Chicken Breast Instant Pot Cook Times
BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS
Fresh Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 8 minutes, vent immediately to release any remaining pressure
- Based on 10-ounce boneless chicken breasts
Frozen Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 12 minutes, vent immediately to release any remaining pressure
- Based on 10-ounce boneless chicken breasts
BONE-IN CHICKEN BREASTS
Fresh Bone-In Chicken Breasts
- 10 minutes, natural release for 5 minutes
- Based on 12-ounce bone-in chicken breasts
Frozen Bone-In Chicken Breasts
- 25 minutes, vent immediately to release any remaining pressure
- Based on 12-ounce bone-in chicken breasts
How To Make Chicken Thighs In Instant Pot
Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
Instant Pot Cooking Tip: The cooking time does not include the time that it takes for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure and doesnt account for the time required for a natural pressure release.
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.
Recommended Reading: What Does Auto Mean On Instant Pot
Instant Pot Chicken Wings
Almost all recipes I found online all suggested 5 minutes HP + different times natural pressure release. The 5 minutes did get them to the safe 165F after the resting period BUT they were far from fall-off the bone.
Just like for the whole legs or just thighs and drumsticks longer cooking equals more tender and fall-off the bone meat.
Chicken breasts and bone-in dark chicken really cook completely different.
Anyhow, after a 10-minute high pressure cooking time + 5 minutes or more natural pressure release I noticed they become nice and tender. The wings of the big whole chicken that cooked for 25 minutes had perfect wings, too. So I guess 25 minutes is still fine.
10-25 minutes High Pressure + 5 or more minutes Natural Pressure Release
Step Four: Cook On High Pressure According To The Cook Times Below
- The cook time will remain the same whether you have a small amount of chicken or a lot, but the time the Instant Pot takes to come to pressure will increase the more chicken you have. The time it takes to come to pressure will also be longer if youre cooking frozen chicken.
The below cook times are based upon average weights. If your chicken is smaller, decrease the cook time by 1 to 2 minutes depending upon the extent of the size variation. If they are larger, increase the cook time by 1 to 2 minutes. When in doubt, error on the side of less time. You can always cook the chicken for longer, but once its overcooked , you cant reverse the process.
Also Check: What Does Burn Mean On The Instant Pot
Tools For Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
*Note: With this recipe, were using honey garlic sauce for the chicken thighs, but you can use store-bought BBQ sauce, homemade BBQ sauce, or substitute it with your favorite sauces.
Prepare ingredients for cooking chicken thighs in Instant Pot.
*Pro Tip: Try to finely mince the garlic for this chicken thighs recipe.
How To Make The Gravy
When your Instant Pot is done, let it release the pressure naturally. It wont take long and you can set the table in the meantime. Remove the chicken thighs and the trivet from the insert. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water and add to the liquid at the bottom of the insert. You can press saute button and let it cook until it thickens. The liquid might just be hot enough so you wont need to do that.
Recommended Reading: Instant Pot Burn Display
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.
How Do You Pressure Cook Chicken In An Instant Pot
You need at least 1/2 cup of liquid in an Instant Pot to pressure cook chicken. You may also use up to 1 cup of liquid but 1/2 cup is enough to cook chicken.
1 cup is too much liquid as the process of pressure cooking doesnt vaporize the liquid, instead, it forces the moisture of the chicken out of the meat, creating more liquid in the Instant Pot.
Read Also: Instant Pot Food Burn Message
To Cook Perfect Rice Below Are A Few Tips
- Wash rice under running tap, until water runs clear.
- Measure water. As a general rule for every part of rice, you need two parts of water. But while cooking in Instant Pot because there is no evaporation of water, the amount of water you would need is less. The rice to water ratio would be 1:1.5
- Always add rice to warm water.
- While water is warming up, soak rice for 10 – 15 minutes.
These tips are for regular white rice, long grain Basmati rice and Brown rice. But rice varieties are not only limited to this. With my 20 years of experience in cooking rice, these few tips have always worked for me. But cooking perfect rice also depends on the quality of rice.
