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Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe

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Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe – the best and easy way to cook bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs in your pressure cooker. Bonus: you can also make a delicious gravy!

instant pot chicken thighs 2 Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe

I am so excited to share my recipe and tips on how to cook chicken thighs in the Instant Pot pressure cooker! It’s my favorite way to cook chicken thighs in my IP. They are juicy, flavorful with golden brown buttery skin. Perfect served for main dish or meal prep chicken cooked ahead of time for other dishes.

INSTANT POT CHICKEN THIGHS

These Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are so easy to make and budget friendly. You can use the thighs as a main dish or remove the meat off the bones and use in other recipes, as it is very flavorful because it’s the dark meat. Save the liquid from cooking for soups or make a gravy to serve over the chicken. Gravy is always a good idea, just like in my Instant Pot Turkey Breast recipe!

instant pot chicken thighs 8 Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe

HOW TO SEASON INSTANT POT CHICKEN THIGHS?

Since my goal is to always make the recipe easy without sacrificing the flavors, I am sharing my go-to easy poultry seasoning. I season the chicken thighs on the skin side first. All you need is: salt, black pepper, paprika and dried oregano. That’s it! Sprinkle and you are done. The skin side is the first one to be browned in the pot so place the thighs skin side down in a heated pot with oil and butter. Let it brown for 2 to 3 minutes. The addition of butter will give you the crispy, golden brown skin. The more browned the chicken is, the more flavor it and the gravy will have but watch it so it won’t burn.

instant pot chicken thighs 5 Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe

Next, flip it on the other side and let it cook for just a minute. Press “cancel/off” button. Remove the chicken onto a plate and add water to the IP. Scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the IP insert. Place the trivet in the insert and arrange chicken thighs on the trivet. Now all you need to do is set the IP to cook for 12 minutes. Always check the internal temperature of the cooked meat. For chicken it’s at least 165 degrees F. I checked my chicken thighs and they all were around 200 degrees F.

TIPS FOR COOKING CHICKEN THIGHS IN THE INSTANT POT:

  1. Use chicken thighs that are roughly the same size for even cooking. I also like to trim any excess fat and skin from the thighs.
  2. Use combination of olive oil and butter for beautifully golden brown skin. That also means lots of flavor!
  3. Brown the skin side first. Let it brown until you see a good amount of brown bits on the bottom of the IP insert. Again, we are working on flavor here. It will also make for a very flavorful gravy!
  4. Twelve minutes was perfect for 4 good size chicken thighs. They came out absolutely perfect! If you want them more falling off the bone style, add 3 more minutes to cooking time.
  5. Letting the pressure release naturally is the best here, because it will prevent the chicken from drying out and make the thighs super juicy! I recommend the same in my Instant Pot Turkey Breast recipe.
  6. Let the chicken thighs rest for 10 minutes before serving. It will prevent the juices from escaping the meat.
  7. Making gravy is as easy as just thickening the liquid remaining in the IP insert after cooking the chicken thighs. You can use flour but I always recommend cornstarch because it makes the smoothest sauces and gravy.

HOW TO MAKE THE GRAVY?

When your Instant Pot is done, let it release the pressure naturally. It won’t take long and you can set the table in the meantime. Remove the chicken thighs and the trivet from the insert. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water and add to the liquid at the bottom of the insert. You can press “saute” button and let it cook until it thickens. The liquid might just be hot enough so you won’t need to do that.

instant pot chicken thighs 3 Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe

WHAT TO SERVE WITH CHICKEN THIGHS?

My favorite side dish to serve with these chicken thighs, is a classic: mashed potatoes! We also love my Garlic Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts on the side. Perfect dinner for Sunday or even a special occasion. You can also make my Sweet Potato Casserole (it’s not only for the holidays!), German Potato Salad with Bacon, Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole or my Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes. There are so many options!

MORE INSTANT POT RECIPES:

Instant Pot Whole Chicken

Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

Instant Pot Pot Roast

Best Instant Pot Chili

Instant Pot Spaghetti

Instant Pot Fluffy Rice

Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Instant Pot Guinness Beef Stew

instant pot chicken thighs 4 Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe

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To learn more about the Instant Pot, check out my Guide for Beginners. Also, learn how to fix and prevent the “burn” message in my Instant Pot Burn Message post.

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INSTANT POT CHICKEN THIGHS and GRAVY RECIPE

4.97 from 31 votes
instant pot chicken thighs 4 150x150 Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe
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Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
12 mins
Total Time
22 mins
 
The best and easy way to cook bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs in your pressure cooker. Bonus: you can also make a delicious gravy!

More delicious Instant Pot recipes: www.crunchycreamysweet.com

Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken thighs, Instant Pot
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 384 kcal
Author: Anna
Ingredients
  • 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Trim excess skin and fat from chicken thighs.
  2. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and oregano on the skin side.
  3. Make sure the stainless steel insert is in your Instant Pot.

  4. Press the "saute" function. Wait for 2 to 3 minutes and add oil and butter to the insert. 

  5. When the butter is melted and sizzling, add garlic and stir in. Add chicken thighs to IP skin side down.

  6. Brown for 2 to 3 minutes. The longer you let it brown and make brown bits on the bottom of the pot, the more flavor the chicken and gravy will have. Just make sure the chicken doesn't burn!
  7. Flip the chicken onto the other side and cook for 1 minutes.
  8. Press "cancel/off" button.
  9. Remove chicken onto a plate and set aside.
  10. Add water to Instant Pot and use wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the insert.
  11. Place trivet in the IP and arrange the chicken thighs on top.
  12. Close lid, set the valve to "sealing" position and press "manual" button. Set the timer to 12 minutes. The IP will beep and start coming to pressure. Since it is already hot, it won't take long.
  13. Once the IP is done cooking, press "cancel/off" button. Do not release the pressure but let it release naturally. If you are in a hurry, let it release naturally for at least 5 minutes.
  14. When done, carefully open the lid away from your face. Place chicken on a plate and let rest.
  15. Remove trivet from the IP.
  16. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water. Make sure there are no clumps. Add to liquid at the bottom of the IP. Stir until thickened. You can press the "saute" function to simmer it for a few minutes to help thicken the gravy.Serve chicken with gravy. You can also keep the liquid without thickening it and use for soups.
Recipe Notes

The chicken thighs are delicious served right away with classic side dishes like mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables OR you can let them cool until easy to handle and pull the meat off the bones. Use in salads and main dishes.

Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 384 Calories from Fat 270
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 30g 46%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 149mg 50%
Sodium 721mg 30%
Potassium 307mg 9%
Total Carbohydrates 3g 1%
Protein 23g 46%
Vitamin A 8.9%
Vitamin C 0.3%
Calcium 2%
Iron 7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lucy says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:00 pm

    I made this with 10 chicken thighs in my 6 quart instant pot.
    I doubled the spices and sauteed 3 to 4 chicken pieces at a time.
    I used(1cup) chicken stock instead of water and piled all the pieces on top of the trivet. I set it on high pressure for 13 minutes and it came out absolutely perfect!! And the gravy was delicious!! Served it with some mashed potatoes and it was an absolute hit!!!

    Reply

  2. Ruth says

    May 17, 2019 at 8:39 am

    I grilled the chicken over the stove first to give it those lines the hubby likes to see then followed the recipe (minus the gravy- we aren’t gravy lovers) and it was oh so VERY GOOD. Best part, besides flavor, was how EASY this is.

    THANK YOU

    Reply

  3. Whalefreak says

    May 15, 2019 at 1:24 am

    Hi Anna! I made this recipe last nite, using Frozen Chicken Quarters & my Favorite BBQ seasoning Rub! I did 4 Frozen Chicken Quarters, plus 4 Frozen Chicken legs.. Increased the Pressure to 30 minutes to compensate for the Chicken being Frozen.. Did everything else the same & when it was done with the Natural release, it was falling Off the bones!! 😁 I’m soo Excited, as I’ve only had my IP since Easter! Yer a Genius! Btw, my IP is a 6qt. 😉

    Reply

    • Anna says

      May 16, 2019 at 3:04 pm

      That’s fantastic! I am so glad it was a hit! Thank you for sharing your variation, I know it will be useful to a lot of people.

      Reply

    • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

      March 19, 2019 at 4:22 pm

      Hi Luna! Each Instant Pot comes with a trivet, if you didn’t get it I suggest contacting the brand. In the meantime, you can make balls of aluminum foil but I’ve never used foil in the IP so I am not sure if it will give the ham a metallic taste.

      Reply

  6. Mack says

    February 15, 2019 at 7:37 pm

    This looks amazing! I’m hoping to make it tomorrow for my mom’s birthday. Do you think it would be possible to cook more thighs? Maybe around 10-12. And do you know what the cooking times would be if I were to up the amount. I don’t know much about Instant Pots. This will be my first time using one.

    Reply

  8. Mandy says

    January 26, 2019 at 1:08 pm

    I made this recipe last night. Added potatoes and it was PERFECT! The gravy is such a delicious bonus. Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply

  16. Kathy says

    January 13, 2019 at 2:07 pm

    New to IP. … How should I modify the time on this recipe if I use reg size wings (not small wings) and drumsticks?

    Reply

  19. kathie says

    January 10, 2019 at 5:32 am

    do you spray insert with cooking spray so they don’t stick? just got my IP yesterday and can’t wait to use it!!

    Reply

  20. Jill says

    January 9, 2019 at 12:30 pm

    Hello! I am cooking for a family of 5, and have to use about 8 to 9 thighs. Should I double the entire recipe (liquid and time too)? Thanks!

    Reply

  22. Carol zinter says

    January 5, 2019 at 9:23 pm

    I made this tonight. The flavors were delicious, however, my skin didn’t stay crispy during the pressure cook stage. How did you get yours to stay crispy?

    Reply

  23. Susan says

    December 20, 2018 at 8:22 pm

    I made this tonight for dinner and it turned out great! I did add chicken stock instead of water for added flavor. Placed the trivet in the bottom of the pot, added serveral small red potatoes, topped with chicken so everything sits above the liquid, set it for 11 min. The juice/gravy was nice on top the small potatoes once I smashed them with a fork. Nice flavor and thank you for the recipe! My husband really enjoyed it and will definitely be making this again.

    Reply

  24. Mike S says

    December 10, 2018 at 7:28 am

    Awesome recipe , the only thing I did different is add chicken stock instead of water. Wow so much more flavor. I also took the chicken off the bones and added the meat to the gravy add severed it over rice. Wife love it and so did I . Thank you Mike

    Reply

  28. Laurie says

    November 19, 2018 at 11:52 pm

    I make this often. Cheap, easy, great meal. My spices are Adobo and smoked paprika. I make the gravy and serve with mashed potatoes (made in my other instant pot) and a vegetable from our garden. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  29. Nageen says

    November 11, 2018 at 11:11 pm

    I made this today for my fiance and he loved it! I added some ginger in with the garlic for an added zing and it was amazing!

    Reply

  30. Carla says

    November 3, 2018 at 8:15 pm

    I made these tonight with your Garlic Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
    Both were delicious!!!! Thank you so much for sharing these recipes!! The gravy made from the chicken juices is fantastic!!!!

    Reply

  31. Becky says

    September 28, 2018 at 6:13 pm

    Best chicken ever! I’ve made this many times and it never disappoints! Thanks for sharing this failproof delicious recipe!!! 😍

    Reply

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