Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Make this Instant Pot Lemon Chicken for an easy dinner tonight! It’s quick to cook and tastes absolutely delicious with the lemon sauce.

The recipe includes instructions to cook the chicken from frozen, and instructions for using chicken breast instead of thighs, too.

If you like this instant pot chicken recipe, you might also enjoy my Instant Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken, my popular Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipe, or these AMAZING Instant Pot Chicken Thighs!

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Thighs

I don’t know if anyone still uses their instant pot, but I make this easy chicken recipe whenever I need a quick meal on the table and I forgot to defrost my chicken – it’s so foolproof and simple to prep, and the chicken comes out fall-off-the-bone tender.

And yes, the chicken really can cook from frozen if you forgot to defrost it – something that regularly happens to me, and recipes like this one save me on those days.

If you want to cook a side dish right along the chicken, I recommend adding baby potatoes on top. I outline the cooking process in my recipe for Instant Pot Bacon Ranch Chicken and Potatoes!

These are the ingredients I use

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Ingredient notes

• Chicken: I usually make this with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. You can also use boneless, the cooking time is the same. If you prefer chicken breast, you can use that, too. The cooking time changes to 6-8 minutes for fresh chicken and 12 minutes for frozen chicken breast. For boneless thighs and chicken breast, I recommend reducing the amount to 1.5 pounds; unless you have big eaters.
• Chicken broth: If you don’t have any, you can use water instead. It will still be delicious, but you may need to add more seasoning. Please do not use beef broth, it alters the taste and color too much.
• Onion and garlic: If you have picky eaters who will walk away from their uneaten dinner if they find so much as a single piece of onion in it… Ahem, like my 3 year old, feel free to use 1 teaspoon onion powder and ½ teaspoon garlic powder in place of the fresh ingredients.
• Dried herbs: Feel free to cut back on the herbs if you want their flavors to be less dominant.
• Lemon juice: I love fresh lemon juice here, but bottled is fine. The recipe yields a mild lemon flavor, double the amount for a stronger flavor. I generally prefer adding more fresh lemon juice at the table, especially because our youngest is only 2 years old at this point and not a huge fan of strongly flavored dishes.

How to make Lemon Chicken in the Instant Pot

Step 1: Prep and sear the chicken

Season the chicken, then brown it in olive oil on the Instant Pot’s “sauté” setting. I do it in two batches and cook it skin-side down first for about 3-4 minutes, flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Once the chicken is browned (it doesn’t have to be cooked through yet!), remove it and set aside on a plate.

Step 2: Sauté the aromatics

Cook the onion and garlic until softened and lightly browned. This will take about 5-6 minutes for the best flavor to develop, so try to be patient!

Then add the chicken broth, lemon juice, herbs and seasoning and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.

Make sure to really catch all of the browned bits, else you might get a burn warning during the pressure cooking time!

Step 3: Pressure cook

Add the chicken to the instant pot, seal the lid and pressure cook – I do 7-8 minutes for small chicken thighs (4 thighs per pound) and 10-12 minutes for large chicken thighs (2 thighs per pound).

Once the pressure cooking time is up, switch off the instant pot and leave it alone to do a natural pressure release.

Once the lid is safe to open, remove the chicken and keep warm on a plate.

Step 4: Thicken the sauce

Stir the cornstarch slurry into the sauce, then switch the instant pot to “sauté” and simmer, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened.

Step 5: Add butter and serve

Stir the cold butter into the sauce until it has fully melted. This helps to give some gloss to your sauce, finishes it with a rich flavor – and the cold butter also thickens it slightly. So, don’t skip it if possible!

Then serve the sauce with the chicken!

My recipe testing notes

Using frozen chicken

I have tried this recipe plenty of times with frozen chicken, and it’s so easy to make this swap! Simply skip browning the chicken and only sauté the onion and garlic, then follow the recipe as written.

Pressure cook for 15-18 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken). Check the meat for doneness, if it’s still raw in the middle close the lid again and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Doubling the recipe/stacking the chicken

I have made this as a double batch before, for when we have family over for a casual dinner together. If you’re using defrosted thighs, you can stack a double batch of the chicken thighs. Double the sauce ingredients too, but the cooking time should stay the same.

Please note: Do not stack the chicken if frozen/make sure the thighs are separated. If that’s not possible/they’re totally stuck together, your thighs may need longer to cook.

What if my sauce doesn’t thicken?

If your sauce doesn’t thicken, it either didn’t get hot enough for the cornstarch to work, or your chicken released more juices.

Make sure to press “sauté” and wait for it to simmer and bubble. If it still hasn’t thickened enough to your liking, add another batch of cornstarch slurry and see if this fixes the issue.

