Pressure Cooker Chicken Thighs
Juicy, fall-off-the-bone chicken thighs ready in 35 minutes — seared first for flavour, then pressure cooked to perfect tenderness.
Steps
- 01
Combine the smoked paprika, Italian herbs, salt, and pepper. Rub the spice mix generously all over the chicken thighs. Dice the onion and crush the garlic.
- 02
Set the pressure cooker to high sauté mode. Sear the thighs skin-side down for 3 to 4 minutes without moving them, until they release easily. Flip and sear 2 more minutes. Set aside.
- 03
In the same pot, cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Return the chicken thighs to the pot, pour in the chicken broth, close the lid and seal the valve.
- 04
Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes.
- 05
Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure. Serve the thighs with the cooking juices spooned over top.
Why it worksWhy does pressure cooking make meat tender so fast?
Why does pressure cooking make meat tender so fast?
A sealed pressure cooker traps steam and raises the boiling point of water from 100°C to about 120°C. That extra 20 degrees breaks down collagen — the tough connective tissue in cheap cuts — into gelatin in a fraction of the time. A beef stew that takes 3 hours in the oven takes 35 minutes under pressure.
Read the full article →Why it worksWhat happens to shrimp protein when it cooks?
What happens to shrimp protein when it cooks?
When shrimp cooks, heat causes its proteins to unfold from their folded 3D shapes — a process called denaturation. The unfolding releases a bound pigment (astaxanthin), turning the flesh pink, and causes the proteins to bond into a tighter network, making the flesh firm and opaque. This happens fast, which is why shrimp overcooks so easily.
Read the full article →Why it worksWhy can't you brown meat in a pressure cooker?
Why can't you brown meat in a pressure cooker?
The Maillard reaction requires a dry surface and temperatures above 140°C. A sealed pressure cooker is full of steam and never exceeds 120°C, so browning is chemically impossible inside the pot. You need to sear the meat in a hot pan before pressure cooking — the flavors survive and end up in the sauce.
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