Juicy, tender, and flavorful Instant Pot chicken thighs. Whether you’re looking to cook boneless or bone-in chicken thighs, skinless or skin-on, fresh or frozen, get all the times and tips needed to make them perfect every time! Plus, you can make an easy and delicious gravy!
Meal prep is made easy with this Instant Pot chicken thighs recipe! did you know that you can cook 8 or more chicken thighs at once in the Instant Pot? And they always turn out so moist, juicy, full of flavor, with a crispy buttery skin?
And you can also use the juices to make a delicious gravy just like I do when I cook Instant Pot Turkey breast. It’s so easy – takes just a few simple steps, so let’s get started!
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Seasoning the Chicken Thighs
Dark meat has more flavor than white meat, but seasoning is a must. You can simply season it with salt and pepper, but I recommend adding more flavors. In this recipe here I’ve used paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
But feel free to use your favorite seasonings, I love this homemade fajita seasoning, Italian seasoning is also great, and if you’re feeling adventurous then go for Middle Eastern flavors with this easy shawarma seasoning recipe.
The Directions
- Prep the chicken thighs, trim off any excess fat and decide whether you want to leave the skin or remove it (I usually leave it on).
- Combine the spices and herbs that you’re using in a small bowl.
- Add the seasonings to the boneless skinless chicken thighs, and make sure that the thighs are well coated.
- Brown the chicken thighs in the Instant Pot in olive oil and butter for a great flavor, starting skin side down (about 2-3 minutes). This will help you get that golden buttery skin with lots of flavor!
- Brown the other side for a couple of minutes. Then deglaze the bottom of the pot with a little bit of water after you browned the chicken.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the pot, add 1 cup of chicken broth or stock or water, and place the chicken thighs on the wire trivet. Pressure cook (see times below depending on what type of chicken thighs you’re using). Using Kitchen tongs, take the chicken thighs out of the Instant Pot.
- Serve immediately, or crisp them up in the Air Fryer or under the broiler.
Now I have to be honest with you, you’re not going to get crispy chicken skin in the Instant Pot. But do this simple step as it’s totally worth it, just transfer the chicken thighs onto a baking dish and crisp them in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes, or even easier, in the Air Fryer!
Cooking Time for Chicken Thighs in the Instant Pot
Depending on what type of chicken thighs you’re using, here’s how long you need to pressure cook the chicken thighs for:
- Bone-in skin-on: 10 minutes high pressure, then 5 minutes natural release.
- Bone-in skinless: 10 minutes high pressure, then 5 minutes natural release.
- Boneless skinless: 8 minutes high pressure, then 5 minutes natural release.
- Frozen chicken thighs, frozen individually: 14 minutes high pressure, then 5 minutes natural release.
How to Make Gravy?
When you brown the chicken, then deglaze the pot, you get very taste flavorful liquid that can be used to make gravy.
After pressure cooking, and removing the chicken thighs from the Instant Pot, press on the SAUTE setting and thicken the liquids with a cornstarch slurry (1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with room temperature water), whisk until the gravy is thickened and nice.
What to Serve With
Serve with rice! I love serving juicy chicken with rice and gravy and it’s also great for meal prep. You can make white rice in the Instant Pot, or serve with Instant Pot brown rice.
For flavored rice recipes, check out my turmeric rice, mushroom rice, for Middle Eastern spin go for vermicelli rice, or jeera (cumin) rice for an Indian flavor.
Love potatoes? These Instant Pot buttered potatoes are absolutely amazing and go so well with chicken! And it’s also a great idea to add more vegetables such as Instant Pot steamed broccoli, Instant Pot green beans, and even Instant Pot corn on the cob!
More Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipes
Below are a few favorites:
- Instant Pot Brown Sugar Chicken
- Instant Pot Honey Mustard Chicken
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken and Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
- If you’re looking for a quick one pot recipe that is made on the stovetop, try my Cranberry Chicken Thighs recipe!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs bone-in skin-on, 6-8 pieces
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chicken stock or broth
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- On the Instant Pot, press on SAUTE, add the oil, and melt the butter. Brown the chicken starting skin side down (2-3 minutes), flip and brown it from the other side (2 minutes). When the chicken is golden brown, remove from the pot and set aside. Work in batches if needed.
- Add the chicken stock, and deglaze scraping off any stuck brown bits to the bottom of the pot.
- Insert a trivet, and put the chicken thighs on the trivet. Slightly overlapping is ok.
- Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 10 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 6-7 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, allow to naturally release the steam for fall of the bone chicken, or quickly release the steam.
- Transfer chicken thighs to a serving plate, and to thicken the sauce to make gravy (optional), set the Instant Pot to SAUTE mode, and add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water. Add that to the sauce, and whisk until the sauce thickens. Have a taste and add more salt if needed.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken, and garnish with chopped parsley leaves.
Notes:
- Bone-in skin-on: 10 minutes high pressure, then 5 minutes natural release.
- Bone-in skinless: 10 minutes high pressure, then 5 minutes natural release.
- Boneless skinless: 8 minutes high pressure, then 5 minutes natural release.
- Frozen chicken thighs, frozen individually: 14 minutes high pressure, then 5 minutes natural release.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Mel says
This was my first ever instantpot meal and it went off without a hitch. The chicken thighs were so tender and juicy with just a 10 minute cook. Absolutely delicious cannot wait to try more instantpot recipes!
Diana says
That’s awesome, Mel! Glad your first Instant Pot meal was a success. Hope you enjoy many more!