Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Running a restaurant is tough. Real tough.

Hard physical labor, heat in the kitchen, serving interesting customers from all walks of life, managing staff, extremely long hours, stress from all over…

But each satisfied smile you see on customers’ face makes everything worthwhile.

On the days where Jacky and I helped out in my dad’s Chinese restaurant, we wouldn’t get away a day without diners after diners ordering the Beloved Chinese Lemon Chicken. Probably top 10 on the menu!

Those crispy yet tender chicken nuggets drenched in deliciously dangerous sweet & sour sauce. I simply couldn’t say no to any well-balanced sweet & sour anything sauce. hehe~

When life gives you a lemon, make some Lemon Chicken! 😉

On crazy days when we needed a quick fix for some sweet & sour secret sauce. This Zesty Sweet Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Recipe inspired by my dad’s restaurant just hits the spot.

Without the need to dice the chicken, marinate ahead of time, or even fry, this healthy & delicious lemon chicken will satisfy your cravings even on a chaotic weeknight! 🙂

You’ll Enjoy Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Because:

• Super easy to make with simple & healthy ingredients from your pantry
• Oh~ your taste-buds will fall in love with the sweet, savory, tangy delicious lemon garlic sauce!
• Refreshing dish that’s very appetizing and easy to eat (kid-friendly flavors)

Ingredients for Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

• 4 – 8 (1 1/3 – 2 2/3 lbs, 600g – 1200g) skin on chicken thighs, bone-in or boneless
• 1 (120g) lemon, slice half of the lemon & juice the other half (~1 tbsp or 15ml)
• 3 (10g) garlic cloves, minced
• ¾ cup (188ml) unsalted chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons (63g) honey
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) regular soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) peanut oil
• A pinch of dried rosemary
• A dash of shaoxing wine
• Salt & ground black pepper to taste
• Thickener: 2 ½ tablespoons (22.5g) cornstarch + 3 tablespoons (45ml) cold water
• Optional Garnish: Fresh rosemary

*Pro Tip: Per Gordon Ramsay, be sure to roll the lemon on a cutting board before slicing – it’ll soften the lemon and releases the juices.

For this Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Recipe, slice half the lemon, then juice the remaining half.

Tools for Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Bamboo Wooden Spoons

Instructions for Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Step 1
Prepare Pressure Cooker

Heat up your pressure cooker (Instant Pot: press Sauté button and click Adjust button to Sauté More function).

Make sure your pot is as hot as it can be (Instant Pot: wait until indicator says HOT).

Step 2
Prepare Chicken Thighs

Pat dry the chicken thighs’ skin with paper towels.

Season with generous amount of kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Step 3
Brown Chicken Thighs

Pour 1 tbsp (15ml) peanut oil in pressure cooker. Ensure to coat oil over whole bottom of the pot.

Place 4 chicken thighs (skin side down) in Instant Pot. Do not overcrowd.

Season the meat side lightly with more kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Brown the skin side (don’t touch it for 4 minutes). Flip and brown the meat side for 1 ½ minutes. Remove and set aside.

*Pro Tip: The chicken skin will stick to the inner pot in the beginning, but it will release itself at the 3-minutes mark.

*Note: If you are preparing 8 chicken thighs, repeat this step for the remaining 4 chicken thighs.

Step 4
Sauté Garlic

Add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Step 5
Deglaze

Add a dash of Shaoxing wine in Instant Pot and deglaze by scrubbing the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Step 6
Pressure Cook Lemon Chicken

Add ¾ cup (188ml) unsalted chicken stock, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp (15ml) freshly squeeze lemon juice, lemon slices, and a pinch of rosemary (rub the rosemary with your fingers to “activate” them).

Give it a quick stir and place 4 – 8 browned chicken thighs on top of the lemon slices.

Close lid and pressure cook at

• Pressure Cooking Method: High Pressure for 5 minutes, then 10 minutes Natural Release (after pressure cooker has finished cooking, wait until the floating valve drops. It should take roughly 10 minutes).

Turn off the heat. Open the lid carefully.

Step 7
Thicken Gravy

Set aside the cooked chicken thighs on a chopping board.

Press Cancel button, then Sauté button to heat up the sauce.

Stir in 3 tbsp (63g) honey.

In a small mixing bowl, mix 2.5 tbsp (22.5g) cornstarch with 3 tbsp (45ml) cold water. Mix it in one third at a time until desired thickness.

Taste the gravy and season with more honey, salt & black pepper if necessary.

Step 8
Serve Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Drizzle the lemon sauce onto the chicken thighs and garnish with optional fresh rosemary if desired.

Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

Instant Pot Chicken Breast

Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken and Rice