COURSE:
Chinese, Lunch, Main Course, Recipe Page, Recipes
Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken with Rice
Sweet, savoury and totally satisfying, this Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken with Rice is a fast favourite for busy weeknights and fakeaway-style dinners at home. Juicy chicken coated in a glossy, garlicky honey-soy glaze with a hint of sesame is paired perfectly with fluffy white rice – delivering bold flavour with minimal effort.
Your New Favourite Midweek Meal
This dish ticks all the boxes: quick to make, packed with flavour, and endlessly comforting. Bite-sized pieces of chicken are cooked until golden, then simmered in a sticky glaze made from soy sauce, honey, garlic, sesame oil and a splash of rice vinegar for balance. The result is a sauce that clings to every bite – sweet, salty, and utterly moreish.
Quick and Easy with the Instant Pot or Air Fryer
Whether you’re using the sauté function on your Instant Pot or crisping the chicken in your air fryer, this recipe is simple and speedy. Pressure cooking helps infuse the sauce deeply, while the air fryer adds that perfect golden finish. Either way, you’ll have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes, with less mess and all the flavour.
How to Serve
Serve it over steamed jasmine or basmati rice to soak up all the sticky goodness, and garnish with sesame seeds and spring onions for crunch and freshness. You can also pair it with stir-fried greens or broccoli for added texture and colour, or wrap it into lettuce cups for a lighter twist.
Customise Your Way
Prefer a bit more heat? Add chilli flakes or a splash of sriracha. Want to go meat-free? Swap the chicken for tofu or cauliflower – the sauce works beautifully either way. It’s a versatile recipe that can flex with your fridge and your cravings.
Sticky, Saucy, and So Good
Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken with Rice is the kind of meal that feels like a treat but fits perfectly into your weekly routine. Big flavour, fast prep, and guaranteed clean plates – what more could you ask for?
Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken with Rice
Prep Time:
10 mins
Cook Time:
25 minutes
Servings:
4
Product:
Instant Pot Multi-Cooker
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil (plus extra for garnish)
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1½ cups jasmine rice
- 1½ cups cold water
- 1 tsp chili flakes (optional)
- Generous pinch of salt
- 1 small bunch coriander, picked (optional garnish)
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced (optional garnish)
- 1 red chili, thinly sliced (optional garnish)
- Sesame seeds (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté on high heat and allow it to fully preheat, setting a timer for 10 minutes.
- While it heats, mix together ¼ cup honey, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sesame oil, and ½ cup chicken stock in a small bowl. Once hot, add 6 chicken thighs to the pot and sear until golden brown on both sides.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the browned chicken.
- Rinse 1½ cups jasmine rice and place it in a metal bowl that fits inside the Instant Pot. Add 1½ cups cold water and a generous pinch of salt to the bowl of rice. (If using a glass or ceramic bowl instead of metal, use boiling water instead of cold.)
- Place a long-legged trivet directly over the chicken in the pot. Carefully set the rice bowl on top of the trivet. Secure the Instant Pot lid, then pressure cook on high for 3 minutes.
- Once the timer finishes, allow a natural pressure release for 6 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid, remove the rice bowl with a cloth, and lift out the trivet using tongs.
- If using the herb garnish, toss 1 small bunch of picked coriander, 2 sliced spring onions, and 1 sliced red chili with a drizzle of sesame oil or neutral oil. Add sesame seeds to taste.
- To serve, divide the rice between four bowls. Spoon the sticky chicken and its sauce over the rice, then top with the fresh herb garnish.
Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken with Rice
COURSE:
Chinese, Lunch, Main Course, Recipe Page, Recipes
Prep Time:
10 mins
Cook Time:
25 minutes
Servings:
4
Product:
Instant Pot Multi-Cooker
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil (plus extra for garnish)
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1½ cups jasmine rice
- 1½ cups cold water
- 1 tsp chili flakes (optional)
- Generous pinch of salt
- 1 small bunch coriander, picked (optional garnish)
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced (optional garnish)
- 1 red chili, thinly sliced (optional garnish)
- Sesame seeds (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté on high heat and allow it to fully preheat, setting a timer for 10 minutes.
- While it heats, mix together ¼ cup honey, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sesame oil, and ½ cup chicken stock in a small bowl. Once hot, add 6 chicken thighs to the pot and sear until golden brown on both sides.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the browned chicken.
- Rinse 1½ cups jasmine rice and place it in a metal bowl that fits inside the Instant Pot. Add 1½ cups cold water and a generous pinch of salt to the bowl of rice. (If using a glass or ceramic bowl instead of metal, use boiling water instead of cold.)
- Place a long-legged trivet directly over the chicken in the pot. Carefully set the rice bowl on top of the trivet. Secure the Instant Pot lid, then pressure cook on high for 3 minutes.
- Once the timer finishes, allow a natural pressure release for 6 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid, remove the rice bowl with a cloth, and lift out the trivet using tongs.
- If using the herb garnish, toss 1 small bunch of picked coriander, 2 sliced spring onions, and 1 sliced red chili with a drizzle of sesame oil or neutral oil. Add sesame seeds to taste.
- To serve, divide the rice between four bowls. Spoon the sticky chicken and its sauce over the rice, then top with the fresh herb garnish.
Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken with Rice
Sweet, savoury and totally satisfying, this Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken with Rice is a fast favourite for busy weeknights and fakeaway-style dinners at home. Juicy chicken coated in a glossy, garlicky honey-soy glaze with a hint of sesame is paired perfectly with fluffy white rice – delivering bold flavour with minimal effort.
Your New Favourite Midweek Meal
This dish ticks all the boxes: quick to make, packed with flavour, and endlessly comforting. Bite-sized pieces of chicken are cooked until golden, then simmered in a sticky glaze made from soy sauce, honey, garlic, sesame oil and a splash of rice vinegar for balance. The result is a sauce that clings to every bite – sweet, salty, and utterly moreish.
Quick and Easy with the Instant Pot or Air Fryer
Whether you’re using the sauté function on your Instant Pot or crisping the chicken in your air fryer, this recipe is simple and speedy. Pressure cooking helps infuse the sauce deeply, while the air fryer adds that perfect golden finish. Either way, you’ll have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes, with less mess and all the flavour.
How to Serve
Serve it over steamed jasmine or basmati rice to soak up all the sticky goodness, and garnish with sesame seeds and spring onions for crunch and freshness. You can also pair it with stir-fried greens or broccoli for added texture and colour, or wrap it into lettuce cups for a lighter twist.
Customise Your Way
Prefer a bit more heat? Add chilli flakes or a splash of sriracha. Want to go meat-free? Swap the chicken for tofu or cauliflower – the sauce works beautifully either way. It’s a versatile recipe that can flex with your fridge and your cravings.
Sticky, Saucy, and So Good
Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken with Rice is the kind of meal that feels like a treat but fits perfectly into your weekly routine. Big flavour, fast prep, and guaranteed clean plates – what more could you ask for?