Serving ideas

Like I mentioned in the intro, I often cook baby potatoes in the instant pot with the chicken.

If you want to cook rice at the same time, be very cautious – rice cooks very quickly in the instant pot. Pick a variety that’s not parboiled and needs at least 30 minutes on the stove, and use the pot-in-pot method. I generally don’t do this myself because I can’t stand overcooked rice – I just cook it on the stove. But many people have asked me, so this is my recommendation to those set on cooking everything at once 😉

We also love roasted broccoli, roasted asparagus or sautéed green beans with it for a vegetable side. If you have an air fryer, I highly recommend making air fryer green beans or air fryer asparagus with the chicken!

Please note: I updated this recipe on 05/07/2021 to use 2 pounds of chicken thighs instead of 1 pound, and slightly increased the amount of sauce. Feel free to stick to the original 1 pound of chicken thighs if you prefer.

Tried this recipe? A star rating ⭐️ and a quick comment below help others (and me!) know how it went.

Recipe Card

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Makes 4 servings

Say goodbye to boring weeknight dinners with this foolproof Instant Pot Lemon Chicken that tastes like it took hours but cooks in minutes. Tender, juicy chicken thighs are smothered in a bright, buttery lemon-garlic sauce that the whole family will actually eat – and the best part is it all happens in one pot for minimal cleanup!

4.49 from 150 votes

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Prep Time :10 minutes mins

Cook Time :35 minutes mins

Total Time :45 minutes mins

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Ingredients

 

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• ▢ 1 tablespoon oil
• ▢ 2 pounds chicken thighs (I use bone-in, skin-on)
• ▢ 1 small onion (chopped (about ½ cup))
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic (minced (about 2 teaspoons))
• ▢ 1 cup chicken broth
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice (squeezed from about 1 lemon; or more to taste)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• ▢ salt and black pepper (to taste)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon cold cream OR milk OR water)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter
• ▢ lemon slices (to serve (optional))

Instructions

 

• Brown meat:

  Set instant pot to sauté. Add oil to pot and add thighs skin-side down. Cook, in batches if needed, until golden and crisp. Flip and cook until browned on the other side. Remove chicken from pot.
  1 tablespoon oil, 2 pounds chicken thighs
• Start sauce:

  Add onion and garlic to pot and cook until starting to soften, about 1 minute.

  Add chicken broth, lemon juice, herbs and seasoning. Stir, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
  1 small onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, salt and black pepper
• Pressure cook:

  Place chicken thighs back in the instant pot. Secure lid and set the pressure valve to "sealing". Choose "pressure cook" (or "manual") and "high" for 12 minutes (for large thighs, about 2 thighs per pound; cook for 8 minutes if chicken thighs are small, about 4 thighs per pound).

  Naturally release pressure after cooking time is up (just switch off the instant pot and leave it alone until pressure is gone).
• Finish sauce:

  Carefully remove thighs. Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Pour cornstarch slurry (make sure to mix the dry cornstarch fully into 1 tablespoon cold liquid before adding it to the pot!) into pot, stir well and simmer until sauce has thickened.

  Stir in butter until melted, then serve sauce over chicken with lemon slices, if desired.
  2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 tablespoon butter, lemon slices

Video

Notes

Ingredient Notes & Swaps

• Chicken: Best with bone-in, skin-on thighs. Boneless thighs or breasts work too (reduce to 1.5 lbs unless feeding big eaters). Cook time for fresh breasts is 6–8 minutes; frozen breasts take 12 minutes.
• Broth: Swap with water if needed (add extra seasoning). Avoid beef broth.
• Onion & Garlic: For picky eaters, swap fresh for 1 tsp onion powder and ½ tsp garlic powder.
• Dried Herbs: Reduce amount for a milder flavor.
• Lemon Juice: Fresh or bottled works. Recipe is mildly tart; double it for strong flavor, or add more at the table for kids.

Recipe Tips

• • Using Frozen Chicken: Skip the browning step. Sauté the aromatics, then pressure cook the frozen chicken for 15–18 minutes. Ensure pieces are not stuck together.
  • Doubling the Recipe: Double all sauce ingredients. You can stack thawed thighs without changing the cook time. Do not stack frozen thighs.
  • Thickening the Sauce: If too thin, press “Sauté” and let it bubble to activate the cornstarch. If needed, mix and add an extra cornstarch slurry.

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Nutrition is an estimate!

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 501kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 32gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 196mgSodium: 390mgPotassium: 499mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 250IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 2mg

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4.49 from 150 votes

Nora from Savory Nothings