Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs: How to make perfectly seasoned instant pot chicken thighs with crispy skin in the pressure cooker. Directions for cooking frozen chicken thighs as well. 

I am one of those blessed people who gets to talk to her mom just about every single day. She calls to check in to see what my kids are up to, hear how I am feeling thanks to Cystic Fibrosis, and she always wants to know what I am making for dinner.

Even though my mom follows my meal plan, so her meals are planned, she likes to see what sort of recipes I am testing or trying out and often she weighs in with her opinion.

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Lately, she has been asking for two things: Chicken Thigh Recipes and Instant Pot Recipes.

So being the good daughter I am, I knocked both out with this easy recipe for perfectly cooked Instant Pot Chicken Thighs.

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

I have to tell you that truthfully, I am not a huge fan of chicken thighs. I am much more of chicken breast kind of person.

BUT my boys and my extended family will take chicken thighs over chicken breast any day of the week.

Therefore, I needed to create a perfected chicken thigh recipe for them. And so I set out to make the best, easiest chicken thigh recipe for the instant pot.

And my biggest critics (AKA my family) give their full seal of approval on this instant pot chicken thigh recipe. The meat is tender and moist and the skin is crispy, and not the least bit rubbery.

Bottom line, Instant Pot Chicken Thighs will be on repeat in my house!

Step-by-step Directions for Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

• Season chicken thighs.

  • I find that my Homemade Seasoned Salt is the perfect rub for chicken thighs, along with so many other things from oven baked fries to Barbecue Chicken Drumsticks. 

• Saute chicken thighs. 

  • Personally, I am not a fan of skin on meat. BUT, I know that 99.9% of the population lives for the crispy skin on chicken–so don’t worry, I have you covered.
  • Turn your pressure cooker to the Saute Function and let heat.
  • Add in 1 tablespoon oil.
  • Once the oil has heated, place your chicken thighs, skin side down, in the instant pot to sear.
  • Sear on both sides to brown the chicken thighs.

• Deglaze Instant Pot.

  • Once you have seared your chicken thighs, remove the thighs from the inner pot of your pressure cooker and place on a plate.
  • Pour in 1/4 cup water and scrap off any browned bits off your inner pot.
  • This will help keep you from having issues with burn warnings and/or your Instant Pot not sealing correctly. 

• Place Trivet in Pressure Cooker

  • Pour 1 cup of water into the pressure cooker.
  • Add the trivet or rack into the instant pot.
  • You need a full cup of liquid in order for pressure to build and pressure cooking to be possible.

• Cook Chicken Thighs in Instant Pot

  • Place your seared chicken thighs onto the trivet.
  • Place lid on pressure cooker and be sure your vent knob is pointed to sealed.
  • Set to high pressure for 9 minutes.
  • Once cook time has elapsed, allow pressure to release for 5-10 minutes.

• Pro Tip

  • Save bones from roasted chicken thighs to make Instant Pot Chicken Stock. 

What temperature should I cook Chicken Thighs to?

According to the USDA, chicken is cooked safely when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

So I like to cook my chicken, be it on the grill, the oven, or in the instant pot, to just about 160 degrees.

That way when I take it off the heat, and let the chicken rest, the temperature will reach 165 degrees without the chicken drying out.

I will tell you that to achieve just about 160 degrees in your pressure cooker is quite tricky. My technique of searing the chicken thighs 1 minute per side and then cooking on high pressure for 9 minutes has worked well for me. If you let the meat sear longer than 1 minute per side or let pressure release longer than 5 minutes, your chicken thighs may be well over the 165 degrees internal temperature, but I bet it will still be tasty!

My pressure cooker doesn’t have a Poultry setting–what setting do I use to cook chicken?

No worries! Poultry setting on your pressure cooker is just high pressure. Set to high pressure for suggested cooking time.

Can you cook FROZEN Chicken Thighs in the instant pot?

Yes!! But your process will be a BIT different than cooking fresh chicken thighs, as you can not sear frozen meat.

• Place your trivet in your pressure cooker and pour in 1 cup of water.
• Place frozen chicken thighs on trivet and lightly sprinkle with seasoned salt.
• Seal and cook for 15 minutes on high pressure.
• Once cook time has elapsed, let pressure release for 5-10 minutes and then remove chicken thighs to a plate. At this time you may want to season a bit longer.
• You can either brown your chicken thighs right inside your instant pot or under the broiler. To crisp skin in instant pot: drain the water and turn to saute. Add in 1 tablespoon oil and then sear meat for 1 minute per side. To crisp skin in broiler, place chicken thighs on sheet pan and broil under high until skin is crispy.

