Name: Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Quick Dinner
Ingredients: 4 large chicken thighs with bone and skin; Salt (I like to use large flake sea salt, but any kind will work); Pepper; 2 Tbsp. olive oil; 1 cup chicken broth; 1/2 cup chicken broth; 1/3 cup whipping cream; 2-3 Tbsp. dice sun dried tomatoes; 1 1/2 Tbsp. flavored oil from the sundried tomatoes; 1 Tbsp. fresh basil, or 2 tsp. dried; 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch; 2 cloves of minced garlic; Salt & pepper to taste

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These Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are the dinner recipe you’ve been waiting for! They’re full of flavor and on the table in less than an hour!

Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and Pasta

One good thing that’s come from all of this Covid-19 (or Corona virus, if you prefer) business is that there’s been an extension on comfort food season. Because even if the weather isn’t calling for bowls of creamy, carby chicken, perpetual crisis mode is an equally valid reason to eat allllll the pasta, right?

And these Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Thighs definitely fit the bill. Flavorful, tender chicken with a creamy sauce, served over a bed of pasta? What could possible be wrong with this situation? I’m definitely taking this time as a perfect excuse (I mean reason) to eat all the things. But hey, I showed some restraint! There’s no cheese in the sauce, and the chicken thighs are lean protein. There you go, this is now health food. And it has tomatoes, which are vegetables. Practically a salad, you little chickpea. Enjoy this obscenely healthy dinner that’s on the table in 40 minutes.

What you need for Italian Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

Most of these items are pantry and refrigerator staples, or I share an alternative that you’ve probably got on hand. And of course, you’ll need an Instant Pot! This 8 quart Instant Pot Duo is the one I have and recommend.

Chicken thighs with the bones in and skins on. Make sure you
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Chicken Stock or Broth
Whipping cream
Diced sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
Basil (I like to use fresh, but dried works too!)
Minced garlic
Cornstarch

How to Make Italian Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

Start by patting your chicken dry and trimming off any excess skin and fat. Sprinkle both sides generously with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in your instant pot on the saute setting until it’s nice and hot. Then add the chicken, skin side down, and cook for about 5 minutes. You want the skins to be nice and browned–this gives the chicken so much flavor!
Remove the thighs to a plate and pour in the cup of chicken stock. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to loosen up the cooked bits on the bottom. If you don’t get most of them up, the Instant Pot may give you a burn notice.
Add the chicken back into the pot, place the lid on it with the pressure valve set to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Once it has finished, cooking, let it sit for 5 minutes and do a quick release by turning the knob to Venting. Remove the lid once the pressure pin has fallen.
While the chicken cooks, whisk together the 1/2 cup of chicken broth, whipping cream, basil, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and cornstarch until it is smooth.
After the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pot and bring the remaining liquid to a simmer with the saute setting. Whisk in the sauce ingredients, then cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the chicken over pasta or rice and pour the sauce over it. Garnish with more fresh basil, parmesan cheese, and cracked pepper if desired.

Recipe Notes and Tips:

If you wish to double the batch, simply repeat the sauteing step, adding another tablespoon of olive oil before the second batch. You’ll probably have to lean the thighs against each other to fit them all in during the pressure cooking. Do NOT add two cups of chicken stock for the pressure cooking step.
When you add the chicken stock before pressure cooking, get up as many of the browned bits stuck to the bottom as you can. If there’s a lot of food stuck, the Instant Pot can give you a burn warning.
Be sure to get sundried tomatoes that are packed in oil–it adds a ton of flavor to the sauce!
When turning the pressure knob to venting, place a dish towel over it to protect yourself and the cabinets from the escaping steam.
This recipe is gluten free-woohoo! It can be served over rice or gluten free pasta if you wish.

Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

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Author: Rebecca Neidhart
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

These Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are the dinner recipe you’ve been waiting for! They’re full of flavor and on the table in less than an hour!

Ingredients

Scale

4 large chicken thighs with bone and skin
Salt (I like to use large flake sea salt, but any kind will work)
Pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chicken broth

For the Sauce:

1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup whipping cream
2–3 Tbsp. dice sun dried tomatoes
1 1/2 Tbsp. flavored oil from the sundried tomatoes
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, or 2 tsp. dried
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 cloves of minced garlic
Salt & pepper to taste

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Instructions

Pat both sides of each chicken thigh dry, then sprinkle the skin side liberally with salt and pepper.

Heat the 2 Tbsp. olive oil in the Instant Pot on the saute setting until it’s very hot. It will look more runny than olive oil at room temperature, and should move very quickly across the bottom of the pot when you tilt it.

Place the chicken thighs skin side down in the bottom of the pot and let them cook for 5-6 minutes, or until they are golden brown and the skin looks crispy. The browner the skins, the more flavor your chicken will have. Flip them over and let the other side cook for another 2 minutes, then remove them to a plate.

Pour in the cup of chicken broth and scrape the bottom of your pot with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. This removes any browned bits that have cooked onto the surface, and leaving them may cause the instant pot to give you a burn warning.

Add the chicken thighs back into the pot and place the lid on top with the steam valve set to “sealing.” Turn on the pressure cook setting (it’s called manual on some pots) on high pressure for 10 minutes. The pot should come to pressure quickly since it’s already fairly hot.

While the chicken is cooking, whisk all of the sauce ingredients together.

When the chicken has finished cooking, allow it to release the pressure manually. If you are short on time, you can manually release the pressure after 5 minutes. Once the pressure pin has dropped, remove the lid and put the chicken on a plate.

Turn the Instant Pot back to saute and allow the liquid inside to begin bubbling. Whisk in the sauce mixture and allow it to bubble and thicken, stirring occasionally to prevent the cornstarch from lumping. This should take about 5 minutes.

Serve the chicken over pasta or rice and smother with the sauce. Garnish with more basil, parmesan cheese, or freshly cracked pepper if you wish.

Notes

If you wish to double the batch, simply repeat the sauteing step, adding another tablespoon of olive oil before the second batch. You’ll probably have to lean the thighs against each other to fit them all in during the pressure cooking

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Category: Entrees and Main Dishes
Method: Instant Pot
Cuisine: Quick Dinner