Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Thighs
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Amazingly moist, tender, juicy lemon-thyme chicken, perfectly golden brown, made right in the IP in just 5 min! So quick!
I’ve been on a huge chicken thigh binge lately.
From the cilantro lime chicken thighs to the lemon garlic chicken thighs, it’s been ALL ABOUT THE THIGHS this summer.
But when I’m not in the mood to grill or smoke out the house using a grill pan, the IP is here for the juiciest, most tender chicken thigh rescue.
With a simple lemon-thyme spice rub, you can quickly sear your chicken right in the IP. From there, you’ll let it pressure cook for just 5 minutes, infusing your chicken thighs with all that lemony goodness without using a marinade. The pressure cooker takes care of that for you!
So boom. One pan meal. No mess. No fuss.
Use as a base for a salad or serve with a light green salad, crusty bread, and a glass of wine.
Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Zest 1 lemon
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine thyme, lemon zest, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Brush chicken with 1 tablespoon canola oil; season with thyme mixture.
- Set 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting. Working in batches, add remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil and chicken, and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side; set aside.
- Place metal trivet into the pot and add chicken stock and lemon juice. Gently place chicken on top of the trivet, slightly overlapping. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 5 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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Had to make lots of substitutions because I didn’t have what I thought I had in fridge… Garlic powder for minced garlic, extra lemon juice but no lemon for lemon zest, water because no chicken stock, Rosemary instead of thyme. Added a tablespoon or so extra lemon juice. Added a la little lemon-pepper seasoning to the rub and used olive oil instead of oil called for in recipe. It still came out fantastic. Nice light, natural lemony flavor with good seasoning. I always choose damn delicious recipes when I have a choice. They don’t disappoint!
Loved this recipe, I let my chicken marinate in the ingredients for about 1 hour. So much flavor
OMG!!! Chicken thighs came out so flavorful and delicious!!! I’m so happy I found you and can’t wait to check out all your recipes.
I really enjoyed this recipe! I used boneless breast’s and were concerned they’d be dry, so I seasoned and pounded the chicken for about 10 secs each side and right into the sauté for a nice sear. The chicken breasts were tasty and juicy! I added some paprika and turmeric to the basting seasoning, for a little added flavor and color, and fresh parsley at the end. Threw in some halves garlic cloves and spooned some broth mix over the chicken and garlic to coat. Cover and 5 mins! Perfect!
Very flavorful. I love intense lemon flavor, so I decreased broth to 3/4 cup and used 4 TBSP lemon juice–next time I will add even more juice–but that’s a personal preference. I also sautéed half of a chopped onion after the chicken before adding broth/juice, and added a couple TBSP of butter–it made for a very delicious sauce to eat with the chicken. I’m not the best cook, so this was actually a fairly complicated recipe for me, but I think it turned out well–everyone loved it and chicken was very tender. I served with couscous, yum!
Yummy chicken thighs. Serve with rice and a salad.
This is one of my all-time favourite instant pot meals! I’ve made it at least 10 times now. The chicken is so moist and flavourful. As a busy mom with picky kids, I appreciate that they will actually eat it, and that I can hide in the kitchen with my book while sautéing a few batches of chicken. Thanks for this fabulous recipe!
Delish! have an 8 qt IP… I doubled the recipe and pressure cooked the chicken in two batches- would I have had to do that or could I put it all in at once?
Made this tonight and added a little more broth to turn into gravy and served it all over some creamy mashed potatoes. It was a hit! Super simple and delicious for an easy week night meal.
My 7 year old grandson says this is the best chicken he ever ate
Made this tonight in my Instapot. Turned out great!
What if you do not have the metal trivet?
Hi Lisa, we recommend using the metal trivet so that the chicken doesn’t get stuck or burn at the bottom of the pot.
I’ve made this about 5 times and it always turns out well.
This looks amazing, can this recipe be adapted to a slow cooker? I’d love to try it.
