Instant Pot Teriyaki Wings make a finger-licking-good appetizer, and are perfect for a party. This easy Instant Pot chicken wing recipe has delicious Asian flavors that will delight your guests and become a favorite.
While most of us may think of teriyaki (sauce) as being Japanese, its authenticity as Japanese is questionable. Outside of Japan, teriyaki generally refers to a sauce that meat or seafood can be cooked with, but the Japanese refer to teriyaki as a form of cooking. Teri means “shiny” and Yaki means “grill”. Here in the US, teriyaki sauce has many variations. We add pineapple, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, and other ingredients to our teriyaki sauces.
My recipe for Instant Pot teriyaki wings is delicious and comes together really easily. In my original oven-baked version of this recipe, I cook the sauce in a saucepan until it’s reduced and bake the Instant Pot teriyaki wings in an oven for about an hour. In adapting the recipe for the pressure cooker the time is cut in half!
I have mentioned this in my About page, but I like to post recipes that can be made using just the Instant Pot, and no other pans or appliances. However, occasionally my recipes recommend using the stove-top, microwave, oven or barbecue grill. This recipe is one of those recipes. After cooking the wings in the pressure cooker, you’ll need to use your oven/broiler or barbecue to finish the Instant Pot teriyaki wings. That will give them the caramelization that takes these wings over the top.
The ingredient and step by step instructions images below have cinnamon powder because that’s all I had on hand :), but if you have cinnamon sticks you should use that instead.
Tips
If you’re in a hurry or don’t have the individual ingredients for this recipe, you can use store-bought teriyaki sauce and substitute it for the homemade teriyaki sauce ingredients.
If you don’t have the time to do a Natural Release / Natural Pressure Release (NPR), you could do a quick release (QR) after allowing for a natural pressure release for 10 to 15 minutes.
For a make-ahead party appetizer, I cook the Instant Pot wings and thicken the sauce and store them both in the fridge. I then broil the wings right before I plan to serve them. If you’re a good planner and not in a hurry, you can also marinate the chicken wings in the sauce for 2 to 8 hours before cooking, to allow the flavors to really penetrate.
If you happen to have frozen chicken wings, you should be able to use them and follow the recipe as long as they are not all stuck together in a big bunch!
I like a bit of heat, and this recipe has a dash of sriracha sauce. If you like things spicy, feel free to increase the quantity of sriracha. Or you can completely leave it out.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Quick Start Guide or the Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to make Instant Pot Wings.
Instant Pot Wings Ingredients
* Note: substitute cinnamon stick for cinnamon powder if you have that on hand.
Instant Pot Wings Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add soy sauce, sugar, black pepper, cinnamon, vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha, ginger and garlic to the Instant Pot inner pot.
- Alternatively, add 3/4 cup purchased teriyaki sauce to the inner pot.
- Stir to mix well.
- Add chicken wings to the sauce and stir to coat.
Instant Pot DUO Pressure Cook:
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
- Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘5′ (5 minutes).
Instant Pot ULTRA Pressure Cook:
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust time to 5 minutes (00:05).
- Press ‘Start’.
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down from 5 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’ or ’00 00′ and begin to count up.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR). The float valve will be in the down position. This may take 15 to 30 minutes.
- If you wish, after 10 to 15 minutes of natural release, you can release the remaining pressure using the quick release (QR) method.
- Press Cancel and Open the Instant Pot.
- Coat a aluminum foil-lined baking sheet with vegetable oil.
- Transfer the chicken wings from the Instant Pot to the baking sheet.
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the ‘Saute’ function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the ‘Saute’ function and press ‘Start’.
- Bring the remaining sauce to a boil. Be sure to guard against splatters. I like to use a splatter screen.
- Stir cornstarch with water and mix well to remove all lumps.
- Pour cornstarch slurry into sauce and stir until sauce has thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Turn off Instant Pot by pressing ‘Cancel’.
- Baste the wings with the teriyaki sauce.
- Place baking sheet under broiler for 10 to 15 minutes, turning the chicken wings halfway through, and basting the other side. Note: keep an eye on the Instant Pot wings to make sure they don’t burn!
- Transfer Instant Pot teriyaki wings to serving plate.
- Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions (optional).
- Serve with teriyaki sauce on the side.
