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instant pot lemon chicken | instant pot lemon garlic chicken | instant pot lemon chicken thighs | pressure cooker lemon chicken
4.97 from 76 votes

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Recipe by Amy + Jacky | PressureCookRecipes.com
Easy to make Instant Pot Lemon Chicken with a few healthy pantry ingredients. Not the ordinary North American Chinese lemon garlic chicken. Tender juicy chicken glossed with a caramelized honey lemon garlic glaze. Quick and easy, kids-friendly chicken dinner.
Servings 4 - 6
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 - 8 (1⅓ - 2⅔ lbs, 600g - 1200g) skin on chicken thighs , bone-in or boneless
  • 1 (120g) lemon , slice half & juice the other half (~1 tbsp or 15ml)
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) peanut oil (substitute: olive oil or vegetable oil)
  • 3 (10g) garlic cloves , minced
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) Shaoxing wine (substitute: unsalted chicken stock)
  • ¾ cup (188ml) unsalted chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) regular soy sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon (0.25g) dried rosemary
  • 3 tablespoons (63g) honey
  • Salt & ground black pepper to taste

Thickener

  • 2½ tablespoons (22.5g) cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) cold water

Optional Garnish

  • Fresh rosemary, Italian parsley, cilantro, green onions
  • Sliced lemon, lemon zest

Equipment

Instructions

  • Saute Garlic in Instant Pot: Use "Sauté More" to heat up Instant Pot. Wait until it says "HOT" on the screen.
    Add 1 tbsp (15ml) peanut oil in Instant Pot. Make sure you cover the whole bottom with oil. Add minced garlic, then sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  • Deglaze Instant Pot: Add 2 tbsp (30ml) Shaoxing wine in Instant Pot, then deglaze by scrubbing the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
  • Pressure Cook Lemon Chicken: Add ¾ cup (188ml) unsalted chicken stock, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp (15ml) lemon juice, lemon slices, and ¼ tsp (0.25g) rosemary. Give it a quick stir, then place 4 to 8 chicken thighs on top of the lemon slices.
    With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 5 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes. Remove the lid.
  • Thicken Chicken Gravy: Set aside chicken in a large mixing bowl.
    Press "Cancel" button, then "Sauté" button to heat up the gravy in Instant Pot. Stir 3 tbsp (63g) honey into the gravy.
    In a small mixing bowl, mix 2½ tbsp (22.5g) cornstarch with 3 tbsp (45ml) cold water. Mix it into the gravy one third at a time until desired thickness.
    Taste the gravy, then season it with more honey, salt, and black pepper if necessary.
  • Optional Flavor-Boosting Step: Broil Chicken
    If you like, you can brush more lemon sauce on the chicken before you broil. And continue to brush some sauce on the chicken during the caramelizing process.
    Option 1 - Oven or Toaster Oven: Place lemon chicken on an oven tray under "Broil" function (or highest temperature setting) for a few minutes until the lemon sauce is caramelized.
    Option 2 - Air Fryer or Air Fryer Lid: Place air fryer basket with tray on the middle rack in Instant Pot. Layer chicken on air fryer tray in Instant Pot. Place Air Fryer Lid on Instant Pot. Press "Airfry" button, set Temperature to 400°F and Cooking Time to 15 minutes. Then, air fry the second batch of lemon chicken in Instant Pot.
    Amy + Jacky's Tip: It takes roughly 7 to 11 minutes + preheat time to caramelize with Air Fryer Lid. You can open the lid to check the progress.
  • Garnish and Serve: Drizzle some more honey lemon garlic sauce on the chicken. Garnish the juicy tender chicken with lemon slices, fresh rosemary, lemon zest, or finely sliced green onions. Enjoy~

Notes

1. Chicken Thighs Substitute: We used bone-in skin-on chicken thighs because the results are better with dark meat. You can use chicken breasts, chicken drumsticks, or chicken leg quarters. Adjust the cooking time accordingly.
  • Boneless skin-on chicken thighs: use same pressure cooking time
  • Boneless skinless chicken thighs: reduce the pressure cooking time by a minute
2. Lemon
  • Rolling lemon: Per Gordon Ramsay, rolling the lemon on a cutting board before slicing will soften the lemon and releases its juices.
  • Lemon's Piths: If your lemon has thick pith (white and spongy part), grate out the lemon zest and juice the lemon instead of using the lemon slices. This prevents the pith from imparting bitterness to the honey lemon sauce.
3. Unsalted Chicken Stock: We develop recipes with unsalted ingredients so we can better control the flavors. If you’re substituting it with salted chicken stock, taste and adjust accordingly.
4. Peanut Oil Substitute: We crafted this recipe with peanut oil because its flavor matches well with lemon chicken. But you can substitute it with vegetable oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, or avocado oil.
5. Shaoxing Wine: Try to find one with the least amount of salt or no salt added. You can substitute it with unsalted chicken stock, dry cooking sherry wine, or rice wine.
6. Honey: Different types of honey have varying sweetness, richness, and flavor profiles. Try to use quality honey and taste and adjust accordingly. Some readers like to substitute it with Maple Syrup.
Rate Amy + Jacky's Recipe: If you've tried our recipe, rate the recipe in the Comments section. Thank you!
Author: Amy + Jacky
Calories: 358kcal

Nutrition

Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 211mg | Potassium: 359mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 119IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg