This 21 Day Fix Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken gives you all of the delicious teriyaki flavor that you crave without all of the added calories, fat and sugar. An incredibly healthy and quick kid-friendly dinner!
All links in this post are affiliate links, thanks for supporting my little blog!
YOU GUYS. Behold this glossy, saucy, and sassy AF teriyaki chicken. I'm so in love with it I hardly know what to do with myself. Not to mention that this gorgeousness can be made in under 30 minutes. Holy hell do I love my Instant Pot. (Don't have one yet? Get yours HERE!). Oh! AND you can make the rice at the same time!! Does it get more life-changing than that?! Uh, nope.
Honestly, I can't even tell you how many nights that thing has saved me from going out and eating all the bad things. It's quite likely that it's paid for itself a few times over by now in all the money we've been saving not going out to eat all the time. I mean, we weren't going out all the time, buuuut... often enough, my friends.
So because I know you have better things to do than listen to me prattle on about the sweet, gingery amazingness of this chicken (and also because it's currently 9 at night as I write this and I'm SO tired, you guys) I'm going to keep this short and sweet, but I did want to talk about one quick thing for my 21 Day Fixers...
Are chicken thighs 21 Day Fix approved?
Well, they're not on the 21 Day Fix food list and because of that I've avoided using them, at the blog and at home. I know I must seem like some sort of super fun free spirit or something (RIGHT?!) but I'm really just a rule-follower at heart. It's probably also because I'm Captain Non-confrontational and rule breakers... they tend to have confrontations. Nothing like a little window into my ridiculous psyche, you're welcome.
Aaaanyway... I don't like chicken breasts in the Instant Pot (unless they're poached for soup, like in my IP Lemon Chicken Noodle), I have yet to get them to come out without a weird texture. But chicken thighs, I was told by one of my blogger besties, Nancylynn (from Confessions of a Fit Foodie) are amazing in the Instant Pot. So I had to try it and of course she was right (not that I ever had a doubt). So I thought I'd do a little research to see if there was really any good reason why I couldn't use boneless, skinless chicken thighs (well-trimmed, of course) on the 21 Day Fix and here is what I found:
- 4 ounces of boneless skinless chicken breasts: 114 calories | 3 grams of fat | 21 grams of protein
- 4 ounces of boneless skinless chicken thighs: 130 calories | 5 grams of fat | 22 grams of protein
- 2 large eggs: 143 calories | 10 grams of fat | 13 grams of protein
So... do thighs have more fat and calories than breasts? Yes. But just barely and they still fall under what's in 1 Red of eggs, so personally I think it's completely fine to use them, just be sure to trim them well!
And like Forest Gump, that's all I have to say about that, but I know you have at least one more big, important question...
What kind of container can you use in an Instant Pot for pot-in-pot cooking?
You can use any oven-safe container - so silicone, ceramic, porcelain, stainless steel, oven-safe glass (such as Pyrex). Just be sure that your dish doesn't touch the walls of your inner pot and that your lid can close over it properly.
Here's my affiliate link to the dish that I use. Any of the sizes listed will work for the rice in this recipe, but I love my 64 oz because I can use it for Shepherd's Pie (I'm currently working on a spin on a shep pie as we speak)!
You also want to make sure that you can get it out easily, I've been using this OXO sling (affiliate link), it's awesome!
Anyway, hope you guys love this recipe, it's become a new family favorite!!
**A quick note: don't let the long recipe card discourage you, I have 2 optional side dishes AND stove top directions in there, the actual making of the chicken is super easy and only has a few steps!!
If you make this healthy Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken be sure to snap a pic and tag me @thefoodieandthefix or use #thefoodieandthefix on Instagram so I can check it out! It makes me ridiculously happy to see what you guys are making 🙂
Just FYI – this recipe has only been tested in the Instant Pot 6 quart duo – If you have an 8 qt, you may need to add more liquid.
📖 Recipe
21 Day Fix Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
Teriyaki Sauce:
- 6 Tbs low sodium soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari if you're GF!)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 Tbs sesame oil
- 1 Tbs rice vinegar
- 2 Tbs grated fresh ginger (can sub ground ginger, but the fresh is the bomb!)
