Summary: A savory Instant Pot chicken thigh dinner with onions, carrots, and a glaze-like balsamic sauce. See more keto and low carb pressure cooker recipes

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs With Balsamic Sauce 4.9 from 27 votes PRINT PIN Prep: 10 mins Cook: 30 mins Yield: 3 servings Calories: 430 Net Carbs: 7 g INGREDIENTS 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 medium-sized carrot diced

1/4 onion diced

3 cloves garlic minced

1/4 cup red wine

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 tablespoon butter

salt and pepper INSTRUCTIONS Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Generously season on both sides with salt and pepper.

Select the saute mode on the pressure cooker for medium heat. Add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Melt butter on top of the oil.

When the display reads HOT, work in 2-3 batches to add chicken thighs to the pot in a single layer. Don’t crowd them. Cook for a few minutes on each side before transferring to a plate. Repeat for the remaining thighs.

Add carrots, onions, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Turn off the saute mode.

Add red wine and balsamic vinegar. Stir together, loosening any flavorful brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Return all chicken thighs to the pot in a single layer, placing them snugly on top of the carrots and onions. Secure and seal the lid. Cook for 10 minutes at high pressure followed by a manual pressure release.

Uncover and turn on the saute mode. Let the liquid boil for about 5 minutes to thicken into a slightly sticky sauce. You don’t need to stir or touch the chicken.

Turn off the saute mode. Serve chicken onto plates and pour sauce on top. NUTRITION Makes 3 Servings Amount Per Serving: Calories 430 (49% from fat) Total Fat 24g 37% Saturated Fat 1g 3% Cholesterol 243mg 81% Sodium 450mg 19% Net Carb 7g Total Carb 8g 3% Dietary Fiber 1g 4% Sugars 5g Protein 50g

Background

My two favorite low carb Instant Pot dinners are Instant Pot Chicken Adobo and Instant Pot Short Ribs. This chicken thigh recipe with balsamic sauce is a marriage of the two dishes — I adopted the meat and cooking technique of chicken adobo and combined it with the sauce from the short ribs.

The result? A delicious dinner with tender and juicy chicken thighs, coated with a sticky balsamic sauce that’s equally tangy and sweet. The cooking doesn’t take long so you can make it for busy weeknights, and it’s fancy enough to impress any dinner guests.

Perfecting the sauce

This recipe is pretty straightforward. The only thing that requires some intuition is the last step when you turn on the saute mode and thicken the sauce. In my experiments, I boiled the sauce 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.

Serving and leftovers

Serve these chicken thighs with side dishes like brussels sprouts, green beans, or roasted cauliflower. If you need something that feels a bit more “starchy,” go for mashed cauliflower or cauliflower rice.

Leftovers should be covered and stored in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave. They’ll still taste great, but the meat will be slightly less tender.

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