Instant Pot Chicken Thighs from Frozen

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs can totally be cooked from frozen! It’s such a lifesaver when you’ve forgotten to pull meat out of the freezer for dinner.

Types of Frozen Chicken Thighs

There are essentially three ways that chicken thighs can be frozen. It’s important that you find out which type you have before you proceed.

1. You bought them already frozen. Usually, these are boneless skinless chicken thighs that were individually frozen with a water solution and put into a bag. A good example is Kirkland’s 48oz. bag of frozen chicken thighs.
2. You bought 6-8 chicken thighs fresh on a tray. They were touching each other on that tray. You put the whole thing into the freezer.
3. You bought some fresh chicken thighs and then you individually froze them by putting them on a pan lined with parchment paper such that the thighs were not touching each other. Once frozen, you transferred them to a bag or other container and they are still frozen individually.

The good news is that you can cook the chicken thighs in the Instant Pot straight from frozen no matter which of the above you have. However, the way that you cook them will be different depending on how they were frozen.

Cooking Frozen Thighs From A Bag

This is (1) from above: boneless skinless chicken thighs that are bought in a bag and they are loose in there, all having been individually frozen. These are usually in a 4% solution. By the way, that solution is actually going to make the broth that you get from cooking the thighs in your Instant Pot extra delicious.

These chicken thighs are usually frozen pretty flat, not in tucked bundles (if in bundles, see the individually frozen instructions below (type (3)) since that is more similar to them). Now, what you don’t want to do is stack those flat thighs in your Instant Pot. That will result in them cooking unevenly due to them touching a lot and being at different distances from the liquid inside the pot. Instead, you’re going to put them thighs vertically in there, like books on a shelf. Cool, right?

Measure 1 cup of water into the pot (1 and 1/2 cups if you are using an 8-quart Instant Pot). You don’t need to season these with salt because there is usually salt in the solution. However, you can add other seasonings if you’d like.

Then put the trivet that came with your Instant Pot, or a heat-safe rack or heat-safe steaming basket, into the pot. Arrange the full 48oz. bag of thighs vertically in there. You can do fewer of the thighs if you’d like but it takes the same amount of time to cook them. Put on the lid and then turn the valve to Sealing, and set the Instant Pot on high pressure for 14 minutes. Then do nothing for 5 minutes (that’s a natural release). Then turn the vent to release the rest of the pressure.

Then take off the lid and do a quick test that the thighs are at least 165°F in the middle. Use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature. The chicken thighs should all be at the correct temperature. If for some reason they aren’t, set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for an additional 2 minutes and do another 5 minute natural release.

Cooking Thighs Frozen In A Clump

I have experimented and found out how to cook frozen chicken thighs in the Instant Pot even if they’re frozen in a clump. How amazing is that? What am I talking about here? These are the thighs described in (2) above. Essentially, you got a styrofoam tray with 6-8 chicken thighs on it. They’re packed onto the tray so that they’re in a single layer but they’re all touching each other. You put that whole tray into the freezer just like that, and now they’re frozen in a clump on a tray.

I will say that, if you’re planning to do this again, minimally remove the absorbent pad from under them before freezing. That thing is tough to get off once they’re frozen, but I’m explaining how here anyways. It’s just easier if you’ve done that first. Alternatively, you can just fully defrost the thighs before cooking. And then you can go here to find out how to cook thawed chicken thighs in the Instant Pot.

If you’re going to proceed with cooking the frozen thighs, take the tray out of the freezer. Remove all of the packaging and the absorbent mat if it all comes off easily. If any of the packaging or the mat are frozen to the chicken, do not pull and tug since that can tear the mat and then the absorbent material will come out and get on your chicken. You don’t want that. Instead, put the package into a clean kitchen sink and run cold water over the frozen packaging/mat until it comes off easily. This can take as long as 5-10 minutes depending on how well it is frozen together.

Once all packaging and the mat are removed, measure 1 cup of water into your Instant Pot (1 and 1/2 cups if you are using an 8-quart Instant Pot) and put the trivet or a heat-safe steamer basket into the pot as well. Put the clump of frozen chicken thighs on there, season them well with salt, pepper, and anything else that you’d like, and then put on the lid.

