Instant Pot Chicken Thighs with Potatoes are cooked together in your Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. I show you how to cook pressure cooker chicken thighs and potatoes together at the same time!
Originally published on 9/4/17
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs with Potatoes
I get asked a lot about cooking a meal in the Instant Pot. Many people want to cook multiple types of food at once, in the same pot. This can be a time saver, and it is really nice to have one dirty pot! I rarely have only one dirty pot. 😀
Pressure cooking chicken thighs on top with the Potatoes underneath is an easy way to cook the two foods at once. Because they both have similar cook times, it works out very well!
It's even easier if you use food that doesn't have to be browned first, but these chicken thighs taste much better if you do brown them.
I like doing it this way. When I make them with BBQ sauce, I don't brown them first, I broil them after pressure cooking, to caramelize the BBQ sauce. Yum! You could definitely do the potatoes with BBQ chicken if you want.
This is a great meal to cook in the pressure cooker because it is pretty hard to mess up a chicken thigh! The extra fat in them allow for a little "accidental" overcooking, and they will still be nice and tender.
Chicken breasts in the Instant Pot require a different timing and prep. See my Instant Pot Chicken Breasts recipe here.
Is the skin crispy?
If you browned the thighs before pressure cooking, there will be a little crispness left. To get the skin even crispier, you could broil them after you pressure cook them.
I don't do that as I like them as is, and just want to eat them when they are done cooking. I know they won't be as crispy, and that's fine.
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Where can I find a tall-legged trivet?
I have been getting questions about the tall-legged trivet that I use. I bought one on Amazon a few years ago, and still use it. Here is the one I use: Steaming Rack Stainless Steel Tall Legged Trivet
Instant Pot Chicken Breast
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Instant Pot Chicken Thighs with Potatoes are cooked at the same time in your electric pressure cooker. An easy recipe for beginners to learn to cook two things at the same time.
- ¼ tsp Onion Powder
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Poultry Seasoning
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Paprika
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 6 Chicken Thighs (I use skin on, bone in)
- 1 ½ cups Chicken Broth low sodium
- 3 Large Red Potatoes, cut in fourths
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Small Sprig Rosemary
- ½ Lemon
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Put the spices in a small dish and mix together well. Sprinkle on both sides of the chicken thighs.
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Press the Sauté button on the Instant Pot. When the display reads Hot, add the olive oil.
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Add 3 or 4 chicken thighs, skin side down, and brown them on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining thighs. Set aside on a plate.
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When all of the thighs are browned, carefully remove any remaining oil from the pot. If the bits on the bottom of the pot are too blackened, add a little water and use a wooden spoon to scrape them off and discard. Otherwise, keep the browned bits in there for flavor (Sometimes spices get a little burned).
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Add the broth to the pot (still on Sauté mode). Stir and scrape any remaining brown bits on the bottom of the pot.
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Add the potatoes, butter, and the rosemary.
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Put a tall trivet over the potatoes.
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Set a steamer basket on top of the trivet and add the chicken thighs to it (make sure they don’t set up above the rim of the pot. You need to be able to comfortably get the lid on).
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Squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken.
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Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
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Cancel the sauté mode.
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Press the Poultry, or the Manual button, and use the + or - button to choose 13 minutes.
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When cooking cycle ends, let it naturally release pressure for 5 to 10 minutes. Don’t let it go longer than that.
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Turn off the pot.
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Manually release the remaining pressure, and when the pin in the lid drops, carefully open the lid, facing it away from you.
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Carefully remove the steamer basket with the chicken to a plate.
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Carefully remove the trivet.
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At this point you can either use a potato masher to mash the potatoes right in the pot, or remove them with a slotted spoon and make gravy from the drippings. If you choose to remove them, set them aside and turn on the pot to the sauté mode to make gravy.
