Instant Pot Balsamic Chicken

Enjoy tender and juicy chicken thighs with onions, carrots, and a glaze-like balsamic sauce that’s equally tangy and sweet. This low carb dinner is quick enough for a weeknight meal, yet fancy enough to make for company.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 1/4 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup red wine (Note 2)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare Chicken: Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Generously season both sides of thighs with salt and pepper.
2. Brown Chicken: Select sauté mode on pressure cooker for medium heat. Add olive oil to coat bottom of pot, then melt butter on top of oil. When display reads HOT, start working in 2-3 batches. Add single layer of chicken thighs to pot. Do not crowd them. Cook for a few minutes per side then transfer to plate. Repeat for remaining thighs.
3. Sauté Vegetables: Add carrots, onions, and garlic to pot. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Turn off sauté mode. Stir in red wine and balsamic vinegar, loosening any flavorful brown bits stuck to bottom of pot.
4. Pressure Cook: Return all chicken thighs to pot in single layer, placing them snugly on top of carrots and onions. Secure and seal lid. Cook for 10 minutes at high pressure, followed by quick pressure release.
5. Thicken Sauce & Serve: Uncover, and turn on sauté mode. Boil until liquid thickens into slightly sticky sauce, about 5 minutes. Turn off sauté mode, serve chicken onto plates, and pour sauce on top.

NOTES & TIPS

1. Chicken. Two pounds is about 8 chicken thighs. I use boneless and skinless chicken thighs and haven’t tested with other cuts. Thighs are my preference because they’re more resilient to pressure cooking, and less likely to become tough or dry compared to chicken breasts. I use fresh chicken; if yours is frozen, defrost in the refrigerator overnight before using in this recipe.
2. Red Wine. Any dry red wine will work for this recipe, and in this case “dry” means not sweet. I typically use Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon; other dry reds include Merlot and Zinfandel.
3. Pressure Cooker. I use a 6-quart Instant Pot. You can use a different size of electric pressure cooker as long as all ingredients fit within the maximum capacity line.
4. Serving / Leftovers. Serve these chicken thighs with mashed cauliflower, roasted brussels sprouts, or a roasted vegetable medley. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, and reheated using the microwave. The reheated dish will still taste great, but the meat may be slightly less tender.
5. Thickening Sauce. You don’t need to stir or touch the chicken while reducing the liquid into a sauce. In my experiments, I boiled for exactly 5 minutes in order to get a final consistency that I liked, but it could take a shorter or longer time for you. To figure out when the sauce is done, pay attention to the consistency while it’s boiling. If the sauce is still thin and watery, it’s not done yet. If it’s starting to look sticky and glaze-like, it’s done. If it’s starting to stick and burn to the bottom of the pot, it’s overdone.
6. Recipe Yield. You can double or triple the recipe. Scale the ingredients proportionally, but keep the pressure cooking time the same.

NUTRITION

Recipe Source: https://www.savorytooth.com