Lemongrass Chicken Instant Pot

How to Marinate Chicken Thighs

Mix together in a bowl - or even the Instant Pot the prepared garlic, shallot, ginger, smashed lemongrass, and brown sugar. 

Then add in lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, and cold water.  Make sure you mix these very well as you want the flavor to get into the chicken in the marinating process.

Now put in the chicken thighs with skin side down. Place the bowl or pot in the fridge, then let it marinate for at least 2 hours.  If you can do it overnight then that is even better. Remember to cover the pot or bowl with plastic.

Pressure Cook the Chicken. When you have finished marinating the chicken.  Place it all in the instant pot but turn the chicken so the skin side is facing up.

Put on the Instant Pot lid.  Pressure Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes and then 10 minutes of natural pressure release.  The release any remaining pressure, before opening the lid.

Now take out the chicken again. Now with a teaspoon taste the sauce/liquid and season according to your taste.

To thicken the sauce.  Put the sauté button back to high and bring the liquid back to the boil. 

Mix 1-2 tablespoons of cornflour or cornstarch with about 1/2 cup of water. I find a small fork or whisk works well. Mix it well so that there are no lumps.  Keep mixing all the time you are adding the cornstarch. Plus make sure you boil it for at least 2 minutes to cook out the cornstarch.  You will find the sauce mixture thickens up really nicely.

What we did and it is a really nice touch is while you are doing the sauce - you can also pop the chicken with the skin side up on an oven tray and turn your oven to broil and place the tray under for a few minutes till the skin goes brown. This is optional - but it does make the dish look nicer. (See our photo).  Just make sure you watch it as once the skin starts to turn brown it can burn very quickly.

We also sprinkled sesame seeds on the chicken for effect also.