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Add a cornstarch slurry to the liquid in the pot (mix 2 Tbsp cornstarch and just enough water to make it loose, and whisk it into the hot liquid in the pot). Keep stirring until it thickens.
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Turn off the pot and serve the gravy over the potatoes, and the chicken thighs if you’d like.
Add ⅛ tsp Cayenne Powder to the spice mixture for a little kick.
Resources to Make pressure cooker Chicken Thighs with Potatoes Recipe and More
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Rick
I want to try this with some boneless skinless thighs I have on hand. Should I still brown them even though they're skinless or is browning skinless chicken a no no? I'm not only new to the insta pot but cooking in general. ? I will probably just use red potatoes so should I stay with original time or adjust for the boneless skinless thighs? Thanks!
Rick
Sandy
Hi Rick! Truthfully, I usually only use frozen when I use thighs. I don't think it would hurt to season and lightly brown the ones you have, if thawed. The cook time will be less, closer to 10 minutes. 8 if the thighs are small. Red potatoes take a little longer to cook, in my experience, so maybe cut them just a bit smaller? Let me know how it works!
Rick
I'd like to try frozen thighs so i can throw them in straight from the freezer when I'm ready to cook so can I season and brown from frozen or does it have to be thawed before you season and brown? I would think they would need to be thawed to be seasoned and browned properly but like I said, I'm new to this! Thanks again!
Sandy
Rick, it's easier to season them when they are thawed. You can run them under cold water and pat dry, then rub a bit of oil or butter, then the spice on them. They won't brown as well as thawed though. Myself, when I use frozen, I just toss them in right on top of the potatoes, sprinkle on the seasoning, and cook them like that!
Pamela Schmidt
I'm making this tonight. I'm sure it will be terrific! Thanks for posting.
Sandy
Hi Pamela, I hope you like it!
Randi
I'd like to make this tonight, how would you adjust the cooking time for boneless/skinless thighs and russet potatoes? Thank you!
Sandy
Hi Randi, I would cut the time to 8 minutes, with a 7 minute natural release, if the thighs are small.
Nancy Shartrand
I made this today, and it was very good. The chicken thighs had so much flavor, and it was so easy. Will be making it again soon. I mashed the potatoes, and made the gravy. Used 4 thighs, two for me and two for a friend. Next time will use more chicken so I have leftovers!
Sandy
Hi Nancy! That's great! I'm glad this recipe worked out for you. Sometimes, it's the simple recipes that we end up liking! Thank you for taking the time to review!
Vickie
Hi Sandy
This was amazing!! My family loved it...even the one year old "new to table food" grandson. I just got an Instapot Gem multi cooker for Xmas. Any thoughts on it? I'm having a hard time finding recipes for it.
Thanks!!
Sandy
That's so great, Vickie! Anytime you can get your home cooked meal approved by the little ones, it's a good thing! I haven't used the Gem yet. It is on my list though. There was a recall on some of the units, so be sure to check to make sure yours isn't one of them! I will be developing Gem recipes in the near future. Thank you for the nice review!
Tess
Hi Sandy,
Looking forward to trying this soon, but I'm going to be using the 3 qt and one frozen chicken thigh (as a college student, I only need one serving haha!). Any insight on how that might change cooking time?
Thanks!
Sandy
Hi Tess! I love that you have an IP at school! I wish I had, lol! The cook time is the same. The thing that changes cook time is if the meat was thicker/larger than average, or smaller/thinner. Pressure cook times go by thickness/density. That's why a roast cooks faster if you cut it in half or thirds, etc. I hope you like the recipe!
Bill Sorg
Fabulous recipe! And the instructions were spot on. My family loved it and I have some picky eaters! I put the chicken under the broiler for about 5 min and it crisped the skin up perfectly! And I made gravy out of the stock and it was a big hit! This will be a staple in our house... Thank you!
Sandy
Hi Bill! That's awesome! You must have a meat and potatoes kind of gang like I do! Thank you for taking the time to review the recipe!