This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy.
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?
Tag @40aprons on Instagram and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!
More Incredible Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Sushi Rice
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken
- Dreamy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Brown Rice
- 50 Low Carb Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Black Beans
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- The Best EVER Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
- Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Never Miss A Meal!
New Recipes Straight To Your Inbox
A curated selection of our most recent recipes, delivered straight to your inbox once a week.
Leave A Review
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Okay, I’m gonna be honest… I did NOT think there was any way those mushy slimy skins were going to crisp after I took them out of the pot, but to my pleasant surprise – they did! Looked just like the picture (except there were 11 of them because, teenage boys). What a great trick!
So glad this one was a pleasant surprise! It’s such a great go-to recipe to keep on hand! Thanks for sharing, Laurie. 😊
Thank You!! Great Recipe!!
Thanks so much, Tricia! Appreciate your kind review!
This was so easy and came out juicy and delicious
I made 6 bone in thighs and followed the recipe as written
So glad you loved it! Thanks for sharing, Chrissy. 😊
You have saved my life… so quick and delicious. Perfect backdrop from any sauce.
So glad you loved this chicken, Melissa! 😊
So annoying I have to read the whole thing to get a small bit of info. This is the 5th site with this nonsense
The “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page will take you straight to the recipe, bypassing all the Chef’s Tips and everything before the recipe.☺️
What does it feel like going though life complaining and blaming other people for you being clueless. THE THIRD LINE OF THE BLOG HAS “JUMP TO RECIPE” LIKE EVERY OTHER BLOG ON THE ENTIRE INTERNET. And IMAGINE THAT! You, before you got your spiffy computer that you can’t use….always had to not only go through EVERY line of a RECIPE but every page of an ENTIRE BOOK.
You know the scenario; it’s nearly freezing outside and freezing rain is pelting down as well as stinging our cheeks as we cycle home from the cinema, last night. Hungry. What have I got? Of course the “emergency rations”, a tin of baked beans and a couple of baking potatoes, are in the cupboards but I’m wanting something more substantial. Of course, being in efficient housewife mode means ALL of our meat is vacuum-sealed and, of course, frozen. In moments, I have two solid chicken thighs on the counter and my eyes fastened to my laptop: Surely my trusty little (3 Qt) Instant Pot can deal with frozen food? I scanned your recipe and settled on it because it was a) a 100% match and b) the attractive photo looked good enough to eat! My chicken was seasoned perched on its little steamer stand on top of 3/4 cup of my favourite chicken broth. Thirty minutes later (natural release, 16 minutes), the thighs were cooked. And, after a brushing with thick soy sauce, it was ready for the grill.
They were delicious and cooking from frozen was a new feather in my cap! Thank you for taking the time to explain the process so clearly. I can’t wait to peruse your website and see what other goodies are there!
Hi, Lisa! Thank you for the beautiful review! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, and hope you find more favorites! 🙂
Very tasty
Thanks so much, Jan! So glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you!
Anytime, Chris!
thank you
You’re welcome! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Works perfectly. Used them for soup so I omitted the broiling step.
So happy to hear that!! Thank you for sharing, Kathy!