First, use a few pieces of paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible from your chicken thighs. This is a critical step because surface moisture prevents the Maillard reaction; a dry surface sears, while a wet surface merely steams.

Next, turn on the Instant Pot's sauté feature. Add olive oil and then sear both sides of each chicken thigh for 2-3 minutes to give them a nice brown. You are looking for a deep mahogany color on the skin side and a pale golden hue on the flesh side.

While the chicken thighs are sauteing, prepare the honey garlic sauce. Mix together minced garlic, honey, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce in a separate bowl. This ensures the sauce is homogenized before it enters the pot.

Once the chicken thighs are done browning, turn off the sauté function and then pour on the honey garlic sauce. If your Instant Pot easily gets the burn notice often, feel free to use your trivet for your chicken.

Close your Instant Pot and turn the valve to seal. Turn your Instant Pot to manual > high pressure > and set the timer for 5 minutes. It will take around 10 minutes for the pressure to build before it starts counting down from 5 minutes.

When the timer goes off, quick release your Instant Pot by opening the valve. Quick Release is mandated here to immediately halt the cooking process.

Remove the lid and then check the internal temperature of the chicken. If they are at least 160ºF - 165ºF, then they are done and you can remove them. If they aren't done, put the lid back on and cook for 1-3 more minutes.

Option to serve immediately and pour the sauce over the chicken thighs. Or, you have the option to thicken your sauce with a cornstarch slurry. To thicken, turn on the Instant Pot's saute feature. Then, whisk together cornstarch and water until the cornstarch dissolves. Pour the slurry into the sauce and whisk until the sauce thickens.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with sesame seeds and your favorite grain and veggies.