These Chicken Thighs are ready in minutes. They’re so juicy, full of flavor, and they are very easy to make!
Instant Pot chicken thighs are so simple, yet so versatile. You can enjoy them as the main dish, in salads or for a Mexican Taco night. We serve them with rice, all the juice from the chicken adds incredible flavors to plain rice making it a perfect combo.
I used the fresh boneless chicken thighs, but you can adjust it based on what you have on hand. If you prefer bone-in, add 2-5 minutes extra to the cooking time.
How to Make Fresh Chicken Thighs in an Instant Pot
- Prepare ingredients together. Remove any access fat and skin from the chicken.
- Combine all seasoning together. Rub both sides of the chicken with seasoning.
- Use sauté option on the Instant Pot, add oil and brown the outside of the chicken thighs. Set them aside.
- Cut onion into half rings, brown until golden brown.
- Add chicken on top of onions. Seal and cook for 10 minutes on high pressure. Let the pressure release for about 10 minutes.
How to Cook Frozen Chicken Thighs in an Instant Pot
- Use the sauté option on the Instant Pot to brown the onion until it’s golden brown.
- Place the frozen chicken thighs on top of the onion, season generously with the seasoning mix.
- Seal and cook for 15 minutes on high pressure. Let the pressure release.
- Check readiness of the chicken with your thermometer, it should read at least 165F.
Other Chicken Thighs Recipe to Try
- The Perfect 5 Minute Grilled Chicken
- Garlic Ranch Baked Chicken Thighs
- Rice Stuffed Chicken Thighs
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Recipe
These Chicken Thighs are ready in minutes. They're so juicy, full of flavor, and they are very easy to make!
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 lb chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp parsley dry or fresh
- 2 tsp garlic parsley salt
- 1 tbsp salt adjsut to taste
- 1 tbsp oil for cooking
Instructions
- Prepare all ingredients for the recipe. Combine seasoning together in a bowl.
- Season the chicken thighs, by rubbing them with prepared seasoning.
- Turn on your instant pot using the sauté option. Drizzle the bottom of the pan with some oil. Brown the outside of the chicken until golden. Remove chicken front the instant pot and set it aside.
- Cut the onion in half rings. Sauté onion until golden brown. Add browned chicken to the onions.
- Set the timer to manual 10 minutes, let it come to pressure and cook. Once it beeps, allow it to do a natural release. The chicken is ready to be served.
Note: You can add 1/4 of a cup of water if you feel nervous about not adding liquid to the instant pot.
Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs (Fresh or Frozen)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 363
Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
Fat 28g43%
Saturated Fat 7g35%
Cholesterol 148mg49%
Sodium 603mg25%
Potassium 363mg10%
Carbohydrates 3g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 25g50%
Vitamin A 732IU15%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 19mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe was so good. Easy to make and delicious I highly recommend it.
Thank you for your feedback, Sasha!
This was the fastest way to make frozen chicken thighs in less than 20 minutes then I added the chicken thighs to a fajita sauce with peppers and onions.....deeeeeelish, the chicken was extremely tender. Yummy!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, those flavors sound delicious!
Super easy and delicious.
I also used frozen chicken thighs and cooked it on manual for 20 minutes and I did add 1/4 cup of chicken stock (I was afraid of it burning). I also added small potatoes & carrots. My daughter said it was like pot roast with chicken. We will definitely make this again.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for your feedback!
I followed the recipe to a T from frozen and was nervous about not adding liquid but didnt add after reading what you wrote in the "Note: You can add 1/4 of a cup of water if you feel nervous about not adding liquid to the instant pot." After a few minutes i got burnt food sign so needed to add liquid. It worked out well except for the burnt onion.
Hey Liat, did you add all the veggies to the pot also? It shouldn't set the Instant pot off if you did. I hope you enjoyed the meal.
Scrumptious!!!! OMG My family love it I had green beans and mushrooms and the chicken flavor perfect and melt in your mouth thanks
I'm so glad your family loved the recipe, Jessica! Love the veggies that you added, thanks for the tip!
Haven't tried the recipe yet. Where does the rice come in and when do you add it?
Hey Marty, we didn't cook rice with chicken. It was just the way we served it.
Easy recipe with good results. Made adjustments to what I had on hand: frozen (Large) boneless, skinless chicken breast, added carrots and mushrooms, 1/3 cup broth (wanted extra juices for gravy/sauce), and made recipe no salt so that it’s baby friendly. Cooked manual pressure 18 minutes with NR (11min). Chicken came out tender. Thickened the juices slightly to serve with chicken. Baby loved it.
Alice, thank you for those tips and for the feedback! I think it will be super helpful for other!
The seasoning burnt at the bottom of the instant pot when sautéing. I added enough oil... any suggestions?
It fine, the juices will absorb it and it will be good flavor for the chicken.
Wow. Seriously the best recipe for boneless skinless thighs in the IP. Thank you! I’ve tried dozens and this one is THE keeper. No additional liquid needed. Broiled the thighs and made the slurry like the other person mentioned. Used Cajun seasoning instead of paprika because that’s what I had. A big hit.
Jennie, I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for your feedback!
How long if I wanted to make with boneless chicken breast?
I would say 2-3 minutes shorter but it would also depend on the size of the breast. Hope this helps.
