Instant Pot Honey Mustard Chicken is made with chicken thighs and bacon cooked in a sinful honey-mustard sauce! Make it in the Instant Pot with this easy step-by-step recipe
(this recipe was originally published in June 2019 and has been updated)
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This recipe for honey mustard chicken is one of my favorites, and readers love it too. Over time, everyone who has made it has always said that they loved everything about this recipe, especially the sauce. The chicken thighs are seared in the Instant Pot first, using the Saute function and then the chicken is cooked together with the honey mustard sauce in the Instant Pot, in the Pressure Cook mode.
This one-pot recipe is universally loved by kids and adults - my kids cannot have enough of that sauce! Serve it with some Homemade Bread Rolls or double the sauce and spoon it over some Basmati Rice, for a delicious lunch/dinner!
Why you will love this recipe
Delicious flavors with simple ingredients: The honey mustard sauce is made up of bacon, garlic, onions, Dijon Mustard, and honey cooked together with the chicken. All these ingredients together make up a delicious flavor base.
Can be made in the Pressure cooker or Stove-top: Cooking the chicken together with the sauce in the pressure cooker ensures that the chicken soaks up every bit of that delicious flavor. I use my Instant Pot to make this honey mustard chicken, but you could also make this dish on the stove-top if you don’t have a pressure cooker.
Creamy without added cream: The sauce is creamy without any cream going into it. I just thickened it with some cornflour mixed in water, and it comes out just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon – perfect!
How to make Instant Pot Honey Mustard Chicken
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the Instant Pot on the 'Saute' mode for 2-3 minutes, while you prepare the rest of the ingredients
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and add them to the Instant Pot
- Let the chicken cook on each side for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned. Once done, take them out and keep them aside. Don't skip this step, browning the chicken will give it loads of flavor.
- To the Instant Pot, add chopped-up bacon, diced onions, finely chopped or minced garlic cloves. Saute for a minute.
- Add 3/4 cup chicken stock and make sure you deglaze the pot, picking up any browned bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pot, with a spatula.
- Whisk together 3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard and 3 tablespoons of honey and add it to the IP. Stir together to combine
- Add 1.5 teaspoons paprika powder and stir to combine. Let the sauce simmer for a minute.
- Now add the browned chicken thighs back to the sauce.
- Close the lid of the Instant Pot and set it to 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' function for 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then perform a quick release of pressure.
- Open up the lid of the IP and take out the chicken thighs on a serving plate and keep aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon of cornflour and 2 teaspoons of water, stir and add the mixture to the sauce.
- Stir it together to combine, and let the sauce thicken. Your honey mustard sauce is done.
To serve, plate the chicken on a plate, pour the sauce over the chicken. Your Instant Pot honey mustard chicken is ready to be eaten with a side of crusty bread or salad.
Tips for making Honey Mustard Chicken in the Instant Pot
Use chicken breast instead of thighs - You can replace skinless breast instead of using chicken thighs. Use whole chicken breast (do not cut it into pieces), and make the recipe as mentioned in the recipe card below.
Use wholegrain mustard - To make the honey mustard sauce, you can use a mixture of Dijon mustard and wholegrain mustard, instead of just Dijon mustard. Just don't use the yellow mustard that is commonly available in tubes.
Bacon gives added flavor - I highly recommend adding bacon to the sauce, as mentioned in the detailed recipe card, however, feel free to skip it if you don't have bacon or don't eat bacon.
Double the sauce - Readers have told me that they have doubled the recipe for just the honey mustard sauce (see detailed recipe card below), and paired it with some rice or bread. You could also do that that if you like to make this honey mustard chicken with more sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are different ways to make Honey mustard sauce, but the most commonly used ingredients are always honey and Dijon mustard. Whole grain mustard can also be used. Sometimes, vinegar and mayonnaise can be added as well. The ingredients are cooked together briefly and the result is a flavorful sauce that is both sweet and tangy and absolutely delicious.
Yes, this recipe can be cooked ahead and frozen and reheated before eating. Just ensure that you cool completely before freezing and then thaw it completely before reheating.
