Instant Pot Smothered Chicken–chicken thighs in a savory gravy that you’ll want to lick off the plate!
Instant Pot Smothered Chicken
Mmmm-mmm! This gravy and chicken is so good that’s what you’ll be saying from the first bite. Try serving this Instant Pot smothered chicken with mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles, a side of corn on the cob and a green salad. If you’re a fan of mushrooms add them into the pot with the chicken. Yum yum!
Why use chicken thighs? Chicken thighs work great in the Instant Pot. They stay moist and tender and are way more predictable than chicken breasts in how they turn out. I like to buy chicken thighs at Winco (fresh) or at Costco (big bag of frozen). If you want to know if you can use chicken breasts the answer is yes. They won’t turn out as moist and tender. I would use the pressure cooking time according to the formula you can find here.
Why the bacon? Bacon just brings the gravy to a whole new level! For sake of ease I like using the big bag of bacon crumbles from Sam’s or Costco. If you’d like you can fry up some bacon and use that instead.
What if I don’t have better than bouillon? Use ¾ cup beef broth and ¾ cup chicken broth instead of the water and the bouillons.
What is half and half? It is half whole milk and half heavy cream. You can find it in a carton in the dairy aisle. You can also use evaporated milk.
Recommendations
More Saucy Instant Pot Chicken Recipes…
Instant Pot Garlic Butter Chicken
Instant Pot Southern Sunday Chicken
Instant Pot Chicken and Biscuits
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Instant Pot Smothered Chicken
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Chicken thighs in a savory gravy that you’ll want to lick off the plate!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp thyme
- ¼ tsp rosemary
- ¼ tsp sage
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon Beef Base
- 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base
- 4 Tbsp melted butter
- 4 Tbsp flour
- ¼ cup half and half or evaporated milk
- ¼ cup bacon crumbles
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Trim excess fat off of chicken thighs.
- Rub the chicken on both sides with the onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, rosemary and sage.
- Pour water, beef and chicken bouillon and soy sauce into the Instant Pot. Add chicken into pot evenly.
- Cover and secure the lid into place. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes for fresh chicken or 15 minutes for frozen. When time is up let the pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Place chicken on a plate.
- In a glass measuring cup whisk the melted butter with a tablespoon of flour at a time until smooth and creamy. Add in the half and half slowly and whisk well.
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture and stir until gravy has thickened. Stir in the bacon and then add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve gravy over the chicken and enjoy!
- 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 made this for dinner last night paired with mashed potatoes and green beans and we loved it. Definitely another 365 recipe for the dinner rotation. I’ve always done boneless chicken breasts, but tried the boneless thighs for the first time with this recipe. They were very flavorful and moist. We will definitely be eating more of them in the future. Thanks Karen!!!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you tried the thighs! We love them at our house!
Can you substitute chicken breast for the chicken thighs?
If you want to know if you can use chicken breasts the answer is yes. They won’t turn out as moist and tender. I would use the pressure cooking time according to the formula you can find here. https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-cook-chicken-breasts-in-the-instant-pot-frozen-or-fresh/
I tried the recipe right today when you posted it. So VERY good, I’m telling you. I served it with rice and it’s unsurpassable. Because I prefer making gravy in my skillet, I did the last steps that way, using 1 1/4 C. of broth from the Instant Pot and the rest as you told us. AND although I measured out the bacon bits, I forgot to put them into the food–and I didn’t miss them at all till I just now was writing this comment. This will definitely be a recipe we will make often. Thanks!
★★★★★
Yay! You answered the question I was going to ask Karen: can I leave out the bacon? Thanks.
I’m so glad to hear it Gaye! Thanks for the 5 stars!
CORRECTION: I meant to say 1 3/4 C. broth for the gravy!
Karen, I love so many of your recipes and look forward to trying this one. I am very recently an empty nester and though I love and eat leftovers, I don’t need 3 or 4 servings left. Can I in general, cut your recipes (this one included) in half? How can I adjust recipes down to 3-4 servings versus 6?
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Yes you can do that. Here is a guide: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-halve-instant-pot-recipes/
What do we do to replace the Better. Than Bouillion?
She answered this above, but I’ve copied and pasted here –
What if I don’t have better than bouillon? Use ¾ cup beef broth and ¾ cup chicken broth instead of the water and the bouillons.
Use ¾ cup beef broth and ¾ cup chicken broth instead of the water and the bouillons.
COMPLAINT HERE, KAREN!
I tried licking the photo and got…nuthin’ Mannnn….what a disappointment. Guess I’ll have to do it your way. SOON. : )
😂
LOL!!!
Can you use a crock pot Instead of instant pot ?
I have one, dusty. However, I’m curious why you ask? : )