Instant Pot Chicken Thighs | Creamy Mushroom Gravy
Quick and easy, tasty and creamy, these Instant Pot Chicken Thighs got it all going on! Go ahead and hit the easy button for dinner tonight.
I haven’t done any extensive scientific studies on this one, but I’m pretty sure chicken might be the most requested and most often made food in the Instant Pot. I see the question in Facebook groups all the time – How do I make Instant Pot Chicken Thighs?
Here’s a little intro video for you (full video below!)
Well, I’ve got the answer! And it’s SO quick and easy that you’ll be wondering what the heck you should be doing with all your free time (might I suggest relaxing with a nice glass of wine, or perhaps this Pineapple Vodka Cocktail?? Just Sayin…)
I’m a huge fan of boneless skinless chicken thighs – so much flavor and relatively inexpensive! And you can get this rich, creamy, stick-to-your-ribs dinner out in no time, thanks to your pressure cooker. (If I’m doing IP Chicken breasts, here’s how I do it!)
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
- Press the saute function on your Instant Pot (or other pressure cooker) and let it get hot. Season chicken thighs on both sides with salt, pepper, paprika, and onion powder then sear in olive oil for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Add sliced mushrooms and stir, then add chicken broth and deglaze the pot. Secure lid and pressure cook on high for 7 minutes.
- Remove chicken and turn your pot back to saute. Add a slurry to thicken then add cream.
- Return chicken to pot to heat through and serve your Instant Pot chicken thighs with creamy mushroom gravy over rice or noodles. (Full recipe below)
Check it Out on My YouTube Cooking Show
What Does the Poultry Button Do?
People ask this question all the time! (I cover “all those buttons” extensively in my How to Be the Boss of Your Instant Pot Video Course.) Here’s the quick answer – the Instant Pot (and other pressure cookers) buttons generally have the same temperature and pressure level settings but are set to different cook times. (There are exceptions to this such as the egg and rice buttons, which are pre-set to low pressure.)
So think of them more like convenience buttons (like you have on your radio). The buttons are basically pre-sets and they come programmed with a certain time, temperature, and pressure level.
But you can modify them to be anything you wish. So, the Instant Pot Poultry button defaults to high pressure for 15 minutes but can be easily adjusted with the +/- button.
In fact, it basically adjusts itself to whatever settings you last used. So because I used the poultry setting for 7 minutes, the next time I use the poultry button, it will be set for 7 minutes. It’s very convenient if you tend to cook the same dishes repeatedly.
Having said all that…. many models don’t even have a poultry button, which is totally fine. (Here’s one of my favorite Instant Pot models, and it doesn’t have the Poultry Button)
You can just use the Manual/Pressure Cook button and you’ll get the same results. Just set it where you want it (high pressure, normal temperature, 7 minutes.)
And here’s a great Instant Pot Chicken Thighs recipe so you can try out that Poultry button if you’re interested!
That’s it! So, in the end, all those buttons don’t cook the food differently, they just have different pre-set times and pressure levels (although almost all of them are set to high pressure, there are a few exceptions).
Whew…. now that that’s clarified, it’s time to grab those chicken thighs and mushrooms and make this fabulous Instant Pot chicken thighs with mushroom gravy recipe. This one is a real crowd-pleaser!
I’ve got lots of Instant Pot Recipes on my YouTube Cooking Show and I’d love to have you subscribe to my YouTube Channel if you’re interested.
Tools used in this recipe:
Want more Instant Pot Recipes? Here are some of my faves!
Pressure Cooker Cilantro Lime Rice
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs - boneless, skinless, approx 2 pounds, trimmed of excess fat
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound Sliced Mushrooms
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons corn starch slurry, made by mixing 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Season both sides of chicken thighs with the salt, onion powder, paprika, and black pepper. Turn pressure cooker onto the saute function and heat up inner pot until hot. Add olive oil and sear chicken 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Spread chicken to the perimeter of the pot and add sliced mushrooms to the center. Stir mushrooms around a bit for two minutes, then stir together with the chicken. Cancel the saute function.
- Add chicken broth and stir to mix with chicken and mushrooms. Secure lid, ensuring the pressure valve is pointed toward sealing. Select pressure cook (or manual) and set the time to 7 minutes. When the cooking cycle is complete, let sit another 5 minutes then turn the valve to release the pressure.
- Remove lid. Using tongs, transfer all chicken pieces to a plate and cover with foil. Turn on saute function and simmer broth/mushroom mixture for 5 minutes.
- Whisk slurry mixture (2 tablespoons corn starch blended with 2 tablespoons water) into broth. Whisk until thickened, approximately 1-2 minutes. Pour heavy cream into broth mixture and stir well. Add cooked chicken pieces and mix until chicken is fully coated in creamy mushroom gravy. Heat through another minute then turn off saute function. Serve over rice and garnished with chopped parsley.
I made my first recipe tonight. I love your videos and your recipes are very simple!! I’m looking forward to many more, especially the meatloaf recipe
Awe… thank you so much Cathy!
Have you made this in a slow cooker?
HI Danielle! I have not done this in slow cooker. Sorry! 🙁
The recipe is very good, i did however change a few things, instead of boneless chicken i used bone in legs and thighs, i followed the recipe to fry the chicken, “Oh I also breaded the chicken” in the saute mode, then I added one cup of chicken broth and a half cup of chopped onions, at this point I stopped the saute cycle and went to pressure cooker, I cooked the chicken for 20 minutes, I let off the steam and opened the top and went to saute mode, i tossed in 1 pound of mushrooms and the heavy whipping cream and let them cook for 5 minutes and then I tossed in the slurry cornstarch mixture and gave it a few stirs and it was done.
I love your change-ups! I’m sure it was fabulous!