Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken and Potatoes with Gravy

I'm ready for another delicious chicken and potatoes recipe that comes together as a one-pot meal in the pressure cooker. BONUS: This one creates a flavorful gravy full of lemon-y, garlic-y, and olive-y goodness! TRY IT!

NOTES:
• Chicken Choices: I prefer dark meat because it tastes better than white and holds up very well under pressure without drying out. It’s also usually the best deal at the grocery store. Chicken legs would work just as well in this recipe, although you may want to brown on more than one side.
• When to Season: Wait until just before adding the meat to the pot to season. That will keep the skin dry as it hits the hot oil which will allow it to brown properly instead of steaming. For clarity, my pot was already preheated so it was only a minute or two in between as I reorganized my filming area and reset the camera. I waited until the first thighs came out to season the second half.
• Olive Choices: You could use any type of prepared olives in this recipe – by prepared, I mean just not fresh off the tree! Salty, sour, spicy, jarred, canned, any type or color of your preference. Buy the ones that are already pitted or spend a little timing pitting them yourself. Try with kalamatas or salty dry-cured for extra flavor. Attack the olive bar in your store to buy a mix in just the right amount. In the video, I used a mix of fairly mild, but meaty, brine-cured cerignola and castelvetrano olives in jars that were on BOGO at the store on the day I shopped.
• Potato Choices: Any color/type work here so long as they are small enough to leave the skins on. Baby Yukons (in the video), baby reds, or fingerlings are perfect. Leave the skins on to keep the tender flesh together during cooking. When you cut into them, you’ll enjoy the creamy flesh mixed in with the delicious gravy!

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IP Duo 6qt: https://amzn.to/434uiap

Today’s Ingredients:
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6 oz each, 3 lbs total)
salt and black pepper, to season skin-sides, plus extra to taste
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
2 medium heads garlic, peeled and smashed (about 10-2 cloves per head)
1 cup chicken broth
1 large lemon, quartered, seeded, and thinly sliced
1½ lbs baby potatoes (red, gold, or fingerly), unpeeled
½ cup olives, pitted and halved (your choice: any type or color, dry or brine cured)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
3 TB cornstarch + 2 TB water, whisked together for a thickener

Optionals for Serving: fresh parsley, lemon wedges, toasted bread, etc.

Instructions:
1. Preheat the Instant Pot on the highest sauté setting and add the olive oil when the display reads “HOT.” Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and season tops (skin-sides) of half with salt and black pepper. Place the seasoned thighs skin-side down into the pot and let brown, undisturbed, for 5-6 minutes. Move the browned thighs to a holding tray and repeat with remaining thighs. TIP: Wait until just before browning to season the second half to avoid excess moisture being drawn out by the salt. You want the skin as dry as possible when it hits the oil so that it browns instead of steams.
2. Add the smashed garlic cloves and cook, stirring continuously, for just another minute. No longer than a minute to avoid scorching the garlic.
3. Add the chicken broth and sliced lemon and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Make sure to scrape up any stuck-on browned bits from the bottom during this step to avoid a “BURN” warning later.
4. Layer the chicken thighs back into the pot and pour in any collected juices. Layer the potatoes over the top, spreading them out evenly.
5. Lock and seal the lid and cook on high for 10 minutes followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release. Then release any remaining pressure before reopening the lid. Move the chicken and potatoes to a serving platter.
6. Stir in the olives and ¼ cup fresh parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking (salt/pepper/lemon).
7. Bring the pot back up to a simmer on the lowest sauté setting. In a small cup, whisk the cornstarch and water together to make a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the pot and continue whisking/stirring until the gravy thickens. Add more slurry to make it thicker or broth/water to thin it out if you’ve gone too far.
8. Serve with optional toppings and ENJOY!