This Instant Pot honey mustard chicken pairs very well with a side of mashed potatoes, or crispy baked potatoes. You can also pair them with some crusty bread or homemade bread rolls. You can double the recipe for just the sauce and spoon it over some Basmati rice or Jasmine rice as well.
More easy chicken recipes
Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli
Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken
Smoked Paprika and Orange Chicken
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Instant Pot Honey Mustard Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs skin-on, bone-in
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Salt and pepper to season
For the Honey Mustard Sauce
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped or minced
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1.5 ounces or 40 grams bacon chopped
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 1.5 teaspoons paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch or cornflour
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped parsley (to garnish)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the Instant Pot on the 'Saute' mode for 2-3 minutes, (use this time to prepare the rest of the ingredients)
- Once the oil has heated, season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and add them to the Instant Pot
- Let the chicken cook on each side for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned. Once done, take them out and keep aside on a plate.
- To the Instant Pot, add chopped-up bacon, diced onions, finely chopped or minced garlic cloves. Sauté for a minute.
- Add 3/4 cup chicken stock and make sure you deglaze the pot, picking up any browned bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pot, with a spatula.
- Whisk together 3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard and 3 tablespoons of honey and add it to the Instant Pot. Stir together to combine.
- Add 1.5 teaspoons paprika powder and stir to combine. Let the sauce simmer for a minute.
- Now add the browned chicken thighs back to the sauce.
- Close the lid of the Instant Pot and set it to 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' function for 5 minutes. Once the cooking time is completed, press ‘Keep Warm/Cancel, so that the IP does not default to ‘Keep Warm’ mode. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then perform a quick release of pressure.
- Open up the lid of the IP and take out the chicken thighs on a serving plate and keep aside, leaving the sauce inside the IP.
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon of cornflour and 2 teaspoons of water, stir and add this mixture to the sauce.
- Stir up the sauce with the cornflour-water mixture to combine, and let the sauce thicken.
- To serve, garnish with chopped parsley, pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve along with crusty bread or a side of mashed potatoes and a crisp salad.
Notes
Nutrition
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Can this be retimed for a 3 quart
The same timings should work for a 3 quart as well. I hope you like it!
How much time if I use 8 thighs? If I double recipe? Do I double the time?
Hi Lora, the time will increase only for the browning of the chicken - as you would nee to do it in two batches. The rest of the time should remain the same. I hope you enjoy!
Can you used ham instead of bacon ?
Hi Marissa, yes absolutely you could! Enjoy!
Do you know the carb count in this dish. Looks wonderful but I stick to a Keto diet.
Hi Cathy, unfortunately, it doesnt show in the recipe card (must fix that!) but the carb count is approximately 19 grams per serving
Can you use chicken breasts instead and what would tour cook time be?
hi Kristin, you can replace the thighs with breasts, keeping the cooking time the same. Apologies for the delay in my response to your question. Hope this helps!
How would you adjust this recipe if you have frozen chicken? Thanks!
Sounds delishes and would like to give it a try. High or low pressure?
thank you, I have tried it on 'High'. Hope you give it a go!
I curious, when you say corn flour, do you actually mean corn starch? Thank you
Yes, corn flour is the same as corn starch! Hope you like it
The sauce was good, but in my case more cornstarch was probably necessary as it didn’t thicken enough.
If I ever make this again I will try with breasts. All that effort to get nice crispy skin by sautéing, but in the end the skin got so soggy and slimy after it came out of the instant pot that neither my husband or I wanted to eat that part of the chicken.
Thanks for your feedback, many readers have told me they prefer boneless breast pieces without skin. The recipe should work with the same settings and time. Hope you like it with the adjustments you mentioned!
I love instant pot recipes and so does my chicken loving sisters. She will surely love this awesome honey mustard chicken.
This Honey Mustard Chicken looks so good! I love that it was made in an Instant Pot! How easy!
This is such a great recipe! I've been looking for more instant pot recipes for chicken. Can't wait to try this!
Honey Mustard dressing sounds absolutely delicious... I got to try this.
Honey Mustard is one of my favourite combo ever, and I just don't use my instant pot enough... Now I definitely have a reason to get it out of the pantry to try this yummy recipe!
Your blog and instructions say chicken thighs, but ingredients list calls for chicken breast.