Restaurant quality at home – these Garlic Paprika Instant Pot Chicken Thighs make even a weeknight special! Seasoned boneless chicken thighs are served in a delicious cream sauce – perfect for a date night in!
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Raise your hand if you’ve fallen in love with the Instant Pot!
I use mine all the time, especially for things like making shredded chicken or “hard boiled” eggs. But I also realized that it’s a shame that I don’t have very many pressure cooker recipes here on Taste and Tell. So I’m beginning to remedy that today – with Garlic Paprika Instant Pot Chicken Thighs.
This recipe is one of those recipes that looks fancy, but is actually really, really easy. Tender, flavorful chicken, served in a creamy sauce. I like to serve it over pasta, which makes it even more restaurant quality, in my opinion. I have been super addicted to smoked paprika lately, and this is a recipe that highlights just how good that spice is.
Ingredients in Garlic Paprika Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
There really aren’t a lot of ingredients in this recipe.
For the chicken, you’ll need:
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- smoked paprika
- salt and pepper
- butter
For the sauce, you’ll need:
- butter
- garlic
- chicken broth
- heavy cream
- cornstarch
- parmesan
- baby spinach
I have served this over pasta (which is my favorite way to serve it), but it is also great just on its own!
How long do you cook chicken thighs in the Instant Pot?
You cook the boneless, skinless chicken thighs on high pressure for 7 minutes, then let the Instant Pot naturally release for 3 minutes before manually releasing the pressure. If you want to sub in bone-in chicken thighs, cook the chicken on high pressure for 10 minutes instead of 7. I always suggest having an instant read thermometer on hand, as well, to check the internal temperature to make sure it is cooked through.
Can you use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs?
If you know me, you know that I’ll choose a chicken thigh over a breast 4 out of 5 times. This is simply because I think the thighs have so much more flavor, and are so much harder to dry out than breasts. But if you want to use breasts, you can sub in the same amount of meat, and cook for about 10 minutes on high and let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes. The rest of the steps should be the same.
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes:
Pressure Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Instant Pot Chipotle Shredded Beef
Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef
Pressure Cooker Cashew Chicken
Pressure Cooker Fudgy Brownies
Tools to make this Garlic Paprika Instant Pot Chicken
- Of course you need a pressure cooker, and I love my Instant Pot! I feel like it is super user friendly and easy to learn how to use.
- I seriously use my tongs more than most things in my kitchen! They are super handy in this recipe to flip the chicken while you are browning it in your Instant Pot.
- A good whisk is also a must for making the sauce. You don’t want any lumps!
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Garlic Paprika Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken thighs with the smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
- Press sauté on the Instant Pot and melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Working in batches, place the chicken thighs in the Instant Pot and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes each side. Remove to a plate.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and let it melt. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30-45 seconds. Stir in the chicken broth.
- Add the chicken back into the Instant Pot. Place the lid on the pot and lock. Select high pressure for 7 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, allow a natural release for 3 minutes, then quick release. Remove the chicken thighs from the pot with a slotted spoon.
- Press sauté on the instant pot. Take 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream and whisk it with the cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk the remaining cream into the Instant Pot, followed by the cornstarch mixture. Cook, whisking often, until it has lightly thickened. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted, then stir in the spinach and allow it to cook until wilted. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Turn off the Instant Pot and add the chicken back into the mixture, allowing the sauce to coat the chicken.
- Serve the chicken thighs on top of pasta, if desired. Sprinkle the chicken with parsley before serving.
K Silva says
Have made this probably eight times now. This is our go-to meal! We love it over noodles and rice both. The sauce is the best part of this!
Deborah says
I’m so glad you have loved it so much!!
Heidi-Beth says
Thanks for sharing, I made this tonight, husband loved. I added onions and replaced milk for heavy cream, and had over jasmine rice
Johanne says
This is sooooo good and tooo easy. I added mushrooms and cooked them a few minutes before adding the garlic. This is the 2nd time I make it this week. Thank you so much.
Deborah says
I’m so glad you have been loving it!
Cheryl says
I used 8 bone-in skin-on thighs. I cooked for 10 min, NPR 3 min. Chicken was pink inside and not tender. Cooked 5 more min and chicken was tender. Served with egg noodles. I would make this again but increase the seasonings. It was a little bland.
Jill says
I have made this several times for my family, they love it. So easy!
Summer Chastain says
I made this tonight and it was amazing. I didn’t measure out my spinach and seasonings though. I used about half a bag of spinach which we loved. It was creamy and delicious! Husband said he would want me to make this again! Thank you!
Dawn says
Made this last night and it was delicious! I wanted to lick my plate! Sauce was soooo good! The only substitute I made was using canned coconut milk instead of heavy cream (what I had on hand). Will share link on facebook. Fast and easy yet oh so tasty. Thanks for sharing.
Deborah says
I’m so glad you loved it! And it’s good to know that coconut milk will work as well!
Heidi says
We didn’t have spinach, so I left it out. Delicious! I will make this again!
Deborah says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Ramon says
Sounds delicious, I can’t wait to get home and make it for my wife. I love chicken thighs. Thanks for the recipe.
Deborah says
I hope you get a chance to try it!
Sarah Bud says
Can I double the recipe?
Karen says
Going to try tonight, while cooking the chicken do you think i could put in some fresh mushrooms in the bottom under the trivet?
Would they cook ok? This is the first recipe I’ve tried with my new cooker.
Kathleen says
If I’m making 3lbs of chicken should I cook for longer??
Sarah says
Great flavor! Got a little salty, so I think I might cut that back a little next time. I couldn’t get the sauce to thicken too much, but the consistency was fine. Left the spinach out b/c my kids hate it, and accompanied with baked potatoes and veggies.
Debbie Mitchell says
This was AWESOME! Thank you for posting this recipe! It’s a new family favorite!
Deborah says
Yay! I’m so glad you loved it!
Holly says
Absolutly delicious, can’t wait to make it again and share. I followed the recipe pretty closely, maybe added a bit more salt and garlic.
kmc says
We swapped out the dairy for coconut milk, and this was fantastic. Will make again <3 Great Recipe!
Deborah says
Awesome – I’m so glad it worked out well for you!