Easy Rosemary Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

These Creamy Rosemary Instant Pot chicken thighs are tender and juicy with herby and zesty flavor. You’ll enjoy this recipe so much, be sure to cook extra so you can use the chicken in other recipes. 

Suitable for gluten free, low carb, keto, and Whole30 diets.

Chicken is incredibly versatile, and chicken thighs are the perfect choice for stretching your budget. Often less expensive than other cuts, chicken thighs are juicy and flavorful, so you get a lot of bang for your buck.

These Instant Pot chicken thighs have a savory creamy sauce that pairs well with rice, potatoes, or pasta–whatever you happen to have on hand. The recipe itself is easily adaptable to work with ingredients that you already have in your pantry.

Why Make This Recipe

• Flavorful – The creamy sauce is bursting with flavor without being over-indulgent.
• Frugal – Chicken thighs are a great choice when budgeting is important. 
• Customizable – It’s easy to swap a few ingredients and change the flavor of this dish. 
• It’s also easy to double or triple this recipe to serve more people or so you can use the leftovers later in the week.
• Creamy – Only calls for ¼ cup of heavy cream won’t be too decadent on your waistline.  

Ingredient Notes

• Chicken thighs – I used skin on bone in thighs, but feel free to use skinless ones.
• Onion – use white or red onions, which ever you have/like.
• Seasoning – salt and pepper and Italian seasoning. Use homemade or store bought Italian Seasoning.
• Fresh rosemary – A few springs give the dish it signature flavor, If you don’t have any fresh then use about 1/3 teaspoon dried rosemary instead. Replace the rosemary sprigs with a few sprigs of thyme or sage.

How To Make Chicken Thighs in Instant Pot

Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

1. Season the chicken thighs with some salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Set the Instant Pot to the sauté mode. Add in the olive oil and butter, allow butter to melt before browning the meat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from the Instant Pot and set aside.
3. Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the cream and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan and scrape up any bits that may be stuck to the bottom. Return the chicken to the pot and seal.
4. Cook for 9 minutes at high pressure followed by a natural release of pressure.
5. Stir in the cream before serving. 

Instant Pot Cooking Tip: The cooking time does not include the time that it takes for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure and doesn’t account for the time required for a natural pressure release.  

Cooking Chicken Safely

It is important to make sure that chicken is always cooked completely. The most accurate way to check for doneness is to use a meat thermometer and insert it into the meatiest part of the chicken thigh to check the internal temperature.

Guidelines state that chicken is done and considered safe to eat once the internal temperature reaches at least 165F / 74C. If the meat has not reached the appropriate temperature, reset the lid and cook for 3-5 more minutes then check the temperature again. 

Tips For Success

• Using a natural pressure release (NPR) results in the best juicy chicken.
• Even though it seems like it takes extra time, don’t skip browning the chicken thighs. This adds a ton of easy flavor to this dish. 
• Don’t pressure cook the cream! You will add the cream just before you serve this dish. Trust us, don’t cook it!
• After you add the broth and other ingredients, scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot with a wooden spoon. This will remove any bits of chicken that may have stuck to the bottom and save you from getting the dreaded “burn” indication. 

Delicious Variations

Creamy rosemary chicken thighs have a wonderful Italian flare, but you can easily change up the flavors. 

• Add veggies – Toss in some chopped carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, or your favorite veggies. For this method using fresh chicken rather than frozen is preferable because a longer cooking time could cause veggies to become mushy. 
• Go dairy-free – Use vegan butter and non-dairy milk in place of the half and half for a dairy-free version of this recipe.
• Lighten up – You can use half and half or even whole milk in place of the heavy cream. This will lighten the recipe a bit and you can use ingredients you have on hand so it’s a win for your budget.

Budget Tips

• Double or Triple the Recipe – as long as you don’t fill the Instant Pot above the fill line you can double or triple the recipe. Enjoy the leftovers as another meal or use the chicken in another recipe.
• Make it TWO Meals –  Make a bit of extra sauce and serve the sauce over pasta or rice.
• Use any Leftover Chicken – Shred the leftover chicken and use it in tacos, as a salad or pizza topping, or as a sandwich filling.
• Save the Bones – Toss the bones in an airtight bag in the freezer. When you have a bag full, toss them in a pot with water and some veggie scraps (leftover bit of raw onion, carrots, or celery) and make a flavorful chicken broth to use in soup or other recipes. 

Make Ahead and Storage

This Instapot Chicken Thigh recipe is perfect for prepping ahead.

• Prep Ahead – The sauce is best consumed just after you make it but the chicken is perfect for using in other recipes and can be prepped ahead and frozen as instructed below.
• Store – Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
• Freeze – Remove the skin and bone from the chicken and shred the meat. Place the meat in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to two months. Freeze the bones and save them for making chicken stock.

Cooking Chart For Chicken Thighs In Instant Pot?

Wondering how long to cook chicken thighs in Instant Pot? Well, check out this easy guide. This recipe calls for thawed, bone-in chicken thighs and 10 minutes at high pressure is the perfect cooking time. Note that larger thighs nay need a little more time.

If you want to use frozen chicken thighs, you will skip the browning step and add a few minutes to the cooking time, increasing it to 13-16 minutes. Do make sure the frozen chicken thighs are separated, not in a bunch.

If you have boneless chicken thighs, you will only need to cook them for 8-9 minutes or 10-12 minutes if cooking from frozen, again skipping the browning step. 

• Bone in thawed chicken thighs: 10 – 12 minutes depending on size.
• Bone in frozen chicken thighs: 13-16 minutes separated not in a lump.
• Boneless thawed chicken thighs: 8-9 minutes depending on size.

FAQs

Serving Ideas

Serve the chicken and sauce over rice, pasta, mashed cauliflower or mashed potatoes. You can also serve the chicken and sauce alone and serve a green vegetable or a salad on the side or with bread that you can use to sop up all of the extra sauce. 

Weight Watchers Points

There are 10 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.

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