This was amazing! I made it tonight with 1-3/4 lb frozen thighs. I added 1/4 cup of white wine for the flavor, but it didn’t need it. I also tossed in 3 small potatoes and 2 huge carrots, set it for 20, natural release (10 min). Chicken was perfect, veggies were perfect, and there was a lot of juice. I thought a tablespoon of paprika would be too much, but again, perfect. This will become one of my regulars. Thank you for the yummy recipe.
I cooked frozen thighs, too. I took your suggestion to add the potatoes( I used 5) and carrots(I used baby carrots) and cooked the same length of time as you said. I was amazed how everything cooked perfectly. My husband kept commenting how good it was.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Leslie. Thank you for your feedback.
Made this a couple weeks ago with thawed thighs & they came out great! Wondering if you've ever tried adding carrots & baby potatoes for a one pot meal? Guessing it would probably need some broth then.
Hi Nora, I think you can add them to the mix and adding 1/2 a cup of broth would work just as great in this recipe. I like the idea of adding veggies for more flavor.
Hi,
Can I use this recipe on frozen chicken leg quarters (with the bone)? If so, how long should they cook for?
Thanks!
Hey Leigh, you can, if they are separated individually, I would say add 15-20 minutes extra. This is my best guess because it would also depend on how large the pieces are.
What am I doing wrong? I put the frozen chicken on the Meat button and then on high for 15 min, it was not done so I placed it on manual for 15 min...it still was not done..help? I want to enjoy my instant pot but not having any luck when it comes to frozen meats and dishes.
Forgive me for asking, but are you sure the valve was set to Seal? I forgiot to check once, and had the same result. Things won't cook if the lid isn't sealed because no pressure builds up. With my "failure", I just added some more liquid and reset the IP - sealed this time - and everything cooked perfectly.
I just put mine on pressure cook high and it cooks chicken perfectly.
Hi Brenda, are the chicken pieces individual or a huge chunk? To me, it sounds like the piece of meat you add to the instant pot is huge. Takes longer to cook.
What a wonderful recipe, it is a new family favorite, the natural juices were a wonderful bonus to pour over the chicken. I'm still amazed no liquid is needed. Thank you for sharing!
You're welcome, Candice! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for your feedback!
How long do you let it do a natural release?
The pressure release valve drops when it’s done naturally releasing. Then you should be able to open the lid.
Hi Travis, usually around 15 minutes.
Can I use a regular salt instead of a garlic parsley salt?
Hey Yuna, you definitely can. I would add garlic powder or another seasoning to the mix.
2443 sodium?? has to be a typo right?
Hey Tim, thank you for pointing this out. We updated the info. The salt can also be adjusted to taste. Hope you love it!
This chicken recipe is BOMB. I broiled the chicken thighs in the oven to crisp up the skin after it was done cooking. I made a slurry (milk & flour) and added it to the gravy while chicken were in the oven and sauteed it in the IP to thicken it up. Put a little gravy on my white rice and chicken.... One word, YUM!
Bella, I love that idea. Thank you for the tips!
Literally threw about 2lbs of chicken thighs in the IP. Added some garlic powder, onion powder, salt, & pepper & 2 cups of water......so good!! Just needed a push to actually cook meat in the IP. Thanks for the courage!! 👍
Enjoy the recipe!
Do you still try to saute the chicken if it's frozen?
No, I just get a nice brown color on the onions.
Can we keep the skin in .... hard to take the skin off when it’s frozen
Yes, for sure. It will still come out amazing.
Absolutely yummy, juicy and tender. I made this with frozen thighs and your instructions were spot on. Thank you.
I'm so glad they worked out well for you! Thank you for your feedback and comment!
Getting ready to try this - how do you brown if the chicken is frozen?
Hey Valerie, you don't need to brown the chicken if it's frozen. You can just brown the onions for a bit of extra color.
Excellent chicken was so tender and the juice very flavorful and bonus cooked the chicken from frozen
Debbie thank you for the feedback. I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
I have tried half a dozen chicken thigh recipes but this one takes the cake! My family loved it. Thank you!
Vanessa that is so good to hear. I am glad this recipe worked out well for you.
I feel like I'm doing something wrong. It's taking me over 30 minutes just to get the chicken thighs brown. I am doing in groups of 4 due to the size. But it's about 15 minutes per set. Every recipe I read says 3-4 minutes per side and it always takes more like 7-8 minutes per side. I even increased the saute temp to 300. What am I doing wrong here? Appreciate any advice!
Hey Alise, do you think there is something wrong with your IP? It shouldn't take that long to get them brown.
Hi Natalya,
Thanks for the reply didn't get a notification but came back to the recipe to make this again ☺️ I do wonder if there is something wrong with my IP *shrug* . But the recipe is delicious and I'm trying it with a spin on the seasoning but same instructions. Thanks for the yummy dish!
Alise, thank you! I hope you love it!
Burn notice as soon as we started cooking chicken after the onions
I had the same thing happen to me.
Scott, you can add some chicken broth in that case. I never had this issue.
yeah seems like that should be noted in the recipe. I got the burn notice too. Wish I'd listened to my instinct on that.
Het Terri, we do have a note about adding some liquid if you feel nervous about it. But if you add the right amount of veggies, you shouldn't get burn notice. Hope this helps
Hi! Making these tonight. Just trying to summarize. Bone in will be 17-18 minutes with a 10 min NR? Can’t wait to try!
Yes, about that much. It would also depend how large they are but should be enough time.
Great recipe! tastes amazing.
But was wondering how long you waited for the natural release. I had to wait over 45 minutes!
Hey, so glad you loved the recipe. My instant pot comes to natural release in about 10 minutes.