Name: Caprese Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1/4 cup chicken stock ((or water)); 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar; 1/4 cup maple syrup ((or honey)); 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs ((roughly 8 thighs; trim excess fat)); 8 slices mozzarella; 3 cups cherry tomatoes (halved); 1/2 cup basil leaves (torn)

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Caprese Instant Pot chicken thighs are perfect for summer! Chicken thighs are cooked to juicy perfection in a sweet, tangy balsamic sauce, then topped with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and basil.

At our house, caprese salad is on repeat all summer long, and now we are adding these caprese Instant Pot chicken thighs to the mix!

There is just no better flavor combination in this world than balsamic + summer tomatoes + basil + mozzarella, right?

I am a huge fan of cooking boneless skinless chicken breasts in the Instant Pot (you can find 7 Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipes over here!), but turns out, it’s a pretty great way to cook chicken thighs as well.

These caprese Instant Pot chicken thighs

can be assembled ahead and frozen for easy Instant Pot freezer packs
can be cooked and on your table in under 30 minutes
are paleo, gluten-free and full of clean ingredients

How to make caprese chicken in the Instant Pot

This Instant Pot caprese chicken recipe is really simple and you are rewarded with incredible flavor for very little effort.

Cook your boneless skinless chicken thighs in the balsamic sauce (chicken stock + maple syrup + balsamic vinegar) for 10 minutes in the Instant Pot.
Remove the chicken thighs from the Instant Pot and reduce the sauce using the sautee function of the IP. Stir in cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.
Place a slice of mozzarella on each chicken thigh and stick it under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
Serve the caprese chicken thighs straight from the oven with a big drizzle of sauce.

Can I make this Instant Pot chicken caprese recipe with chicken breasts? Yes! Adjust cook time to 8 minutes for 7 oz boneless chicken breasts.

Bone in/skin on chicken thighs? I don’t recommend it since they can really let off a lot of fat that is unappetizing in the sauce. If you were to use bone in/skin on, I’d cook them on a trivet using just 1 cup of water, then prepare the reduction on the stove top separately.

Can I make this recipe low carb? This caprese chicken recipe is on the lower end of the carb spectrum with 15 g carbs per serving but you could can make this recipe keto compliant and shave off 9 g carbs per serving by omitting the maple syrup. You could try swapping it for monk fruit sweetener, though I am unsure of the quantities you’d need as I have not tried this myself.

What goes well with these caprese Instant Pot chicken thighs?

grilled or roasted potatoes
one of these 7 Easy Rice Recipes
grilled or roasted veggies
a simple salad like this Staple Kale Salad or this Spiralized Cucumber Salad

Tips for perfect caprese Instant Pot chicken thighs

I used my 6 quart Instant Pot; this recipe has not been tested in an 8 quart or mini
I recommend removing any large pieces of fat from the thighs to keep it from getting into the sauce
make sure you use heavy duty freezer bags if you are going to make freezer packs
looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Try these Instant Pot Creamy Lemon Chicken Breasts, this Instant Pot Mashed Cauliflower, or this Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin with Soy Ginger Sauce

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