Creamy Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs (pressure cooker)

Creamy Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs (pressure cooker) - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

written by Ashley Fehr

4.98 from 42 votes

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings

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Last updated on June 1, 2020

These Creamy Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are easy and delicious! Use bone in or boneless chicken thighs — both come out perfectly in the pressure cooker!

Creamy Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs (pressure cooker) - The Recipe Rebel (2)

Can I cook frozen chicken thighs in the Instant Pot?
How do I get crispy chicken thighs in the Instant Pot pressure cooker?
How long do you cook chicken thighs in the pressure cooker?
Variations on these Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs:
What to serve with these Instant Pot Chicken Thighs?
Creamy Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe

So in December, I got a little carried away with holiday cookies and mashed potatoes and hot caffeinated drinks and such, but I want you to know we’re back to real food and I’m bringing my Instant Pot along for the ride!

I have a lot of fun dinner recipes planned, and these Creamy Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are just the beginning.

I know that these sound a little indulgent, but there’s just a little cream in this recipe, that’s stirred into the sauce just before serving (don’t try to pressure cook the cream or you’ll have trouble!), and it makes this a luxuriously comforting but also relatively healthy weeknight dinner.

Plus, we love sauce.

A creamy, garlicy sauce to boot? Yes. Yes please.

These pressure cooker chicken thighs are perfect over mashed potatoes or pasta, but they’re also great with a side of steamed green beans or broccoli or a simple side salad.

Creamy Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs (pressure cooker) - The Recipe Rebel (3)

Can I cook frozen chicken thighs in the Instant Pot?

You can absolutely cook frozen chicken thighs in the Instant Pot, but you won’t be able to brown them first.

Check out my post here on how to cook Instant Pot chicken thighs from frozen, and find my recipe for BBQ chicken thighs.

How do I get crispy chicken thighs in the Instant Pot pressure cooker?

When I’m cooking bone-in, skin on chicken thighs, I always brown the chicken thighs, skin side down, first.

With all of the steam that the pressure cooker creates, the skin isn’t going to stay crispy, but it will be much better than if we had skipped this step altogether.

For truly crispy Instant Pot chicken thighs, you will want to remove the chicken thighs from the Instant Pot after cooking and broil for 2-3 minutes to crisp up the skin, while the sauce finishes in the pressure cooker.

I know this is an extra step, but if crispy skin is important to you, you’ll find it’s worth it.

If you, like me, don’t eat the skin, you can simply peel it off after cooking (it adds so much moisture if you leave it on during the cooking process!), and enjoy!

How long do you cook chicken thighs in the pressure cooker?

Bone in chicken thighs:

For fresh, bone-in chicken thighs of around 5-6oz, you will pressure cook for 10 minutes. For frozen chicken thighs, you’ll likely want to add a few minutes and cook for 13-15 minutes.

Boneless chicken thighs:

For fresh, boneless chicken thighs, you will cook for about 7-8 minutes. For frozen boneless chicken thighs, you will cook for 12-13 minutes on high pressure.

Creamy Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs (pressure cooker) - The Recipe Rebel (4)

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 you’ll need to keep in mind that they could much more quickly and won’t 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.

What to serve with these Instant Pot Chicken Thighs?

This recipe has so much flavor going on that we prefer to serve it with mashed potatoes, rice or plain pasta! But any of these would also be great options:

Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Instant Pot Baked Potatoes Recipe

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Creamy Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

written by Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

▢ 1 tablespoon canola oil
▢ 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
▢ 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
▢ 1/4 teaspoon paprika
▢ 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
▢ 8 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
▢ 2 teaspoons minced garlic
▢ 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
▢ 1/2 cup heavy cream
▢ 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch

