Traditionally, this dish takes hours to cook in the oven. Our Instant Pot® version is ready in a fraction of the time and is made entirely in the pot — hello, easy clean-up! The chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender and the tomato sauce has the perfect smoky kick, thanks to the bacon.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 45 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 strips bacon
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Serving suggestion: polenta
Instructions
- Turn a 6-quart Instant Pot® to the saute setting on high (see Cook’s Note) and wait for it to say Hot, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Add the oil and 4 pieces of chicken, skin side-down, to the pot, and sear until the skin is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and continue to sear until the bottom of the chicken is opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Line a plate with a paper towel. Add the bacon to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until just golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to the lined plate. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot, until the onions are just softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the carrots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots just begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. (Note: The saute setting on most pots only runs for 30 minutes. If your pot turns off, simply turn it back on the saute setting on high.)
- Add the tomato paste and thyme and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste has softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the red wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has reduced by half, 5 to 6 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, the reserved bacon, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper and stir to combine. Turn off the saute setting and add the chicken.
- Follow the manufacturer’s guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set to pressure cook on high for 20 minutes. After the pressure cook cycle is complete, follow the manufacturer’s guide for quick release and wait until the quick release cycle is complete. Be careful of any remaining steam and unlock and remove the lid.
- Remove the chicken to a platter. Turn the pot back to the saute setting on high and reduce the sauce until thickened and about 2 cups remain, 15 to 20 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve with polenta.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 667 |
| Total Fat | 49 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 11 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 37 g |
| Cholesterol | 209 mg |
| Sodium | 1007 mg |
Reviews
This was amazing and fairly quick with the insta pot. Clean up easy. I was questioning the addition of carrots but they added a very nice sweetness. I added mushrooms which I feel were necessary. Added into a bowl with a few noodles and parm cheese.
Tomorrow night the rest will be with cauliflower mashed potatoes. Yum!
Tomorrow night the rest will be with cauliflower mashed potatoes. Yum!
Delicious and affordable for a family of six. Added a bit of corn starch when reducing.
Also, the polenta brought me back to my childhood.
Also, the polenta brought me back to my childhood.
Excellent! Instead of sautéing and browning the chicken in the insta pot, I did that in a large skillet. Then after the chicken was removed to a plate, THEN I proceeded to sautéing in the insta pot starting with the bacon and then continuing from there.
Delicious! A little more work than I was expecting, but it was really good.
One of my new go-to recipes. Fast and easy to make, as well as delicious and filling. I haven’t used polenta, but it’s been great with rice.
I have made this several times and never disappointed,today I did 5 thighs and 5 legs and added baby Bella mushrooms. I like using merlot for this recipe. Delicious
Very tasty. Doubled it and added a bit more time to the final meat cook as the thighs these days are so huge. Flavor was very good and yes it does take time but well worth it.
This was really good. I did add more moisture and we only had angel hair pasta. However very good. Leftovers not as tender.
Recommendation is to eat them the same night.
Also. Do NOT “brillo pad” off the burned stuff on the bottom!
SCRAPE IT OFF AND MIX IT WHILE SAUTÉING! That is a big hit in the flavor profile.
I did it simply with metal tongs. You don’t want to lose that awesome flavor.
Never having had chicken cacciatore before I don’t have much of a baseline comparison, but my family and I absolutely loved this dish — even our 2-year old! I served it with cheesy polenta and subbed pancetta for bacon and will absolutely make it again!
I enjoyed cooking this more than I enjoyed eating it.