Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken

Instant Pot lemon garlic chicken is a cheap and easy dinner to throw together. A keto, low carb high protein meal packed with flavor even your kids will love. Just one of many easy pressure cooker chicken recipes you’ll love.

Lemon Chicken Instant Pot

Whether you’re looking for an easy Ninja Foodi recipe for dinner, or want to make this again and again I’m here for you. You don’t have to have an IP brand name on your counter either. I have a bunch of different ones. I need to always make sure they all work the same. You can use your Crockpot Express to make this one too.

Served over white rice with some mixed vegetables on the side, it’s one of our favorite meals. Use boneless skinless, bone-in thighs or even breasts if you must hav white meat. I think dark meat is way better so we go with that but decide for yourself with our homemade sauce here.

Yes you can make it with chicken breasts too but I find that thighs are highly underrated. Way more tender than any other part, and typically the cheapest pieces in the meat section too.

Ninja Foodi Lemon Chicken

Feel free to follow the same instructions if you have a Crockpot Express, Mealthy or Ninja Foodi pot too. This might be our favorite Instant Pot chicken recipe yet.

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Recipe

We made this with pasta once where we cut up the chicken into little pieces. That Instant Pot lemon chicken casserole is another great dinner choice too for a one pot meal.

Ingredients

1. Pressure cooker
   1. I always HIGHLY suggest getting this non stick pot if you don’t already have one
2. Boneless skinless chicken thighs
   1. we used chicken thighs bone-in
   2. if you used boneless I would probably keep the timing the same
   3. using frozen chicken thighs in Instant Pot is possible too, timing is just adjusted
3. Fresh lemons
   1. or lemon juice
4. Minced air fryer garlic is fantastic to use
5. Olive oil
6. Onion
7. Salt and pepper
8. Chicken broth or stock
9. Butter

Cornstarch to thicken sauce at end if you’d like.

How to Make Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Thighs

To make lemon chicken thighs you’re going to want to set your pot to saute and add your olive oil. Then add your meat and sear or brown the chicken on all sides, then remove. No they won’t be cooked through as of yet but not to worry, they will when you pressure cook them. 

1. Set pot to saute and pour in olive oil until hot. Put thighs in pot and brown both sides. Then remove meat.
2. Add diced onion, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Saute together cook for 1 minute while scraping bits of chicken off bottom of pot to deglaze.
3. Pour in 1/4 c. chicken broth once onions have softened and finish deglazing pot. Turn pot off.
4. Add the chicken thighs back into pot. Pour rest of chicken broth in around chicken. Pour melted butter on chicken as well as add lemon juice.
5. Close lid and set valve to seal and set to high pressure for 10 minutes cook time (for medium thighs with bone in).
6. Do a quick release and remove thighs, set aside to keep warm.
   Set pot to saute again.
7. In a small bowl whisk together water in a smooth cornstarch slurry. When liquid in pot bubbles, add this and stir. Allow to thicken for a few minutes and turn pot off.
8. Serve thighs with sauce poured on top. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Use a wooden spatula to deglaze so you don’t get the burn notice on your pot. They’re great to scrape the stuck on bits of meat off the bottom off in step 2.

Lemon chicken Instant Pot recipe

So quick and easy right? The chicken turns golden brown and perfectly seasoned in under 30 minutes which is great. 

• Of course you can add more seasonings like garlic powder or 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings if you want.
• If you wanted a creamier sauce at the end you could whisk your cornstarch with some heavy cream too.

This is a keto friendly meal you could serve as is or with a side dish of mixed vegetables if you wanted.

Now you could use either bone in skinless chicken thighs like you see here, or chicken breasts. That is your choice but I personally prefer dark meat because it turns out so tender. This cut is the least expensive as well and I think it tastes best.

Are chicken thighs bad for you?

Yes they are dark meat which means there is more fat content than white meat. Yet like avocados, this fat is considered healthy monounsaturated fat. Thighs are much more affordable than skinless chicken breasts. All around I prefer them since you save money AND get a more flavorful and tender cut of meat!

Other easy chicken thigh recipes you’ll love

1. Instant Pot teriyaki chicken thighs
2. This is how to cook chicken thighs in all different ways beyond this one
3. We have made great air fryer chicken thighs too
4. You could use thighs to make our chicken marsala Instant Pot recipe

Why are chicken thighs so cheap?

Legs and thighs are cheaper because they’re dark meat. Some people have it in their minds that dark meat will make you fat so they aren’t bought as often. Kept in moderation, like everything else, this is not true. Chicken breasts are considered healthier, so they are normally in higher demand which drives the prices up.

Can you substitute bottled lemon juice for fresh?

The average size lemon will give you about 2‒3 tablespoons of juice and personally I think tastes better. If you do use bottled, you’d add the same amount as you would if using fresh. Bottled preserved lemon juice can be used in many recipes if that is all you have.

Does cooked chicken freeze well?

Yes, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to two days in an airtight container. Then use it in a leftover chicken recipe. After that, it’s best to freeze it for up to three months, just be sure to write the date on the bag with a marker. If you don’t have containers, freezer bags in quart or gallon sizes work great. I have a bunch of these on hand at all times.

Other easy lemon chicken recipes

• We have Crockpot lemon pepper chicken directions for you too if you’d like to try that method as well.
• For really crispy, give our lemon pepper chicken wings air fryer style a whirl.

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