Lemon Basil Chicken Thighs

We’re always on the hunt for new flavorful chicken dinner recipes to make in the Instant Pot. We’ve mastered the technique for cooking up juicy, tender chicken thighs in a silky, creamy sauce. 

This is a wonderful Instant Pot chicken recipe recipe to make in the spring and summer. We love to serve it with buttery egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED

Here’s what you need for this lemon basil chicken recipe:

• Chicken thighs. We use boneless, skinless chicken thighs with the fat trimmed away. 
• Seasonings. Season your dish with parsley, garlic, cumin, and coriander.
• Shallot. In a pinch, you can use red onion. 
• Lemon. You’ll need the juice and zest to add tons of brightness to this dish. 
• Broth. We use low-sodium chicken broth. You can use homemade if you like. 
• Cornstarch. This helps thicken up the sauce for your lemony chicken. 
• Butter. Enrich your sauce with a bit of unsalted butter. 

Then add the shallot and garlic to the pot and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the cumin and coriander for another minute, then stir in the chicken broth and lemon juice, deglazing the pot with your spoon. 

Return the chicken to the pot, along with any juices on the plate. Stir in the salt, pepper, and parsley, then add the lid and cook on high pressure for 9 minutes. When the cook time ends, do a quick pressure release. 

Remove the lid and use tongs to remove the chicken thighs from the pot. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Next, in a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with cold water to make a cornstarch slurry. Add your slurry to the sauce in the pressure cooking pot, stirring constantly. Turn on Sauté and bring the sauce to a boil, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.

Return the chicken to the pot and stir to coat them completly in the sauce. Now turn off the pressure cooker and whisk in the lemon zest and butter. If you’d like, season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the lemony chicken with your favorite starch, and enjoy!

Important Tips for Making Instant Pot Lemony Chicken

It’s very important to whisk the sauce well after you add the cornstarch slurry. This will prevent lumps from forming. 

Also, be sure to bring the sauce to a simmer after adding the slurry. This ensures that the raw starch gets fully cooked. 

When you add the chicken broth, be sure to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. This deglazing step will add more flavor to your sauce and will prevent anything from burning on the bottom of the pot. 

MORE Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

Try these other quick and easy chicken dinner recipes next:

• Chinese Lemon Chicken has a sweet and sticky Asian-inspired sauce. 
• Chicken Lazone is a creamy, lemony chicken dish that’s delicious with pasta.
• Artichoke Chicken is a fast elevated dinner with jarred artichoke hearts.