How to Cook a Couple of Chicken Thighs in an Instant Pot
The Instant Pot is a great device for making quick roasts in large pots and whole chickens, but sometimes, especially if you live alone, you don’t need a whole chicken. Sometimes you just need a pair of thighs, which is perhaps the best part of the chicken anyway.
This post is part of the new Small Food, Big Pot series , in which we teach you how to cook small portions of delicious food in a giant Instant Pot.
Unfortunately, you can’t just toss two chicken thighs into the Instant Pot’s stainless steel insert and start cooking, as the meat doesn’t release enough liquid to keep the pot pressurized. Adding liquid is the answer, but I don’t want the meat to sit in a puddle while it cooks. Fortunately, there is a simple solution to this problem. You just need a different vessel.
By placing the meat in another smaller bowl and placing it on the rack, you can add the required amount of water for the Instant Pot to function properly without the need to cook food directly in the water.
To cook a couple of thick and juicy thighs (which may or may not be life-saving), you will need:
- 2 chicken thighs (love on the bones, without skin)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 glass of water
- Stand for the stand that comes with the stove
- A smaller vessel that will fit inside a larger insert, such as a pyrex or stainless steel bowl.
Season the thighs with salt and pepper, then place them in a pyrex or stainless steel bowl, skin side up. Pour water into the Instant Pot, place the rack inside, and place the bowl of chicken on the rack. Close the pot and make sure the outlet valve is in the “seal” position. Press the manual button, make sure the pressure is high and use the + or – buttons to set the time to 12 minutes.
After the cooking time has elapsed, wait five minutes, then release the pressure manually by moving the vent valve to the “vent” position. Heat some butter or butter over high heat in a thick skillet – stainless steel or cast iron – and fry the skin of your thighs for color and texture.
You now have two juicy thighs. If you are one of those trendy people who eat their bones with a knife and fork instead of gnawing bones like me, be sure to leave the bones in the warehouse. Instant Pot is a great product.