Instant Pot Teriyaki Wings
Instant Pot Teriyaki Wings make a finger-licking-good appetizer, and are perfect for a party. This easy Instant Pot chicken wing recipe has delicious Asian flavors that will delight your guests and become a favorite. Substitute your favorite teriyaki sauce for the homemade version if you're short on time.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp sriracha sauce or to taste
- 2 Tbsp garlic finely minced
- 2 Tbsp ginger finely minced or grated
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 inch cinnamon stick or 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 1/2 lbs chicken wings approximately 20 count
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 to 2 tsp sesame seeds toasted
- 2 Tbsp green onions thinly sliced
Instructions
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Stir together soy sauce, sugar, pepper, sriracha, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and cinnamon in the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
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Add chicken wings to the Instant Pot and stir to coat.
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Close the Instant Pot and pressure cook for 5 minutes.
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While the Instant Pot chicken wings are cooking, line a heavy baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with vegetable oil.
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Allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR). If you wish, after 15 minutes of natural release, you can release the remaining pressure using the quick release method (QR).
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Open the Instant Pot and transfer the teriyaki wings from the sauce onto the prepared baking sheet.
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Select 'Saute' mode and allow the teriyaki sauce to come to a boil. Be sure to guard against splatters. I like to use a splatter screen.
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Stir together cornstarch and water to form a smooth paste.
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Gradually whisk cornstarch slurry into the teriyaki sauce to thicken to desired consistency, stirring constantly for about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off Instant Pot.
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Baste the chicken wings with the teriyaki sauce.
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Place baking sheet under broiler for 12 to 15 minutes or until caramelized, turning the chicken wings halfway through, and basting the other side. Note: keep an eye on the Instant Pot wings to make sure they don’t burn!
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Transfer Instant Pot teriyaki wings to a serving plate.
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Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions and serve with teriyaki sauce on the side (optional).
Recipe Notes
- Chicken wings can be broiled on a rack placed on the baking sheet, or grilled on an outdoor barbecue grill.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
If you loved this recipe, please give it a 5-star rating in the comment section below and please share it using the social media buttons at the top and bottom of this post. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
You might also like to try:
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Kristen
I’m planning on making this with drumsticks this week! Any suggestions on how much to increase the cooking time? This is my first week with my Instant Pot so I’m still learning ? thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hey there Kristen, I would try to do for 12 minutes, maybe a bit less if they’re smaller drumsticks. Good luck!
Tina S
Tried this recipe for the second time for the Super Bowl and they we’re perfect. They will be on a regular rotation in our house. Used dried garlic & ginger the first time. It’s much better using fresh for both of these aromatics, but they work in a pinch.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks so much for your comment, Tina – I’m really glad you liked it. You could easily make this with chicken thighs and drumsticks, add in some steamed broccoli, serve with rice – and make it a dinner.
Loren
If my wings are frozen, how long should I cook them for. Recipe looks delicious!
Paint the Kitchen Red
If the wings are separate and aren’t stuck together, you should be able to pressure cook them for the same amount of time, the Instant Pot should take care of the rest. It will just take longer to come to pressure.
Britt
I made this tonight and it was good! I wanted something quick so just used store bought teriyaki sauce but I did receive a burn error before it ever came to pressure and started the timer. I believe it was because I only just a little over a pound of thawed wings. It is just me and my husband and we did not need to make 2.5 pounds. So I would assume that was the problem. It was an easy fix though! They really didn’t burn (except one tiny patch in the center) so I ended up flipping them over and using the saute button for about 2 minutes. Transferred them to the pan, mixed in the cornstarch slurry, basted them and broiled them at 475 for 5 minutes. I then flipped basted again and broiled for another 5 minutes. We both enjoyed them very much!
I also made a bag of frozen stir fry veggies. Because we only had a little over a pound of chicken there was about 1/4 cup of remaining sauce in the instant pot so threw the veggies in there to use up the sauce and yum! I also threw on a knorr bag of teriyaki rice on the stove. Over a very cheap and easy meal. Would make a great work night dinner!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Britt, when you use store-bought sauces, they may already have fillers and add-ins like corn starch. Check the label of the bottle and if it does, thin it out with some broth. It most likely was not the quantity of the wings but the type of sauce. Your other option is to cook the wings on a trivet over water and then just brush on your sauce when you’re broiling. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Crystal @ Hello Creative Family
Thank you so much. This recipe was delicious! My kids and husband loved it. 🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for commenting Crystal! Glad you liked it.