Instant Pot Chicken Thighs is a family favorite pressure cooker recipe. Learn how to make tender and juicy chicken thighs in your instant pot, it’s so easy! 
When you make these pressure cooker chicken thighs you’ll use bone-in, with skin on chicken thighs. They are perfect served alongside Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or Garlic Butter Pasta. I love that they are smothered in creamy wine herb sauce!
Cooking chicken in your Instant Pot makes it easy for you to multi-task and make a dessert at the same time! Because your stove or oven are available for other things! You will not believe how simple and delicious this chicken recipe is! Chicken thighs are moist and flavorful, and of course dark meat is so incredibly tender!
How to cook juicy and moist chicken thighs in the Instant Pot
- In this recipe I chose bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs because they always turn out juicier and extra flavorful. But you can certainly use boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe as well. Fresh or frozen are fine. Easy start!
- For chicken seasoning, I simply used salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. I also added same combination into the sauce.
- When you make these pressure cooker chicken thighs you will use cream and wine to make the sauce super flavorful. I love making sure we can have a nice fancy dinner on the table without too much fuss.
- It’s always funny to me how I can load my pressure cooker with so much meat every single time, and yet not overload it! But, even if it looks like too much, all this chicken will shrink while cooking and you will be wondering why you didn’t put more.
HOW TO RELEASE PRESSURE
You will know when pressure cooking is over because the pressure cooker will start beeping.
- First things first, push “Cancel” to cancel the reheat mode. Now the digital display will show “OFF”. At this point do not turn off the pot, but wait for 10 minutes.
- Quick release any remaining pressure in the pot by carefully turning the steam release valve to the venting position. Allow remaining pressure (steam) to vent.
- When the float valve drops down, open the Instant Pot. To do so, turn the lid to “Open” position and then open the pot.
HOW TO MAKE ROUX FOR INSTANT POT CHICKEN THIGHS
While the Instant Pot pork chops are being pressure cooked, it’s time to whip up some roux. This will thicken the white wine and mushroom gravy!
- To do so, we’ll need to turn on the stove. Also, we will need a small saucepan. Once you have those ready, add butter and allow it to melt.
- Next, slowly whisk in flour, one tablespoon at a time.
- Now add heavy cream and continue whisking until the mushroom gravy is thick.
More Instant Pot recipes you’ll love
Judging by the popularity of Instant Pot Pork Chops and Instant Pot Chicken and Rice many of you will also love Instant Pot Spatchcock Chicken.
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 8 oz white mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (more for chicken)
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning or Oregano
- 2 lb. chicken thighs skin-on, bone-in
- To thicken sauce:
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat IP by pushing Sauté button.
- Add olive oil, chopped garlic, and sliced mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms, garlic and onions are translucent.
- Deglaze by pouring white wine into the pot to make sure that to get all bits and pieces from the bottom of the pot. This will ensure that no Burn warning will appear.
- Add chicken stock, heavy cream, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Stir to mix.
- Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
- Add seasoned chicken into the pot. Place thyme sprigs on top of the chicken.
- Place the lid on the pot and set the valve to sealing. Press Pressure Cook (or Manual), High Pressure, and set cooking time for 8 minutes.
- Allow for the pot to come to pressure (it took 10 minutes for me), pressure cook for 8 minutes, and then allow 10 minutes of natural pressure release.
- Release any remaining pressure from the pot and remove the lid.
- Roux
- In a small saucepan add butter and allow it to melt. Slowly whisk in flour, one tablespoon at a time. Add heavy cream and continue whisking until gravy is thick.
- Remove chicken thighs from the IP before adding the roux! Add the roux (flour mixture from above) into your Instant Pot and mix using a whisk. The gravy is ready!
- Pour the gravy over the chicken thighs, and serve with mashed potatoes or roasted vegetables.
Do you have to cook longer if you use frozen chicken thighs?
You will set the same amount of time. What you will notice is that coming to pressure time will increase slightly, but the time you set on the pressure cooker itself will stay the same.
I made this with boneless thighs since that’s what I had on hand- I also left out the roux since we are on a ketogenic diet. This was amazing served with sautéed spinach and cauliflower mash. It was even yummier the next day over zucchini noodles! Thanks for the great recipe- my whole family loved it!
Thank you Carissa! Zucchini noodles with chicken thighs sounds so delicious!
The flavor of this chicken was great, however, I was a little disappointed in this recipe. The onions are not listed in the ingredients but are in the instructions step 2. I should have gone with my gut and seared each piece on sautee first. I just thought the finished product was unappealing to the eye since it just looked like boiled chicken. My son wouldn’t touch it because it looked ugly. I thought about sticking them in the broiler after to crisp up the skin but everyone was too hungry to wait anymore. I had three pieces left and made a killer chicken salad though, to there’s that…