Low Carb Instant Pot Lemon Chicken | THM S, Low Carb, Keto (2024)

Make this Instant Pot Lemon Chicken for dinner tonight – everyone will love it. Even better: It’s SO quick and easy to make – and you can even cook the chicken from frozen!

This recipe is Trim Healthy Mama friendly (THM S), low carb, Keto friendly and gluten free. It only has 2g of net carbs per serving!

Chicken is such a dinner favorite around here. And I love chicken thighs for their healthy fat content! I always eat the skin to get more of that precious collagen from natural sources.

For more low carb chicken recipes, see my Low Carb Oven Fried Chicken or my Balsamic Caprese Chicken.

This low carb instant pot lemon chicken

• is easy to make
• can be cooked from frozen on those extra-busy nights!
• has 2g NET carbs per serving, perfect for low carb or Keto diets!

My instant pot has been my saving grace on those nights I completely forgot to defrost any meat…

… which has really been most nights since having baby #3. Ahem.

This version with a tangy and creamy lemon sauce is one of our favorites, because it’s so easy and flavorful!

I love how tender meat turns out in the instant pot, so I don’t mind those flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants dinners at all 😉

For more easy and healthy instant pot dinner recipes, see my Instant Pot Sour Cream Pork Chops or my Instant Pot Turkey Pumpkin Chili.

How to make instant pot lemon chicken

Read on for the detailed steps, or scroll down formore tipsto make this recipe foolproof and the printable recipe card.

1 – Prep: To prep, chop a small onion (do really use a small one to keep this low carb, or use half of a medium one) and mince some garlic.

Plug in your instant pot and fit with the inner pot.

2 – Brown the chicken: Set the instant pot to “sauté” and add oil to the inner pot. Brown the chicken well on the skin side, then flip and brown on the other side for a couple of minutes, too.

Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside on a plate (it doesn’t have to be cooked through at this point).

3 – Start the sauce: To start the sauce, add the onion and garlic to the hot pot and sauté until softened.

Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, herbs and seasoning. Scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.

4 – Pressure cook: Place the chicken thighs back into the pot.

Secure the lid and set the valve to the “sealing” position. Choose “pressure cook” (or “manual” on older models) and “high” for 12 minutes.

Allow the pot to naturally release the pressure (just switch it off and leave it alone) for the most tender meat.

5 – Finish the sauce: Once the pressure has released, open the pot and remove the chicken.

Set the instant pot to “sauté” and stir your preferred thickener into the sauce.

You can use glucomannan, arrowroot or cornstarch, depending on your carbohydrate goals.

Simmer until the sauce has thickened! Then stir in some cream and butter to make it extra luscious.

Tips for the BEST Low Carb Lemon Chicken

• don’t try to flip the chicken too soon, or you’ll rip it apart. it will naturally come off the bottom once it’s ready if you’re using enough oil
• you can make this with chicken breast, reduce the pressure cooking time to 8 minutes
• if the instant pot gets too hot while you’re sautéing, switch it off and use the residual heat to finish browning the chicken

How do you cook frozen chicken thighs in the instant pot?

Simply skip browning the chicken and only sauté the onion and garlic, then follow the recipe as written.

Pressure cook for 15 minutes instead of 12. Check the meat for doneness, if it’s still raw in the middle close the lid again and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Can you stack the chicken in the instant pot? Can you double the recipe?

If you’re using defrosted thighs and want to double the recipe, you can stack the chicken thighs.

Double the sauce ingredients too, but the cooking time should stay the same.

Please note: Do not stack the chicken if frozen/make sure the thighs are separated. If that’s not possible/they’re totally stuck together, your thighs may need longer to cook.

Can you use water instead of chicken broth?

Yes, you can.

It will still be delicious, but you may need to add more seasoning.

What are the best low carb sides for this lemon chicken?

There are many great ways to serve this!

• roasted broccoli
• sautéed green beans
• sautéed zucchini
• cauliflower rice
• cauliflower mash
• roasted radishes

More Low Carb Dinner Recipes

PSIf you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/ora review in the comment sectionfurther down the page? I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me onPinterest,FacebookorInstagram.Sign up for my email list, too!