Flavorful and fragrant bone-in chicken thighs cooked in homemade jerk marinade via instant pot for an easy weeknight main dish.
Authentic jerk is grilled but requires time and babysitting. This jerk sauce gives the chicken depths of flavor and complexity to mimic those Caribbean vibes.
Admittedly I’m a jerk snob, so it took me more than a minute to try jerk chicken in an instant pot. First I had to accept the fact that even the grilled versions I typically make aren’t truly authentic since I’m not using pimento wood like they do on the island. Even still if it weren’t for wrist surgery I wouldn’t be looking at alternative, some times creative ways to enjoy my favorite things.
So there it is – eyes wide open, no illusions, but still damn good. Now I can feel good all day like I’m rolling through Ocho Rios in a convertible with the top down.
Jerk Chicken Ingredients
Jerk chicken is strictly Chicken + Jerk Marinade. It’s as simple as that. The marinade requires a few ingredients, but a blender or food processor does all the work. All the marinade ingredients are below; just add skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs.
How To Make Jerk Chicken In An Instant Pot (Step by Step)
Instant Pot cooking is really simple. However, it’s important to properly brown the chicken for both flavor and texture. Read my article on how to properly brown chicken in an instant pot without the skin sticking. It details why browning is important and provides simple rules to follow for perfectly browned meat.
Step 1: Marinate the chicken
Marinate at least 2 hours, but preferred overnight. Be sure to let come to room temperature before cooking.
Step 2: Brown the chicken
Brown skin side down with Saute settings on “More” the hottest setting. Cook for 4 minutes. Chicken should release easily and flip cooking for another 2 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Step 3: Add the marinade
Add the leftover marinade plus 1/4 cup of chicken stock or water to deglaze and dilute the marinade some to prevent the bottom of the pan from burning. Add the chicken back and mix in well. Pressure cook on manual settings for 10 minutes then perform a quick release. As an optional step, you can broil the chicken skin side up for 1 minute to get somewhat of a crispier skin.
Serving Suggestions
Serve jerk chicken thighs with any of the following sides:
Expert Tips For Cooking Jerk Chicken In Instant Pot
- Wear latex glove when handling the peppers as they are FIRE! You don’t want to touch anything parts of your body with scotch bonnet pepper juice on your fingers no matter how much
- Pat dry the chicken before sautéing then brown them well for more flavor and better texture
- Browning the chicken is a key step. Don’t skip!
- Before cooking the chicken, dilute the marinade with stock or water. Thick sauces like jerk, tomato, etc. tend to result in “Burn” warning on the Instant Pot which will cause the Instant Pot to shut down.
- Reduce the sauce via saute function and serve with the chicken
- Finish the cooked thighs on the grill or under the broiler for more caramelization and crispier skin
Instant Pot Jerk Chicken Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Should I Use Quick Release or Natural Release?
For this recipe use quick release. It saves time and specific to chicken recipes these are moist enough; a prolonged release could moisten these perhaps too much swelling towards mushy.
Are these chicken thighs spicy?
They can be as spicy as you want them to be. You can dial up the heat or dial it down by controlling the amount of seeds from the scotch bonnet peppers you use.
What is a good alternative to Jamaican scotch bonnet peppers?
If you can’t find scotch bonnet, just use habanero peppers which you can find in any mainstream grocery store.
For similar recipes you might like try these:
Pan-Roasted Jerk Chicken Thighs
Jerk Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Instant Pot Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
Instant Pot Collard Greens with Smoked Brisket
Instant Pot Creole Cabbage with Andouille Sausage
Instant Pot Creole Green Beans
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
If you make this quick and delicious instant pot jerk chicken recipe or any other from the site, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.
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Equipment
- instant pot
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Thighs skin-on, bone-in
- 2 Cups Jerk Marinade
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
Instructions
- Wash and dry chicken thighs
- Cut 2-3 slits into the chicken (skin side)
- Marinate the chicken overnight massaging the marinade in well
- Remove the chicken from refrigerator. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels then let come to room temperature.
- Pre-heat Instant Pot using “Saute” settings on highest level “More”
- Sauté skin side down on hot for 4 1/2 minutes
- Flip cook for another 2 minutes. Cancel the Saute. Remove chicken and set aside
- Add reserved marinade plus chicken stock to the pot, mix well deglazing the pan as you go.
- Add chicken back and cook 10 minutes then quick release
- Broil optional 1 1/2 minutes
Notes
- Wear latex glove when handling the peppers as they are FIRE! You don’t want to touch anything parts of your body with scotch bonnet pepper juice on your fingers no matter how much
- Pat dry the chicken before sautéing then brown them well for more flavor and better texture
- Browning the chicken is a key step. Don’t skip!
- Before cooking the chicken, dilute the marinade with stock or water. Thick sauces like jerk, tomato, etc. tend to result in “Burn” warning on the Instant Pot which will cause the Instant Pot to shut down.
- Reduce the sauce via saute function and serve with the chicken
- Finish the cooked thighs on the grill or under the broiler for more caramelization and crispier skin
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