Instructions

Turn a 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot to saute. When it says “hot”, add the oil.
Meanwhile, combine the Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle over chicken thighs, skin side up.
Sear chicken thighs, skin side down, for 2-3 minutes or until the chicken moves easily. I do this in two sets of 4 thighs. If it seems to be stuck to the pot, it is not ready to be removed yet. (you may have to tilt and swirl your pot during this process so that the oil evenly coats the bottom of the pot)
Remove chicken thighs to a plate, drain remaining oil and add in minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
Add broth to the hot pot, and scrape the bottom so the brown bits come up into the broth.
Turn off the Instant Pot, add the chicken thighs back in in a single layer (you may have to overlap them just slightly as pictured), skin side up.
Put the lid on, turn the valve to sealing, and select Manual or Pressure Cook for a cook time of 10 minutes (see alternate cook times above). It will take 6-8 minutes to come to pressure and begin counting down.
When the cook time is over, let pressure release naturally for 7-8 minutes before opening the valve and removing the lid.
Remove chicken to a plate (see notes above about broiling if desired). Whisk together cream and corn starch and stir into remaining liquid in Instant Pot.
Turn the Instant Pot to saute, whisk and simmer the sauce until thickened. Serve with chicken thighs.

Nutrition Information

Keywords instant pot, pressure cooker

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Creamy Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs (pressure cooker) - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

FAQs

Does chicken get more tender the longer you cook it in an Instant Pot? ›

This dinner staple cooks up perfectly every time in the Instant Pot. You can aim for firm but juicy chicken for cubing, or let it cook a little bit longer for tender shredded chicken.

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Why does chicken get rubbery in Instant Pot? ›

Why is my Instant Pot shredded chicken rubbery? Rubbery Instant Pot shredded chicken is usually the result of overcooking the meat.

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How do you keep chicken from getting tough in Instant Pot? ›

If you only have water, that will work but you may want to add in chicken bouillon or increase the seasonings. Butter: yes, it's true. Since chicken breasts are so lean, I like to add a bit of fat to the cooking process to keep them so juicy. It's my favorite way to make them!

Tell Me More ›

Why is my pressure cooker chicken tough? ›

Without watching over your shoulder in your kitchen, the most likely reason is overcooking. Pressure cookers are powerful, and it can be a fine line between perfectly done vs. too much. Longer cook times squeeze more moisture out of the tissue, leaving it drier and tougher.

Is it possible to overcook chicken in a pressure cooker? ›

Do check the temperature often to avoid overcooking. If the pressure cooker has completely cooled down, you can heat it up before placing the chicken breast back in. Remember to turn off the heat before you place the chicken breast back in to avoid overcooking the exterior!

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Is it better to pressure cook or slow cook chicken? ›

So can a Crock-Pot cook better chicken than an Instant Pot? Well, it really depends on what you're making. The Instant Pot cooks chicken much faster than its non-pressure counterparts, but the resulting texture isn't going to be the same as what you'd get with a slow cooker or Dutch oven.

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Can you overcook chicken thighs in a slow cooker? ›

You can overcook chicken in a slow cooker. If the chicken is cooked too long, it will become dry and tough. Check your chicken for doneness early, especially if it is one of your first times making it.

Learn More Now ›

Does a pressure cooker dry out chicken? ›

Like the slow cooker, the Instant Pot (and other pressure cookers) creates a moist cooking environment that does not dry out the skin. Don't fear, though — this doesn't mean you can't get crispy skin after cooking in the Instant Pot.

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Can you pressure cook chicken too long? ›

They cook quickly in the Instant Pot, but if you don't cook them long enough they get a weird, rubber-like texture that's nearly impossible to chew, and if you cook them too long, their texture gets dry.

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Does chicken cook faster in pressure cooker? ›

Pressure cookers save you time by cooking foods TWO to TEN times faster than other cooking methods. They are the fastest way to cook delicious meals: beef roasts, chicken, rice, dry beans, you name it.

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Does cooking chicken too long make it tough? ›

The best way to do this is to cook it to the proper temperature. Overcooking leads to dry, tough, sawdusty meat with nearly no flavor. High doneness temperature for food safety. Salmonella is the food safety enemy in chicken that dies only at higher temperatures.

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Does cooking meat longer make it more tender? ›

Your meat will be juicier and more tender

The longer cooking time and the low heat complement each other perfectly. As a result, even though the meat is cooked for far longer, it doesn't dry out because the temperature is low. As a result, this is the best way to retain all the natural juices of the meat.

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