You will love these juicy Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Thighs! Cooked in an aromatic spice blend, making flavorful chicken that is juicy inside with crispy skin has never been easier!
You will find a video of this recipe on the recipe card, at the bottom of the page.
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We love simple pressure cooker recipes from our Instant pot chicken wings three ways, Instant pot frozen chicken wings, to our ninja foodi chicken vegetable soup. If you are a chicken lover, this instant pot frozen chicken thighs recipe is a must-try!
why you will love this recipe
- Easy.
- Versatile - you can add vegetables to transform it into a healthy, veggie-packed meal!
- Clean eating friendly - It is gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, low carb, whole 30, THM-S and keto-friendly too.
- Budget-friendly.
- Perfect for meal-prep.
ingredients
- frozen skin-on and bone-inchicken thighs - skin on (trim off excess fat).
- spices - cumin, sweet paprika, cinnamon, coriander powder, ground ginger, turmeric powder.
- seasoning and condiments- salt and olive oil.
- vegetables - chopped medium-sized onion, garlic cloves, lemon juice.
- other- chicken stock or water.
This is a summary of the ingredients you will need to make this recipe, along with possible substitutions. Detailed measurements and step-by-step instructions have been provided in the recipe card provided below.
how to make frozen chicken thighs in the Instant Pot
- Prepare spice blend: first, create a spice blend with cumin, paprika, cinnamon, ground ginger, coriander powder, salt, and turmeric.
- Season the chicken: use half of the spice blend to season the frozen bone-in chicken thighs, saving the rest of the spice blend for broiling.
- Pressure cook: Add olive oil to the Instant Pot. Next. Fry garlic until fragrant then add chicken stock, chicken thighs, sliced onion, and lemon juice. Cover the Instant Pot, set the valve on the lid is set to SEAL, then pressure cook on high for 15 min.
- Pressure release: do a 10-minute natural pressure release (NPR) followed by a quick pressure release (QPR).
- Broil for crispy skin: Transfer chicken to a rack, pat dry, and season with reserved spice blend. Broil 5-10 minutes for crispy skin. Alternatively, air fry until crispy.
- Serve: Garnish the chicken with fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, or chives if desired. Serve hot with your favorite side dishes.
useful tips
- Add your favorite vegetables for extra flavor. Saute the onion and garlic, then add the veggies along with 1-2 cups of water before proceeding on with the rest of the recipe steps-
- Cook the chicken to an internal temperature of at least 165°F before broiling.
- Thicken your stock with a slurry made from all-purpose flour, coconut flour, almond flour, or arrowroot powder.
- Do not add any sauce thickeners to the Instant Pot before cooking, as this affects how heat is transmitted. This may also cause the inner pot of the Instant Pot overheat.
serving suggestions
Here are some of my favorite ways to serve this chicken thighs dish. However, feel free to serve it with your favorite side dish or dishes!
- Spicy Southern-style cabbage
- Jamaican steamed cabbage (Keto-friendly, for those of you on a low-carb diet)!
- Roasted garlic mashed potatoes.
- Instant Pot mashed cauliflower
- Instant Pot Basmati Rice
- German green bean salad
refregeration and freezing
Store cooked chicken thighs in suitable airtight containers or Ziploc bags in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw frozen chicken thighs in the refrigerator overnight (make sure to keep the chicken thighs in a bowl to prevent bacteria in the liquid from spreading to other items in the fridge). Warm them in the microwave or oven.
more Instant Pot recipes for you to try!
Don't just stop here, make sure to try our other delicious Instant pot recipes!!
This recipe has been updated on the 6th of December 2023. Certain parts have been summarized to enhance clarity and readability.
📖 Recipe
Juicy Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Thighs
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 6 frozen chicken thighs skin left on and excess fat trimmed-off
- 1 chopped medium-sized onion or about 1 cup
- 1½ cup chicken stock or water
- 4 cloves garlic use more if you prefer
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Mix spices (cumin, paprika, cinnamon, ground ginger, coriander, salt, turmeric) to make a spice blend.
- Season frozen bone-in chicken thighs with half the spice blend. Reserve the rest for later (see notes).
- In an Instant Pot, heat olive oil and fry garlic until fragrant. Add chicken stock or water, then the seasoned chicken thighs. Top with stock, sliced onion, and lemon juice. Cover the pot.