If the rice is of the starchy kind, you will have to adjust the quantity of water and time. The age of the rice grain also determines the end result. The older/aged the grain, the better it turns out.
Should I Use Natural Pressure Release Or Quick Release
NPR is when you let the Instant Pot release the pressure naturally. The pressure will release slowly & the lid will unlock when the float valve drops completely. With QR, you manually turn the valve from SEALING to VENTING, which will let the pressure go quickly. Be cautious with QR because the steam will shoot out of the top.
For this recipe, I often use quick release because I do not want to wait for the natural pressure release. However, either release option will work.
Also Check: What To Do If Your Instant Pot Says Burn
Variations On These Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs:
- You can make this recipe dairy-free by omitting the cream or using your favorite non-dairy milk in its place. Keep in mind that this will affect the flavor.
- This recipe is naturally gluten-free, but be sure to double check all of your ingredients.
- To lighten up this recipe, substitute the heavy cream for half and half or light cream. You can also remove the skin before eating.
- Feel free to add vegetables to this recipe! Mushrooms, broccoli or green beans would be great in here, but youll need to keep in mind that they could much more quickly and wont stand up well to a 8-15 minute cook time. Potatoes and carrots would also do well, and larger chunks or whole small potatoes should be fine to cook with the chicken.
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
Recommended Reading: Why Does Instant Pot Say Burn
Flavorful Chicken Thighs In Minutes
Chicken thighs are one of my favorite cuts. They are tender and full of flavor. I especially love when I can snag boneless, it makes life even easier!
These juicy chicken thighs are coated in bright lemon and thyme flavors, for a melt in your mouth experience. They come together incredibly easy in the Instant Pot for a fall apart bite every time.
Because they are so easy to make and take no time at all they are sure to be a weeknight hit. Just add a side or two and you have a yummy home-cooked meal on the table in no time. It sure beats those cereal or grab what ever you can find nights!
Best Honey Garlic Sauce
If youve ever had our Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken, you know how delicious our honey garlic sauce is. This is a slightly modified version of that sauce, but equally as delicious. Heres what you need to make literally the best Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken:
- Honey you can always sub maple syrup instead of honey, but it is HONEY garlic chicken, after all.
- Minced garlic use pre-minced or freshly minced. Either works.
- Soy Sauce feel free to sub tamari for a gluten-free option
- Chili Garlic Sauce adds a little kick of heat! Feel free to use sriracha instead.
- Cornstarch Cornstarch is used as a sauce thickener.
Is honey garlic sauce spicy? Our honey garlic sauce is about a 4/10 spice-wise. If you like it super spicy, feel free to add more chili garlic sauce.
Also Check: Cook Tamales In Instant Pot
How To Make Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- Step 1: To lock in flavor : first sear the chicken by cooking it in the Instant Pot on saute mode for 7-10 minutes.
- Step 2: Season the chicken with just salt and dried thyme before cooking. After searing the chicken, flip it over and add 1 cup of water.
- Step 3: Add the lid and cook with high pressure for 12-15 minutes, depending on how much chicken you are cooking . Allow the pressure in the Instant Pot to vent naturally if you have the time, otherwise, manually vent once the chicken is done pressure cooking.
- Step 4: Shred the chicken
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!
Recommended Reading: How To Cook Frozen Tamales In Instant Pot
Can I Make This Recipe With Chicken Breasts
Yes! We suggest doing a shredded honey garlic chicken breast with this recipe. Instead of sauteing the chicken, just add it to your pressure cooker and then top it with the sauce.
Mix to combine. Seal the Instant Pot and cook on high for 8 minutes. Do a quick release and then shred the chicken breasts. Thicken the sauce as directed.
Check out our Instant Pot Chicken Breast recipe.
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.
You May Like: Instant Pot Auto
Four: Cook Chicken Thighs
- Place lid on the pressure cooker and be sure your vent knob is pointed to sealed.
- Set to high pressure for 8 minutes for bone-in chicken thighs. For boneless chicken thighs cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.
