Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Instant pot chicken thighs are pressure cooked to perfection in chicken broth with mushrooms and onions, then mixed into a creamy sour cream sauce. This dreamy one-pot meal is perfect for meal prepping and easy weeknight dinners!
Servings 4 servings
Calories 334kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin on)
- 4 medium shallots (chopped medium)
- 5 ounces mushrooms (10 ounce container - 5 ounces chopped medium - and 5 ounces sliced)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons garlic paste (or 3 cloves crushed)
- 5 ounces sliced mushrooms
Sour cream sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour (white flour)
- 1 cup chicken broth (see notes for a thicker sauce)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- .25 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cognac
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup gouda cheese (shredded)
- 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon (optional)
- 1 teaspoon tarragon
Instructions
- Plug in the instant pot and press the saute button. After 3 minutes, add the oil.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the thighs skin side down and sauté for 3 minutes on one side. Flip and sauté for a minute. Take chicken out and set aside.4 chicken thighs
- There should be chicken fat still in the instant pot container, if not, add a little olive oil. Add the shallots, garlic paste, salt, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken broth and stir.4 medium shallots, 1 cup chicken broth, 3 teaspoons garlic paste, 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Add chopped mushrooms and stir. Then place the thighs on top of the vegetable mixture.5 ounces mushrooms
- Place the lid on the instant pot and seal it. Make sure the venting knob is in the sealed position. Press the pressure cooker button and make sure pressure is set to high, the mode is normal and set the timer to 10 minutes.
- When the instant pot beeps that it's done, wait 5 minutes before doing a quick release. (see notes to see how.)
- Open the lid of the instant pot and add the sliced mushrooms. Replace the lid - you don't need to seal it and let the mushrooms steam for 5 minutes.5 ounces sliced mushrooms
Meanwhile start making the sour cream sauce
- Heat a saucepan on medium heat. Add butter and melt it.3 tablespoons butter
- Add flour and whisk for at least a minute. It will form a paste.3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- Add chicken broth, cognac, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Whisk to combine and keep whisking until the mixture has thickened.1 cup chicken broth, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, .25 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup cognac, 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Take off the heat and let it cool for at least 5 minutes.
- Add sour cream and stir until combined.1 cup sour cream
- Put the saucepan back on the stove and turn the heat on medium - low. Add shredded gouda cheese, dried tarragon, and optional fresh tarragon. Stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.1/2 cup gouda cheese, 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, 1 teaspoon tarragon
- Take the lid off the instant pot and add the sour cream sauce to the pot. Stir and either serve out of the instant pot container or transfer to a serving pan.
- Serve
- Smile
- Enjoy
Notes
NOTE: The calories are calculated with the knowledge that there is an excess of sauce.
Helpful tips
- I make this dish with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs but if you prefer boneless, skinless chicken thighs, the only thing you will change is the cooking time, which will be 8 minutes.
- You can also make this recipe with chicken breasts if you like. The cooking time will remain the same as written in the recipe card.
- Don't have time to defrost your frozen chicken thighs? Not to worry, skip the step where you sauté the thighs, and place the frozen thighs on the vegetables when you get to that step. You will also change the cooking time to 15 minutes.
- Here's the difference if you want to use frozen boneless chicken thighs: Lay the thighs on the vegetables when you get to that step and change the cooking time to 12 minutes.
- If you want extra leftover sauce like I do, you can keep it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. I don't recommend freezing the sauce as it separates.
- Shallots are great in this dish, but if you prefer, you can use a large sweet onion.
- I use baby portobello mushrooms in this recipe, but you can use white button mushrooms if you prefer.
- I prefer to do a quick release instead of a natural pressure release. Here's how to do a quick release: don an oven mitt and carefully nudge the venting knob to the venting position. If you want, you can also nudge it with a wooden spoon. Just be careful not to burn your hand on the steam.
- If you don't want to do a quick release, let the finished thighs sit while you start on the sour cream sauce. Once you are at the step of letting the sauce cool for 5 minutes, do a quick release at this point.
- The reason you need to let the sauce cool before adding sour cream to the sauce is because if you add it to the hot sauce, it will curdle.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 458mg | Potassium: 829mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 912IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 331mg | Iron: 3mg