Pressure Cooker Huli Huli Chicken

This easy Instant Pot Huli Huli chicken is loaded with flavor. Tender chicken with sweet soy and ginger flavors will be ready in no time.

I’m sure it’s no surprise that I’m a fan of recipes that are loaded with flavor yet require minimal fuss in the kitchen. This easy Huli Huli chicken checks all of the boxes.

Tender, saucy chicken with sweet soy and ginger flavors and it’s ready in less than an hour. The chicken literally shreds right in the pot and there’s no marinating to speak of (and no preheating a grill either!).

Chicken breasts (or thighs) are simmered in a deliciously bold sauce then shredded and tossed to combine. This dish is so flavorful, it’ll do perfectly well served over simple, plain, steamed white rice.

If you’re looking for an easy pressure cooker chicken recipe to add to your regular meal plan, I’d definitely add this one to the top of the list.

Four boneless skinless chicken breasts are called for here and it’s best to dice them up into 1/2 inch pieces. Breast meat picks up all that great flavor but doesn’t add any unwanted fat to the equation.

You could use chicken thighs and they wouldn’t mind being overcooked just as much but the result will be a bit richer.

You’ll be using canned pineapple. Save the chunks for garnish along with some snipped green onions.

The color is a definite improvement. Use the 1/3 cup of pineapple juice though.

This adds great flavor and it also helps to tenderize the meat. Broth would be ok but I’d avoid it since you’d be changing the overall flavor.

I know that a lot of recipes call for reduced sodium soy sauce but I’d use full strength here. The chicken will be shredded and tossed with the sauce so you’ll need that umami punch from the 1/2 cup.

Don’t skimp on the brown sugar either. You’ll be reducing the sauce after shredding the meat.

Those sugars help to caramelize for a thicker, glossy sauce. Cutting back here will affect the flavor and the body of the finished product.

3 tablespoons of tomato paste. This balances out all of the sweet and salty flavors of the pineapple and soy sauce.

It adds a subtle depth of flavor to the sauce. You’re not going to taste tomato at all.

2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger. A little goes a long way.

Fresh is best, but you can also use the kind that comes in a squeeze tube.

1 tablespoon minced garlic. You can use fresh or the kind that comes pre-minced in a jar.

1/3 cup chicken or veggie broth. The Instant Pot requires some sort of liquid in order to create enough pressure.

Chicken broth will make it more flavorful. Vegetable broth will have a more neutral flavor.

Garnishes (essential): green onions, pineapple chunks. This adds a nice, cool and crunchy contrast to the warm and saucy chicken.

How to Make Huli Huli Pressure Cooker Chicken

Step 1: Pressure cook the chicken

Add the cubed chicken to the insert of your Instant Pot along with 1/3 cup chicken or veggie broth. Close the lid making sure the valve is in the sealing position.

Select the Manual/pressure cook setting, make sure it’s on high pressure and set the time for 15 minutes. When the Instant Pot beeps indicating it’s finished, immediately switch the valve from sealing to venting using an oven mitt or a folded up towel since the steam comes out pretty vigorously to release the pressure.

Once all of the pressure has been released and the float valve has come down, open the lid.

Step 2: Make the sauce

In a medium-sized bowl, add the pineapple juice, soy sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, ginger, garlic. Whisk well until mostly combined and most of the sugar has dissolved.

Set aside. Add the pineapple chunks to a small bowl.

Set aside for garnish.

Step 3: Sauté the sauce into the chicken

Select the sauté function on the Instant Pot and add the huli huli sauce to the chicken. Stir to combine.

Taste and add more brown sugar if it needs a little extra sweet. Continue to cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened and glazes the chicken.

Add pepper and cook until bubbling and thickened, which should only take a few minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, and add another dash of soy sauce if it’s too sweet.

Step 4: Shred the chicken

Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and shred with two forks directly in the pot. The chicken should shred with ease after pressure cooking, and if any of the pieces seem resistant, sauté for another minute.

Once all of the chicken is shredded, stir into the thickened sauce to coat. Turn off sauté mode.

Step 5: Serve

Serve over rice with additional pineapple chunks and green onions for garnish. Ladle sauce into a small bowl to serve with the shredded chicken at the table, rather than adding it all to the chicken itself.

Helpful Tips

Don’t skip the sauté step

The sauté step helps concentrate all of those tasty seasonings into a sauce and incorporate them into the chicken. Skipping this step will leave you with sad, wet, bland chicken.

If the sauce seems to be taking longer than usual to thicken and concentrate, there is likely too much cooking liquid in the pot. As chicken cooks, it releases its own moisture and can result in a bit of a swampy situation in your pot.

To fix this, carefully release the pressure (see below) and remove the chicken with a slotted spoon. Use a ladle to remove some of the cooking liquid, or for the brave, carefully pour some of the liquid out of the pot.

Many people love lots of sweet and sour sauce to pour over their rice. If this describes you and your crew, multiply the amounts of soy sauce, brown sugar, pineapple juice and tomato paste by 1.5 or 2.

Reduce and sauté as directed, as it will take longer to thicken but will eventually get there.

