Three: Deglaze Instant Pot
- Pour in water and scrape off any browned bits off your inner pot. This will help keep you from having issues with burn warnings and/or your Instant Pot not sealing correctly.
- Use 1 cup of water for a 6 quart Instant Pot.
- Use 1.5 cups of water for an 8 quart Instant Pot.
How To Make Fresh Chicken Thighs In An Instant Pot
Cooking perfect Instant Pot chicken thighs is a no-brainer. Check out the recipe overview below:
- Trim and Season Chicken: Trim any excess fat and skin from your chicken thighs. Massage the seasoning all over the thighs until they are completely coated.
- Brown the Chicken and Onions: On the sauté setting, brown the outside of the chicken thighs. Remove the chicken. Cut onion into half rings and sauté in the brown bits leftover from browning the chicken.
- Pressure Cook Chicken: Return the chicken to the Instant Pot, nestling the thighs on top of the onions. Seal and cook for 10 minutes on high pressure. Allow the chamber to have a natural release for an additional 10 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!
Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast
I hate to sound like a broken record but if you have been cooking my recipes for a while, you know I am obsessed with my Instant Pot. And Instant Pot frozen chicken tops the list. Heck, I even thaw ground meat in Instant Pot. And who am I kidding I cook with frozen ground turkey just see my taco soup video.
Read Also: How To Cook Frozen Hamburger Meat In The Instant Pot
Easy Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
See my guide on how to use an Instant Pot.
Easy Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe. How to cook perfectly moist and juicy chicken thighs in your Instant Pot pressure cooker. With tips on how to cook from fresh or frozen.
In an effort to bring you more quick and easy dinner ideas and also more easy Instant Pot recipes, Im excited to share this Instant Pot chicken thighs recipe with you! Judging by the popularity of my baked chicken thighs and grilled chicken thighs, many of you love flavorful chicken thighs as much as I do.
You can cook these perfect juicy, seasoned chicken thighs in your Instant Pot in just 30 minutes, start to finish. Cooking chicken in your Instant Pot frees up all of your oven space so you can roast a pan of veggies to serve alongside the chicken. If you prefer a crockpot recipe, try my Tuscan Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs.;Air Fryer Chicken Thighs are also deliciously crispy.;
The spice rub on these chicken thighs is similar to the rub that I use on my baked chicken thighs, and it is so good! It adds so much flavor to the meat.
When you make these pressure cooker chicken thighs youll use the sauté function on your Instant Pot to first brown the chicken on both sides. This step adds flavor and is a real benefit to using the Instant Pot. The convenience of sautéing and pressure cooking all in one pot is a busy cooks dream!
Make Sure Breasts Are Separated
I cant stress enough how important it is to make sure your frozen chicken breasts are separated. Just like pictured below.
If you add a blob of frozen breasts stuck together, they will not cook inside and overcook outside.
Also Check: How Long To Cook Spaghetti Noodles In Instant Pot
Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Thighs Vs Chicken Breast
If you’ve been following along, you know I love boneless, skinless chicken thighs for quick meals. Don’t get me wrong, bone-in chicken thighs are great for slow cooking, but if you need a fast meal you can’t beat boneless chicken thighs.
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. For more info, please read my disclosure;here.
I’ve tested this recipe with both frozen chicken breast and frozen chicken thighs and chicken thighs are definitely the way to go. They turn out juicier than chicken breast and really hold up to cooking straight from the freezer. In fact, they are so deliciously moist and tender you can’t tell that they were cooked from frozen.
So if you have your freezer stocked and you keep some basic paleo and keto staples in your pantry. You can whip up this tasty chicken anytime, without having to make a trip to the grocery store.
While this Instant Pot recipe will work with fresh or frozen chicken thighs, the beauty of it is being able to cook frozen chicken thighs—and having an emergency meal in your back pocket.
How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Whether you are cooking frozen or fresh chicken thighs the process is the same, the only difference is the cooking time.
- Start by heating sesame oil on sauté mode.
- Season chicken thighs with paprika and black pepper. Skip the salt since you are using coconut aminos
- Place chicken thighs skin-side down and sauté for 3 minutes
- Meanwhile whisk the remaining ingredients in a small bowl
- Add liquids into the pot
- Cancel sauté mode and add 20 minutes on high pressure
Recommended Reading: Instant Pot Yogurt Without Yogurt Button
How Long Does It Take To Thaw Frozen Chicken Thighs
It will take about 24 hours to thaw;one pound of;frozen;boneless;chicken;breasts or other;chicken;pieces.
