Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Thighs

This instant pot frozen chicken thighs recipe will show you how to cook frozen chicken thighs in instant pot in easy, quick steps. Be it bone-in or skinless boneless chicken thighs, you can cook them in the pressure cooker in under 25 minutes.

We like serving it with potatoes, vegetables, and gravy made from its drippings.

If you forget to take out chicken from the freezer or you bought a frozen pack that you need to cook right away, then this recipe is for you. The chicken thighs come out flavorful, tender, moist, and delicious.

The instant pot is one of the best gadgets for cooking frozen foods. If done right, you are guaranteed safely cooked, tender, juicy, and delicious chicken thighs. This post is to show you how to do it right. 

Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Thighs Recipe

This instant pot frozen chicken thighs recipe is quick, easy, and simply the best.

The instant pot cooks food in less than half of the time it takes to cook on the stovetop or any other method and these pressure cooker frozen chicken thighs in instant pot are cooked in under 20 minutes. How quick is that from raw frozen to delicious chicken? 

This instant pot chicken thighs recipe make use of a few pantry ingredients and taste amazing. 

I own the Instant pot duo 6 liters and that's what I've used for this recipe however you can use any other pressure cooker brand like pressure king pro, ninja foodi, etc but the cooking time may vary slightly. 

This recipe is for bone-in skin-on chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken thighs.

Related: Air fryer frozen chicken thighs

Ingredients 

Frozen chicken thighs

Paprika 

Garlic powder 

Onion powder 

Dried thyme

Parsley

Black pepper 

Salt

Olive oil 

How To Cook Frozen Chicken Thighs In Instant Pot 

Add the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, parsley, black pepper, salt, and oil into a bowl. Mix till well combined. 

Brush the chicken thighs with the seasoning marinade. 

Add a cup of water into the instant pot and put the trivet inside the pot. 

Put the chicken thighs on the trivet then cover the instant pot with its lid.

Turn the valve to sealing. Set instant pot to manual pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. After this time, do 5 minutes natural release.

When the instant pot is depressurized, open the lid and bring out the chicken thighs.

Arrange the chicken thighs on a baking tray then broil for 5-10 minutes for golden brown, crispy skin. 

Serve and enjoy.

Instant Pot Frozen Boneless Chicken Thighs

For frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs, you cook it the same way as bone-in skin on however you pressure cook it for a shorter time, and also broiling time is shorter than if it were skin on.

Pressure cook for 10 minutes instead of 15 minutes for bone in then do a 5 minutes natural release.

When the instant pot is depressurized, open the lid and bring out the chicken thighs.

You can then broil them in the oven or brown them in the air fryer.

If using the air fryer, arrange the chicken thighs in the air fryer basket.

Set the air fryer and air fry at a temperature of 200C for 5 minutes or until the skin is crispy.

How Long To Cook Frozen Chicken Thighs in Instant Pot

How long to cook frozen chicken thighs in instant pot is 15 minutes of pressure cooking on high.

For very large pieces, you pressure cook for 16-18 minutes. This does not take into account the time to broil it in the oven or brown in the air fryer. 

How long to cook frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs in the instant pot is 10 minutes.

To test if the chicken is cooked: Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken thighs. If it reads at least 165F/75C, then it is safely cooked and ok to eat. 

How To Make Gravy From the Drippings

Turn the instant pot to saute function.

Mix two tablespoons of cornflour with 3 tablespoons of water to make cornflour slurry.

Add the cornflour slurry into the liquid in the pot.

Stir till it thickens.

Taste for salt and seasoning and add if needed.

Put off the instant pot and take the pot out of the instant pot pressure cooker.

Serve gravy with chicken.

Serving Suggestion

Chicken thighs are versatile and can be served with any of the below listed:

Rice

Potatoes 

Gravy 

Vegetables

Pasta

How To Store 

Store leftover in the fridge or freezer. 

To Store in the fridge: Put the chicken thighs into an air-tight container, label, and store it for up to 5 days in the fridge. 

To store in the freezer: Put the cooked thighs in a Ziploc or an airtight container, label with name and dates, then store in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Reheating

You can reheat in the microwave, air fryer, or oven. To reheat in the microwave 

Tips

• Adding a bit of oil to the seasoning helps it stick to the chicken. 

• Adjust the pepper to suit your taste.

• You can use any other seasoning of your choice to marinate the chicken.

• Do not open the instant pot lid until the pot is depressurised.

• If broiling after pressure cooking, lining the baking tray with parchment paper will make cleaning it easier.

What is natural pressure release?

Natural pressure release is when you let the instant pot naturally depressurize for the stated time before turning the valve into a vent for the steam to quickly release. So for 5 minutes natural pressure release, you wait for 5 minutes after pressure cooking time ends before turning the vent to release the steam.

More Chicken Thighs Recipes

Teriyaki chicken thighs 

Pan fried chicken thighs 

Air fryer boneless chicken thighs 

Honey mustard chicken thighs 

Boiled chicken thighs 

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