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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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!