If youre;thawing;a whole;frozen chicken, it will;take;bout 4 to 6 hours per pound of;chicken;being;thawed. BUT if you forget, this is handy to have.
Want to crisp the skins at the end? Use your air fryer or Ninja Foodi at 400 F for about 4 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Spray basket and top of meat with olive oil spray.
Can I Skip Browning The Chicken Thighs
I shouldn’t admit that I often skip this step if cooking skinless chicken thighs in the Instant Pot, but I do.;The sauté function in the Instant Pot is incredibly;convenient for browning vegetables and meat. The small surface, however, makes it very tedious to brown even a small amount of meat. Unfortunately, we all know that browning the meat does add depth and flavour to the meat, and adds complexity and colour to the sauce.
So I compromise. I brown the meat on one side only. I find this gives me the nice browned bits on the bottom of the pan that add so much flavour, without spending too long on the;task.
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How Long To Cook Frozen Whole Chicken
The time it takes to cook a whole frozen bird in the Instant Pot depends on its weight, according to Yule.
But a good rule of thumb is to cook a frozen whole chicken for 10 minutes per pound. For example, a 4-pound frozen chicken will take 40 minutes in the Instant Pot on high pressure.
Allow for natural pressure release once cooking is done dont turn the steam release valve.
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Cooking Time
How long to cook frozen chicken thighs in instant pot: For this recipe, with the recommended settings, it takes 18 minutes. 15 minutes of pressure cooking and 3 minutes natural pressure release.
How long to cook fresh chicken thighs in instant pot: For this recipe, with the recommended settings, it takes 13 minutes. 10 minutes of pressure cooking and 3 minutes natural pressure release.
If youre not sure chicken is cooked and for food safety compliance, check that the internal temperature of the chicken is atleast 165F . To ensure this, check by using meat thermomether.
If you are new to instant pot check out my post on;How to use instant pot.
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Crispy Chicken Thighs In Instant Pot
When I buy frozen chicken thighs, they always come bone in and skin on. In fact, we have to drive to Spain if we want boneless and skinless.
But as you know the instant pot is a pressure cooker, not an air fryer and if you want delicious crispy chicken thighs in the instant pot, then you will need a Mealthy Crisplid, or a similar product.
How it works is that you place the air fryer lid over your instant pot and it makes your chicken thighs skin lovely and crispy.
But to achieve the wonderful crispy skin you will need to add ingredients to the top of your chicken thighs. I prefer honey and garlic, but the honey will blacken your chicken thighs like you see below:
Instead, if you go with a balsamic, garlic and olive oil marinade then you keep a crispy chicken thigh colour without the dark look. It just depends how you prefer your chicken thighs!
How Long To Cook Frozen Chicken Thighs In Instant Pot
The Instant Pot frozen chicken thighs cook time is JUST 25 minutes on a manual pressure cook. Then if you are making your chicken thighs skin crispy you need to add a further 10 minutes.
Of course, this 35 minute instant pot cook time does not include the time it takes for the chicken thighs to go to pressure.
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Is It Safe To Cook Frozen Chicken In The Instant Pot
Yes, as long as you do it correctly.
If you use the pressure cooking function not slow cooker and ensure that the chicken reaches;the minimum safe internal temperature;of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, it should be safe, Yule says.
Frozen chicken naturally takes longer to cook, because it first has to thaw out before the actual cooking process starts. Thats why the;FDA warns against;putting frozen chicken in a slow cooker, because it keeps the chicken in the bacterial danger zone for too long.
Pressure cooking, however, takes approximately 30 percent less time than traditional methods because it traps the moisture that would normally evaporate while cooking on the stovetop or in the oven.
This speeds up the chemical processes that happen during cooking, so your food reaches safe temperatures faster.
Storing Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
- Refrigerating: Store Instant Pot chicken thighs in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should stay fresh for 3-5 days.
- Freezing: Freeze Instant Pot chicken thighs by placing them in a freezer-safe plastic storage bag. You can keep them on hand for up to 3 months. If you have a vacuum sealer, they will last for up to a year.
