Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken is an easy, delicious recipe that is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. Made entirely in your Pressure Cooker, it come out tender, juicy and moist with a light, zesty sauce. We’ve also included directions for a creamier sauce if you’d like!
Why You’ll Love Lemon Garlic Chicken
- QUICK AND EASY RECIPE – With just a few, common ingredients and a couple of minutes of prep, this recipe is a VERY easy recipe! Then just seal your Instant Pot and let it do all the work! It will take just 10 minutes to cook this dish! And, all made in one pot, cleaning up is super easy too!
- KID FRIENDLY – Even picky eaters should love this one!
- DELICIOUS – When you pressure cook chicken recipes, all the aromas, flavors and juices stay infused in the dish. The results are glorious!
Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken
Here is what you’ll need to get started. Read below for step-by-step instructions. Or check out the printable recipe card below.
- OLIVE OIL – I use extra-virgin but you can use any you have on hand. Or you can substitute with any oil that has a higher smoke point.
- ONION – I like using a yellow onion, because of it’s softer, milder flavor. But you can use red onion if you want. You will need to chop it but you can do this ahead of time on your weekly prep day.
- GARLIC – minced
- CHICKEN – For this recipe we used 4 bone-in chicken thighs but you could also use boneless, skinless chicken breast or boneless thighs.
- LEMON
- CHICKEN BROTH – Or chicken stock. You can also substitute for vegetable broth.
- SALT AND PEPPER – To taste.
- ITALIAN SEASONING
- BUTTER
How to Make Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken
- Turn your pressure cooker on to the saute mode. Add olive oil, and onions saute until the onions start to get translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place chicken pot. Saute on both sides until both sides are a golden brown, about 3 minutes each side.
- While chicken is searing, zest one of the lemons. Add lemon juice, zest, chicken broth and Italian seasoning into the pot. Place butter over the chicken.
- Secure the lid on the pressure cooker and make sure that it is sealed. Close the pressure release valve. Set the pressure cooker to manual, high pressure for 10 minutes.
- When the cooking cycle is finished, allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes before opening the lid. Remove chicken to a serving platter. If you would like to thicken the sauce, place the pressure cooker on the saute mode and bring to a boil until thickened.
- Pour sauce over chicken. Slice remaining lemon into rounds and serve on top of the chicken. (Optional)
What do I serve with lemon garlic chicken?
This recipe is traditionally served with rice but I love serving a hearty vegetable with lemon garlic chicken. Roasted potatoes is always a good idea. Some of our other favorite sides is steamed asparagus or these amazing smashed Brussels spouts. If you have an extra pressure cooker, making Instant Pot Brussels sprouts is also a great idea to serve with this recipe.
Leftovers, Storage and Freezing
Lemon Garlic Chicken will store nicely in a sealed container in a refrigerator for up to 4 days. It would be nice to make a double batch because it will reheat easily and then you have another meal ready to go. To reheat in the microwave, use a microwave friendly dish and cover it with plastic wrap. Heat for 3-4 minutes or use your microwave reheating feature. You can also reheat in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
You can also freeze this recipe. Allow to fully cool and put in a freezer safe container. It will be good in your freezer for up to four months. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge.
Creamy Lemon Sauce Recipe
Who doesn’t like a rich and creamy sauce? While we opted for a healthier version with this recipe and skipped the sauce, you can easily make it after the chicken is done cooking in the pressure cooker. Just remove the chicken and cook the remaining sauce on the saute mode with 1/4 cup heavy cream until thickened. Then pour the sauce over the chicken and enjoy!
Garnish with some lemon slices, fresh parsley or both. We hope you enjoy this Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Recipe. Please drop us a note in the comments to let us know how it turned out!
LOOKING FOR MORE DELICIOUS INSTANT POT RECIPES? CHECK OUT:
Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 chopped onion
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs
- salt and pepper
- 2 lemons
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 tablespoons butter cut into small squares
Instructions
- Turn your pressure cooker on to the saute mode. Add olive oil, and onions saute until the onions start to get translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season chicken with salt and pepper and saute on both sides until browned, about 3 minutes each side.
- While chicken is searing, zest one of the lemons. Add lemon juice, zest, chicken broth and Italian seasoning into the pot. Place butter over the chicken.
- Secure the lid on the pressure cooker and make sure that it is sealed. Close the pressure release valve. Set the pressure cooker to manual, high pressure for 10 minutes.
- When the cooking cycle is finished, allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes before opening the lid. Remove chicken to a serving platter. If you would like to thicken the sauce, place the pressure cooker on the saute mode and bring to a boil until thickened.
- Pour sauce over chicken. Slice remaining lemon into rounds and serve on top of the chicken.
- Enjoy!
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Sharing of this recipe is encouraged and appreciated. Copying of full recipe to any social media is prohibited.
Share Your Thoughts