• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Savory Nothings logo

  • Recipe Index
    • Easy Dinner Recipes
      • Slow Cooker
      • One Pot Meals
      • Quick Meals
      • Instant Pot
    • Side Dishes
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Small Meals
  • Dinner Ideas
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Dinner Ideas
  • Easter
  • Holidays & Occasions
  • About
  • Subscribe
×

Home / Recipes / Dinner / Instant Pot / Instant Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Thighs

Instant Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Thighs

1 hr
| 8 Comments |
4.88 from 8 votes
Jump to Recipe 08/14/19 | Updated: 03/06/21 | by Nora

These Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are cooked in a creamy and delicious sun-dried tomato sauce. They’re quick and easy to make in an electric pressure cooker for a simple weeknight dinner!

The tuscan inspired sun-dried tomato sauce adds so much flavor to a family meal, but it’s still 100% kid-friendly. For more easy instant pot recipes, see my Instant Pot Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes Dinner or my Instant Pot Sour Cream Pork Chops!

Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Thighs Pin 2

This post contains affiliate links and we earn a commission for purchases made after clicking through.

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings

A Note from Nora

I have to make a confession: I think I like chicken thighs better than chicken breast.There, I said it. And especially when the chicken is cooked in the instant pot or slow cooker. Chicken thighs are so much juicier and flavorful. But maybe that’s just me 😉

I might be even more in the minority here, but I always buy skin-on chicken thighs, and all of us love the skin. Here we’re browning them first before cooking them in a flavorful sun-dried tomato sauce in the electric pressure cooker. So easy, simple and delicious!

These Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

  • are quick and easy to make
  • can be cooked from frozen if necessary
  • stay juicy and tender for the perfect easy dinner

We’re currently trying to cut down our food budget (it always gets out of hand at some point!) and using chicken thighs can be a lot cheaper compared to other cuts. Good thing I like them so much 😉

This is one of my favorite way to make them, along with my Instant Pot Lemon Chicken and my Chicken and Asparagus Sheet Pan Dinner.

How to make Instant Pot Chicken Thighs in Creamy Sundried Tomato Sauce:

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Total Time 1 hr

Read on for the detailed steps, or scroll down for more tips to make this recipe foolproof (like cooking the chicken from frozen!) and the printable recipe card.

Watch the recipe video:

instant pot with chicken thighs in creamy sauce

► 1 Prep: The first thing I like to do is prepping all the ingredients that need to be chopped or minced or whatever. So you’ll dice an onion (make sure it’s finely diced or you’ll end up with huge chunks of onion in your sauce) and mince some garlic. I buy my sun-dried tomatoes pre-chopped, but if you don’t you’ll have to do that yourself, too.

► 2 Brown Chicken: Set your instant pot to “sauté” and add a little oil. Don’t worry if the pot isn’t super hot yet, it will suddenly be blazing and if you wait for it to get very hot, the chicken will likely burn.

This is the Instant Pot I have, if you’re in the market for a new one! Though I wish they would have had it in the pretty colors they do now when I bought mine 😉 (This is an affiliate link and I make a commission for purchases made after clicking through.)

Add the chicken thighs skin-side down and brown until golden and crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Turn them around and brown the other side for 2-3 minutes – don’t worry about cooking them through, they don’t need to be fully cooked yet. Remove to a plate.

browning chicken thighs in an instant pot

► 3 Start the sauce: Add the onion to the instant pot (do not drain the chicken fat, it adds so much delicious flavor!) and sauté for 1-2 minutes, until starting to soften. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for a few seconds, then switch off the instant pot (it will probably be very hot now and continue cooking anyways). Pour the chicken broth in the pot (careful, it will sizzle and splatter at first!) and stir to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.

Getting all the browned bits is very important, or you may get a “burn” warning during pressure cooking!

Add the sun-dried tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.

► 4 Pressure cook: Add the chicken back to the instant pot.

chicken thighs in instant pot with sauce

Close the lid (make sure it plays the sweet closing sound) and set the sealing valve to “sealing”. Pressure cook the chicken thighs on “high” for 12 minutes, then naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes (just switch off the instant pot and leave it alone).

