Our Frozen Chicken Thighs Instant Pot Recipe was so popular that I thought we would share a few others you can make in your Ninja Foodi or pressure cooker. Instant Pot chicken thigh recipes are such an easy family friendly one pot dinner.
We have a lot of thigh Instant Pot recipes on out site but thought we would do a roundup of them all in case you love dark meat over white. Tender and juicy cooked with high pressure in a rich sauce or light broth you will definitely love all these chicken recipes.
We share a bunch of ways for Cooking Frozen Chicken Thighs here if you need that. Here we are focusing on fresh or thawed which is ideal. If you do have the time you can defrost right out of the freezer in a bowl of cool water if you put them inside a freezer bag for about 30 minutes.
Now most of these you could use white meat from chicken breasts as well. Like our Instant Pot teriyaki chicken, I have made that with both and we love it either way. Feel free to experiment with them all and see which you prefer. Ideally I go for boneless chicken thighs because they are easier to eat.
Ninja Foodi Chicken Thigh Recipes
You can cook the chicken as a Ninja Foodi recipe with the lid that is NOT attached these ways as well. As you know, you have an air fryer basket with that multi cooker as well which gives you the option to make our Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Thighs with a bit of crisp on the outside too at the end which is nice.
Steps for Success
- Season Chicken Thighs by patting the outsides dry with paper towels. Brush on a bit of olive oil and add things like Lawry’s, garlic powder and/or salt and pepper for flavor.
- Use the Sauté function which is just like a pan on your stovetop to brown the outsides first.
- Sear the Thighs once the oil is hot, then carefully place in the pressure cooker, skin-side down if using skin-on for a few minutes on each side. Not only will this crisp it a bit but this step will lock in the juices.
- Add Liquid once they are seared, with chicken broth or water so they can steam, you don’t need much since the meat will release some broth as they cook too. Alternatively you can use a sauce like we did with our Instant Pot Spicy Teriyaki Chicken Thighs.
- Pressure Cook by closing the pressure cooker lid and set the valve to the sealing position. Select the pressure high function and set the cooking time according to the size and type you have on hand.
- Bone-in chicken thighs: Pressure cook for 10-12 minutes.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: Pressure cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Natural Release for a few minutes, usually 5, once the cooking time is complete, this will maintain the juices inside and not suck it out immediately. After that, you can perform a quick pressure release by carefully turning the valve to the venting position.
If you love cooking your side dishes with your meat we have done that!! You can take a peek and jump to recipe for our Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice and give that a try too. For those I do not use skin on chicken thighs as that layer will get a bit rubbery. Also I dice the meat into bite size pieces. Perfect 15 minute meal I tell you.
Bone-In Chicken Thigh Recipes
For the cheapest option, our Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Bone In is just that. If the butcher doesn’t have to remove the bones you will save quite a bit of money, but they are harder to eat. If you have kids I would just spend more to eliminate that hassle.
To cook vegetables with your poultry you can follow our simple Ninja Foodi Chicken and Potatoes instructions. Here you can cook carrots, russets and your meat all together. Gets everything nice and tender in no time at all and you can serve this healthy meal as is really.
That basically concludes our list of Quick Chicken Thigh Recipes cooked in your small countertop appliance a number of different ways. Last but not least we have an original dish in the recipe card below for you too. 😉
If you want an easy way to shred the meat after making any of our Easy Instant Pot Chicken Recipes we have step by step directions for you here;
How to remove meat from bone-in chicken thighs
- Prepare by placing on a clean cutting board. Allow it to cool slightly to make handling easier.
- Remove the Skin if it has the skin on and you prefer to remove it, use your fingers or a knife to peel it away gently.
- Separate the Thigh from the Bone by holding firmly with one hand and locate the joint where the bone meets the meat. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut along the edge of the bone, separating the meat from the bone. Move the knife along the bone, cutting as close to it as possible to avoid leaving much meat behind.
- Remove the Bone with your fingers by pushing and pull the meat away from the bone. Be gentle to avoid tearing if you want the pieces to stay whole.
- Trim Excess Fat if desired, you can trim off any excess fat or gristle from the meat using a knife or kitchen shears.
- Slice or Shred the Meat depending on how you plan to use it. You can either slice it into pieces or shred it using two forks.