- ½ Tbs minced garlic (again can sub garlic powder)
- ½ teaspoon chile garlic paste (this is the amount that I use that my kids will eat, if I'm meal prepping this for lunches just for myself, I use at least 1 teaspoon - gimme some heat!)
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
Remaining Ingredients:
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, well trimmed
- 1 cup canned pineapple tidbits (packed in 100% juice), drained
Optional Brown Rice:
- 2 cups long grain brown rice
- 2 ¼ cups water
Optional Veggie Side Dish:
- 6 cups of whatever veggies you like - I like to use broccoli, red bell peppers, green onions and some water chestnuts!
- ½ cup water
Instructions
Make your teriyaki sauce:
- Whisk all ingredients together EXCEPT the cornstarch.
Chicken:
- Place your chicken in the bottom of your instant pot, I like to lay them as flat as possible so the sauce can cover or mostly cover the chicken. Pour ½ cup of your sauce over the chicken. Lock your lid and set to manual for 10 minutes.
- When the chicken is just about done cooking, whisk the cornstarch into the remaining sauce until no cornstarch lumps remain.
- When the cooking time is over, quick release the pressure and remove the lid. Using a large slotted spoon, remove the chicken, leaving the sauce in the pot.
- Check the sauce now to see if you want to add any additional chile garlic paste as I find some of the heat from it is reduced after cooking.
- Turn on the saute function, once the sauce starts to bubble, add the cornstarch mixture to the pot, whisking until thickened (should only take a minute or two). Stir in the pineapples and add the chicken back in to coat it in the sauce and heat through. If you're going to make the veggies, remove everything from the pot except for a couple of tablespoons of sauce.
Optional Veggie Side:
- Stir the water and veggies into the pot, lock the lid and set for zero minutes on manual. Quick release when it's finished and immediately remove the veggies from the pot so they don't continue to cook.
Instructions on making the brown rice at the same time as the chicken:
- After putting the raw chicken and sauce in the bottom of your pot, put your trivet on top of the chicken. On top of that put an IP-safe bowl and carefully add the rice and water to it. Instead of cooking for 10 minutes with a QR, cook for 20 minutes with a natural release of 10 minutes (then quick release if all of the pressure wasn't released).
To serve:
- Serve with either the brown rice above or cauliflower rice (don't forget to count these accordingly!) and garnish with as much cilantro and/or green onions as you like!
Stove Top Directions:
- Mix together all of the sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch, set aside.
- Spray a large pan with cooking spray and heat to medium heat. Lightly season your chicken with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken on both sides in the pan (no need to cook through here. Add ½ cup of the sauce and continue to cook, stirring as need until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon.
- Whisk the cornstarch with the remaining ¼ cup of sauce and whisk into the sauce in the pan until thickened. Add in the pineapples and the cooked chicken and heat through. Serve with as much cilantro and/or chopped green onions as you like!
Notes
21 Day Fix Container Counts per Serving: 1 Red, ¼ Purple, ½ tsp, 2 sugar teaspoons (this doesn't include the optional veggies and/or rice, just fyi!)
Weight Watcher Freestyle Points: 5 (doesn't include rice)
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: ¾ cup of chicken, ¼ cup of pineapplesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 220Total Fat: 7g
Save this 21 Day Fix Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken to Pinterest! ⇓
Kristina says
Hello! Would the cook time be the same if the chicken is chopped into pieces rather than whole chicken thighs?
Stephanie says
Hi! No, I would only set your pot for 3 minutes or so for chopped chicken!
Kay says
Wow! This is great. So easy to make
Stephanie says
I'm so glad you enjoyed!
Rachael says
I see it says the recipe makes 6 servings but how much is 1 serving? Sorry, new to this. I do understand the container counts though!
Stephanie says
Hi! The serving size is in a weird spot so no worries! It's at the very bottom of the recipe card. For this recipe, it's 3/4 cup of the chicken and 1/4 cup of the pineapples/sauce. Hope you love it!
