How to cook perfect, juicy Instant Pot Chicken Thighs from fresh or frozen, bone-in or boneless. Serve as a main dish with simple homemade gravy using the extra liquid in the pot!
I'm convinced the Instant Pot is the easiest way to cook chicken breasts and thighs, especially when you can add them from frozen, and with the touch of a button they will cook perfectly!
You can add basic seasonings to the chicken and use it in meal prep or recipes that call for cooked chicken, or serve as a main dish with gravy made from the sauce leftover in the pot.
How to cook Chicken Thighs in the Instant Pot (Fresh or Frozen):
Set instant pot to saute setting. (Skip this step if using frozen thighs.) Add oil. Season chicken with desired seasonings. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until skin is crispy brown. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
Add 1 cup of liquid (water, chicken broth, pineapple or apple juice) to the bottom of the instant pot, scraping up any browned bites that have stuck from searing the skin.
Place trivet inside and add chicken thighs on top. Place lid on the instant pot and make sure the vent is set to “sealed”.
Pressure cooking times for fresh and frozen thighs:
- Boneless Thighs: Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes for fresh or 12 minutes for frozen thighs.
- Bone-in Thighs: Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes for fresh, or 15 minutes for frozen thighs.
Allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then turn the valve to “venting” to release any remaining steam.
If desired, test chicken with a thermometer; it should reach 165 degrees. (If it’s just shy, place the lid back no and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. If the chicken is not cooked to at least 160 degrees, secure the instant pot lid and cook for 1-3 minutes longer, on high pressure.) Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Store leftover cooked chicken in the fridge for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Tips and Tricks:
- Save the extra liquid at the bottom of your instant pot after cooking for a simple and flavorful homemade chicken broth. You could even add piece of carrot, onion and celery to the liquid at the bottom of the pot to further flavor the broth while the chicken cooks.
- Make gravy with the extra liquid. It's easy and a delicious way to serve the thighs as a main dish, with a side of mashed potatoes! Whisk together 3 Tablespoons water with 3 Tablespoons flour, until smooth. Stir the flour slurry into the hot broth at the bottom of the instant pot and turn the instant pot on to sauté setting. Cook, stirring until your gravy is thickened. Taste and season with chicken bouillon and additional salt and pepper, as needed.
Do I need to sauté chicken thighs before cooking them?
It's not required, but definitely recommended for best flavor, especially if serving them as a main dish. If using frozen thighs with the skin on, the skin will be limp after cooking so you can remove it, or broil the chicken for a few minutes to make the skin crispy before serving.
Should I use the poultry setting on the Instant Pot?
Be wary of the poultry setting on the instant pot. This setting is based on an average chicken thigh, and doesn’t take into account whether the thighs are boneless or bone-in. It is best to set the manual pressure on the instant pot yourself.
Do I need to use a trivet?
If you have the trivet that the instant pot comes with it is best to cook the thighs in a layer on top of it. This will ensure the chicken is steamed and kept juicy instead of boiling in the liquid. If you are without a trivet, putting the chicken breasts directly into the liquid will work fine. You could also roll up a piece of aluminum foil and snake it around the bottom of the pot to create your own “rack” for the chicken to rest on.
How to season chicken thighs:
Chicken thighs are very flavorful and can benefit from a variety of different seasonings. Basic salt and pepper work great if you are doing meal prep to add chicken to salads or other meals. Add a sprinkle of paprika, garlic, and thyme if you are planning to serve your chicken thighs as a main dish.
What size of instant pot should I use?
You can cook chicken breasts in whatever size instant pot you have. Just make sure you add at least 1 cup of liquid, and ideally try to cook the chicken in a single layer, for even cooking. If you have a smaller instant pot you may want to cook the chicken in batches.