- Set the Instant Pot to HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes, ensuring the valve is sealed. After pressure cooking, allow a 10-minute natural pressure release, followed by a quick release, until all the pressure and sizzling is gone.
- Once the pressure cooking time is over, allow for a natural pressure release (NPR) of 10 minutes then followed by a quick pressure release (QPR), until all the pressure and sizzling is gone.
- For crispy skin, transfer chicken thighs to a baking sheet, pat dry, and season with remaining spice blend (about a tablespoon - see notes). Broil 5-12 inches under the heat for 5-10 minutes, or until the skin is crispy. Ensure safety while broiling. Alternatively, grease your air fryer basket and air fry at 400F (or 200C) until you obtain your desired level of crispiness.
- Serve hot with a side dish and garnish with fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, or chives.
Notes
- Added Flavor: Include 2 cups of preferred vegetables like Brussels sprouts, celery, carrots, or baby potatoes. Sauté onion and garlic, then add vegetables with 1 cup of water and other ingredients as instructed.
- Spice Blend Usage: Season chicken with only a tablespoon of the spice blend before broiling. Reserve any extra for other recipes.
- Cook the chicken to an internal temperature of at least 165°F before broiling.
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- Achieving Crispy Skin: Broil chicken for crispy skin, as browning in the Instant Pot may not be effective due to liquid from frozen thighs. Alternatively, grease your air fryer basket and air fry at 400F (or 200C) until you obtain your desired level of crispiness.
- Instant Pot Cooking Times (may vary depending on your pressure cooker or altitude):
- Frozen chicken thighs: 14-15 minutes.
- Boneless skinless: 10 minutes.
- Bone-in skinless: 12 minutes.
- Bone-in skin-on: 12 minutes.
Nutrition
frequently asked questions
Yes, you most certainly can cook frozen chicken thighs in your Instant Pot (we actually just did)!! It may however be difficult to brown the chicken before as you normally would when using unfrozen chicken meat. You can counter this by broiling the chicken using a broiler or your oven, once it has pressure cooked. You can also use your pan.
As a general rule, chicken thighs will have the following cooking times, which you can then use as a guide:-
Frozen chicken thighs - 14 to 15 minutes
Boneless skinless - 10 minutes
Bone-in skinless - 12 minutes
Jawyllie
I’ve died and gone to heaven with this recipe, made it twice and will make it again and again. Fail proof, quick and delicious. The flavors are amazing and it solves two of my biggest issues, limited time to cook and the frozen chicken debacle. Fear no more, takeout does not hold a candle to this fabulous recipe!
Kate Hahnel
Thank you and I am so glad you enjoyed it! I am happy to say this still remains one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes (well, not because I wrote it, lol), but just because cooking frozen poultry or meat is sometimes such a hassle. This is just one of those recips that simplifies this. Thanks again!!
Tara
Extremely delicious! I'm looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Kate Hahnel
Thank you very much! I am so glad you loved it!!
Jazz
This chicken is so perfectly crispy and flavorful. I served it with green beans and mushrooms and everybody loved it!
Britney
The seasonings that you used in this recipe was so aromatic and delicious!! I loved the cinnamon and coriander with cumin and ginger - amazing!!
Tamara
Absolutely delicious! Everything about these chicken thighs were amazing! The kiddos devoured them.
Capri Lilly
I love the step by step instructions you provided! My chicken turned out delicious!!
Kate Hahnel
I am glad you liked it!
Chenée Lewis
These were amazing and the blend of spices was so flavorful! I will definitely be making this for meal prep all the time now!
Barry J.
This looks like the perfect recipe for a super busy week night. Definitely going to be making this recipe this week.
Kate Hahnel
Thank you Barry. I hope you will like it.
Mila
I LOVED being able to make these from frozen. Saved SO much time!
Marta
I have to admit I was so skeptical that I could make chicken thighs from frozen. They were perfectly spiced and juicy.
Jessica
I always forget to take my chicken out of the freezer in time to get dinner ready! Love that this recipe calls for frozen chicken thighs. So easy to just throw in the instant pot and have this deliciousness ready in no time. THANK YOU!
Natasha
I love a good instant pot recipe and this looks delcious. You had me at frozen chicken thighs. Because sometimes you just forget thaw out the chicken lol The spice blend sounds aromatic and I love the combination of spices. I'll put this on my list to try soon. Thanks for sharing.
Megan
I can't wait to try this! I love easy and healthy Instant Post recipes.