Release any remaining pressure manually. I like covering the valve with a kitchen towel for this, so all the steam doesn’t dampen my cabinets and ceiling.

► 5 Finish the sauce: Open the instant pot and remove the chicken thighs.

cooked chicken thighs in sun-dried tomato sauce in an instant pot

Place them on a plate and cover them with aluminum foil or a soup plate to keep them warm.

Combine some milk (or half and half, or cream!) and cornstarch and stir it into the sauce in the pot. Set the instant pot to “sauté” and simmer until thickened while stirring constantly.

creamy sun-dried tomato sauce ein an instant pot

It should only take a minute or two! Stir in some grated parmesan and serve over the chicken.

close up photo of sun-dried tomato chicken thighs in an instant pot

Tips for the Best Instant Pot Chicken Thighs:

  • make sure there are no browned bits left on the bottom of the instant pot after stirring in the chicken broth. Otherwise you might get a “burn” warning while pressure cooking!
  • try to stick to the 10 minutes of natural pressure release, so the meat has time to relax after being cooked under pressure. Otherwise your chicken could turn out tough.
  • if you want to add more greens to this meal, feel free to stir about 3 ounces of washed baby spinach into the sauce with the parmesan cheese. I don’t because my kids tell me they don’t want leaves in their dinner… But they’ll happily chomp on raw baby spinach on the side, so that’s what works for us 😉

Can you cook this with frozen chicken thighs in the instant pot?

Yes, you can. It will be a little less flavorful because you cannot brown the chicken, but it still works.

Skip browning the chicken in the instructions, but stick to the recipe otherwise. Cook for 15-18 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken thighs) instead of 12.

Make sure the chicken thighs are separated and not stuck together/stacked, or they might not cook through.

Always check your meat with a kitchen thermometer when cooking from frozen – chicken should be cooked to 165°F.

I love using a kitchen thermometer like this one to make sure my food is cooked to a safe temperature! (This is an affiliate link and I make a commission for purchases made after clicking through.)

Can you make this recipe with chicken breast?

Yes, you can!

Follow the recipe, but pressure cook the chicken breast for 6 minutes instead of 12 (or 10 minutes if using frozen chicken breast!).

Be sure to stick to the 10 minutes of natural pressure release, or your chicken will be tough and chewy.

What can you serve with these creamy tuscan chicken thighs?

plate with instant pot chicken thighs, pasta and baby spinach

This creamy sauce was meant to be mopped up by all the delicious things!

Here are some of our favorite sides:

Starchy Sides

  • mashed potatoes
  • pasta
  • smashed potatoes
  • rice

Vegetable Sides

  • sautéed green beans
  • sautéed zucchini
  • roasted asparagus

Salad Sides

  • spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing
  • cucumber tomato salad
  • caprese pesto pasta salad

P.S: If you tried this recipe, why not leave me a comment below to let me know how you liked it?

Printable Recipe Card
instant pot with chicken thighs in creamy sauce
Save Recipe Saved!

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs in Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

These Instant Pot Chicken Thighs are cooked in a creamy and delicious sun-dried tomato sauce.
Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!
4.88 from 8 votes
Print Add Review

Recipe details

Prep 15 mins
Cook 45 mins
Total 1 hr
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Instant Pot

Ingredients
 

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 ½ pounds bone-in chicken thighs seasoned with salt and pepper on eitehr side
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • ⅓ cup sundried tomatoes chopped
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • ½ cup milk OR heavy cream OR half and half
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Brown chicken: Set your instant pot to “sauté”. Heat the oil, then brown the chicken thighs on either side. Remove to a plate.
  • Start sauce: Add the onion to the instant pot and sauté until starting to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for a few seconds. Switch off the instant pot. Stir in chicken broth and sundried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Pressure cook: Add chicken thighs back to the instant pot. Close the lid and set the valve to “sealing”. Choose “pressure cook” on the “high” setting for 12 minutes. Naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes before releasing any remaining pressure manually.
  • Finish sauce: Open the lid. Remove the chicken and cover with foil on a plate. Combine milk and cornstarch in a measuring jug. Set the instant pot to “sauté” and stir in the milk slurry. Simmer until sauce has thickened. Stir in remaining ingredients and serve sauce over chicken.
Want to save this recipe?Create an account for free to start your personal recipe box. Save any recipe by tapping the heart in the bottom right corner.
Join Now

Notes

Add 3oz baby spinach with the parmesan, if you like.

