Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Garlic Lemon Chicken

Need a flavorful recipe for your new Instant Pot or an old and trusty slow cooker? This tender garlic lemon chicken thighs and creamy potatoes Italian recipe suits both cooking methods quickly.

It is simmered to perfection in rich, aromatic jus that your whole family will absolutely love.

My slow cooker mostly collects dust and is only being put to use during holidays to keep food warm. The last thing I made in my slow cooker is this Irish beer-braised pot roast for St. Patrick's Day last year.

Slow Cooker to Instant Pot

I don't trust leaving it on when I'm not in the house (my husband is a fire investigator and I hear horror stories about things that can start a fire all the time).

I don't have the patience to cook in it during the day, and I don't want my house smelling like food while I'm sleeping. Shortly, I barely use it.

After I bought an Instant Pot for my daughter's birthday and she told me that her solid frozen, rock-hard chicken was done in 20 minutes, I just had to have one too.

The first recipe I made was pork ragu I found on Pinterest and I should've trusted my guts (and experience) to adjust the recipe. It asked for no salt and for too much liquid with no thickener. My step-daughter asked what kind of soup that was, lol.

Instant Pot Help:

How to use an Instant Pot is definitely a learning curve. It takes time for the pot to build up pressure (sometimes up to 30 minutes) but once it does, your meal is done in no time.

There are different sizes and functionalities to choose from. For the two of us, a 6 Qt is plenty big.

If you're resisting the trend (like I was), I got you covered. I'm listing the steps to make this delicious garlic lemon chicken in a slow cooker too.

Can you make it on the stovetop? Absolutely! Use a dutch oven or a heavy non-stick pot and just make sure to simmer on low for about an hour after you've browned the chicken for a bit. Now you have no excuse - go ahead and make it!

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light magazine.

How to Make Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Garlic Lemon Chicken:

Instant Pot

1. Select "Sauté" to pre-heat the Instant Pot. When the word "Hot" appears on the display add olive oil and brown the chicken thighs on all sides for about 5 minutes and set aside (work in batches if necessary).
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the stock, cornflower, butter, and lemon juice. Whisk until combined and there are no clumps.
3. Deglaze the inner pot with the wine. Press "Cancel" to turn the cooker off.
4. Add the chicken pieces back in the inner pot, skin side down. Pour the liquid mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, and thyme. Arrange potatoes and garlic over chicken. Close and lock the lid of the Instant Pot. Select "Meat/Stew", "Pressure Cook" or "Manual" and set the timer (+/- button) to 12 minutes.
5. When time is up, open the lid using Quick Release (press "Cancel" and then turn the steam release handle on the lid to the "Venting" position.)
6. Take the chicken pieces, potatoes, and garlic out of the inner pot with a slotted spoon and place on a serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley.
7.  Strain cooking liquid through a sieve into a small bowl. Let stand for 3 minutes. Discard any fat that rises to the top of the liquid. Serve jus with chicken, potatoes, and garlic cloves.

Slow Cooker

1. Coat the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker with olive oil. Place thighs in the slow cooker, skin side down.
2. In a small bowl combine the stock, wine, cornstarch, butter, and lemon juice. Whisk until combined and there are no clumps. Pour the liquid mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, and thyme. Arrange potatoes and garlic over chicken. Cover the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.
3. Take the chicken pieces, potatoes, and garlic out of the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and place on a serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley.
4. Strain cooking liquid through a sieve into a small bowl. Let stand for 3 minutes. Discard any fat that rises to the top of the liquid. Serve jus with chicken, potatoes, and garlic cloves.

Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Garlic Lemon Chicken Recipe

By Jas

Tender Italian garlic lemon chicken and creamy potatoes are simmered to perfection in your Instant Pot or Slow Cooker.

4.7 from 9 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Yields 6 servings

Calories 415 kcal

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 6 bone-in, skin-on large chicken thighs (about 2-3 pounds)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ ¼ cup dry white wine
• ▢ 1 cup chicken stock
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch, cornflour
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoons butter, melted
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground thyme
• ▢ 1 ½ pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed
• ▢ 1 whole garlic head, peeled
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, optional

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Instant Pot

• Select "Sauté" to pre-heat the Instant Pot. When the word "Hot" appears on the display add olive oil and brown the chicken thighs on all sides for about 5 minutes and set aside (work in batches if necessary).
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the stock, cornflower, butter, and lemon juice. Whisk until combined and there are no clumps.
• Deglaze the inner pot with wine. Press "Cancel" to turn the cooker off.
• Add the chicken pieces back in the inner pot, skin side down. Pour the liquid mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, and thyme. Arrange potatoes and garlic over chicken. Close and lock the lid of the Instant Pot. Select "Meat/Stew", "Pressure Cook" or "Manual" and set the timer (+/- button) to 12 minutes.
• When time is up, open the lid using Quick Release (press "Cancel" and then turn steam release handle on the lid to "Venting" position.)
• Take the chicken pieces, potatoes, and garlic out of the inner pot with a slotted spoon and place on a serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley.
• Strain cooking liquid through a sieve into a small bowl. Let stand 3 minutes. Discard any fat that rises to the top of the liquid. Serve jus with chicken, potatoes, and garlic cloves.

Slow Cooker

• Coat the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker with olive oil. Place thighs in the slow cooker, skin side down.
• In a small bowl combine the stock, wine, cornstarch, butter, and lemon juice. Whisk until combined and there are no clumps. Pour the liquid mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, and thyme. Arrange potatoes and garlic over chicken. Cover the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.
• Take the chicken pieces, potatoes, and garlic out of the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and place on a serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley.
• Strain cooking liquid through a sieve into a small bowl. Let stand 3 minutes. Discard any fat that rises to the top of the liquid. Serve jus with chicken, potatoes, and garlic cloves.

Notes

~ Free Tip~

• To quickly peel a whole garlic head, separate the cloves, place in a small (Tupperware) container with a lid and vigorously shake until the skin is off. (I only had two cloves left unpeeled)
• Use fresh thyme sprigs instead of ground but discard before serving.
• Substitute cornstarch with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.
• Sprinkle chicken with more fresh lemon juice right before serving if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 415kcal (21%) | Carbohydrates: 22g (7%) | Protein: 22g (44%) | Fat: 26g (40%) | Saturated Fat: 6g (30%) | Cholesterol: 112mg (37%) | Sodium: 576mg (24%) | Potassium: 804mg (23%) | Fiber: 2g (8%) | Sugar: 2g (2%) | Vitamin A: 284IU (6%) | Vitamin C: 14mg (17%) | Calcium: 22mg (2%) | Iron: 2mg (11%)

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