Instant Pot Lemony Chicken

I like to keep cooked chicken in my freezer. It is handy to add to soups or quesadillas. Usually I roast whole chickens and make bone broth, but lately I have been turning to my Instant Pot. I usually have chicken taco meat in the freezer, but that does not go well in chicken noodle soup.

Enter Lemony Chicken. Lemony chicken is my new favorite. I make it with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The light lemon flavor adds so much to other dishes. The recipe makes 3 pounds so there is enough for dinner and extra to put in the freezer. I like to serve it with rice and veggies and then freeze the rest with all the juices from the pot. I add the juices in with chicken broth when making soups or other recipes.

It is amazing how 1 lemon can totally transform the flavor of the chicken meat. If you are new to the Instant Pot, check out Thriving Home and get their free Instant Pot Cooking Times Chart. It really is a great resource. In this recipe, I found that because the meat is stacked without much liquid it takes a couple minutes more to get the meat to temperature.

Instant Pot Lemony Chicken

3-3 1/2 Pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs

1 Tablespoon Coarse Sea Salt

1 Lemon (zest and juice)

1/3 Cup Water

Directions

Using a kitchen scissors, cut off any large fat pockets on the edges of the chicken thighs. It is okay to have a little fat, but you want to cut off the big streaks of fat.

Zest the lemon and place on a small plate or cutting board. Mix the salt and lemon zest together. (I just use my fingers to combine.) Layer the chicken thighs in the instant pot. Sprinkle the lemon zest and salt over each piece of chicken before covering with the next layer. Once all the chicken is in the pot, sprinkle any remaining salt and lemon zest on top of the raw chicken.

Add the water and juice from the lemon and lock on the lid of the instant pot. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes with a quick release.

Remove the meat from the pot and shred with 2 forks. You can eat immediately, or freeze with the juices from the pot to use in recipes later.