Thank you
YOURS is a 5, mine is a 2. Please help me! It tasted fine but looked UGLY! All of my chicken thigh dishes in the IP turn out ugly. What am I doing wrong???? Do your thighs have skin on??? Thank you for your help.
Becky,
I put them on cookie sheet and throw them under the broiler for a couple minutes.
I also take the trivet out, put on sauté and whisk in some corn starch slurry to make a gravy!
Really delicious fool proof recipe. Will try to mix the sauce with noodles next time
Can’t wait to try this recipe! But when I “sear” chicken thighs in the instant pot, they stick to the bottom of the pot horribly and they tear when I have to rip them off the bottom. Any suggestions or what am I doing wrong? I am not the best cook.
Karen, this happens to me all the time too, it doesn’t mean you’re not a good cook! I wait until the oil is really hot, lay them in and don’t touch for a minute or two. Even then, I still have to scrape a bit. If you do this, just make sure you deglaze your pot after removing the thighs. Just put in a bit of water, or broth, and scrape the bottom well. This will prevent a burn message. Also! You don’t have to sear them first – I’ve made many meat dishes in the IP, sometimes searing, sometimes not, and it really doesn’t make a huge difference.
I made this tonight. Didn’t brown the chicken and used bone in thighs. Took the chicken out after 15 min cook time and added egg noodles to the broth. Pressure cooked those for 2 min. Quick released and boiled excess moisture off then thickened a little bit with cornstarch. Yum!
Delicious dinner for the family. Everyone enjoyed this recipe.
Yum! I cooked diced potatoes & eggs in the InstantPot. While that was cooling cooked the chicken. I had boneless/skinless thighs and didn’t bother browning them, still turned out great! Will use the sauce tomorrow with sweet potatoes.
I made this tonight and it was excellent and easy! I removed the chicken once it was done cooking and added 1T cornstarch and 2T cold water mix to the chicken broth and lemon juice (I only used 2 tsp. lemon juice) turned the IP on saute and thickened the sauce for about 4 minutes stirring constantly. Poured sauce over pasta (I cooked while chicken was cooking.) and chicken, so good!
Delicious and easy! I used the recipe as is except used vegetable bouillon, as it was what I had on hand. Will definitely make again
Made this tonight since I had all the ingredients and it was super easy and very delicious. I did follow a suggestion to make a sauce out of the remaining liquid and that was perfection. Thank you for a wonderfully easy meal!
Me and my dad were looking for something for dinner it was fast and delicious. THANKS
Best “damn” chicken thighs I’ve had in a long time! I used the leftover sauce on baked yellow potatoes! YUMMMMM! Thanks for the recipe!
This was fabulous – easy to prep and cook, and more importantly, it’s delicious. I served it with sweet potato (very complimentary with the lemon/chicken broth) and asparagus. This will be made again and I look forward to experimenting with different sides to serve alongside it. Thank you for the recipe!
This is so easy and delicious. I added some potato, carrots and cauliflower and everything was cooked perfectly. Thank you
I made this last night and my wife and I really enjoyed it. I followed the recipe, but as I had an extra 1/2 pound of chicken thighs, I slightly increased all of the ingredients. It was very tasty! It delivered the promised flavor and was extremely easy to make, so it gets 5 stars from me.
I admit, however, to being surprised that making a gravy with the leftover chicken stock + seasonings in the instant pot was missing from this recipe. It seems to me that if the recipe calls for a cup of broth to be added to the instant pot, it should be put to use, ,especially when it has all that great flavor from the pressure cooking. So, I fixed this when the chicken was done by setting the IP to saute mode and making a slurry of 2 tablespoons of corn starch (If you just used 1 cup of broth, you might want only 1 tablespoon) to cold water and adding it to the broth, let it bubble a while to cook that starch, then adjusting taste with salt as necessary. It worked perfectly!
Excellent idea for the gravy Jeff! Thanks:) I can’t wait to make this☺️
Thanks for suggesting to save the juice and make a sauce, it was awesome
Jeff, you’re a genius!!!
