Instant Pot Turkey Thighs

 

 

I'm not going to lie to you, I LOVE TURKEY!  There I said it out loud. I love turkey. I love turkey in any way shape or form.

I love it roasted. I love it fried. I love it whole. I love it in bits. I love it ground, or in pieces. I love the leftovers in sandwiches or casseroles. I just plain love it full stop.

 

Over in the UK turkey is readily available and not just at Christmas. Sure, you might only be able to get a whole turkey for roasting around Thanksgiving or Christmas, but the rest of the year turkey parts are very common and easy to buy.

I used to buy ground turkey fairly often and use it to make turkey burgers.  There were turkey chunks and turkey steaks, and even small turkey breast roasts, which I bought fairly often.

  

It's not so common where I live in Canada to find turkey pieces. It might be elsewhere, but not where I am living now. At least not at my local shops. 

Oh, I can find ground turkey, but not so much the steaks or even small roasts.  When I do see pieces of turkey, I jump on them and buy them and throw them in the freezer to use when and as I wish.

 

The other day I saw some skin on, bone in, turkey thighs and I snapped them up. I thought they would be perfect to cook as a festive dinner for just one or two people. 

 

The thigh meat is my favorite part of the turkey. Along with those little oysters of flesh, sweet tender nuggets on the bottom of the bird. I call those the cook's treats!  (Coz nobody else ever sees them!)

 

I have never had a dry thigh. They are so tender and moist and the flavor to me is unbeatable. I know some people, like my sister, don't like the dark meat.

But I am a person who loves and cherishes it above all else. I can't get enough of it. So, Turkey thighs suited me very well. I actually bought two packages. One to cook now and one to throw in the freezer.

 

I also decided to try cooking them in my Instant Pot. I haven't been using an Instant Pot for very long, so I am still kind of experimenting with mine, having been inspired by my sister.

I thought, if they cocked up, at the very least I would end up with a turkey soup or stew. Thankfully they didn't.  They were delicious!  Tender. Juicy. Moist and filled with flavor. 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO COOK INSTANT POT TURKEY THIGHS

Aside from an Instant Pot, some very simple ingredients. This is a meal for two people.

• 2 bone in, skin on turkey thighs
• 1 TBS butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp bells seasoning, or other poultry seasoning
• 3/4 cup (180ml) good chicken stock
• 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 stick of celery chopped
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped

For the gravy:

• The juices from the pan, strained and enough chicken stock to make 1 1/4 cups (360ml)
• 1 1/2 TBS corn starch (corn flour)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream

 

Make sure you use the onion and garlic POWDERS, not the salts. I know that Poultry Seasoning is not something you can find in the UK, or I never could at any rate. That is when I started making my own.

Poultry seasoning is a simple blend of herbs and spices, typically used to season chicken, turkey or stuffing. Usually, it is made from things like sage, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, etc.  Herbs and seasonings that go well with Poultry.

I make my own Bell's Seasoning, which is like the Cadillac of poultry seasonings. There is a link to my recipe in the recipe ingredients. Its fabulously tasty! I use it all the time.

 

HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT TURKEY THIGHS

These are really simple and very quick to cook in the Instant Pot. Quick cooking ensures a tender and moist result. You can also make a tasty gravy from the drippings.

Pat your turkey thighs with some paper kitchen toweling to dry and then season them all over with the salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and bells seasoning.

Prepare all of your vegetables.

Press the sauté function on your Instant Pot and add the butter. Once it begins to foam add the turkey thighs, skin side down. Sear for about five minutes, flip over so that the skin side is up. Stop the sauté function.

Add the vegetables to the instant pot, placing them around the turkey thighs.

Pour the chicken stock around the thighs.

Place the lid on the Instant pot and seal. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.

Once the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes. Release any remaining pressure by engaging the quick release button. Once the valve drops, you’ll know the pressure is done releasing.

Transfer the turkey thighs to a plate and begin making the gravy.

Strain the turkey drippings to remove any large bits and pieces, discarding them

Press the sauté function on the Instant Pot.

Add the turkey drippings and corn starch to the instant pot and whisk together and mix well together to remove any lumps that might have formed.

Add in the heavy cream and continue stirring for another 2-3 minutes or until the gravy has thickened. Cancel the sauté function once you are finished.

Serve the gravy over your turkey thighs and enjoy!

 

I enjoyed my turkey thighs along with some mashed sweet potatoes, stove top stuffing, carrots and English peas.  It was a simple supper that went together very quickly.

I don't normally use stove top, but I was wanting to see how expedient this could be.  Altogether I had my dinner ready to serve in a little more than half an hour. Cooking the sweet potato, stuffing, carrots and peas in the microwave while the turkey thighs were cooking in the Instant Pot.

 

I am really planning on using my Instant Pot more often in the future. The model I have is Instant Pot and I bought it via Amazon. It is a 6 QT one and more than ample for my needs.

I have found it very easy to use and very easy to clean.  The insert comes out for cleaning, and is dishwasher safe.  I just wipe everything else with a damp cloth.  The lid, I rinse under hot running water and then dry.

Some other turkey recipes which I enjoy are: 

TURKEY & BROCCOLI CASSEROLE - Turkey and broccoli are great flavor partners. This is a really simple casserole which requires no tinned soup, nor the making of a cream sauce. It could not be easier.

CRANBERRY APPLE TURKEY MEATBALLS - Grated raw apple and chopped dried cranberries to the meat mixture, along with some garlic and onion powder, a bit of seasoning and some dried sage. A delicious sauce is poured over them prior to baking which gives them a lovely glaze. Low fat, high taste, these also make a great appetizer nibble. 

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Instant Pot Turkey Thighs

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Something quick and delicious that you can make if there are only two of you for the holidays. The meat is so tender and the drippings make a fabulous gravy!

Ingredients

• 2 bone in, skin on turkey thighs
• 1 TBS butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp bells seasoning, or other poultry seasoning
• 3/4 cup (180ml) good chicken stock
• 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 stick of celery chopped
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped

For the gravy:

• The juices from the pan, strained and enough chicken stock to make 1 1/4 cups (360ml)
• 1 1/2 TBS corn starch (corn flour)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream

Instructions

1. Pat your turkey thighs with some paper kitchen toweling to dry and then season them all over with the salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and bells seasoning.
2. Prepare all of your vegetables.
3. Press the sauté function on your Instant Pot and add the butter. Once it begins to foam add the turkey thighs, skin side down. Sear for about five minutes, flip over so that the skin side is up. Stop the sauté function.
4. Add the vegetables to the instant pot, placing them around the turkey thighs.
5. Pour the chicken stock around the thighs.
6. Place the lid on the Instant pot and seal. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.
7. Once the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes. Release any remaining pressure by engaging the quick release button. Once the valve drops, you’ll know the pressure is done releasing.
8. Transfer the turkey thighs to a plate and begin making the gravy.
9. Strain the turkey drippings to remove any large bits and pieces, discarding them
10. Press the sauté function on the Instant Pot.
11. Add the turkey drippings and corn starch to the instant pot and whisk together and mix well together to remove any lumps that might have formed.
12. Add in the heavy cream and continue stirring for another 2-3 minutes or until the gravy has thickened. Cancel the sauté function once you are finished.
13. Serve the gravy over your turkey thighs and enjoy!

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