Julia says
How can you add the cornstarch before chicken is done cooking if it’s in the instant pot? You’d have to release the pressure open the lid and then bring it back up to pressure once you add the cornstarch. I’m confused…
Stephanie says
Hi! You don't add the cornstarch before the chicken is done cooking. You cook the chicken in the instant pot (with some of the sauce that doesn't have cornstarch in it), then after the chicken is done, you release the pressure, remove the chicken, to the remaining sauce that you've set aside, you'll whisk in the cornstarch, then add that to the pot and cook on saute for a few minutes until thickened. Then I just put the chicken and the pineapples back in to the pot to heat through and serve. Hope this helps!
Caitlin Copley says
Hi Stephanie- Do you need to use an Instapot for this recipe or can you use a slow cooker?? I don't own one and I feel like I already have so many kitchen appliances between my slow cooker, Instapot blender, air fryer, etc. Thank you! 🙂
Stephanie says
Hi! I haven't tested this recipe in a slow cooker, but I do have stovetop directions right in the recipe card in this post!
Shirley says
If substituting maple syrup with honey and sugar would I need to add more seasonings since it takes a cup of honey to sub for maple syrup. Thanks
Stephanie says
Hi! I'm a little confused - if you're subbing honey or sugar for the maple syrup in this recipe, I would use the same amount that's used. Honey and maple syrup sub out pretty equally for the other. You shouldn't need to adjust any of the seasonings. I hope that helped!
kyla neville says
Are there any substitutions for the garlic paste? I don't have any on hand.. could you use hot sauce or siracha sauce? f
Stephanie says
Hi, you can definitely use sriracha!
Lesa says
What is chili garlic paste and where can I find it?
Stephanie says
Lesa I'm so sorry I missed this! Chili garlic paste is an Asian-style hot sauce, found in the Asian or ethnic foods aisle of your grocery store. I love it and a little goes a long way. Here's my amazon affiliate link so you can see what it looks like (your store may carry a different brand) https://amzn.to/2EmF8R1
Elissa says
Is this from frozen or thawed chicken
Stephanie says
Hey Elissa, this is from thawed, but I've done it from frozen too! I just add about 10 minutes to the cook time if my frozen chicken pieces are all frozen together. If they're separated you should be able to keep the same time.
Wendy Dyer says
On your instant pot teriyaki chicken recipe.... The directions say to put the veggies back in and set it for 0 minutes. How will they cook? Is that a typo?
Thanks in advance for your answer. Your recipes look awesome. I can't wait to try one.
My only suggestion is to convert the cheesecake recipe that sounds so delicious to an instapot recipe.
Wendy D
Stephanie says
Hey Wendy! So veggies cook VERY quickly in the Instant Pot. Even though you're setting it for zero minutes, in the time that it takes to come to pressure, it'll be cooking. It works, I promise! And you're right, I definitely need to work on that cheesecake conversion!
Julie says
what do you mean in your container calculations by 2 sugar teaspoons? I have never seen that calculation before. Do you mean it's 2 teaspoons and a half?
Thank's
Stephanie says
Hey Julie! If you're doing 21 Day Fix, you get 4 teaspoons of approved sweetener per day (you can find this in the coffee section of the book). I'm just letting you guys know that this recipe uses 2 of those. 🙂
Barbara says
So without the rice the chicken cooks for 10 mins, QR, but *with* rice PIP the chicken is cooking for 20 mins *plus* 10 mins NPR? Would love to try this, but wouldn’t that way overcook the chicken?
Stephanie says
Hey Barbara, chicken thighs are super forgiving and actually work out great at either length of time in the IP. I wouldn't do that with breasts though.
Reva says
How many minutes if you use chicken breast instead?
Stephanie says
Hey Reva! I would try 8 minutes.
gabriela says
I am guessing that the countainer count does not include the rice because it doesnt show the yellow cup right? Sorry - just started 21 day fix.
Stephanie says
Yep! I didn't include the optional side dishes in the container counts (so that you could choose to do the brown rice (yellow) or cauliflower rice (green). 🙂
Mira Edorra says
Hi Stephanie,
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe with us. I love glossy, saucy, and sassy AF teriyaki chicken. I can't wait to try this one out. I love all of your recipes, and your recipe tutorials are always so fun!
Stephanie says
Thanks, Mira!
Albert Bevia says
Nothing better than an instant pot...but this truly looks incredible! and done in 30 minutes? count me in...thank you for the recipe 🙂
Stephanie says
You're so welcome, Albert!