Instant Pot Garlic Chicken–tender seasoned bites of smoky chicken with savory gravy ladled over the top. An easy Instant Pot weeknight dinner!
Instant Pot Garlic Chicken and Gravy
You will love this garlic chicken recipe! It is super fast and easy and full of protein. Plus it has easy ingredients that are likely in your pantry. The seasoning on the chicken has a sweet garlic flavor plus notes of smokiness. And the gravy is good enough to drink. We ate this until it was gone! Add the ingredients to your shopping list to make this week.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs–I like to buy these frozen in the big bag at Costco but I also can find fresh thighs most of the time at Smiths or Winco. The thighs tend to stay more moist and tender in the Instant Pot than breasts do. You can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins (if you’re worried about cholesterol or calories these are a better option). Keep the same cooking time.
- 1 tsp kosher salt–or sea salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder–for seasoning the chicken bites
- 1 tsp onion powder–for seasoning the chicken bites
- 1 tsp black pepper–for seasoning the chicken bites
- 1 tsp smoked paprika–adds a unique, smoky flavor
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided–you can also use another type of oil like canola or vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic cloves–for extra garlic flavor. You can use fresh or jarred.
- 1 cup chicken broth–I like to use 1 cup of water + 1 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted–to make the savory gravy
- 4 Tbsp flour–to thicken the gravy. I haven’t tried other types of flour or thickeners. You can also choose not to thicken the sauce and just drizzle it over the top.
How to Make Garlic Chicken In the Instant Pot
- Prepare and season chicken: Cut the chicken thighs into 1 inch cubes. Place the chicken into a gallon size ziploc bag. Sprinkle in the kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, smoked paprika and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Zip and shake the bag well so that all the chicken is coated. You could also make this chicken with whole pieces of chicken instead of cutting them up. The downside is that the seasonings won’t cover as much surface area. If you do choose to use whole pieces of chicken you will need to increase the pressure cooking time to 12 minutes.
- Saute garlic: Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the other tablespoon of oil. Add in the minced garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds. Be careful not to burn the garlic!
- Deglaze the pot: Pour broth into Instant Pot and scrape bottom so nothing is sticking. Dump the chicken into the Instant Pot.
- Pressure cook: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Use a slotted spoon to move the chicken pieces to a dish.
- Make the gravy: Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. In a small bowl stir a tablespoon of flour at a time into the butter until creamy. Stir in a cup of the broth from the Instant Pot and whisk well until it’s creamy and smooth (this will prevent lumpy gravy). Scrape the mixture into the Instant Pot and whisk well. Let the gravy thicken and cook for a couple minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Serve the chicken with gravy over the top. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Can you use frozen chicken?
If you choose to cook the chicken in whole pieces instead of cutting them into cubes you can use frozen chicken. For whole frozen thighs or breasts I would increase the cooking time to 15 minutes with a 5-10 minute natural pressure release.
Storing/freezing leftovers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. I would store the chicken separate from the gravy.
Can I make this as a freezer meal?
Yes you can prep the chicken ahead of time. Do step 1 in the instructions below and then place the bag in the freezer until you are ready to cook. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then continue on with the recipe as stated. If you don’t take the chicken out the night before you can add it into the pot frozen. Cook for 1 minute then open the pot with a quick release and use a spoon to break up the chicken. Then pressure cook for 3 more minutes with a 5-10 minute natural pressure release.
Is this recipe Gluten-Free?
You can make this gluten free by using a cornstarch slurry to thicken the gravy. Make sure to check that your chicken broth is gluten free.
How to make this low-carb/keto friendly?
To cut carbohydrates in this dish, I would suggest leaving out the flour and use another type of thickener that is low carb. You can also choose to not thicken the sauce and just drizzle it over the top. Cauliflower rice is a great low-carb option as a side dish.
What to serve with garlic chicken and gravy
We served this with Instant Pot twice baked potato casserole. Other choices are mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles or rice. Serve with a green vegetable like asparagus, zucchini, green beans or broccoli.
More Easy Chicken Dinners
Instant Pot Italian Chicken Casserole
Instant Pot Rustic Garlic Chicken
Instant Pot Apple Cider Chicken
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Instant Pot Garlic Butter Chicken
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for. Here are some recipes that I know you’ll love…
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Instant Pot Garlic Chicken
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
Tender seasoned bites of chicken with savory gravy ladled over the top. An easy Instant Pot weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- 4 Tbsp flour
Instructions
- Cut the chicken thighs into 1 inch cubes. Place the chicken into a gallon size ziploc bag. Sprinkle in the kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, smoked paprika and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Zip and shake the bag well so that all the chicken is coated.
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the other tablespoon of oil. Add in the minced garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds.
- Pour broth into Instant Pot and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Dump the chicken into the Instant Pot.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Use a slotted spoon to move the chicken pieces to a plate.
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. In a small bowl stir a tablespoon of flour at a time into the butter until creamy. Stir in a cup of the broth from the Instant Pot and whisk well until it’s creamy and smooth. Scrape the mixture into the Instant Pot and whisk well. Let the gravy thicken and cook for a couple minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Serve the chicken with gravy over the top.
Notes
You can make this in the 3, 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot with no changes.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
I just made this dish and I enjoyed it. I have to eat without gluten and I was out of my usual thickener called arrowroot powder. I used some gluten free bread crumbs instead and it turned out fine.
Thanks for your tips on making this gluten free
Easy to make and tasted great. The gravy was very good. I make my lunches for work and freeze them in the containers so I can grab-and-go. I put the chicken on a bed of rice with the gravy on top. It was almost like mom used to make except my gravy had no lumps. ☺
★★★★
Good idea for lunches!
It was very good. I didn’t have 2 pounds of thighs, so I used some baby portobello mushrooms to fill in. I used one of the reviewers suggestions to make the gravy with water and flour. Great served over garlic mashed potatoes.
★★★★★
I love the idea of the mushrooms!
Made this on Sunday and had leftovers the next day! Nice easy recipe and tasted great! I only had chicken breasts and it was still great. In my opinion chicken thighs are always better. I put the cooked chicken in a container and just poured the gravy over it and leftovers were still great. I think it would be really good over a biscuit.
★★★★★
So glad to hear that you tried this recipe and loved it Tyler! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Easy comfort food! Visually, it was rather unappealing to me, a little too bland for the eyes. But the flavor…very nice depth of flavor! My family enjoyed it very much! By the way, I used frozen chicken thighs and it was perfectly cooked in 13 minutes with 10 minutes natural release.
★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it Sherrille!
Looking in my freezer right now, I have bags of the bone-in breast and thighs. Nothing boneless, Any change to the time if I use bone-in breast or thighs?
★★★★★
I would use a 12 minute pressure cook time with 10 minute release.
Great simple recipe! My husband and 5 year old loved the chicken and used the sauce on our mashed potatoes. Thanks!
★★★★★
Thanks for the 5 stars Alison!
This is a really good recipe. I just made it but cut it in half and still got almost 4 servings. Also, I used cut up chicken tenders because that’s what I had. I also used gluten-free flour and coatedthe chicken in a container rather than a bag. It was still delicious! I think next time I’ll try it without the butter just cut back on calories and fat. Thanks for such a really good and easy dish!
★★★★★
Thanks for the 5 star review Dee!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! Very easy and my whole house smells of yummy garlic. I served over rice with sides of glazed carrots and fresh Brussels sprouts.
★★★★★
I like your ideas for sides! Makes it a nice well rounded meal. Thanks for the 5 stars.
I would love to make this and was wondering if there is a substitute for the flour to keep it gluten free? Love your recipes by the way. They have saved me many times on short notice.
You can make this gluten free by using a cornstarch slurry to thicken the gravy. Make sure to check that your chicken broth is gluten free.
Excellent! Tip: to save time, put 1/3 cup cold water in an empty jar, add Garlic Salt (1 tsp) and a couple or 3 TBSP’s of AP flour, put on the lid, shake well, then stir into the hot juice in the IP on Saute & cook until it thickens to gravy. Save on butter and time fussing ….. always get NO lumps in the gravy this way!
★★★★★
Thanks for the tip!
I love your recipes and make a lot of them.
But would you PLEASE help reduce plastic bag waste in our landfills!
Many of your recipes have you dump ingredients in a ziploc bag to mix/coat. (Even if they don’t need to marinate such as in this recipe.)
Why can’t you just tell folks to put ingredients in a bowl and mix. So much better for our environment and cheaper, too! (Or just dump into IP and mix there would work for a lot of recipes.
This is my pet peeve with many recipes, not just yours.
Please use a bowl!
And – – even if they need to marinate it’s so easy to do it in a plastic container that you can throw in the dishwasher.
Thanks for great recipes.
Good tip! Thanks!
Thanks for your reply and understanding.
I don’t mean to be critical- – just want everyone to be practical and help our environment whenever possible! And yes – – I do use plastic bags (way more than I should!), but I have been trying hard to reduce what I use.
Keep the great recipes coming!
The zip lock bags can be used over and over if you clean them properly between uses.
Thanks for mentioning that, Judy. I’ve been doing this for years as well, & I will not give up my ziplock bags. Still appreciate Karen’s hard work on these recipes & the many ways she suggests to save us time & money!
Will be back with stars as soon as I can make this recipe.
Gia Quinto, in the notes Karen says, “You can make this in the 3, 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot with no changes.”
Hi Karen,
This looks really good. I would be using chicken breasts, however. Will that change the cooking time?
Thanks,
Cynthia
The thighs tend to stay more moist and tender in the Instant Pot than breasts do. You can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins. Keep the same cooking time.
Can I make this in a 3 qt IP?
When I cook chicken,it’s for one.
You can make this in the 3, 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot with no changes.
What kitchen Scale would you recommend for weighing bulky items like 3 pounds of raw chicken. Thank you
I like this one: https://amzn.to/30qc9az *
Thank you for your quick response. I will order it from smile.Amazon.