Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

When we helped out in my dad’s Chinese restaurant, we wouldn’t get away a day without customer after customer ordering the Beloved Chinese Lemon Chicken. Easily in the Top 10 on the menu!

Lemon Chicken is a classic favorite Chinese takeout dish. It showcases a beautiful marriage between North American and Chinese flavors. A sibling to the popular Orange Chicken.

Crispy juicy golden chicken nuggets coated with a thick sweet, savory, and tangy honey lemon garlic chicken sauce. It’s refreshingly flavorful and tasty to eat.

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

We crafted this easy lemon chicken Instant Pot recipe inspired by my dad’s restaurant. As usual, we’d like to have some creative fun with it!

You won’t need to dice, marinate ahead of time, batter, or deep fry the chicken. Rather, it’s a much easier and healthier yet tasty lemon chicken you can make at home with a few pantry ingredients.

When life gives you a lemon, make Amy + Jacky’s Instant Pot Lemon Chicken! 😉

How to Make Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Here are the ingredients for making lemon chicken in Instant Pot.

Chicken

We developed this Instant Pot lemon chicken recipe with bone-in skin-on chicken thighs because the results are better using dark meat.

You can also use boneless skin-on chicken thighs (same pressure cooking time). If you’re using skinless boneless chicken thighs, reduce the pressure cooking time by a minute.

Lemon

Preparation: Slice half the lemon, then juice the remaining half.

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.

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, keep in mind that the sodium level can vary a lot between different brands. Always taste and adjust accordingly.

Peanut Oil: We crafted this recipe with peanut oil because its flavor matches well with this lemon chicken. But you can substitute it with vegetable oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, or avocado oil.

Shaoxing Wine: Try to find one with the least amount of salt or no salt added. If you don’t have Shaoxing wine, you can substitute it with unsalted chicken stock, dry cooking sherry wine, or rice wine.

Honey: There are many types and flavors of honey with 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. It’ll slightly change the lemon chicken’s flavor profile. You can try it and see which one you enjoy more.

Tools for Lemon Chicken Instant Pot Recipe

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker (6qt)
• Bamboo Wooden Spoon
• Optional: Oven, Toaster Oven, Instant Pot Duo Crisp, Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid, or Air Fryer

Saute Garlic in Instant Pot

First, press “Saute” button to “Sauté More” function to heat up your Instant Pot.

Note: It’ll switch to “ON” on the screen.

Wait until it says “HOT” on the screen. This takes roughly 8 minutes.

Now, add 1 tbsp (15ml) peanut oil in the Instant Pot’s inner 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) freshly squeezed 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 Cooking Method: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 5 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes of Natural Releasing, carefully turn the Venting Knob to Venting Position to release the remaining pressure.

Once the Floating Valve drops, remove the lid.

Thicken Chicken Gravy

Set aside the pressure cooked lemon chicken thighs in a large mixing bowl.

Press “Cancel” button, then “Sauté” button to heat up the chicken gravy in Instant Pot.

Stir 3 tbsp (63g) honey into the chicken gravy in Instant Pot.

In a small mixing bowl, mix 2½ tbsp (22.5g) cornstarch with 3 tbsp (45ml) cold water. Mix it in one third at a time until desired thickness.

Taste the lemon garlic chicken gravy, then season it with more honey, salt, and black pepper if necessary.

Optional Flavor-Boosting Step: Broil Chicken with Air Fryer Lid or Oven

Option 1 – Oven or Toaster Oven

Place the lemon chicken thighs on an oven tray under the “Broil” function (or the highest temperature setting) for a few minutes until the honey lemon sauce is caramelized.

Option 2 – Air Fryer or Air Fryer Lid

Place air fryer basket with the tray on the middle rack in Instant Pot.

Layer lemon chicken thighs on the air fryer tray in Instant Pot.

Place the 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.

Garnish and Serve Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

If you like, drizzle some more honey lemon garlic sauce on the chicken thighs.

Then, you can garnish the juicy tender lemon chicken with lemon slices, fresh rosemary, Italian parsley, cilantro, lemon zest, or finely sliced green onions.

What to Serve with Lemon Chicken

For a complete Chinese meal, we often serve a few main and side dishes, especially during dinner time. It often includes meat, seafood, eggs, and vegetables, served with rice. Some families like to begin or end the meal with nourishing Chinese soups. As a bonus, you can wrap up the meal with some Chinese desserts, snacks, or fruits.

Here are some tasty easy Chinese dishes you can serve with lemon chicken:

• Rice & Grain: Instant Pot Rice, Chinese Egg Fried Rice, Instant Pot Quinoa
• Vegetable Side Dishes: Instant Pot Green Beans, Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce, Instant Pot Cabbage, Broccoli with Garlic
• Soups: Chinese Pork Bone Soup, Pork Shank Carrots Soup
• Desserts: Red Bean Soup, Chinese Sweet Potato Soup, Tofu Pudding

Enjoy Juicy Caramelized Instant Pot Lemon Chicken!

Other Popular Chinese Takeout Recipes

• Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
• Instant Pot General Tso Chicken
• Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
• Instant Pot Sweet ‘n Sour Pork Chops