How Long Cook Chicken Thighs Instant Pot

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are so easy to make, tender, and full of flavor. I used bone in chicken thighs, but this method would work with boneless skinless chicken thighs as well.

chicken thighs in a yellow bowl

These Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are ready in a flash, full of flavor, and they are so easy to make!

Hands down, my favorite piece of chicken is the chicken thigh. It has so much flavor, and can handle cooking without drying out. One of my favorite ways to cook chicken thighs is with my Instant Pot Pressure Cooker!

I love to use chicken thighs in my recipes! I have a delicious recipe for Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs that you will not want to miss.

I do have room in my menu for chicken breast, though. I like to use Instant Pot chicken breast for tacos and casseroles. I also like to use my recipe for Slow cooker chicken tacos…that is the best taco meat!

How to make chicken thighs in the instant pot

I started these instant pot chicken thighs by purchasing bone in and skin on chicken thighs. I then removed the skin. There is absolutely no way that skin will get crispy in an instant pot! The skin will just stay flabby and all of your seasonings would be lost if you seasoned your chicken thighs, cooked them, and then removed the skin.

After removing the skin, I seasoned them with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder.

Then I added some avocado oil to my Instant Pot, set it to sauté, and let it get hot. I browned the chicken thighs (in batches) to give them the most flavor possible.

After I had them all browned, I added water to the pot and scraped the bottom to make sure there wasn't any stuck on bits. I added the trivet, put all of the chicken thighs back in, placed the lid, and set the timer for 10 minutes.

If you don't scrape the browned bits from the bottom of your Instant Pot, you may get an error when trying to bring the pot up to pressure.

When the timer was up, I let the pot do a 10 minute natural pressure release, then I flipped the valve to release the rest of the pressure.

How long does it take to cook chicken thighs in a pressure cooker?

These chicken thighs were bone in and they were perfectly cooked after a 10 minute cook time and a 10 minute natural pressure release. If you used boneless skinless chicken thighs, you would need to cook them for 5 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release.

This will result in meat that is perfectly juicy and tender, but not overcooked to where they completely fall apart.

These go perfectly with Cauliflower Mac and Cheese, Low Carb Broccoli Salad, or Parmesan Zucchini and Corn!

You could also chop them up and make Keto Chicken Salad or Cranberry Chicken Salad and then serve it on 90 second bread!

I also like to use my Instant Pot to make Crack Chicken!

chicken thighs on a yellow plate

6-8 Bone in Chicken Thighs, skin removed
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Garlic powder
1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
2 tablespoons avocado oil (Click here for my favorite brand on Amazon)
1 Cup water or both

Electric Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot)

Lay the chicken thighs out on a cutting board and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
Turn the Instant Pot on HI Sauté . When the display reads "hot" add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Brown the chicken thighs on both sides in batches adding additional oil as needed.
Remove the chicken from the pot and add the water. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to remove any burned bits. Cancel sauté function.
Add the trivet to the pot, then the chicken. Seal the lid and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes.
When the Instant Pot is finished cooking, do a 10 minute natural pressure release, then release the rest of the pressure with a quick release.
Remove the chicken from the pot and serve.

The browned bits must be scraped from the bottom to avoid the "burn" warning that is common with the Instant pot.
The trivet is a metal insert that is designed to keep ingredients out of the water. While pressure cooking, it is necessary to use 1-2 cups of water for every recipe.

Serving: 1 thigh | Calories: 184 kcal | Protein: 27 g | Fat: 9 g | Saturated Fat: 3 g