Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Recipe

Two pieces of lemon chicken on a plate with asparagus.

This Buttery Instant Pot Lemon Chicken recipe is bursting with fresh flavors and can be made in 30 minutes! The perfect weeknight meal to make in your pressure cooker.

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 266kcal

Equipment

Instant Pot
cooking tongs or spatula

Ingredients

6-8 boneless chicken thighs skin on or off
sea salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon red chili flakes optional
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
½ medium onion chopped
4-5 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
juice and zest of one lemon more if desired
⅓ cup low sodium chicken broth see notes
chopped fresh parsley and lemon slices for garnish optional

Sauce Thickener (optional)

1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons water

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and chili flakes on both sides.
Select the sauté function on your Instant Pot and add olive oil into the pot.
Once hot, place chicken in the Instant Pot and brown on both sides, approximately 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. You will likely have to work in batches depending on the amount of chicken you are making. Once browned, remove from Instant Pot and set aside.
Add butter to Instant Pot and melt. Now stir in onions and garlic. Add lemon juice to deglaze the pot. Cook for 1 minute, and then add Italian seasoning, lemon zest, and chicken broth.
Put chicken back into the Instant Pot with the other ingredients, lock the lid, and turn the valve to seal. Select the "pressure cook" button and set the time to 7 minutes. (Note: It takes approximately 5-10 minutes to get to pressure and start counting down.)
When done, allow the chicken to release for 2-3 minutes naturally. Then, push the value for a quick release.
If you like a thick sauce, remove chicken from Instant Pot and take cornstarch and mix it in a small bowl with water and add it to Instant Pot. Press sauté and allow the sauce to thicken and boil. Add chicken back in to coat it with sauce and heat back up.
Serve chicken with sauce spooned over top and garnish with parsley and sliced lemons if desired.

Video

Notes

If you're looking for a healthier option, leave the skin off the chicken. If you don't mind the extra fat, leave the skin on to get a nice crisp.
If you can't get enough lemon, double the amount of lemon zest listed.
You can put lemon slices in the instant pot when the chicken is cooking. The whole slice becomes soft and edible--and quite delicious. For presentation, add fresh lemon slices at the end. However, the flavor bonus is worth doing both if you'd like!
Most importantly, if you have issues with the "burn" error while pressure cooking, make sure you scrape/deglaze really well after you sauté the chicken.

Note: You can make this recipe in a 6-quart Instant Pot. We use ⅓ cup chicken stock and that, combined with the lemon and chicken juices, I've never gotten a burn notice. If you have a sensitive Instant Pot, add more liquid so you don't get the burn notice.

Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Nutrition