Nutrition

Calories: 445kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 30gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 150mgSodium: 491mgPotassium: 752mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 323IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 171mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean

Try these instant pot recipes next:

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Image TK
Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
overhead view of instant pot with chicken gnocchi soup
Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup
close up photo of lemon chicken thighs on plate with lemon slices
Instant Pot Lemon Chicken
close up photo of a white plate with rice and pineapple chicken
Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken and Rice

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings
About Nora 
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me!   Learn more.

Reader Interactions

three greek yogurt blueberry muffins stacked on top of each other

< Previous Post

apple muffins in a muffin pan

Next Post >

Add a Review or Ask a Question Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Made this recipe? Rate it:




Comments

  1. Sue says

    June 15, 2020 at 12:34 am

    Very tasty. I had some mushrooms that I needed to use, so added them in with the onions. Served the sauce over zucchini noodles. Excellent.

    Reply
  2. Melissa says

    March 08, 2020 at 9:05 pm

    What would the cook time if I wanted to double the recipe?

    Reply
    • Nora Rusev says

      March 09, 2020 at 3:39 pm

      Melissa, the cook time is the same! That’s the awesome thing about the instant pot – the only thing you have to watch out for is that you don’t over-fill the pot. Otherwise, cooking times stay the same 🙂

      Reply
  3. Ray says

    December 02, 2019 at 7:35 pm

    5 stars
    Too 5 favorite instant pot recipes. Could and do make it almost once a week now

    Reply
    • Nora Rusev says

      December 03, 2019 at 12:04 pm

      Ray, I’m so glad you’re enjoying this chicken recipe so much!

      Reply
  4. Javier Valverde Sr says

    November 19, 2019 at 12:41 am

    5 stars
    Tried this dish. It was very easy to fix. The flavor was out of this world. We were very satisfied and will do it again in the future. Thanks Nora. Have one question, why can’t I print the recipes? I’ve downloaded the PDF and still can’t print them. Help

    Reply
    • Nora Rusev says

      November 20, 2019 at 5:37 pm

      Javier, I’m so happy to hear that! I don’t know why it’s not letting you print, though. Did you try the little printer icon right above the recipe? It’s pulling up the print page correctly for me. Do let me know how you tried printing and what browser you’re using so I can troubleshoot!

      Reply
      • Donna says

        January 04, 2021 at 7:33 pm

        In order to print, you have to be in Safari in the savorynothing internet site, not Pinterest.

        Reply

Primary Sidebar

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings

Hi, I'm Nora! I wasn't always a good cook, but then I fell in love with a professional chef and learned my way around the kitchen. Now I share all my secrets to effortlessly great food here on my blog, bite-sized for home cooks just like me and you.

More about me →

Cookie Recipes

  • The Perfect Soft Gingerbread Cookies
  • Chewy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
  • Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
  • The Best Cut Out Sugar Cookies

see all >

Popular

  • Garlic Parmesan Crispy Oven Fried Chicken
  • Oven Baked Chicken Breast
  • Crispy Oven Fried Chicken
  • TikTok Baked Oats: 6 Ways!
  • One Pot Rigatoni Bolognese
  • Southwestern Crockpot Chicken Tacos
  • Homemade Shepherd’s Pie
  • Whole Wheat Cinnamon Crunch Banana Bread

Trending on Pinterest

  • Balsamic Chicken Marinade
  • Swedish Meatballs
  • Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
  • Instant Pot Pot Roast
  • Homemade Salisbury Steak
  • About
  • Contact

Footer

Footer

Follow Along













Recipes

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Sides
Dessert
Appetizers

Instant Pot
Slow Cooker
One Pot
Casseroles
Ground Beef
Chicken

Featured On

different logos of publications Savory Nothings' content has been featured on

↑ back to top

About | Contact | Work with Us

Copyright Savory Nothings © 2023

Made with lots of love and spices ♥︎
PRIVACY POLICY | ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT |
As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Yummly
  • Mix