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4.80 from 10 votes

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken with Garlic

This Instant Pot lemon chicken is tender, juicy, lemony, creamy and just absolutely incredible - plus it's ready in 30 minutes!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 385kcal
Author: Danielle Wolter

Equipment

  • Instant Pot

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken thighs bone-in
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • ½ medium onion diced
  • 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ¼ cup chicken broth
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley optional for garnish

Instructions

  • Season the chicken thighs with the salt and pepper and place them, skin side down, in a cold cast iron skillet.
  • Turn the skillet on medium low heat and let the thighs cook about 10-12 minutes, until the skin is crisp. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Heat the butter in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting. Add the onions and garlic and cook until they are softened, about 3-5 minutes.
  • Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest and cayenne pepper. Mix together.
  • Nestle the chicken thighs on top and close the lid. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 10 minutes.
  • Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes then use the quick release to release any remaining pressure.
  • Carefully remove the thighs from the Instant Pot and set them aside.
  • Add the cream and bring to a simmer on the sauté setting. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes, until slightly reduced.
  • Add any additional salt to taste at this time.
  • Add the chicken back in and spoon the sauce over to coat the chicken. Serve garnished with chopped parsley.

Notes

  1. I recommend browning the thighs in a cast iron skillet instead of the Instant Pot because the Instant Pot tends to stick and it's more difficult to control the temperature.
  2. You can also use boneless skinless thighs and brown the outside of the thighs for 2-3 minutes per side before adding to the Instant Pot (or brown right in the Instant Pot). You can use the same technique for chicken breast.
  3. For an extra lemony flavor, add ½ -1 teaspoon more of lemon zest.
  4. To thicken the sauce, slowly stir in a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water) while stirring until the desired thickness is reached.
  5. To cook chicken straight from frozen, increase the pressure cook time to 15-17 minutes, depending on size of your chicken thighs.
  6. You can easily double the recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1thigh | Calories: 385kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 513mg | Potassium: 275mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 595IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg