This Instant Pot chicken piccata is made from frozen with zesty lemon and capers for that light citrus flavor. It’s perfect to serve over angel hair pasta or your favorite vegetables. This is guest recipe is from the cookbook Cooking from Frozen in Your Instant Pot by Kristy Bernardo.
How many times have you come home after a long day at work starving? Only to find that the chicken you meant to defrost is still in the freezer. Don’t be so quick to call it quits and give up by ordering a pizza or getting take out because it’s faster. You can still have an amazing meal in less than an hour that’s better for you and your family than fast food.
The wonderful thing about owning an Instant Pot is that you can cook meats from frozen. This recipe for Instant Pot chicken piccata is one of those fuss-free meals you can make from the freezer.
WHAT IS CHICKEN PICCATA?
Piccata refers to a dish of sliced meat (chicken, pork, or veal) that’s been sliced, coated in flour or crumbs, pan-fries and served in a sauce made out of butter, lemon and capers (usually!). The dish originated in Italy using veal (veal piccata) but in the United States, chicken is more commonly used.
This Instant Pot chicken piccata dish is a little different but a whole lot easier. Traditionally, you would butterfly the chicken breast, pound it and coat it with flour and fry. This version is healthier and takes less work since you simply place your rock-solid frozen chicken thighs into your sauteed garlic and wine mixture, then let your Instant Pot do its job.
You can finish it off with broiling the chicken in the oven to it brown and crisp. Then serve it over angel hair pasta and garnish with lemons. The meat will fall off the bone and make it seem unbelievable that less than an hour ago it was completely frozen. All hope for a nutritious dinner was almost all lost. Next time you may forget to defrost the chicken on purpose.
There are more frozen recipe ideas in the cookbook Cooking from Frozen with Your Instant Pot and we’ve reviewed the cookbook here.
MORE INSTANT POT CHICKEN RECIPES
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Wings (From Frozen)
Instant Pot Soy-Ginger Chicken Hibachi
Instant Pot Savory Chicken (Meal Prep Perfect)
Instant Pot Chicken Tacos With Pineapple Salsa
Instant Pot Chicken Piccata With Lemon & Capers
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This is an easier version of chicken piccata, but it ’s also better since the Instant Pot turns your frozen chicken into the meat so tender it almost falls off the bone. If you like, you can make a side of angel hair pasta and it will taste almost identical!
Ingredients
2 tsp (10 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup (60 ml) dry white wine
½ cup (118 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
8 frozen bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
3 tbsp (26 g) capers
1 tbsp (14 g) cold butter
2 tbsp (5 g) chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Press “Sauté” to preheat your Instant Pot. When the word “Hot” appears on the display, add the oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the wine and cook until it’s reduced to a tablespoon (15 ml), about 5 minutes. Turn off the Instant Pot.
- Add the chicken broth and lemon juice, then stir to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken to the pot, directly into the liquid.
- Close and lock the lid of the Instant Pot. Press “Manual” and immediately adjust the timer to 30 minutes. Check that the cooking pressure is on “High” and that the release valve is set to “Sealing.”
- When the time is up, open the Instant Pot using “Quick Pressure Release.” Remove the chicken and set it aside on a broiler pan. Remove the fat from the liquid in the pot, then stir in the capers, butter and parsley. Turn off the Instant Pot.
- Broil the chicken until the skin is browned and crispy, for about 5 minutes. Top with the sauce and serve.
SAVE INSTANT POT CHICKEN PICCATA RECIPE TO PINTEREST
Can you do this with frozen chicken breasts?
How would you alter the recipe for fresh (instead of frozen) chicken thighs? Thanks!
This recipe is developed for frozen. But you can try 15 min for fresh with 5 min NR.
We are making this now and it’s such an easy recipe! Thank you!!
Hope it turned out well for you 🙂
Would this be ok without the white wine? Or should I make a store run?
The traditional recipe does use white wine and it adds a bit of acidity and depth to the dish but honestly, with only 1/4 cup used, I think you can get away without it. Do add extra 1/4 cup of stock instead.
How about making this with skinless, boneless chicken thighs, is there a difference in the timing?
Hey Gay, timing to be about the same if you’re cooking from frozen chicken thighs (with or without the bone).
Somehow the information about how much garlic and how many chicken thighs is missing. I guessing 2 cloves of garlic and 6 chicken thighs. Can this be corrected? Also, at the end of the recipe, all of a sudden it talks about broiling the chicken. Is this supposed to be in there or is it left over from the conventional recipe?
Hey Janis, the recipe ingredients have been correct. Apologies!
Hi, thanks for correcting the ingredient list. I made this recipe and it was very tasty. I used defrosted bone-in thighs because I pulled the bag out and got distracted, so I reduced the pressure cook time to 15 minutes and it worked perfectly. I really liked the broiling at the end as it added color and crispness to the skin. Delicious!