We absolutely love this. Sure the chicken sticks a little, and yeah, I use lemon pepper seasoning instead of lemon zest, but it’s absolutely incredible.
And we make a slurry of cornstarch and water to make the sauce into the most decadent gravy/sauce to pour over egg noodles and top with the chicken.
This is a great recipe. Hubby loved it. I mixed a little flour and water and added to the broth to make gravy. It makes a wonderful gravy over the chicken and rice. I’ll be making this again!
I made this with a side of farro and sautéed kale. Then discovered if you slice up the chicken and put it atop a bowl of the farro and kale and drown the whole thing in the delicious broth that’s at the bottom of the instant pot it’s magical! The broth is such a nice mix of richness from the chicken thighs and little blackened pieces that stick to the bottom, but the lemon lightens everything up perfectly. Yum!
My very first instant pot recipe! Very delicious. I will make this again.
This chicken recipe is excellent. I made several batches of chicken thighs seasoned with the ingredients by tripling the recipe. I froze the chicken in Ziplock freezer bags. Then I thawed out a bag and proceeded with the other cooking processes, sautéing the thighs and adding the broth and lemon juice as indicated. The chicken turned out beautifully, and I served it with rice and a salad. It was a delicious and simple meal which the family enjoyed. I still have two bags frozen and that will make it fast and easy next time when making a meal. Definitely will use this recipe again!
I made this last night with bone in chicken thighs. Added an extra minute to the time. Instead of thyme, I used an herb mix from Penzy’s Spices, and I split the chicken both with white wine. It came out so good!
Hi. Can I make this and then just keep it warm in IP until we’re ready to eat?
Im always afraid when it says serve immediately. Thanks
I made this tonight and the flavors were great! As soon as the time was up I let the pressure off and tasted them. They were super moist and pleasant. Since we weren’t ready for dinner yet, I left them in the IP with the lid closed for another 15-20 minutes, just to keep them warm. Unfortunately, they were somewhat dried out when we ate them, so I would suggest not letting them sit long.
Just gave this a whirl with our new IP and love it. I did take a little extra step of adding some cornstarch to the left over lemon/broth to make a gravy that was a perfect addition to the meal.
Nice idea about the cornstarch. Thank you!
Family loves it. I added lemon slices on top to make it taste more citrusy. Might try a couple of orange slices too.
Made it tonight for dinner and family loved it! Very flavorful. I served it with asparagus and left over pasta which was perfect.
Loved it! Easy and quick. I served with rice and asparagus.
I made this tonight for dinner and it was a big hit. I used legs and thighs, bone in, increased the stock to 1 cup. Tender but firm chicken, lots of sauce. Perfect for leftover pasta.
Amazingly moist, tender, perfectly golden brown!
This was amazing! So easy and the family loved it!
Love this recipe and have made it several times. I like to put rice in the IP under the trivet – a cup of rice and an extra half cup of chicken broth makes for a fantastic full meal.
Thanks for this suggestion. I made tonight and added the rice.
Looks delish, but we’re not huge fans of chicken thighs. Can I use chicken breasts instead? Would you cook it for the same amount of time? Thanks!
Hello all! Would love to make this recipe this evening, if I get some help here…I have a Ninja Foodi and wondering if the IP trivet is the same as the NF cook & crisp basket. Also I think the pressure cook times will be the same, correct, even if I have less than 2lbs of chicken? Thanks SO much!
Hi! Didn’t hear back from anyone, but decided to go for it! Made this per instructions for the IP in my Ninja Foodi but only had 1 3/4 pounds of the boneless skinless chicken thighs. Chicken came out a bit overcooked, but flavor was good. Any ideas???
This was a really quick and easy meal. I thought I had chicken thighs, but I only had chicken breasts. I cut the breasts into smaller pieces. It was delicious and tender. Can’t wait to make it again with thighs. I think the juice at the bottom of pan would make a really yummy sauce for pasta by adding Parmesan and half and half poured over angel hair pasta.
I never comment on recipes, but I have to share what I did that turned out surprisingly good!