Serve chicken thighs with:
Use leftover cooked chicken thighs to make:
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Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- (Skip this step if using frozen thighs). Set instant pot to saute setting. Add oil. Season chicken with desired seasonings. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until skin is crispy brown. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
- Add 1 cup of liquid (water, chicken broth, pineapple or apple juice) to the bottom of the instant pot, scraping up any browned bites that have stuck from searing the skin.
- Place trivet inside and add chicken thighs on top. Secure lid on the instant pot and make sure the vent is set to “sealed”.
- For Boneless Thighs: Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes for fresh or 12 minutes for frozen thighs.
- For Bone-in Thighs: Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes for fresh, or 15 minutes for frozen thighs.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then turn the valve to “venting” to release any remaining steam.
- If desired, test chicken with a thermometer; it should reach 165 degrees. (If it’s just shy, place the lid back on and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. If the chicken is still not cooked secure the instant pot lid and cook for 1-3 minutes longer, on high pressure.)
- Allow the chicken to rest 5 minutes before serving.
- Store leftover cooked chicken in the fridge for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Skinless thighs: Use same cooking time.
Nutrition
HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
Photography by Nikole from The Travel Palate.
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This is very simple, yet it yields more tender and flavorful chicken than many cookbook versions. When I followed them, I cooked the chicken for 12 minutes and letting the pressure release for 10. Those extra minutes yielded tough, dry dark meat.
This is the Juiciest chicken I have ever eaten or made!!!!! I have a trivit but have only used it for califlower. I pondered for hours because I have never used it for meat. It was SO worth the gamble I thought it was. I marinated fresh chicken thighs for several hours in (Watkins spiced maple marinade) also a gamble. So unbelievably delicious.
Now I’m pondering lotto tickets. This is now my forever go to recipe!!! Thank you So much for putting this recipe “out there”!!!
Chicken half frozen. Cavenders(Greek seasonings) in water and on the chicken. Cook time 15 minutes, 5 minutes natural release. Let cool. Shred. Used in chicken tacos. Chicken salad. Chicken Mac. And chicken and veg panini. 👍 Think I will try McCormicks maple BBQ next time. Maybe with some Sweet Baby Rays. Simple prep. Very versatile. Love it.
This is my first time using an instant pot and I made this recipe. It was delicious! I used Smokehouse maple seasoning on the chicken and for the liquid I used apple juice. Chicken was tender and juicy. My pressure cook time (after searing) was 8 minutes. Thanks!
If you’re using boneless thighs, do you still need to sear them? Or do you cook them like the breasts?
If they have the skin on, I’d recommend searing them for the best flavor.
Cooked as directed with one exception. After
Removing from the instant pot, the skin had became soggy and lost its crisp. So I turned the sauté setting back on and crisped the skin again. I used some complete seasoning and a little ranch powder to season the chicken and water to deglaze. Delicious.
Moist and delicious. We used vegetable broth and no seasoning and it turned out terrific. Thank you!
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs is what I am making. I would like to add some sweet and slightly spicey sauce, but not sure where and when in the process I apply it. I want a sauce that would be like having a party of seasoned chicken wings, but only with thighs.
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs is what I am making. I would like to add some sweet and slightly spicey sauce, but not sure where and when in the process I apply it. I want a sauce that would be like having a party of seasoned chicken wings, but only with thighs.
I am so excited about this. We added some Sesame seed sauce with the water and thighs. It smells so good. And I love that it cooks fast. (I got 2 toddlers at home + im a teacher)
For frozen thighs with skin on, we take out and broil the skin to make it crispy. Works perfectly
This did not turn out for me. A little over done that was my fault. But it was tasteless. The gravy was thin but very good. I added two cans of mushroom soup. I will have to try again some day. Maybe put the meat in the water??
Yeah, when cooked this way, the liquid is pretty much just making steam, so it doesn’t take on a lot of flavor. I’d recommend finding a recipe for stewed chicken, or a chicken soup, for more guidance on how to get a flavorful broth.
Yum – thank you!!! Perfect for keto and carnivore diet. Will make regularly! ❤️