Instant Pot Skinless Chicken Thighs

Yes, you can absolutely cook skinless chicken thighs in the instant pot in one of two ways:

• Proceed with recipe, including browning the chicken to get a golden exterior and then decrease cooking time to 8 minutes on high pressure.
• Skip browning the chicken thighs, place skinless chicken thighs  on the trivet (over 1 cup water) and increase cook time to 10 minutes on high pressure.

Instant Pot Boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• Proceed with recipe, including browning the chicken thighs to get a golden exterior and then decrease cooking time to 5 minutes on high pressure.
• Skip browning the chicken thighs, place boneless, skinless chicken thighs on the trivet (over 1 cup water) and cook for 6 minutes on high pressure.

Can I brine my chicken before cooking in my electric pressure cooker?

Yes, you can brine your chicken before cooking in your pressure cooker.

• Use your favorite brine recipe (or my Turkey brine recipe)
• Refrigerate your chicken thighs in the brine for at least 4 hours up to 12 hours.
• Remove chicken thighs from brine and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Season your chicken thighs with garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder if desired.
• Proceed with recipe for instant pot chicken thighs.

I don’t like seasoned salt? What else can I use?

If you don’t happen to like seasoned salt, you can simply sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper or your favorite spice blend before cooking. Lemon Pepper seasoning or Dill Seasoning are both great alternatives to homemade seasoned salt.

More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

• Instant Pot Chicken Breasts (Fresh or Frozen)
• Instant Pot Chicken Wings
• Instant Pot Roast Chicken
• Instant Pot Chili
• Instant Pot Chicken Marsala

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe

5 from 8 votes

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Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

How to perfectly cook seasoned chicken thighs in your pressure cooker. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

Prep Time 2 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Pressure Release 5 minutes

Total Time 12 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 134 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken thighs
• 1/2 tablespoon seasoned salt
• 1 tabelspoon oil
• 1 1/4 cup water divided

Instructions

1. Season your chicken thighs with the seasoned salt. 

2. Turn your pressure cooker to the Saute Function and let heat. Add in 1 tablespoon oil. Once the oil has heated, place your chicken thighs, skin side down, in the instant pot to sear. Sear on both sides to brown the chicken thighs, about 1 minute per side. 
   

3. Once you have seared your chicken thighs, remove the thighs from the inner pot of your pressure cooker and place on a plate. Pour in 1/4 cup water and scrap off any browned bits off your inner pot. This will help keep you from having issues with burn warnings and/or your Instant Pot not sealing correctly. 
   

4. Place your trivet into your pressure cooker and pour in 1 cup water.
   

5. Place your seared chicken thighs onto the trivet and seal to close. 
   

6. Cook on high pressure for 9 minutes. 

7. Let pressure release naturally for 5-10 minutes. 

8. Do a quick release of any remaining pressure. Let chicken rest to reach internal temperature of 165 degrees and serve. 

For Frozen Chicken Thighs

1. Place your trivet in your pressure cooker and pour in 1 cup of water. Place frozen chicken thighs on trivet and lightly sprinkle with seasoned salt. Seal and cook for 15 minutes on high pressure. Let pressure release 5-10 minutes. 

2. You can either brown your chicken thighs right inside your instant pot or under the broiler. To crisp skin in instant pot: drain the water and turn to saute. Add in 1 tablespoon oil and then sear meat for 1 minute per side. To crisp skin in broiler, place chicken thighs on sheet pan and broil under high until skin is crispy. 
   

Recipe Notes

• I use canola oil to sear chicken thighs, but olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil will work. 
• Feel free to use any seasoning you like on your chicken thighs. 
• If you are worried about your chicken thighs not cooking fully, sear as directed and then cook for 10 minutes on high pressure--they will reach over 165 degrees internal temperature at this cook time. Always check with an internal thermometer if worried.
• To cook skinless chicken thighs: Proceed with recipe, including browning the chicken to get a golden exterior and then decrease cooking time to 8 minutes on high pressure or skip browning the chicken thighs, place skinless chicken thighs  on the trivet (over 1 cup water) and increase cook time to 10 minutes on high pressure.
• To cook boneless, skinless chicken thighs:  Proceed with recipe, including browning the chicken thighs to get a golden exterior and then decrease cooking time to 5 minutes on high pressure or skip browning the chicken thighs, place boneless, skinless chicken thighs on the trivet (over 1 cup water) and cook for 6 minutes on high pressure.

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

Amount Per Serving

Calories 134 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4g 6%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Cholesterol 107mg 36%

Sodium 400mg 17%

Potassium 277mg 8%

Protein 21g 42%

Vitamin A 0.5%

Calcium 1%

Iron 5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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