I made a half recipe and used the thighs on a salad (It was a good use! My picky husband complimented me, even) and then had leftover sauce.
I want to eat eggs because they are healthy, but I am pregnant and hate them right now, but I had the idea to put the leftover sauce on a couple fried-over-easy-eggs for breakfast. It was so good!
And now you’ll think I’m crazy, but I also put the eggs on top of some corn chips because I once had huevos rancheros on corn chips and it was amazing. This was amazing, too!
Lastly, I ended up just making the sauce on my stove top for more eggs, and that was good too. I thickened it a little, used less garlic, and didn’t have zest and it tasted as just as good 🙂
Want to make this recipe for guests. Would you serve this with salsa Spanish rice.
Even better the next day! I took the suggestions about adding the onions and potatoes along with the mustard in the sauce. Plus, I deglazed the container with white wine before moving to pressure cooking. The chicken and the vegetables were absolutely delicious.
We used orange zest and orange juice in this recipe, I’m allergic to garlic so left that out but did everything else as the recipe called for and omg was this delicious! Will make again 100% loved!!!! ❤️…
Delicious, and so easy. I must admit I did some add ons from other reviewers. After browning chicken, added some sliced onion and when done, deglazed with some good white wine (1/3 c). After adding chicken to rack, I added some 1″ chunks of carrot and some quartered red potatoes. Made a whole meal with an excellent sauce. We both loved it. Served with steamed broccoli.
Iam going to try your idea for this recipe just had chopped green bell peppers also.
Love your suggestions.. Going to do this tonight.
This was a wonderful combination of incredibly easy and incredibly delicious. I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of the garlic. I was assuming I would have left-overs but no chance; the troops eat every bit of it.
Made this tonight for my mother and son. It was fantastic!
Making these tonight. My chicken thighs are small, so I have quite a few. Can I stack these? Should I stack these with crumpled up foil between layers to make sure the thighs cook evenly and thoroughly?
I forgot to put the lemon in until after the chicken was done, but it was still delicious! Good recipe!
This is a simple and delicious recipe. The family goes nuts for it. I am so happy I found this recipe. I got so tired of breaded and fried chicken thighs. Its so nice to make something different. Thanks A lot!
This is such a great recipe using the instant pot. I like this. thank you
This was an excellent recipe. I used chicken legs and it worked out fine. I also added crushed rosemary to the seasonings and cream. It was perfect.
Defrosted chicken thighs. Didn’t know what to do with them. Needed to use instant pot because short on time. Googled: Instant pot – chicken thighs. This was the 3rd recipe I looked at. I love Damn Delicious recipes and have used them in the past. All with good success. This was no exception! I didn’t have canola oil, so used my EVO and it was fine. Good reactions from my fam, so will be using this recipe again and again! Thank you for the wonderful recipes!!!!
We love lemon at our place & this recipe did not disappoint. Great flavor! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
Picky kids loved it. Moist and flavorful.
Hi this recipe looks delish! If I use frozen chicken how long would suggest cooking for?
What kind of instant pot are you using?!
Boneless thighs are my favorite because they are so tender, quick and easy, especially after one of THOSE days at work. The instant pot recipe did not disappoint. Well, it did my Sheltie, who was hoping I’d trip and drop one, but no luck for him. Anyway, for maximum flavor, don’t be shy with the fresh thyme, (or whatever herb you choose) pepper, garlic or the kosher salt. Brown your chicken thoroughly and deglaze lots with the broth. If I even think I’ll be using a lemon for dinner, I pop it out of the fridge in the morning. It’ll zest easier and you get more juice at room temperature. Make sure you vent that pot as soon as it’s done, thighs can get tough fast if you don’t. Thanks for the recipe! And I love your corgis!
