Creamy Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs (pressure cooker) - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

FAQs

Does chicken get more tender the longer you pressure cook it? ›

How long should I pressure cook frozen chicken thighs? Compared to breasts, chicken thighs have more fat and different types of muscle fibers which make them less prone to overcooking. Since you don't have to worry about drying them out, longer cook times can make them more tender.

Why is my Instant Pot shredded chicken rubbery? Rubbery Instant Pot shredded chicken is usually the result of overcooking the meat.

The key to getting perfectly juicy boneless chicken breasts is to cook them on a trivet, above the liquid. I find that this results in a better texture than cooking them on the bottom of the pot. I also think their texture is best when you quickly release the pressure, rather than letting it naturally release.

While all cuts of chicken are fair game for the Instant Pot, thighs are the most forgiving. Because chicken breast is so lean, just a couple of extra minutes of cook time turns them from juicy to overcooked and dry.

After a few minutes in the pressure cooker, the chicken will be fully cooked, tender and delicious. As a bonus, you will end up with rich tasting chicken stock for gravy or to be used in the dehydration process. Dehydrated pressure cooked chicken rehydrates much better than chicken that is grilled, fried or baked.

Low and slow cooking methods like braising, stewing, or smoking are most effective when trying to create tender, succulent chicken.

Chicken can get a rubbery texture in the instant pot when over cooked. To avoid this, try not to over cook your chicken. Storing the chicken in chicken broth can help rehydrate the chicken and make it less rubbery.

Chicken needs to reach 165 degrees F to be safe to eat. If the chicken is not at least 162 degrees F after pressure cooking, place the lid back on the pressure cooker and set the cooking time for 1-3 minutes based on how many degrees it needs to raise. Keep in mind that your chicken will rise a few degrees as it rests.

There are a number of reasons your Instant Pot will display its burn message. Most of these involve mishaps that may occur during the cooking process, like not adding enough liquid or forgetting to adjust the steam valve to the sealing position. Once you figure out what you've done wrong, correcting the error is easy.

Poultry. The poultry button is only 12 minutes on high pressure, intended for uncooked chicken in small portions. Larger chicken pieces will require up to 25 minutes to reach a center temperature of 165°F. I use an instant-read digital kitchen thermometer for every piece of meat I cook.

How much chicken can I cook in an Instant Pot? ›

In a 6 quart Instant Pot, you can cook up to 5 pounds of chicken. In an 8 quart Instant Pot, you can cook up to 8 pounds of chicken. How much water do you put in the Instant Pot to cook chicken? For a 6 quart pressure cooker, add 1 cup of liquid.

Thanks for your question. The Instant Pot - 6 Quart Duo Plus 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker doesn't have a dedicated Poultry function, however the Poultry function is a Pressure function, therefore you can cook your chicken using the Pressure Cook button. When cooking a whole chicken it is 8 minutes per pound.

chicken requires 18 minutes of high pressure cooking. Add 6 minutes of cooking time per additional pound. Note: You can submerge your chicken directly in the cooking liquid, especially if you want to make chicken stock. However, the steamer basket method ensures crispy skin and won't wash away the seasoning.

If I want to cook a lot of chicken breasts quickly, I do them in the Instant Pot like this recipe. This gives your chicken a poached or stewed texture. If I just need 2 or 3, I turn to my air fryer. The texture from the air fryer is more like a traditional roasted chicken breast, which I prefer for most uses.

Because they have some surface fat, chicken thighs shine when cooked over high, direct heat, like in grilling or sautéing. Even skinless thighs will crisp and brown deeply, for a tender interior and salty-savory “crust.”

Chicken breasts, thighs or drumsticks

By placing cooking liquid in the bottom of the pressure cooker and placing the chicken in the steamer basket above the liquid, you are guaranteed tender, moist chicken every time. However, you can also use the cooker to make a sauce and cook your chicken submerged in flavour.

Unlike chicken breasts, chicken thighs and drumsticks actually become more tender the longer they cook. That's because of their makeup. Dark meat has an abundant amount of connective tissue, which dissolves into gelatin as the meat cooks, rendering it juicy and tender.

It is very easy to overcook chicken breast in pressure cooker, as we cannot check the temperature and level of doneness during the cooking process.

Unfortunately, once you overcook a piece of meat in the pressure cooker, there's no going back. You'll be left with a pile of dry, crunchy, tasteless fibers and no amount of additional pressure cooking is going to put that moisture back into the meat. Earlier, I explained how ingredient size affects the cooking time.