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Craving tender, juicy chicken thighs with crispy skin… but only have frozen chicken thighs on hand? This Instant Pot recipe produces unbelievably moist and tender chicken with (really!) crispy, delicious skin – with zero need to thaw the frozen chicken thighs!
Before You Get Started
- If your chicken thighs won’t fit on the trivet in a single layer, stacking them is totally fine. They’ll still cook evenly, and the cook time will stay the same.
- This recipe is written for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, but you can use boneless thighs instead if you prefer. We included adjustments for boneless chicken thighs in the recipe card below.
What I Love About This Recipe
- Cooking frozen chicken thighs in the Instant Pot only takes a couple ingredients, and it makes dinner so incredibly easy without sacrificing any tastiness.
- This Instant Pot method is a great way to cook chicken thighs for an entrée, of course. It’s also perfect for meal prepping chicken thighs or to cook chicken to use in another recipe.
- The results are deliciously juicy chicken encased in a wonderfully crisp, golden skin. What could be better?!
- Forgot to thaw chicken for dinner? No problem! This Instant Pot recipe is meant for frozen chicken thighs. It’s basically dinnertime salvation (if you know, you know).
Frequently Asked Questions
13 minutes, not including the time for the Instant Pot to pressurize or the 5 minute Natural Release.
Season the bone-in chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Pour 1 cup of chicken broth into a 6-quart Instant Pot, then place a trivet in the bottom of the pot. Lay the chicken thighs on the trivet, set the Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure mode, and set the cook time to 13 minutes. When the cook time ends, Natural Release the pressure for 5-10 minutes, then broil the chicken thighs until the skins are golden brown.
The food-safe internal temperature for chicken is 165° Fahrenheit, but dark meat chicken (like chicken thighs) will be juicier and more tender if cooked to a temp between 175° and 195° Fahrenheit.
Recipe Variations
- Turn Up the Flavor: Swap out the chicken broth for pineapple juice or apple juice! As the chicken thighs cook, the meat will absorb some of the flavors from the juice. This is one of my favorite ways to switch things up a little. You could also add minced garlic and minced onion to the chicken broth for a similar effect.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- Cutting board
- 6-quart Instant Pot or similar pressure cooker
- Instant Pot trivet
- Tongs
- Broiler
- large baking sheet
Ingredients
- 4 medium bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs frozen, approximately 4 ounces each
- salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 cup chicken broth low sodium if preferred
Instructions
- Place 4 medium bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs on cutting board. Sprinkle generous amounts of salt and freshly cracked black pepper onto frozen chicken thighs.
- Pour 1 cup chicken broth into Instant Pot insert. Place Instant Pot trivet in bottom of Instant Pot insert, then place seasoned chicken thighs on trivet.
- Secure lid on Instant Pot and lock lid with vent in Sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure mode, and set cook time to 13 minutes. Instant Pot will pressurize and then 13-minute cook time will begin.
- Once 13-minute cook time ends, Natural Release internal pressure 5 to 10 minutes.
- While pressure releases, preheat broiler. Adjust oven racks as needed so that chicken thighs will sit 10 to 12 inches beneath heating element.
- After releasing pressure, transfer chicken thighs to baking sheet, placing chicken thighs skin-side up.
- Place baking sheet under preheated broiler. Broil chicken thighs 5 to 10 minutes or until skin is golden brown and crispy.
- Carefully remove baking sheet from oven. Let chicken thighs rest 5 minutes, then transfer thighs to serving plates and serve with preferred sides.
- Boneless Thighs: For boneless thighs, cook on High Manual Pressure in the Instant Pot for 8 minutes.
- Chicken Broth: For a 6-quart Instant Pot, use 1 cup of broth. For an 8-quart Instant Pot, use 1.5 cups of broth.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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This was the best! My husband asked to start eating at home and I really wanted to surprise him. I forgot to take out the frozen chicken this morning😅 this saved me and we had a great night!
We’re so glad it was helpful! Thanks for sharing! 😊
Could this method be any easier? I had ZERO idea you could cook skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs from frozen. They turned out great!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing, Carla!
Thanks, mine turned out delicious. I followed your directions.
So glad you enjoyed them! 😊
Excellent recipe! I used Kinders seasoning anf had a huge family pack of bone-in skin in thighs. I had to layer 3x, so cooked them a little longer, 22 mins, and laid a few carrots + celery in between and on the bottom. I finished 1/2 in the air fryer and shredded 1/2 for next night. 2 easy meals! Amazeballs!
Ooh, that sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing, Ann!
Delicious recipe! Thanks for sharing. I used chicken bone broth that has turmeric & ginger in the instant pot and at the end of broiling brushed a little bit of bbq sauce. My family really enjoyed it.
So glad the whole family loved it! Thanks for sharing, Holly!