Instant Pot Chicken Marsala with Chicken Thighs

Instant Pot Chicken Marsala in an easy wine sauce loaded with mushrooms, makes the perfect weeknight dinner. Chicken thighs are always more tender than chicken breasts, and with the help of the Instant Pot, they turn out super juicy and flavorful every single time!

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

Chicken thighs in the Instant Pot are one of our go-to weeknight meals. The results are impressive, yet the recipe is simple. We used mushrooms and Marsala wine sauce so basically this is Chicken Marsala in the Instant Pot. You can also use other types of wine (we recommend dry white wines such as Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay) or forgo it completely. The cooking time for the chicken thighs will be the same with or without the wine.

Why You Need To Make This Recipe

• Making chicken thighs in the Instant Pot is almost fool-proof. You’ll never have dry chicken if you follow these instructions.
• The amounts can easily be doubled if you need to feed a crowd.
• Customization possibilities such as adding more or different types of mushrooms, onions or diced prosciutto are all great ideas and work well in this recipe.

How to Make Chicken Marsala

1. The first step is to clean and slice the baby Bella mushrooms.
2. Dry the chicken thighs by patting them with paper towels (this will help in getting a better sear).  Season chicken with kosher salt black pepper on both sides, then coat the chicken in flour and shake off the excess.
3. Turn the Instant Pot to saute and wait 3 minutes for it to get hot. Once the pot is hot add olive oil and sear the chicken thighs for 1-2 minutes per side. Work in batches so they get a nice sear (overcrowding will prevent searing). Place all the seared chicken on a plate and set it aside.
4. Add butter to the Instant Pot and saute the mushrooms for 5 minutes, then add minced garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Add ¾ cup of Marsala wine and a ½ cup of low sodium chicken stock. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to dislodge all the brown bits and flavor.
6. Place the chicken thighs on top of the mushrooms and close the Instant Pot. Turn to pressure cook on high for 8 minutes and set the valve to the “seal” setting.  The Instant Pot will beep and take about 5-8 minutes to come up to pressure.
7. After the 8 minute cooking time has finished, let the IP naturally release for 5 minutes. Carefully release the remaining pressure by turning the valve to “vent.”
8. After the pin has dropped, open the pot, transfer the chicken to a clean plate and cover with foil. A nice sauce will have developed in the pot, but if you’d like it thicker, you can add a cornstarch slurry. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and pour it into the sauce. Turn on the saute function and cook for 3-5 minutes until the sauce is thickened to your liking. Add a few extra minutes if you want it even thicker.
9. Plate the chicken and top with the Marsala sauce and mushrooms. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.  Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

Chicken Marsala pairs well with a light veggie side like these quick and easy Italian Green Beans With Garlic And Oil or this simply delicious Roasted Broccoli recipe. You could also opt for a simple kale salad and make ahead mashed potatoes or garlic bread.

Top Tips

• Searing – Searing the chicken thighs initially is an important step to increase flavor. To do it well, lay out the chicken thighs and pat them dry with paper towels. By removing as much water as possible they will sear in the oil quickly. To further help with the searing process, make sure to let the Instant Pot get really hot before adding in the chicken (about 3-5 minutes), and do not overcrowd the pot. Work in batches.
• Wine – The addition of the Marsala wine essentially makes this dish a chicken marsala recipe. Marsala wine has a unique flavor that goes great with chicken. However, any wine can be used, or you can omit it completely and just use the equivalent amount of chicken stock.
• Cooking time – For boneless and skinless chicken thighs keep the time to 8 minutes on high with 5 minutes of natural release. Any longer and they tend to get too soft. If using bone-in thighs, cook for 10 minutes on high pressure with 5 minutes of natural release.
• Sauce – Cornstarch will thicken the sauce. If you do not want it on the thicker side just omit this final step.

Here Are Some More Great Chicken Recipes

• Grilled Chicken Thighs
• Crispy Broiled Chicken Thighs
• Crispy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings
• Easy Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks
• Baked Chicken Breasts

More Instant Pot Recipes

• Turkey Breast
• Chicken Florentine
• Pulled Pork

Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

5

Easy Instant Pot Chicken Marsala is loaded with mushrooms in a flavorful Marsala wine sauce. Tender and juicy chicken thighs in the instant pot every time!

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings 4

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Ingredients

  

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• 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 10 ounces baby Bella mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3/4 cup Marsala wine
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1 tablespoon corn starch

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Instructions

 

• Clean and slice mushrooms. Mince 3 cloves of garlic and 2 tablespoons of parsley.
• Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. Pat dry chicken thighs and season evenly with 1 ½ teaspoons of kosher salt and ½ tsp of black pepper on both sides. Coat the chicken thighs in flour and shake off excess.
• After the pot is hot (about 5 minutes), add 2 tablespoons of olive to Instant Pot and sear chicken for 1-2 minutes per side. Work in batches and do not crowd the chicken. Place all the chicken on a plate and set aside.
• Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the Instant Pot and saute the sliced mushrooms for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Add the Marsala wine and chicken stock to the Instant Pot. Scrape bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge the flavor bits. Add the chicken thighs on top of the mushrooms and close lid.
• Set valve to sealing position and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. When finished let Instant Pot naturally release for 5 minutes, then turn the valve to vent position.
• Open lid, remove chicken and cover with foil. If a thicker sauce is desired, mix 1 tablespoon of corn starch with 2 tablespoons of water and add to the sauce. Cook on saute for 3-5 minutes until the desired thickness is achieved. If still too loose just cook for a few more minutes.
• Pour sauce over chicken thighs and sprinkle with parsley. Enjoy!

Notes

Notes:

• Searing the chicken thighs initially is an important step to increase flavor. Drying the thighs and not overcrowding when searing will help with this process. 
• Marsala was used but any type of wine is fine. Dry white wines such as Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay work well. If opting for no wine, just use 1 ¼ cups of chicken stock for the recipe.
• Only 1 ½ teaspoons of salt were used. Adjust to personal tastes before serving.
• Finishing with cornstarch is optional and will result in a thicker sauce.

Keyword chicken thighs, Instant Pot chicken thighs

Nutrition

Calories: 679kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 70gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 338mgSodium: 1244mgPotassium: 1254mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 425IUVitamin C: 3.36mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 4mg

Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.

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