This was a fantastic base. I took some liberties with it based on what I had on hand/wanted. I didn’t have thyme so I put in dried and fresh tarragon (dried and 1 sprig during cooking, chopped fresh to garnish) Like another reviewer, I also added potatoes and carrots and onion. I sauteed the onion in the fond from the chicken until lightly browned before deglazing with white wine and a few tablespoons of vegetable broth (didn’t have chicken on hand). Layered the chicken on top with the sprig of tarragon and several slices of lemon, and then put cut up carrots and potatoes on top. 6 min was perfect to make sure all was done. Removed the potatoes and carrots and chicken and added ~1 tablespoon of mustard to the sauce at the bottom. Served by making a layer of potatoes and carrots topped with chicken, sauce, and chopped tarragon/maldon. Everyone said it was fantastic and couldnt believe how quickly it came together. This is a keeper and I’m excited to try different variations. Thank you!!!
This was pretty fast and oh so delicious! I am going to be one of those annoying posters who made a bunch of changes, but I had to use what I had on hand. I think that this recipe is probably pretty forgiving! I subbed fresh basil for the thyme and garlic powder for the garlic cloves (how does one run out of garlic cloves?!). I served this over white rice (that I cooked perfectly in my smaller IP!) and spooned the “au jus” over the white rice for some added flavor. I even spooned the au jus over some greens and created an impromptu “wilted green” side dish which was equally delicious. I was worried that I was going to get the burn notice after browning my thighs, but I was extra careful to spend some extra time deglazing the pot when I added the chicken stock. I think that the use of the trivet may have contributed to the lack of a burn notice, too? Just a theory! Anyway, I had to take some time to tell you that this will be part of my regular rotation. My kids liked it, too! Thanks for getting me out of my IP rut!
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe…I had to adapt it. I read it three times and still managed to mess it up…so after I browned my chicken and sauteed my veggies (carrots, potatoes and onions – uh duh…not in yer recipe but I didn’t want them to go bad and I knew as the bachelorette that I would end up tossing them…so my adaptations go as follows carrots to suit, potatoes and onion as well. Two other ingredients that I added were white wine 1/3 cup – didn’t have lemon so I used lime and finally I used a poultry bouquet garni. Rosemary, Thyme and Sage all fresh. After I placed the insert down I was careful to make a mat of rosemary, sage and thyme on the insert resting on the chicken stock and white wine and juices of veggies and chicken…being careful to make sure I tried to avoid the edges of the pot with the herbs…then topped the chicken on the mat of herbs and covered it with the veggies and then did another mat of herbs on top of the veggies…the lime and then a good seal and using your time frame…WOW! Thanks for the confidence. I wanted to do chicken on Thanksgiving…I have some good bbq beans and mashed potatoes to go with that chicken and figured your recipe was the ticket and it is!! Salt and pepper to taste if you need it but the medley of herbs is a savory and well known combo and fills the air with a turkey/stuffing like smell all without me having to do a bird – as if a bachorlette can eat a whole turkey without advance planning! Granted I’m missing the stuffing…guess I could have…but I don’t need it…I got Pecan Pie!! Thank you!
Absolutely delicious! I’ve made this twice now following the recipe exactly as written. My family loves it. There was a slight difference in tonight’s dish because the garlic cloves and the lemon I used were huge. More garlic, more zest, more juice, more yum. It was “damn delicious! ” Thanks for sharing this recipe.
If I double the recipe, would I need to double the cooking time?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! Good luck! 🙂
I cooked 5 lbs of chicken thighs. Didn’t change the time or liquid, and it turned out great!
Made this recipe tonight. The only thing I did different was to put 4 sweet potatoes on top of the chicken. Same cook time but with a natural release.
A big hit!
Looks totally delicious
This was so good and flavorful! I’ve made it twice now. The first time I was really frustrated by how bad the chicken stuck to the bottom of my instant pot, even using a lot of oil (I always have this problem) so I decided to use a grill and then deglaze the grill pan, pouring the juices into the instant pot to finish the cooking.
I then used that grill pan to make my sides (asparagus and sweet potatoes) so I wasn’t using any more dishes than I otherwise would have.
Turned out perfect.
Hello. How would you prepare if you’re using frozen chicken thighs?
I recommend thawing prior to using, Ebony.
