Super Easy Instant Pot Chicken Thigh Recipes

I've been cooking with a pressure cooker for years, but I just discovered the wonder of the Instant Pot - an electric, programmable pressure cooker.  For all those looking to simplify their lives, here's my best, easiest bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh Instant Pot recipes:

Each of these recipe's is great straight out of the pot.  I like batch cooking, so I cook at least four recipes with packs of chicken in one sitting.  I love to cook chicken on the bone because it's so flavourful and nutritious.  When I am done cooking each batch, I let it cool and remove the chicken from the bone for all the recipes.  If you have room in the fridge, it's easiest to do all the cooking on one night and all the boning the next.  It's a bit of work, but well worth the results.  Plus, all the fat comes to the top and I skim it off to cook with in place of butter.  Chicken fat, yum!  I also save all the bones and make a huge batch of broth.  The result for each of these recipes is tender, juicy chicken - so much better than dry, tasteless boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Dijon Chicken

Ingredients:
1 family pack chicken thighs (12-14 thighs) (chicken quarters work as well)
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. salt
4 cups water
2 cup white wine
1 cup dijon mustard
2 tbsp. fresh parsley

Dump everything in the Instant Pot and use the manual timer to set for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve over rice or quinoa.


Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients:

1 family pack chicken thighs (12-14 thighs) (chicken quarters work as well)

1 chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 cup honey

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. fresh ginger

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup cornstarch

optional: green onion, sesame seeds, 1 can of diced pineapple

Dump everything in the Instant Pot and use the manual timer to set for 30 minutes.  Add can of pineapple if desired.  Thicken with cornstarch and serve over rice.  Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.

Mexican Chicken

1 family pack chicken thighs (12-14 thighs) (chicken quarters work as well)

1 chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 large cans chopped stewed tomatoes

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. fresh cilantro

Dump everything in the Instant Pot and use the manual timer to set for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve over rice or quinoa.

To make this into a chicken tortilla soup, once chicken cooks, remove the chicken, add and cook for 6 more minutes:
1 chopped carrots
1 stalk celery
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 cup raw quinoa
1 cup water or broth

Release pressure and add:
1 diced zucchini
1 cup diced mushrooms
Cover and allow these two to cook in the residual heat.

Italian Chicken

1 family pack chicken thighs (12-14 thighs) (chicken quarters work as well)

1 chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 large cans chopped stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. fresh parsley

Dump everything in the Instant Pot and use the manual timer to set for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve over spaghetti.

Lemon Chicken

1 family pack chicken thighs (12-14 thighs) (chicken quarters work as well)

1 chopped onion

6 garlic cloves, whole

2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 cup water

2 tbsp. fresh parsley

Dump everything in the Instant Pot and use the manual timer to set for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve over rice or quinoa.

Persian Chicken with Pomegranates and Walnuts

1 family pack chicken thighs (12-14 thighs) (chicken quarters work as well)

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. turmeric

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 tbsp. butter

3 onion, thinly sliced

2 cups walnuts, roasted (cashews, almonds, and pecans work, too)

3 cups pomegranate juice

1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

Saute onions in butter.  Roast walnuts.  Dump everything in the Instant Pot and use the manual timer to set for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with fresh pomegranates and serve over rice or couscous.

Please Note:
I like my chicken saucy, but if you prefer less sauce, you can half the recipe while using the same amount of chicken.

These recipes freeze well.  I store them in quart size ziplock bags and pull them out of the freezer the night before.  They heat up quickly in a small pot, so all you need to do is make some rice, quinoa, or pasta and, voilà, dinner is served.