Reheating Tip: Reheat frozen Instant Pot chicken thighs by popping them back in the Instant Pot. If you are reheating refrigerated thighs, microwave them or reheat them in an air fryer f you want them extra crispy.
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How To Freeze Chicken Thighs For Cooking From Frozen
Previously, I have told you that you have to freeze the chicken thighs individually in order to later cook them from frozen. This means that you get your chicken thighs home from the store and you take them out of the packaging and put them into a ziptop bag. You then freeze the bag flat such that none of the chicken thighs are touching each other. Once they are frozen, you can give them a toss and then they dont have to stay flat anymore.
However, I have experimented and found out how to cook frozen chicken thighs in the Instant Pot even if theyre frozen in a clump. How amazing is that?
So below I am giving instructions for how to cook chicken thighs whether they were individually frozen or were frozen in a clump.
As to chicken thighs frozen in a clump, you can do at most 10 chicken thighs like this. More that that and the clump is too big and things will not cook evenly.
It is best if the clump is still fairly flat. That is, the chicken thighs are touching on each others sides and not stacked. The less contact between the thighs, the better.
Finally, you must remove any styrofoam or absorbent pads, or any packaging before putting the chicken thighs into the Instant Pot. If you froze the chicken thighs with packaging and if the thighs are stuck to the packaging, then you need to defrost the thighs a little bit so that you can remove the packaging. Head over here to learn different ways to thaw chicken thighs.
What Substitutions Should I Use To Make A Healthier Asian Sauce
If you are trying to avoid soy for medical reasons or personal reasons, you are definitely not alone. The growing number of individuals with soy allergy is growing like bananas on a tree . Luckily we dont need to worry about it affecting our favorite Asian recipes because coconut aminos will do the job just fine!
I also substitute the oil option for this toasted sesame oil and if an acid ingredient is required for the recipe, I use brown rice vinegar.
Another common ingredient in Asian recipes is brown sugar. In my opinion a lot of times a recipe does not need a sweetener at all but when it does I use either honey or maple syrup.
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How To Cook Frozen Chicken Wings In Instant Pot
Sometimes, you just want to head out to your favourite pub and indulge in a big order of wings. Whether you like a good dry rub, sweet and sticky BBQ sauce, or hot and spicy buffalo wings, theres a recipe for everyone. Fortunately, its nearly as cheap, easy, and quick to make your own in the IP as it is to go out for dinner. Plus, you can create your own unique flavour blends and keep it healthy. Try one of these tasty chicken wings recipes.
Why Use An Instant Pot
The Instant Pot drastically cuts down the cooking time for cuts of meat that usually have to cook slowly for a long time in order to become tender. And there are many accessories you can use with it to cook in lots of different styles. Its one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can buy.
The Instant Pot is an incredible tool in the kitchen for making dishes that usually take a long time. If you dont have one yet, check out our guide on which one to buy. You can also read up on how to use it, in case youre not sure if its for you.
- Dont Have an Instant Pot Yet?This guide can help you choose the right one.
- garlic powder
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Tip : If Possible Dont Stack Your Chicken
We have learned this the hard way. Because the Instant Pot cooks so fast, if meat is stacked, its really hard for it all to cook evenly. The outside gets done and the inside remains pink as a pig. If its impossible to not stack your chicken, just be sure to check for doneness throughout. If its not done, move it around with some tongs and cook on high pressure for 1-2 more minutes and check again.
How Many Different Ways Can I Cook My Frozen Chicken Breasts In The Instant Pot
I typically do my chicken breasts in one of many different ways.;;
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Perfect Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are an easy way to prepare juicy, perfectly seasoned chicken thighs in an electric pressure cooker–with crispy skin! Directions for cooking fresh chicken thighs, as well as frozen chicken thighs.
The requests are in–you all want Chicken Thigh Recipes and;Instant Pot Recipes.
I knocked both out with this easy recipe for perfectly cooked Instant Pot Chicken Thighs.
I set out to make the best, easiest chicken thigh recipe for the instant pot–that you can master on the BUSIEST of nights! And I have to say, I perfected an easy chicken thigh recipe that you are going to LOVE!
And my biggest critics give their full seal of approval on this instant pot chicken thigh recipe. The meat is tender and moist and the skin is crispy, and not the least bit rubbery.
Bottom line, these Instant Pot Chicken Thighs will be on repeat in my house and I bet at yours as well!
