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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!

I like to serve this chicken with Crispy Sweet Potato Fries or my Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes.

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

More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes.

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.

pin it button Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe

4.95 from 53 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*
Fat 30g46%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 149mg50%
Sodium 721mg31%
Potassium 307mg9%
Carbohydrates 3g1%
Protein 23g46%
Vitamin A 445IU9%
Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
Calcium 20mg2%
Iron 1.3mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. jerrilyn says

    Wow, a lot of great reviews I can’t wait to try it! 🙂 Question: do i need the trivet or can I cook it directly in the pot? I hope I can I’d like to try it tonight. Trivet is in other home. 🙁

    Reply

      • Chris Bear says

        If you dont have the trivot, just add more fluid, half a cup to a cup. Beer and butter is fabulous… Then slow it down to the ‘normal’ setting – and add 4 to 5 minutes…. Wonderful outcome…

        Reply

  2. Susan Daluga says

    I’m excited to try this tonight. You don’t need to set a temperature right? Just pressure cook and the time? I’m new to the IP. I have only done the Air Fryer lid.

    Reply

  4. NNiemi says

    Beyond amazing! My family loved this so much. Thank you for such a great recipe. I used chicken broth for the water and it made the gravy delicious. My chicken was frozen so I used someone else’s suggestion and cooked it for 30 min, got impatient and released after 12 min. I broiled the chicken to crisp up the skin as I made the gravy. Wow, just wow!

    Reply

  5. Chas says

    Amazing! I’m not the greatest cook and even with instant pot receipes I get a little intimidated. But this one is simple and delicious! Chicken was juicy and gravy was great!

    Reply

  6. Kathy Stanford says

    Instead of water, I added white wine & with the garlic, I added 2 shallots, and sauteed them a bit. At the end, I reduced the sauce down w/o the cornstarch. It was very good and so quick!

    Reply

  7. CHamilton says

    I never, seriously, never, comment on recipes since I think tastes can be subjective. That being said, I HAD to leave a comment regarding this recipe. I was looking for an easy chicken thigh recipe on a night when dinner would have been a toss up between cereal or sandwiches. I
    This was the ticket! I cannot believe how tasty this was. Easy to make the chicken, easy to make the gravy and utterly delicious. Even my husband, who is like a picky toddler, loved this. I used smoked paprika since that was handy in my pantry and served the chicken with butter noodles and a green salad. This will be added to our routine dinner rotation for sure.

    Reply

  8. Kym says

    Made this ahead of time on Sunday . Then made rice and green beans to go with On Monday … (my husband likes green beans with every thing ) when I got home from wk . Reheated the chicken and gravy while the Rice was cooking .. perfect quick meal for coming home from work

    Reply

  9. Heather says

    Made this for dinner and we loved it. The chicken was so tender and I didn’t have to heat up the house. I will definitely be making this again and telling family members.

    Reply

  10. Anni says

    Omigosh, where has this recipe been all my life?! We all took one bite of this incredibly easy to make chicken, and it was immediately apparent : this one is a KEEPER! I had a large package of chicken thighs that needed to be cooked before they went bad, and this recipe literally took less than 5 minutes to prep – I even used jarred garlic, and I only used water no broth. I ended up cooking all 8 for the same 12 minutes, NR for about 9 minutes, and they were falling off the bone. Looked exactly like your picture (which isn’t always the case with the internet, LOL). Defatted the juices, added cornstarch, and the gravy was delicious and healthy, too! Thank you, thank you for this recipe!

    Reply

  11. Cinnamon A Flowers says

    Follow the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly. We had a last-minute need for a quick meal because our schedule went out of whack and the dinner meat was not thawed completely this save the night!! Delicious and quick!!!

    Reply

  12. Shellbeee says

    This was soooo good! However, 4 pieces was not enough! Lol how do I double this recipe? I’m new to the IP. Do I brown them in batches but put all in at same time to pressure cook? I’m hoping to make 8. Does time stay the same for 8 pieces? Thank you in advance!

    Reply

  13. Sierra says

    Yum loved this recipe, it’s fast and easy! Made some pan roasted veggies a side of Cous Cous while the instant pot was going. Dinner came together quick!

    Reply

  15. Kim White says

    Hi,

    I wanted to make this recipe but my IP does not have a manual button. How do I set it to cook the 12 minutes on my version? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Kim! Do you have a “pressure cook” button? The “manual” and “pressure cook” button are the same. Let me know!

      Reply

  16. Wendy says

    I made exactly as directed and the burn indicator came on. I will make it again but next time add more fluid and extra spices would make it tastier.

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Wendy! It is very important to scrape any cooked-on bits from the bottom of the pot right after you brown the chicken. If you leave any, you will get the burn message. Hope this helps!

      Reply

    • Sara says

      Excellent. Followed the recipe exactly except added a tsp of “better than chicken“ bullion to the cup of water.

      Served with sticky jasmine rice and side salad w/sweet onion vinaigrette. Delicious & light summer meal.

      Reply

  17. Sharon says

    WOW. I just made this for my husband, my 2-YO and myself for dinner tonight. We all LOVED it! It was very easy to make and it didn’t require a whole lot of ingredients and seasonings. The dish turned out super tasty, especially the chicken gravy! The amount was just right for us too. Thank you for sharing your recipe!

    Reply

  18. Tom says

    Simply Yumilisious! I used smoked hot paprika and it gave everything a ‘glow’. finished 20 min, ago and still have a beautiful taste and glow. Thank you!

    Reply

  19. Christina Morris says

    Very good recipe. I followed the directions and it turned out beautifully. It was easy and fast. Thank you. I will definitely be making this again!

    Reply

  21. Dar says

    I am a newbie to Instant Pot cooking. I want to try this recipe, but I have chicken leg quarters. Can I substitute these for just thighs? Do I have to separate the leg from the thigh and just use the thigh? I’d like to use the whole leg quarter if possible. What adjustments might this require ? Thanks.

    Reply

  24. Cindy J says

    This turned out great! My family loved it. Easy instructions but I let my pot heat up too much and when I added the butter I had to quickly put the lid on. Butter and oil pops all over. Things went well after that though 😉. Very tasty!

    Reply

  25. Janene says

    Hubby and I both loved your recipe! I made it exactly as written and we were both just blown away at how good this was. I will certainly make the recipe again! Thank you 🙏.
    P.S. I just got a pricey, new induction/convection stove too but now I’m thinking of using my instant pot more! What have you done to me!😁

    Reply

  26. Lucy says

    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

  27. Ruth says

    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

  28. Whalefreak says

    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

      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

      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

        • Anna says

          Hi Sherri! If you don’t have a trivet, you can place the chicken in the water but the bottom of each piece will be boiled. You may need to flip them during crisping up in the oven after pressure cooking. I hope this helps!

          Reply

    • Dennis Lowery says

      If you don’t have a trivet you can cut a potato into four quarters and set the chicken on top of the potato wedges, problem solved.

      Reply

  31. Mack says

    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

  33. Mandy says

    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

  45. Jill says

    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

  47. Carol zinter says

    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

  48. Susan says

    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

  49. Mike S says

    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

  53. Laurie says

    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

  54. Nageen says

    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

  55. Carla says

    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

  56. Becky says

    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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