This Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken is made with the most delicious and buttery lemon garlic sauce. It’s ready in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – use any neutral cooking oil such as avocado or grapeseed oil.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth would be the best substitute here.
- Chicken cutlets – if you can’t find cutlets, slice two boneless skinless chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Chicken thighs would also work with a few tweaks.
- Butter – swap out for a butter substitute of your choice.
- Lemon juice – freshly squeezed lemon juice is preferred but bottled lemon juice will work.
- Garlic – I like the flavour of freshly minced garlic but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Fresh rosemary – if you don’t have any fresh rosemary, use 1 tsp. dried rosemary instead.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Flour – arrowroot or tapioca starch will also help thicken the sauce.
- Lemon – you can leave these out but they really add to the flavour.
- Fresh parsley – leave this off if you don’t have any on hand.
- Broccoli – you could also serve this dish with steamed green beans or roasted veggies.
How to make lemon chicken in the Instant Pot
Step 1: Prep your ingredients.
Step 2: Add the ingredients to the pot.
Add the olive oil, chicken broth and chicken cutlets to the Instant Pot in order.
Step 3: Cook on high pressure.
Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, then do a quick release of the pressure.
Step 4: Make the sauce.
Remove the chicken and broth from the pot, reserving 1/4 cup of broth in the pot. Sauté the butter, lemon juice, garlic and rosemary, then whisk in the flour. Sauté until the sauce thickens slightly.
Step 5: Sauté the chicken in the sauce.
Add the chicken back to the Instant Pot and sauté for another minute per side, then stir in the lemon wedges.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Serve the chicken in the sauce with a side of broccoli.
What to serve with lemon garlic chicken
I like to serve this Instant Pot lemon chicken with a side of steamed broccoli, but if you’re looking for more side dish options, here are some ideas:
- Glazed carrots
- Baby potatoes
- Cauliflower rice
- Brussels sprouts salad
- Mashed potatoes
- Garlic parmesan asparagus
Frequently Asked Questions
One of the great things about an Instant Pot is its ability to cook meat while it’s frozen! I even have a post dedicated to making Instant Pot frozen chicken breasts. If you forget to pull your chicken out of the freezer in time, don’t panic. Just follow the instructions as written in the recipe card below, but add 3 minutes to the cooking time.
It’s easy to make this lemon chicken Instant Pot recipe using chicken thighs rather than breasts. Just make sure to use boneless skinless chicken thighs! Since thighs can be relatively thick, you can use a sharp kitchen knife to slice the thighs into cutlets (cutting the thickness in half) or use the flat side of a meat mallet to gently pound them a little bit thinner. Alternatively, you can just add 1-2 minutes to the cooking time.
If you want to make the lemon garlic sauce even thicker, stir in a cornstarch slurry at the end and at the lid back on. Let the sauce sit for a couple minutes, then add the chicken and serve.
Storing and reheating
If you have any leftovers of this yummy Instant Pot lemon chicken, store them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for up to 5 days.
The easiest way to reheat this recipe is to use the sauté function of your Instant Pot. Just stir occasionally until everything warms through and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit. Alternatively, you can warm the leftovers in a sauce pan over medium heat, stirring frequently.
Freezing this recipe
This lemon garlic chicken will freeze beautifully, which makes it a great option for meal prep! After the chicken has cooled, transfer it to an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the chicken in the fridge overnight before reheating as normal.
More Instant Pot chicken recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls for the leftovers.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 4 chicken cutlets
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 lemon, sliced
- Fresh parsley (for garnish, optional)
Steamed broccoli (optional side dish)
- 1 head broccoli, chopped
Instructions
- Add olive oil, chicken broth and chicken cutlets to Instant Pot in that order then place lid on Instant Pot. Press the pressure cook button and select the high setting, then set to cook for 3 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to preheat then the 3 minutes to pressure cook.
- Optional steamed broccoli: While everything is cooking in the Instant Pot, add 1 head broccoli (chopped into florets) to a large bowl of water. Microwave for 10 minutes, then drain.
- The Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure, then notify you it's done by beeping. Press the Cancel button then do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily.
- Remove the chicken cutlets from the pot and dump chicken broth, reserving 1/4 cup of it and leaving it in the pot. Press the saute button to change to saute mode. Add butter, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, whisking in flour. Stir and sautee until sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.
- Add chicken back to Instant Pot and saute another minute per side, then stir in lemon wedges and press cancel. Serve chicken in sauce with side of broccoli if desired. Enjoy!
