Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
How to cook chicken thighs in an Instant Pot? This brown sugar garlic chicken is the perfect recipe to make chicken thighs in an Instant Pot.
The pressure cooking of Instant Pot ensures that the chicken thighs are perfectly cooked, stay juicy, moist and tender.
The combinations of garlic and brown sugar work like magic with chicken, making it one of the easiest instant pot chicken recipes you can make for the entire family.
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How Long Does it Take to Cook Instant Pot Chicken?
It takes about 5 -10 minutes to cook chicken in an Instant Pot, depending on the chicken parts used in the recipe.
Below are the general guidelines on the time for cooking chicken in an Instant Pot, based on my past experiences:
- Wingettes and drumettes – 5 minutes
- Whole chicken wings – 6 minutes
- Chicken drumsticks and chicken thighs – 8 minutes
- Chicken breasts – 10 minutes
Can you cook frozen chicken in an Instant Pot? Yes, you can cook frozen chicken thighs, chicken breasts, wings and legs in an Instant Pot.
Just add 2 minutes to the time above if you use frozen chicken from the refrigerator.
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 doesn’t vaporize the liquid, instead, it forces the moisture of the chicken out of the meat, creating more liquid in the Instant Pot.
Serve Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken with:
This recipe yields amazingly delicious chicken, with a mouthwatering sauce.
I love serving it with plain steamed rice or plain spaghetti. Check out the recipe ideas below for a complete meal.
How Many Calories Per Serving?
This recipe is only 477 calories per serving.
Pairs well with:
Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken
Juicy and fall-off-the-bone chicken thighs with brown sugar garlic sauce, pressure cooked in an Instant Pot for 8 mins. Instant Pot chicken dinner is so easy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- salt
- ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 dashes cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Instructions
Season the chicken thighs with salt and ground black pepper on both sides of the chicken. Turn on the Saute mode on your Instant Pot. As soon as the pot is fully heated and hot, add the olive oil. Pan sear the chicken thighs (skin side down first) until both sides turn nicely brown. You can also pan-sear the chicken in a skillet and then transfer them over to the Instant Pot.
Add the minced garlic and saute until light brown. Add the chicken broth, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper and salt. Cover the pot and select Manual and set to High pressure for 8 minutes.
When it beeps, turn to Quick Release. When the valve drops, remove the lid carefully and turn to Saute mode to reduce the sauce if it's too watery. Add the chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Notes
Watch the cooking video on this page for step-by-step guide.
I used a 6-quart Instant Pot. If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can make this recipe in a slow cooker, or on your stove top. If you use a slow cooker, Use high heat and cook for 3 hours. For stove top, just pan-fry the chicken and then add in all the ingredients of the sauce. Simmer on low heat and cook until the chicken meat is tender.
I used organic chicken thighs, so they are very small. If you use regular chicken thighs, you can increase the pressure cooking time to 10 minutes for tender meat.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size
4 peopleAmount Per Serving Calories 477Total Fat 35gSaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 166mgSodium 387mgCarbohydrates 10gSugar 8gProtein 28g
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Sharon White
Thank you for this delicious recipe, this Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken recipe will be added to my keeper recipes! Yum!! The only trouble I had was the skin of the chicken stuck solidly to the bottom of the pot! Next time I will brown them in the skillet first.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Sharon, that’s a good idea. Thanks for trying my recipe and please try more IP recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipes/instant-pot-recipes
Dona Pendergast
I made this tonight using skinless boneless chicken breasts, increase the cook time 2 minutes. It was fabulous, even my picky eaters loved it. Thank you!
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipes/instant-pot-recipes
Megan Linzer
I didn’t take a picture but oh my goodness this is sooooo good!! I used chicken breasts and garlic paste as substitutes. Definitely making this again… even my husband liked it!!
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome thanks for trying my recipe. Please try more IP recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipes/instant-pot-recipes
Lisa
Do you have to use the apple cider vinegar? I have all ingredients but that
Rasa Malaysia
You don’t have to.
Kathy Korb
I just made this tonight! So quick and easy! My husband loved it! I served it over rice, I poured the sauce over everything! Delicious ?
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome, please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipes/instant-pot-recipes
Judy Anderson
Thanks – I plan to try this today – with minor variations – I don’t have all the exact ingredients . I appreciate seeing your stuff!!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Judy, thanks for your comment, please let me know how the chicken turn out. :)
HARRY KRONENBERG
Has anyone had any issues with the burn notice?
Rasa Malaysia
Burn notice means the ingredients are probably stuck to the bottom, that’s it.
Caren
You have to use the trivet to keep the brown sugar and fat from chicken burning and sticking to the bottom. Recipe doesn’t say that part.
You’ll also need to deglaze your pan before adding the chicken back in on rack and start the pressure cook
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Caren, I didn’t use the trivet to make this recipe. The brown sugar doesn’t stick to the bottom, the chicken might during pan frying. You can avoid it by pan-frying on a non-stick pan before adding to the IP.
Jessica
It means you need more liquid in your Instant Pot.
Trish
How long do you cook it for if your using boneless skinless chicken thighs? And do you still sear it before pressure cooking it? Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Trish, yes you can sear the skinless chicken thighs if you want. Pressure cook for 6 minutes on high should be fine.
Sharen
Might be due to not deglazing the pot before pressure cooking. I made this last night and there were a lot of bits of chicken stuck to the pot. I pulled out the chicken after browning, sautéed the garlic, added a little liquid (I used a splash of Chinese cooking wine) to help deglaze the pan and then added the sauce and chicken back in.
Karen
I just noticed that I bought the wrong thighs. I bought skinless and boneless. Should I go out and buy the right kind or would this work just as well?
Rasa Malaysia
It will work just fine.