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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 on a plate with rice.

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

Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs on a plate with rice.

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs (Fresh or Frozen)

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Servings
6 people
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin
These Chicken Thighs are ready in minutes. They're so juicy, full of flavor, and they are very easy to make! 

Ingredients

US Units – Metric

Instructions

  • Prepare all ingredients for the recipe. Combine seasoning together in a bowl. 
    Ingredients in plates for Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
  • Season the chicken thighs, by rubbing them with prepared seasoning. 
    Plates with seasoned chicken thighs and 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.
    Instant pot with chicken thighs getting suateed. Plate with chicken thighs.
  • Cut the onion in half rings. Sauté onion until golden brown. Add browned chicken to the onions.
    Two instant pot bowl, one with raw onion another golden onion.
  • 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.
    Chicken thighs inside instant pot, tray with rice and chicken.
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 342 Calories from Fat 225
% Daily Value*
Fat 25g38%
Saturated Fat 7g35%
Cholesterol 148mg49%
Sodium 2443mg102%
Potassium 363mg10%
Carbohydrates 3g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 25g50%
Vitamin A 675IU14%
Vitamin C 1.3mg2%
Calcium 19mg2%
Iron 1.3mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Posted December 14, 2018

About Author

Natalya Drozhzhin

Natalya founded Momsdish to demonstrate that placing a homemade meal on the table is not hard at all. Natalya makes cooking easier and approachable, by simplifying the ingredients, while still producing the same great taste.