meal like this one.

Broccoli Slaw

To make preparing the dish quick and easy, we use packaged broccoli slaw mix, found in the produce section of the grocery store. The broccoli slaw is tossed with a lightly sweetened sesame oil and vinegar dressing.

Can you cook frozen chicken thighs in an Instant Pot?

Yes, it IS possible to cook frozen chicken thighs in an Instant Pot, and other proteins, too!

Frozen meat does require a few minutes longer to cook, but if you're making things like Instant Pot salsa verde chicken or soup, a few extra minutes is worth it for the convenience.

That being said, the Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs recipe requires sauteing the chicken thighs before pressure cooking them. Sauteing is impossible with meat that's frozen, so this recipe isn't a good choice to make with frozen chicken.

Is there a difference between black and white sesame seeds?

Aside of the visual appearance, there isn't much difference between black and white sesame seeds. The taste difference is very subtle; many people don't notice a difference at all. The main difference between them is, black sesame seeds still have the hull intact while the white seeds are hulled.

How long do I cook Instant Pot Chicken Thighs?

The Instant Pot chicken thighs time for cooking is SO quick, you will barely have time to change out of your work clothes before dinner is ready!

You'll spend a couple of minutes sauteing the chicken thighs, then after 5-10 minutes of time for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, there are just 3 minutes of pressure cooking time.

More Chicken Thigh Recipes

If you're hoping to meal prep other chicken thigh recipes, give these a try:

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.

Garlic Sesame Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

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3.25 from 4 votes