If my thighs are frozen, do I need to adjust the cooking time? I am always last minute.
Jenny, I recommend thawing the thighs prior to using. 🙂
You just add five extra minutes.
Delicious! This was my first recipe from this site–tho definitely not my last–and I used bone-in chicken thighs (which require a little more time at pressure), and broth left over from Amy & Jackie’s HK chicken recipe. Used an 8 qt pot. Someone asked about cook times for 8 qt, and I’m pretty sure it’s the same as 6 qt, but it takes a little longer to come to pressure. Also, after browning the chicken and adding broth/lemon juice, the pan needs to be deglazed to avoid the burn error.
There was so much seasoning on the bottom after browning, I feared there wouldn’t be enough left on the chicken to flavor it, but there was!
I did wonder whether the chicken couldn’t just be cooked down in the liquid instead of up on a trivet. Any reason not to do that? I ended up dousing the pieces in the liquid to serve them, because it was so tasty with all those brown bits of seasoning floating around in it.
How much more time for bone-in?
How much more time for bone-in? Did your chicken also have skin?
I used bone-in chicken drumsticks, and just peeled off or peeled back the skin, and kept the time at 5 minutes. When I took them out, they were all 170 degrees or over.
This looks delicious but I am not a fan of dark meat. Could this be modified for chicken breasts?
Absolutely, Maegan! However, cooking time may have to be adjusted.
This was fantastic! I should have made more seasoning as I had 3 pounds of chicken thighs. However the flavor was amazing and it was super easy and quick for a Monday night meal!
It’s so perfect for those busy weeknights! 🙂
Not a fan of thyme. What other spice would work?
Shannon, you can substitute rosemary, oregano, or basil, or a combination of the three if you prefer. 🙂
Can I use avocado oil or olive oil instead of canola oil?
OMG please do. Nobody should be using canola oil. What is a canola? It won’t change the flavor and will be much healthier for you.
Canola oil is rapeseed oil. A very healthy oil.
A good Italian seasoning would be awesome here! Be sure to add lemon pepper or lemon zest(1 tsp) with about a teaspoon of lemon juice!
Hi, is the 1 cup of chicken stock a cup (250ml) or 1 of the instant pot cups (which is smaller – 180 ml I think)?
Thanks!
Kirsten, 1 cup = 236.6 mL. 🙂
Going to try this week because I have made your cilantro lime thighs so many times , we LOVE them. My husband gets excited when I make them!
Chicken thighs are my favorite! Totally trying this soon!
Sounds yummy! If I were to use 2 pounds of chicken, but a mix of thighs and breasts, would the cooking time change?
Cooking time should stay relatively the same but as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications. Good luck, Holly! 🙂
Thanks!!
Holly , How did the mix turn out? Breasts are so much less Fatty than Dark meat, I am interested to know how this turned out!
This was my first time making this. It had a very little flavor to me and I called myself going over and beyond. I am not sure what i did wrong. However, I am willing to try this again.
Same, very little flavor for me too! I thickened the liquid in the pot and poured it over my chicken thighs – that helped. Would not make this again, sadly.
Hi–if I want to make a larger amount, like 3 pounds and maybe use my 8-quart Instant Pot, would I need to increase the time or the liquid? Thanks.
Yes, Caroline, both cooking time and amount of liquid will have to be adjusted accordingly.
This recipe sounds great! I am new to instant pot cooking, so I just want to make sure I understand the recipe and the parts of the instant pot to use in this recipe. Is the part of the IP to saute the the meat called the liner? Then I put the trivet in the liner? As I’m writing this, I’m thinking you can’t use the IP without the liner in the pot. Is that correct? Please let me know soon. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you
Hi Charli! I am happy to help but was wondering – when referring to the “liner”, are you referring to the stainless steel inner pot?
How would I convert this to a crockpot recipe
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
You would need to brown your chicken using EVOO in a frying pan first. Then I would deglaze the pan using broth or white wine if you choose. Then transfer all to crockpot and place vegetables all around. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. Enjoy!