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.
Instant Pot Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 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
- 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.
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- 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.
More instant pot recipes
More chicken thigh recipes
P.S: For more easy chicken dinners, check out my collection here: Easy Chicken Recipes, or browse all my chicken recipes here.
Sirena says
Easy and my kids ate so much! Thank you
Nora says
I’m so glad, Sirena!
Donna says
Outstanding, I removed the skin before serving, also next time (and there will be a next time) I will add a lot more lemon.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Donna!
Heath Van Cleft says
I love this recipe .After I brown my thighs I remove some of the fat,before I start sauteing onion and garlic.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Heath!
Lindi says
Have made this several times now each time it got better and better. I don’t have a pressure, so there was abit of tweeking to kept the chicken moist. 1, in my slow cooker smelt beautiful but looked quite grey and lifeless. 2. Did the first few steps with half again sauce in a heavy casserole pot put a cartouche on top of chicken and lid in the oven for 3.5 hours, sauce had evaporated a little so I was glad I did extra. It looked yummy smelt delicious and tasted wonderful. 3. Made again last night, started off in frypan, got some great caramelising going on, then cooked in the old slow cooker. It tasted so moist and flavour yum. The oven baked a very close second not quite as moist. My slow cooked,er is over30 years old, so maybe time to think about getting a pressure cooker so many options available these days. I’ve really enjoyed testing this dish…???
Nora says
I’m so glad, Lindi! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with different ways to cook this recipe, I appreciate your time so much.
Pat says
My husband just loved this the first time I made it. He has been asking me when I will be making it again. So tonight guess what is for dinner.
Maria says
I love lemon on chicken and plan to try this. We eat a lot of boneless chicken breasts – is the 8 min cooking time for boneless chicken breasts or bone-in? Just wanted to check. thanks.
Nora says
Maria, that’s for boneless!
Marsha says
I will definitely make this again! It is Delicious!!!
Augustine says
I would definitely make again I double the recipe didn’t need to double the chicken broth too much. Next time will use only one 3/4 cup of chicken broth. Would’ve given it a five star was delicious.
Nancy says
Frozen chicken breasts work too. Frozen for 12 minutes cook time no saute’
Colby says
Can you make this with chicken breasts?
Eileen says
Made this tonight as per recipe, delish, will made again!
Chris Oglesby says
This was dinner tonight as I had nothing planned and everything frozen. Only addition I did was to spoon a bit of melted butter and McCormick lemon pepper seasoning on top of the chicken in a glass baking dish and broiled it on high till the tops were slightly brown. Afterwards I poured the thickened lemon broth on top. Needless to say, not much was left after dinner.
Nora Rusev says
That’s so smart with your extra seasoning for broiling, Chris! Thanks for sharing, and I’m glad the chicken was a hit.
Janie says
I made this recipe and loved it! I’m currently not at home where my instant pot is, do you have any recommendations for how to make this recipe without the pressure cooker?
Nora Rusev says
Janie, if you have a Dutch oven or similar heavy pot, you could make it in the oven. Brown and start the sauce per the instructions. But instead of cooking under pressure, cook in the oven at 350°F with the lid on for around 40 minutes. Then finish the sauce on the stove as directed in the recipe. Hope that helps!
Kelsey says
This looks so good and I will be making it tonight! I think I’m gonna try to do green beans with it, do you have any advice for cooking these along with the chicken, maybe in a steam basket over top of the chicken? Thanks in advance 🙂
Nora Rusev says
Kelsey, since this needs to cook 12 minutes and green beans need to cook 0-2 minutes in the instant pot (really, I checked about 10 different recipes just to make sure I remembered the time correctly)… you’d have to do some juggling. If you’re absolutely set on cooking everything in the instant pot, I would do the chicken for 10 minutes, do the pressure release as mentioned in the recipe with the natural release, add the beans in a steamer basket on top, then close again and cook for 1 more minute, then quick-release the pressure. Sounds complicated, I know ? but that’s how I would do it if you want to avoid cooking the beans on the stove.
Tere says
I added tamari sauce jnstead of water or milk and some white sugar. Basically sweet teriyaki with a twist.
Mary Beth says
Turned out great. Just was confused as to when the butter should have been added.
Claire says
I loved how easy this was to cook from frozen. All I did was broil the chicken in the oven for a few minutes after cooking.
I added a bit more garlic than was required and less chicken broth as frozen chicken seems to create more liquid.
We served it with rice and roasted broccoli.
Great recipe!
Laura J says
If I read the directions right for boneless it’s the same time, unless they are fresh, then you drop the time. Correct?
Nora Rusev says
Hi Laura, no, the adjusted time is for using chicken breast only (8min for fresh, 12min for frozen). I would cook boneless thighs the same amount of time as bone-in, but if you’re scared of overcooking, feel free to open the instant pot after 10 minutes and check on them if you have a food thermometer on hand.
Lori says
In your directions you say lemon juice only, but in your pictures it shows slices of lemon being cooked with it. So which is it?
BTW this recipe sounds delicious and will be trying it tonight.
Nora Rusev says
Lori, sorry about the confusion! Take a look at the video if you like, no lemon slices cooked with it! I just put them there for the photo as garnish, because otherwise it’s not clear there’s lemon in it (for example, for people who see the photo on Pinterest). Hope that helps!
Rebekah says
I’m not a good cook at all but I tried this recipe and all of my family agreed it was super yummy! I think I will try making it next time with chicken breasts and potatoes! Thank you for sharing your recipes I’m excited to try more of your stuff!
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad, Rebekah. I hope it will turn out just as well with chicken breast and potatoes – I’d love to hear how that goes for you!
Kathy says
I don’t know the stars rating yet as I haven’t made it. But, it sounds and looks delicious and I am making it tonight. So, I will review it again tonight. Thanks for a great looking, sounding and easy recipe. I have had my Instapot for over a year and all I have made is boiled eggs. This is my year to learn about the Instapot and use it!
Tami says
This was super simple and delicious.
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad, Tami! And I appreciate you taking the time to leave a recipe review, thank you.
Joshua says
Soo good!!! We used chicken breasts and reduced the time under pressure a couple minutes…turned out fantastic!
Alex says
Very easy recipe to follow and it turned out great. I added some cayenne for spiciness. This recipe went great with rice and some steamed vegetables.
Nora Rusev says
So glad you enjoyed the chicken, Alex! Thanks for coming back to leave a review, I appreciate it very much.
Stacie says
I’m not a huge dark meat fan. Would the cooking time change if I use boneless chicken breast?