Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Recipe | Easy, Quick & Flavorful Dinner Idea! (2024)

FAQs

What is the fastest way to add flavor to chicken? ›

Marinating is good for flavouring and tenderising your chicken at the same time. It's best to marinate your chicken overnight to give the flavours plenty of time to infuse. A faster way to add flavour is to simply brine your chicken in salty water prior to cooking.

If your chicken breast is rubbery after cooking in the Instant Pot, you likely over-cooked it. Make sure you're only cooking it for 5 minutes at high pressure followed by a quick release of the pressure by flicking the seal valve at the top with a spoon.

This dinner staple cooks up perfectly every time in the Instant Pot. You can aim for firm but juicy chicken for cubing, or let it cook a little bit longer for tender shredded chicken.

Lemon is acidic and helps balance the stronger flavor of the dark meat in thighs and legs, and the fat from the chicken skin.

Brining your chicken is a foolproof way to not only add flavour to your roast but also to ensure you don't overcook the meat. Essentially a mix of salt, sugar and water, we love adding herbs, garlic or whole spices such as fennel and cumin to flavour the brine.

Marinating not only adds flavor, but the combination of healthy fat and acid in most recipes also helps tenderize the meat. A good marinade is roughly three parts oil to one part acid, plus salt and other seasonings like spices, crushed garlic, or a little natural sugar.

Place the frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot inner pot. If you are cooking more than one, make sure they are separated to achieve even cooking throughout. To separate frozen chicken breasts, place them in cool water until they have thawed enough to pull apart. Add one cup of chicken broth to the pot.

While all cuts of chicken are fair game for the Instant Pot, thighs are the most forgiving. Because chicken breast is so lean, just a couple of extra minutes of cook time turns them from juicy to overcooked and dry.

Safe Chicken Temperature and Resting Period

For chicken breasts always aim for rather 155F. Within 4-5 minutes the temperature will rise to 165F. If you aim for 165F right after opening the lid, you'r chicken will overcook during resting time.

An improperly sealed lid can cause the Instant Pot to just cook and cook your contents as it attempts to reach pressure. This will lead to scorching and then a burn notice. Make sure that you're using enough liquid.

Can I put chicken on top of each other in Instant Pot? ›

For even cooking stack your chicken breasts on top of each other cross ways. Or if possible lay the chicken in one even layer on the trivet. If you don't have a trivet you can lay your chicken directly in the bottom of the pot with the liquid. Lots of liquid releases from chicken.

The reason you do not want to marinate chicken for longer than 4 hours is that the acidic ingredients in the marinade (like vinegar, wine, or lemon juice) will begin to break down the structure of the meat too much and it will start to “cook” before ever touching a heat source.

Use the lime and its juices to scrub the surface of each individual piece of chicken. This helps to remove the slime and film off the chicken. The salt helps to "exfoliate" as you scrub the limes on the chicken like a "sponge".

Marinades can be effective in as little as 15 minutes. If you're short on time and need to marinate your chicken quickly, you can poke holes in the chicken or slice it thinly to help the marinade penetrate in as little time as possible.

Brining works well, but it can take some time. A possibly faster way is to use a marinade injector. They look like large hypodermic needles, and you use them to inject flavoring into the chicken meat before cooking. Butter, herb mixtures, salty things, and garlic are all very good.