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Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

Instant Pot chicken thighs are so basic, yet so handy and versatile. You can enjoy them as a main dish, as well as in salads and casseroles.

Instant Pot chicken thighs made with garlic and herbs

It is time to share another recipe that is so basic that I make over and over again, which tend to be audience favorites.🙌🏻

If you are more of a chicken breast person, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with my existing Instant Pot chicken breasts and grill pan chicken recipes. ✅✅

But allow me to pull you over to the dark side. 😉😎 Dark meat chicken, that is. 😆

Instant Pot chicken thighs overhead on a white plate with tongs

Now, I’ve got nothing against white meat. I love all forms of chicken.

But the Instant Pot cooks so quickly that the white cuts of meat tend to dry out if you don’t hit the sweet spot for cooking. And when you are pressure cooking, which is super speedy, it becomes reeeally easy to miss that tiny window of perfection and end up with dry meat. 😬😫

This is why chicken thighs are the Instant Pot’s BFF in my opinion. They are a match made in heaven because chicken thighs are way more forgiving if you overcook them a little extra. Kind of like that chill friend who is super laid back and never gets her feathers ruffled about anything. 😎💁🏼‍♀️

I eat these Instant Pot chicken thighs in Greek salad with chicken, as well as any kind of casserole that calls for precooked chicken, like my chicken tetrazzini or chicken divan.

In fact, this very batch pictured was the exact chicken used in the chicken tetrazzini photographs linked above. 🙌🏻 I made them the exact same day.

Also, feel free to season these up any way you want. Examples:

  • Lemon pepper seasoning blend
  • Cumin and chili powder for Mexican chicken
  • Soy and ginger for Asian chicken

You get the idea. This cooking method can be used with a whole bunch of different flavor combinations.

Let me know if you try it, y’all. I’d love to hear how you liked it.

More Instant Pot Recipes You May Enjoy

See ALL of my Instant Pot recipes here.

Tools Used to Make Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

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Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe

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Instant Pot chicken thighs made with garlic and herbs
4.72 from 7 votes
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Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

Instant Pot chicken thighs are so basic, yet so handy and versatile. You can enjoy them as a main dish, as well as in salads and casseroles.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken thighs, instant pot, thighs
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 36 minutes
Total Time 37 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 178 kcal
Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

  • 1.3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (I've done 1 to 2 pounds with this method)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder (about 1/4 tsp per chicken thigh)
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano (about 1/8 tsp per chicken thigh)
  • 1/2 teaspoon basil (about 1/8 tsp per chicken thigh)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • cooking spray or oil of choice
  • 1 cup water

Instructions

  1. Season the chicken thighs on side one first.

  2. Spray the pot with some cooking spray, and set the sauté function to medium.

  3. Once the display says "Hot," place the thighs (seasoned side down) into the pot. Season the second side.

  4. Brown the chicken thighs on each side for about 3 minutes.

  5. Remove the chicken thighs with tongs, and place them on a plate.

  6. Add water, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits.

  7. Add the trivet and the chicken thighs back on top.

  8. Cook at manual high pressure for 10 minutes, and allow the pot to do a full natural pressure release (NPR - mine took 15 minutes to depressurize, FYI).

  9. Serve with simple side items, or use in casseroles, on top of salads, etc. 

Recipe Notes

Cook time may vary slightly, based on the size of your chicken thighs.

I have done up to 2.5 pounds at once using this same method.

Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Amount Per Serving
Calories 178 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 140mg47%
Sodium 134mg6%
Potassium 370mg11%
Protein 28g56%
Vitamin A 35IU1%
Calcium 17mg2%
Iron 1.3mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Related posts:

  1. Greek Salad with Chicken (Zoe’s Copycat)
  2. Healthy Turkey Chili (Instant Pot, Slow Cooker or Stovetop)
  3. Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
  4. Chicken Taco Salad (with creamy jalapeño dressing)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Ruth Bonnet says

    4 stars
    Took finished chicken out, added white wine and a thickening slurry to the water and let it come to a rolling boil. Then popped the chicken back to keep it warm. Thanks!

    Reply

  4. Shannon says

    Hi when you made this recipe with 2.5 lbs of chicken thighs, did you add more water or increase the time?

    Thanks

    Reply

  6. Elle says

    Help. Do you just pile up the thighs in the pot? The thighs that are down in the liquid will still be juicy and tender?

    Reply

  10. Lara ladd says

    5 stars
    I would add a step to remind people to close the vent on their instant pot lid. I couldn’t understand why it wasn’t getting up to pressure! (Ha! Oops. Ive made this before!) thanks for the great recipe. We love these chicken thighs!!

    Reply

  11. Cyndi Shelton says

    5 stars
    Hi there Greg, I just made this in my 8 qt. stove top pressure cooker. I used 1.6 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs. Typically when l use one pot recipes, I make them the same but just start the timer when the pressure regulator starts rocking. As for this recipe I did the same. It came out tender juicy, actually falling apart as I used tongs to remove them. I used the same seasonings, no measuring, except added seasoned salt and no pepper. Just my preferred taste. Delicous. Nice recipe Marjorie!

    Reply

  12. Greg Boylan says

    I have a stovetop 8quart pressure cooker. I am never sure how these instant pot recipes convert over.

    Reply

  13. Chris says

    5 stars
    I made this tonight and it was so good! I did use bone broth instead of water and also did not use a trivet.. will be making again this way!!

    Reply

  14. Ken Thompson says

    I want to do this recipe tonight but cook long grain, wild rice with it. i CHOSE THIS TYPE OF RICE BECAUSE IT HAS A LONGER COOKING TIME, AROUND 21 MINUTES, WHICH SHOULD CLOSELY COINCIDE WITH THE TOTAL COOKING TIME OF THE CHICKEN (COUNTING THE LONG Npr. I also will add a small packet of frozen mixed veggies (corn, carrots, green beans but, as I know the veggies can overcook, I’ll have them preheated from the microwave and stir into the rice before serving.

    Think this will work? Any suggestions?

    Strange that this site doesn’t allow capital letters in comments!

    Reply

  16. Leighanne says

    What do you mean add Trivet? Is there one that is supposed to come with an Instant pot? I’m confused!!

    Reply

    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      Hi Greg! Thanks for catching that! The manual high pressure time is 10 minutes, but it will take longer than that. NPR took about 15 minutes, so it would be closer to 25 or 30 minutes (once you factor in time to come to pressure, prep, etc.)

      Reply

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