Instant Pot Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes and Greens

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

Seeing how I’m well into month three with my Instant Pot, the honeymoon is officially over, but I do still feel like a newlywed.  In other words, I’m no longer obsessed, but I’m still in love.

Like most relationships, we haven’t spend as much time getting acquainted as I’d like.  Work and home life have been busy and I haven’t had time to develop new recipes. More often than not, I use it for basics, such as:

  • Sweet potatoes: 1 cup of water in the pot, small sweet potatoes set on the steaming basket, 12 minutes manual.
  • Boiled eggs: 1 cup of water in the pot, eggs on the steaming basket, 5 minutes manual for hard boiled, 3 minutes for soft boiled.
  • Whole chicken: 1 cup chicken broth, chicken seasoned with salt and pepper on steaming basket, 25 minutes manual.
  • Black beans: 1 pound beans, 7 1/2 cups water, manual for 45 minutes, natural release.

That all being said, I do have one new Instant Pot recipe that was a big success and will undoubtedly become part of our dinner rotation: Instant Pot Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes and Greens.

Delicious.

Here’s how it goes down: After sauteeing an onion, you pile the rest of the ingredients into the pot (except the chard, which goes in at the tail end) and cook it for 12 minutes. While that’s happening, you can prep your pasta, polenta, or whatever else you feel like spooning that tasty, tender bird onto.

That’s it.

It’s makes a perfect family meal, potluck supper, or casual dinner party main. And if the Instant Pot is new to you like it is to me, open a bottle of bubbly to go with it. You are newlyweds, after all.

For more about the Instant Pot, check out this review. And for more Instant Pot recipes, head here. 

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

 

 

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
3 from 1 vote
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Instant Pot Balsamic and Tomato Chicken with Greens

This is a super flavorful, savory dish with juicy, tender chicken that’s delicious over a swirl of spaghetti or other favorite grain. It also makes a dynamite leftover along with crusty bread for soaking up all those tasty juices.
Course Main Course
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Total Time 36 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 333 kcal
Author Katie Morford

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bunch swiss chard
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 red large onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 whole cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 26- ounce box or 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Cooked whole grain pasta, brown rice, polenta, or other favorite grain
  • Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the salt and a light shower of freshly ground pepper on both sides.
  2. Strip the leaves off the chard and roughly chop. Lay the chard stems on a cutting board and cut into ½-inch-wide pieces.
  3. Remove the lid from the Instant Pot and hit “Saute”. Add the olive oil. When the oil is good and hot, add the onion and saute until tender. Push “Keep Warm/Cancel”.

  4. Add the chard stems (not the leaves), chicken, garlic, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes (juice included), rosemary, thyme, basil, and oregano to the Instant Pot. Stir well and secure the lid.
  5. Set the Pot to “Manual” for 12 minutes with the vent closed.
  6. When the Instant Pot signals it’s done, open the vent with care to release the steam. Once the steam has vented, open the pot, add the chard leaves, stir, and cover the pot. Leave it for 4 minutes.

  7. Serve over cooked whole grain spaghetti, brown rice, or polenta with Parmesan cheese grated over the top.

Instant Pot balsamic chicken

 

Comments

05.23.2017 at6:45 AM #

Pamela

This chicken recipe looks great and I’ll make it this weekend! Thank you😊💚

05.26.2017 at8:11 PM #

Susan

I am new to the Instant pot, too, and am on the lookout for recipes to try. I made this for dinner tonight for my family and it was wonderful! It was easy, flavorful, and the chicken cooked perfectly and so tender. I will definitely be making it again. Thank you!

05.26.2017 at8:11 PM #

Katie Morford

Awesome. So glad you liked it!

09.29.2017 at6:02 AM #

Jen

Made this the other night and the whole family loved it. Thanks:)

02.11.2018 at11:42 AM #

Susan Joseph

The flavoring of your balsamic chicken made the dish satisfying for my husband, me, and our friends on a particularly gloomy rainy day. I changed the raw kale for beet leaves and spinach and served it with pici, thick dry Tuscan noodles. The sauce was too runny, so I added about 4 tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in an equal amount of water to thicken it and was wondering if I could have cooked the pasta in the sauce to take up the extra liquid. Definitely into the rotation.

02.11.2018 at11:42 AM #

Katie Morford

Love hearing how you riffed on the recipe. It’s a good one to tinker with!

05.28.2018 at12:27 PM #

Michele

would this work well with boneless skinless chicken breasts as well? maybe just cut in half? and if so, how long would you set the instant pot for? thanks!

05.28.2018 at12:27 PM #

Katie Morford

Hi Michele,

I have never tried this recipe with chicken breasts. That said, you can certainly give it a whirl. I’d be inclined to cook it for a slightly shorter period of time, since chicken breasts can dry out fairly easily. Try 10 minutes and see how it goes. Let me know if you do!

09.19.2019 at4:32 PM #

Summer

Made this tonight with chicken breast, followed the recipe. The chicken was over cooked. Sauce had good flavor but disappointed in the chicken.

09.19.2019 at4:32 PM #

Katie Morford

Hi Summer, Sorry to hear that. Chicken breasts are very lean and can dry out in dishes like this one. The recipe calls for chicken thighs, which have a little more fat and do better in the Instant Pot. I’m guessing the cooking time might need to be a little shorter if you’re making it with breasts rather than thighs.

01.05.2020 at6:11 PM #

Dan

Made this today with what I had on hand. A large bunch of scallions instead of the red onions, and kale in place of swiss chard. It was excellent! Thanks

01.05.2020 at6:11 PM #

Katie Morford

I’m so glad it was a success. Your substitutions sound great!

05.24.2020 at4:01 PM #

Rochelle Winston Davies

I would think this would adapt well to a slow cooker but wanted to reach out to see if anyone has tried that? I was thinking I’d brown the onions and chicken thighs and then transfer them to the crockpot, add all the other ingredients (except the chard leaves of course since they would be added right at the end) and cook on low for 4 hours. Has anyone done that?

05.24.2020 at4:01 PM #

Katie Morford

Hi there, I actually have a slow cooker version of it and you pretty much nail it…you can find it here: https://www.momskitchenhandbook.com/recipes/a-supper-lifesaver-slow-cooker-chicken-with-balsamic-and-tomatoes/

01.27.2021 at4:40 PM #

Beth

I made this with red chard and boneless skinless chicken breasts, since I had some to use up.. Shortened the cooking time to 10 minutes and it came out perfect. Great recipe. 👍 I’ll make it again with thighs next time.

01.27.2021 at4:40 PM #

Katie Morford

Great! Thanks for sharing 🙂

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