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These Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs are so easy to make and are the juiciest chicken thighs ever! The best part is you can cook these chicken thighs from frozen in the instant pot. If you forget to pull chicken out of the freezer to defrost, no problem! Toss frozen thighs in an instant pot with some garlic, butter, salt and pepper for a delicious and easy dinner!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect for weeknight eating – I love this recipe for busy nights! Cook a few simple ingredients in the Instant Pot, and you’ll have a super tasty dinner in under a half hour. As a nutritionist, I am all about quick meals that are healthy and nutrient dense. Having a good recipe for high protein chicken for meal prep is a must!
- Easy and delicious sauce – The best part is the sauce that you make right in the pot! The combination of juices from the chicken, garlic, lemon and spices create this incredible sauce that I love pouring right on top of the chicken thighs!
- Last minute meal – When you are running low on groceries and aren’t sure what to make, pressure cook frozen chicken thighs. Instant pot recipes are my go to for last minute meals, and cooking frozen chicken makes it even easier. Plus, this recipe is kid-friendly and gluten-free!
Pro tip: Pair these chicken thighs with my Crispy Parmesan Sheet Pan Potatoes for an extra-crispy, flavorful side that the whole family will love!
How to Serve
I love making these instant pot chicken thighs because they are so tender and versatile! If you love quick and flavorful chicken recipes, be sure to check out my Rotisserie Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot. It’s another family favorite! You can serve them with just about any side you would like. You could serve it with some roasted brussels sprouts, air fryer asparagus, or green beans. For a carb or starch on the side, I love serving some rice, roasted potatoes or smashed potatoes.
The leftovers are delicious in a salad for lunch the next day! I love putting it on a simple green salad with one of my homemade dressings.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs
These are the ingredients you need for this recipe!
- Large bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- Chicken stock or broth
- Sea salt
- Cracked black pepper
- Butter or ghee
- Garlic
- Lemon juice
Variations
I love lemon garlic chicken, but feel free to follow the same method with your own spice blend! Paprika is great for a smokier flavor. Add honey to sweeten it up. Onion would be great alongside the garlic. For meal prep, I’ll opt to make the chicken with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder so I can add sauces throughout the week.
This recipe is written for large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. If you use boneless chicken thighs, you will need to adjust cooking time. Bone-in chicken thighs will also give you juicy chicken thighs! Boneless skinless chicken thighs are not quite as juicy. You can use chicken breasts, but adjust cooking time because breasts are larger than thighs. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature after your chicken cooks.
You can use water instead of broth to cook your frozen chicken thighs in the instant pot, but it is SO much more flavorful with broth! I remove the broth for the sauce, but if you want to make more sauce, add in the broth along with a cornstarch slurry to thicken it up!
How to Make Frozen Chicken Thighs in the Instant Pot
Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Pour the chicken broth in the bottom of an 8-quart Instant pot, place the chicken on top. You do not need the trivet or steamer basket. Seal the Instant Pot lid and valve and use manual high pressure for 12 minutes. Use a natural pressure release for 5 minutes, then open the vent for a quick release for the remaining pressure.
While pressure is releasing, set your oven to a broil. Remove the lid once steam has been released and place the chicken on a baking sheet.
Remove the cooking liquid from the pressure cooker, and place the pot back in your IP. Set your IP to the sauté function. Once hot, add butter and garlic. Saute for 1 -2 minutes, now add the lemon juice to deglaze the pan.
Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken, place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes. Spoon extra sauce over the finished chicken and serve.
Storing and Reheating
You can store leftover chicken thighs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You can reheat in the oven or air fryer until warmed through, but I prefer to have leftover chicken cold from the fridge on a salad or sandwich!
If you enjoy instant pot chicken thigh recipes, try this chicken cacciatore next!
Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs from Frozen
Ingredients
- 2 – 3 large bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp butter or ghee
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Season your chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Pour the chicken broth in the bottom of the Instant pot, place the chicken on top. Seal the Instant Pot and use manual high pressure for 12 minutes. Use a natural release for 5 minutes, then a quick release.
- While pressure is releasing, set your oven to a broil. Remove the lid once steam has been released and place the chicken on a sheet pan.
- Remove the broth from the instant pot, and place back in your IP. Set your IP to sauté. Once hot, add butter and garlic. Sauce for 1 -2 minutes, now add the lemon juice to deglaze the pan. Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken, place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and spoon extra sauce over the finished chicken and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I LOVE this recipe!!! I love that it is straight from frozen and it is so easy. Because the second step is adding the flavor, it makes it really simple to use this recipe for a second night while still tasting fresh! This is definitely getting added to our regular meal rotation.