Instant Pot Honey Lemon Chicken

Ingredients for Chicken

• 8 skinless chicken thighs (about 1 ½ lbs)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white or black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Smart Balance spread
• 1 small lemon, sliced into 5-6 thin slices
• 1 garlic clove, roughly diced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup water

Ingredients for Honey Lemon Glaze

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced or finely grated

Directions

Turn on Instant Pot and press the sauté button. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Once the Instant Pot is hot, add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and the chicken thighs. Brown the chicken on one side for 4-5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove chicken from Instant Pot, and then add the Smart Balance spread to the pot. Once the spread has melted, press the cancel button. Add the slices of lemon to the Instant Pot and then sprinkle with the diced garlic. Place the chicken thighs on top of the lemon slices and garlic, and drizzle with lemon juice and honey. Pour the water around the sides of the pot. Set the Instant Pot to manual and high settings, for 12 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, whisk the honey lemon glaze ingredients together in a bowl. After the time is up, allow 3 minutes for natural pressure release and then use the quick release method to let out the rest of the steam/pressure from the pot. Remove the chicken thighs and lemon slices, and reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking broth. Turn the Instant Pot back on and press the sauté button. Place chicken thighs back into Instant Pot, and pour the reserved cooking broth and glaze mixture over the chicken. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently and basting the chicken pieces with the glaze. Once the liquid thickens, turn off Instant Pot. Serve alongside roasted broccoli or green beans for a complete meal!
Modification: If you don’t have an Instant Pot, use a skillet instead! Heat a skillet with the olive oil on high heat. Brown the seasoned chicken on each side for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add the Smart Balance spread and garlic, and sauté until garlic is tender. Add the lemon juice, honey, and water; and cook this down until it reduces by half. Add the lemon slices. Meanwhile, whisk glaze ingredients in a bowl, and then add this mixture over the chicken and lemon slices. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently and basting chicken pieces with the glaze until it is thickened.

Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
Makes 8 servings (one 2-3 ounce thigh is a serving)

Nutrition

Protein 16g Modified from Gordon Ramsay’s original recipe