Now, you’re going to cook these in two stages. The first stage essentially defrosts the thighs so that you can get them apart. Then you cook them for longer. I have tried to just put the whole thing in there for a longer time from the beginning, but when I’ve done that, sometimes any parts of the thighs that are still touching stay pink for quite awhile, and to be sure that they’re cooked, you have to leave them in there for a long time to the point where they’re overcooked. So do the two stages instead.

Turn the valve to Sealing, then set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 6 minutes. Immediately turn the valve to do a quick release of the pressure. Then use long tongs to separate the thighs from each other. Set the Instant pot to pressure cook on high for 10 minutes for boneless skinless thighs, 12 minutes for bone-in thighs. Leave them to do a natural release (don’t turn the valve) for 5 minutes after the pressure cooking is finished, then turn the valve to release the remaining pressure.

Then take off the lid and do a quick test that the thighs are at least 165°F in the middle. Use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature. The chicken thighs should all be at the correct temperature. If for some reason they aren’t, set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for an additional 2 minutes and do another 5 minute natural release.

Cooking Thighs That You Froze Individually

Now we’re talking about (3) from above: You bought a tray of fresh chicken thighs, and then you removed all the packaging and then froze the thighs individually, such that they are not stuck together.

Pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot insert (1 and 1/2 cups if you are using an 8-quart Instant Pot). Add the trivet or a steamer basket to the insert. Put the chicken thighs on top of the trivet in a single layer, or overlapping as little as possible. Season them well with salt, pepper, and anything else that you’d like.

Put the lid onto the Instant Pot and turn the valve to Sealing. Then set the Instant Pot to Pressure cook on high for 14 minutes. It is 14 minutes whether these chicken thighs are bone-in or boneless.

Once the Instant Pot has finished pressure cooking, allow it to do a natural release for 5 minutes. This is so that the temperature inside the Instant Pot doesn’t change too drastically all at once. A drastic change in heat has a tendency to toughen up meat and we don’t want tough chicken thighs.

After the 5 minutes of natural release is done, turn the valve to Venting and allow the remaining steam to release. Then take off the lid and do a quick test that the thighs are at least 165°F in the middle. Use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature. The chicken thighs should all be at the correct temperature. If for some reason they aren’t, set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for an additional 2 minutes and do another 5 minute natural release.

How Long To Cook Frozen Chicken Thighs In The Instant Pot

See above for more details. For all of these, pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot’s insert (1 and 1/2 cups if using an 8quart Instant Pot). Add the trivet or steamer basket to the insert. Arrange the chicken thighs on top. Season well with salt and pepper. Then do the following.

• Individually frozen boneless skinless thighs sold in a bag that have a water solution (these should be arranged vertically on the trivet, like books on a shelf, not in a pile): For the full 48 oz. bag or half of the bag: 12 minutes pressure cooking on high, 5 minute natural release
• Boneless and bone-in chicken thighs that have been frozen individually (arranged in a single layer overlapping as little as possible): 14 minutes pressure cooking on high, 5 minute natural release
• Boneless chicken thighs that are frozen in a clump: 6 minutes pressure cooking on high, quick release, then separate thighs and do another 10 minutes of pressure cooking on high, and a 5 minute natural release.
• Bone-in chicken thighs that are frozen in a clump: 6 minutes pressure cooking on high, quick release, then separate thighs and do another 12 minutes of pressure cooking on high, and a 5 minute natural release.

Should You Freeze Thighs In A Marinade?

I don’t recommend freezing chicken thighs in a marinade. Basically, it results in the thighs being in the marinade for too long. This tends to toughen the meat.

Instead, I recommend adding flavor ingredients to the Instant Pot during cooking. The pressure forces the flavors into the meat and the result is delicious. Good additions are a sliced onion, sliced lemon, any herbs or seasonings you like, and/or whole garlic cloves.

There you have it! A new way to get dinner on the table super-quickly. If you try cooking chicken thighs from frozen, let me know how it goes in the comments below. Thanks and have a great day!

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This post originally appeared in August 2020 and was revised and republished in May 2024.