This Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe is the best and easy way to cook bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs in your pressure cooker. Bonus: you can also make delicious gravy!
I like to serve this chicken with mashed potatoes or rice. If you like a lemon and garlic combo, my Instant Pot Lemon Chicken is made with boneless skinless thighs.
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Why This Recipe Works
I am so excited to share my recipe and tips on how to cook chicken thighs in the Instant Pot! It's my favorite way to cook this cut of chicken in my pressure cooker. They are juicy and flavorful with golden brown buttery skin. Perfect served for a main dish or meal prep chicken cooked ahead of time for other dishes.
These Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are so easy to make and budget-friendly. I use the thighs as a main dish or remove the meat off the bones and use it in other recipes, as it is very flavorful because it's dark meat. I save the liquid from cooking for soups or making gravy to serve over the chicken. Gravy is always a good idea, just like in my Instant Pot Turkey Breast recipe!
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. Just sprinkle it over the chicken and cook. That's it!
Ingredients:
- chicken thighs: I used skin-on and bone-in thighs; I recommend counting one thigh per person;
- olive oil and butter: my favorite combo for browning chicken;
- garlic: I prefer fresh but garlic powder can be used as well;
- seasoning: paprika, dried oregano, salt, and pepper;
- cornstarch: mixed with water, it will make a thickener to make the gravy with the liquid left after cooking the chicken.
How to cook chicken thighs in the Instant Pot?
- 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 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.
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- Next, flip it to the other side and let it cook for just a minute.
- Press the "cancel/off" button. Remove the chicken onto a plate and add water to the Instant Pot. 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 Fahrenheit. I checked my chicken thighs and they all were around 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Helpful Tips!
- 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.
- Use a combination of olive oil and butter for beautifully golden brown skin. That also means lots of flavors!
- 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!
- 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 the cooking time.
- 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.
- Let the chicken thighs rest for 10 minutes before serving. It will prevent the juices from escaping the meat.
How to make the gravy?
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.
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.
What to serve with this dish?
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!
For more recipes using the digital pressure cooker, feel free to browse our Instant Pot Category. Also, check out my Instant Pot Guide for Beginners, filled with all the info you need to get started with your new appliance! Seeing BURN message on your IP? Read my Instant Pot Burn Message post to learn why and how to save your dish.
More Instant Pot recipes:
If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Trim excess skin and fat from chicken thighs.4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- Season with salt, pepper, paprika and oregano on the skin side.1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Make sure the stainless steel insert is in your Instant Pot.
- Press the "saute" function. Wait for 2 to 3 minutes and add oil and butter to the insert.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter
- When the butter is melted and sizzling, add garlic and stir in. Add chicken thighs to IP skin side down.1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 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!
- Flip the chicken onto the other side and cook for 1 minutes.
- Press "cancel/off" button.
- Remove chicken onto a plate and set aside.
- Add water to Instant Pot and use wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the insert.1 cup water
- Place trivet in the IP and arrange the chicken thighs on top.
- 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.
- 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.
- When done, carefully open the lid away from your face. Place chicken on a plate and let rest.
- Remove trivet from the IP.
- In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch with ¼ 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.1 tablespoon cornstarch
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.
- 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.
- Let the chicken thighs rest for 10 minutes before serving. It will prevent the juices from escaping the meat.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
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!
Anna says
Thank you, Chas! I am so glad you like it!
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!
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.
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
D Fadler says
Awesome and simple recipe!! Thank you it was my first ever in my Instant Pot! Thank you!!
Nancy Siegal says
How much time do you need if your thighs are frozen and can I do 16 thighs in an a quart pot?
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.
Anna says
Thank you so much, Heather!
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!
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!!!
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!
Kym says
I made it with a package of 6. And browned it in two batches .. I did use some bacon grease though
B11ue says
The recipe is scalable. Put your cursor on the number 4 beside servings, then slide the bar. I love it when recipes have this!
Carl W says
Thanks for pointing this out!
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!
MG W says
I made this last night! IT was AMAYYYZING! Thank you.
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!
Anna says
Hi Kim! Do you have a "pressure cook" button? The "manual" and "pressure cook" button are the same. Let me know!
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.
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!
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.
Anna says
Thank you so much, Sara! I am glad you enjoyed the chicken!
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!
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!
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!
Anna says
Thank you so much, Christina! I am so glad it was a hit!
Melissa says
Can I add carrots to cook at the same time? If so where do I put them? Thx!