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.
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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!