The hot weather is not the only turning up the heat around here, with this Instant Pot Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches recipe you can enjoy a super delicious and tender chicken sandwich recipe with a bit of kick the whole family will love for an easy dinner during the summer.
The nice thing about this recipe is that you can make the honey sauce as hot or as sweet as you want it to be. Or you can skip the honey sauce altogether if the kids won’t like it.
This has become one of our favorite Instant Pot chicken recipes to make, especially when you have a hankering for something spicy! Plus this simple sandwiches recipe can be made in the pressure cooker in no time at all!
Ingredient Notes
For the chicken
- Chicken: boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast will work
- Oil: olive oil or avocado oil based on your preference
- Honey: raw local honey is ideal but, any honey you have on hand will do
- Seasonings: kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, red chili flakes, garlic powder
- Broth: chicken broth or vegetable broth
For the hot honey
- Honey: pick your favorite brand of honey
- Vinegar: apple cider vinegar will give you a nice acidic flavor to pair with the honey but white vinegar will work too
- Seasoning: red chili flakes from the pantry
To assemble
- Buns: brioche buns or pick your favorite buns and toast them
- Mayonnaise: we like to use mayonnaise but you could also use real mayo too
- Pickles: you favorite pickles for topping, sweet pickles will balance the spicy sauce
How to make Instant Pot Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches:
- Load the Instant Pot. Place the chicken, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, red chili flakes, and garlic powder in the Instant Pot. Stir to coat the chicken thoroughly. Pour the chicken broth over the chicken.
- Cook. Seal the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes followed by a natural release.
- Make the hot honey. While the chicken is cooking, combine 1/3 cup honey, apple cider vinegar, and red chili flakes in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking continuously. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is done and shredded.
- Shred the chicken. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred it. Discard the juices left behind in the Instant Pot.
- Put it all together. In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken and hot honey. Toss to coat the chicken.
- Assemble the sandwiches. Spread the mayonnaise over both sides of each bun and divide the chicken between the buns. Top the chicken with pickles and close the sandwiches.
Storing Tips For This Spicy Chicken Sandwich
Fridge: Any leftover spicy chicken should be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days with the cooking liquid for the best results to keep the chicken from drying out for the next time you want to enjoy a spicy chicken sandwich.
Freezer: Let the chicken cool down to room temperature and then store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Cheese: pepper jack cheese or cheddar cheese on top of the chicken will taste great
Chopped green onions
Cole slaw
If you want to enjoy the leftover chicken in a different way, you could always have it over white rice and top it with the spicy honey sauce.
Love to enjoy spicy food and you aren’t if this heat level is enough for you, try adding 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes to the spy hot honey sauce to bump up the flavor a bit more. Or, you can add some hot sauce, cayenne pepper, or generous grinds of black pepper to the chicken while it is cooking.
Serving suggestions:
- Pina Colada Fruit Salad Recipe
- Smashed Italian Red Potatoes Recipe
- Roasted Veggie Pasta Salad Recipe
- Broccoli Salad Recipe
Instant Pot Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup chicken broth
Hot Honey
- ⅓ cup honey
- 3 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1½ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
Assemble
- 6 hamburger buns, toasted
- 6 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- pickles, for topping
Instructions
- Load the Instant Pot. Place the chicken, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, red chili flakes, and garlic powder in the Instant Pot. Stir to coat the chicken thoroughly. Pour the chicken broth over the chicken.
- Cook. Seal the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes followed by a natural release.
- Make the hot honey. While the chicken is cooking, combine 1/3 cup honey, apple cider vinegar, and red chili flakes in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking continuously. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is done and shredded.
- Shred the chicken. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred it. Discard the juices left behind in the Instant Pot.
- Put it all together. In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken and hot honey. Toss to coat the chicken.
- Assemble the sandwiches. Spread the mayonnaise over both sides of each bun and divide the chicken between the buns. Top the chicken with pickles and close the sandwiches.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
This looks so good! Can it be made in the slow cooker instead of the Instant Pot?
I don’t see why not (though we haven’t tried it yet). If the chicken is frozen I would cook it on high for 5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. Shred and then add the hot honey.
We haven’t tried this one in the slow cooker however this recipe (linked) is very similar and could be helpful to adapt to our Instant Pot Honey Chicken recipe for the slow cooker: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/slow-cooker-honey-sesame-chicken-recipe/
The hot honey with these sandwiches is perfect! We left the hot honey sauce off of some of the chicken for my pickiest eater, but the rest of us got to enjoy it and loved it.
We loved this recipe! Chicken was cooked perfectly on 15 mins high pressure and a little under 10 mins npr. Thanks for sharing!
I don’t have an instapot can this recipe be made in a crockpot?
We haven’t tried this one in the slow cooker however this recipe (linked) is very similar and could be helpful to adapt to our Instant Pot Honey Chicken recipe for the slow cooker: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/slow-cooker-honey-sesame-chicken-recipe/
This was a big win for us! Very easy to prepare and so tasty! I left the red pepper flakes out of the chicken preparation itself, and then served the hot honey on the side so my kids could still enjoy. The heat level was perfect for the adults! Will go on our regular rotation!
Can I make this in the slow cooker ?
Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Yes you can use breasts if you prefer. They may be a little less moist than the thighs
I don’t see why not (though we haven’t tried it yet). If the chicken is frozen I would cook it on high for 5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. Shred and then add the hot honey.
I’m making this tonight using frozen chicken breasts in the instapot. Is the variation to the recipe time? And if so how many minutes should I add? Thanks!
If you’re starting with frozen, set it to high pressure for 10 to 16 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken, followed by a natural pressure release (NPR) of at least 5 to 10 minutes