- Once cook time has elapsed, allow pressure to release for 5-10 minutes.
- Manually release any remaining pressure and check the temperature on chicken thighs, with a digital meat thermometer. Your chicken should be between 162-165 degrees Fahrenheit. If your chicken thighs are below 162 degrees, do not panic. Simply place the lid back on the pressure cooker and cook for 1-2 minutes on high pressure. It will not take long for your Instant Pot to come to pressure a second time.
- Remove chicken from Instant Pot and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Tip For Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Our #1 tip for perfect IP Chicken Thighs is to sear BEFORE you pressure cook! This will give your chicken thighs gorgeous color and the texture of seared chicken thighs without having to use your stovetop.
Plus, it will actually help preheat your Instant Pot, cutting the pressurizing time almost in half. Whatever you do, do not skip this step.
Recommended Reading: How Long To Steam Broccoli In Instant Pot
Cooking Chart For Chicken Thighs In Instant Pot
Wondering how long to cook chicken thighs in Instant Pot? Well, check out this easy guide. This recipe calls for thawed, bone-in chicken thighs and 10 minutes at high pressure is the perfect cooking time. Note that larger thighs nay need a little more time.
If you want to use frozen chicken thighs, you will skip the browning step and add a few minutes to the cooking time, increasing it to 13-16 minutes. Do make sure the frozen chicken thighs are separated, not in a bunch.
If you have boneless chicken thighs, you will only need to cook them for 8-9 minutes or 10-12 minutes if cooking from frozen, again skipping the browning step.
- Bone in thawed chicken thighs: 10 12 minutes depending on size.
- Bone in frozen chicken thighs: 13-16 minutes separated not in a lump.
- Boneless thawed chicken thighs: 8-9 minutes depending on size.
Can I Skip Browning The Chicken Thighs
I shouldnt 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.
Read Also: Instant Pot Duo Delay Start
Also Check: What To Do When Instant Pot Says Food Burn
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs Recipe Tips
- Dont crowd the air fryer basket. The chicken thighs should be in a single layer. You want the air to be able to circulate around the pieces so that the skin will crisp as it cooks. Cook the chicken in batches if needed.
- I tested this recipe in the Cosori 5.8 quart air fryer. Air fryers can vary so the cook times given are estimates. The nice thing about the air fryer is that its easy to open it during the cooking process to check if the chicken is done.
- If your chicken pieces are not all the same size, smaller thighs will cook faster than larger thighs. If some thighs are done before others, remove the pieces that are done first to a clean plate while the rest finish cooking.
- If you have extra room in your air fryer, you can air fry a vegetable at the same time as the chicken, as long as everything fits in a single layer. This may be an option if you have a larger air fryer model and are cooking for one or two, rather than a large family.
How To Cook Chicken Legs In The Instant Pot
Youll need the trivet that came with the Instant Pot. If you dont have one, you can set the chicken directly in the pot. I like the texture of the chicken more when its on the trivet. Its more tender and less water-logged, for lack of a better descriptor.
Seasoning the chicken legs before cooking adds a ton of flavor. I season almost everything with my homemade dry rub. You can find the recipe at that link. Its fine to season with seasoning salt or just salt and pepper.
Pour a cup of hot chicken broth into the base of the pot. Add the trivet. Then place the legs evenly on the trivet. This recipe is for just 2 servings, but you can make as many chicken legs as you need, just stack them up.
Close the lid and seal the vent. Press the pressure cook button and set the time to 10 minutes. After this, allow natural pressure release for 5 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.
You can cook frozen chicken legs in the Instant Pot, if youve forgotten or havent had time to thaw in advance. If youre cooking these chicken legs from frozen, youll need to give them 14 minutes of cook time, and I also sometimes extend the pressure release to 8 minutes.
Be sure to visit our Instant Pot Guide for more tips and great recipes!
At this point, you can serve the chicken legs as is. They are nicely seasoned and tasty. Or you can brush them with BBQ sauce , buffalo sauce, or a glaze, like this delicious honey sriracha sauce.
You May Like: Instant Pot Plain Pasta