Be careful when opening the lid to shred the chicken, especially if you choose to quick release. There is usually quite a bit of steam in the pot, and the lid itself is super slippery since it is coated with the cooking liquid.

Place a thick dish towel over the lid and twist to unlock it.

Use a towel or oven mitt when turning the pressure release valve, as the steam that comes out is super hot and may spatter. Keep your hands and face away from the release vent!

Can I use chicken thighs?

Yes! I’d actually highly encourage it.

Chicken thighs will have a richer texture and won’t suffer at all if they get a minute or two longer than called for under pressure. Follow the recipe as stated; there’s no need to adjust the cook time at all.

You’ll need skinless, boneless chicken thighs.

What size Instant Pot do I need to make this recipe?

This recipe serves 4-6 in my 6-quart Instant Pot Duo (recipescc-20). If you’d like to double the recipe or are serving a larger group, an 8-quart Instant Pot Duo (recipescc-20) would be a good option.

Serving Ideas

I like to serve this Instant Pot chicken over sticky white jasmine rice because it goes great with the pineapple and the starchy nature of the rice holds up well with such a saucy recipe, though regular long-grain rice would be ok, even if it doesn’t absorb the sauce as well. Brown rice would be great, too, though.

It has a denser texture that stands up well to the sauce and adds a nuttier flavor. Cauliflower rice is a great option if you’re watching carbs; it’s hard to tell since it’s covered in sauce.

Other great serving ideas: Use as a filling in butter lettuce cups for a lighter option. Make party sliders on Hawaiian rolls and serve with more of the sauce and pineapple slices on the side.

Cook some lo mein or other rice noodles, drain, and then stir them right into the sauce for some delicious sticky rice noodles.

Storage, Make-Ahead, and Leftovers

Store chicken with sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Trust me, it’s even better the next day as the chicken will absorb the flavors of the sauce as it sits.

To reheat, add a splash of water or chicken broth if the sauce has gotten too thick and warm in the microwave or a skillet on low/medium-low heat. Store chicken with sauce in airtight freezer-safe containers or zip lock bags in the freezer for up to 3 months.

The sauce will help keep the chicken from drying out. Defrost in fridge overnight and reheat as stated above.

Can I make this recipe in advance?

You can mix together the sauce ahead of time, up to a day ahead, and keep that in the fridge. Take it out of the fridge right before you’re ready to pressure cook and saute the sauce.

However, the actual pressure cooking/sauteing portions should be done the day you’re going to cook it. That said, if you do the entire recipe a day ahead it will be fine to refrigerate and reheat before serving.

It won’t affect the recipe adversely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this recipe called “huli huli” chicken?

In the Hawaiian language ‘Huli’ means turn. Huli Huli chicken is a Hawaiian dish that gets its name from the way it is traditionally cooked, turning on a spit above a fire.

The sweet and savory flavor of the chicken comes from being cooked in a marinade of soy sauce, fresh pineapple juice, ginger, sugar, etc. This recipe recreates that sweet and savory flavor without needing to use a grill and a contraption for turning!

What if my chicken is frozen?

Add about 5-7 minutes to cook time for frozen chicken. You won’t be able to dice frozen chicken so you would pressure cook frozen chicken breasts whole for about 20-22 minutes (high pressure), make sure it’s done to an internal temp of 165°F, then shred.

What if my sauce won’t thicken?

If the chicken releases a lot of liquid during pressure cooking your sauce might be having trouble thickening. To remedy this, drain/ladle out some of the cooking liquid before you add the sauce ingredients.

Also make sure you’ve been reducing on sauté for a full 7-8 minutes. As it gets thicker it will start to look like it’s not changing much but keep sauteing, as the extra liquid evaporates off it will continue to get thicker as the sugars concentrate.

Can I make this recipe with my other brand/model of pressure cooker?

This recipe was written with an electric pressure cooker but can easily be adapted for the stovetop. Simply simmer chicken covered in chicken broth on the stove for about 20-25 minutes, drain the liquid and add the sauce ingredients, simmering over medium heat until the sauce has thickened.

Any electric pressure cooker should be fine as long as it has a saute/brown function.

Is this recipe spicy?

This recipe as written isn’t spicy, it only has 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper which is pretty mild. Add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes for a little bite or drizzle sriracha over chicken before cooking.

It doesn’t take much heat to stand up to all of that sweetness so add to suit your taste.

Can this recipe be doubled?

Yes. Use a 6-quart Instant Pot and double chicken, or 8 chicken breasts total, and sauce.

You shouldn’t pass the max fill line. Pressure cook time will stay the same but sauté time may take longer since there will be more liquid.

Related Recipes

If you love this recipe for Huli Huli Pressure Cooker Chicken then I’m sure you’ll love these recipes, too:

• Instant Pot Crack Chicken, this recipe takes about the same amount of time to make and is super creamy and cheesy.
• If you like lots of huli huli sauce to pour over your white rice, multiply sauce ingredients by 1.5.
• I like to use canned pineapple in the juice. The ones in heavy syrup are super sweet and will throw off the sugar balance of this instant pot huli huli chicken recipe.
• You will need an oven mitt or towel when doing the quick release. The steam is HOT.