Instant Pot Drunken Chicken

A bowl with rice, drunken chicken, and garlic bread

4.50 from 2 votes

Instant Pot Drunken Chicken

A copycat recipe for Drunken Chicken from a small Cajun/Creole restaurant chain called Yats in Indiana and Ohio. On the restaurant menu this dish is described as "a spicy stew of shredded chicken, rosemary, garlic, crushed red pepper, beer, and bread crumbs."

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Instant Pot getting to Pressure and Natural Release45

Total Time1 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Breadcrumbs, Chicken, Instant Pot, Tomato

Servings:

Author: Carolyn Stilwell

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

Seasoning Blend

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
¾ teaspoon Black Pepper
¾ teaspoon Garlic Powder
¾ teaspoon Onion Powder
¾ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
¾ teaspoon Chili Powder
¾ teaspoon Fennel Seeds
2 Bay Leaf
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme or 1 tsp dried
3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary or 1 tsp dried
1 sprig Fresh Sage or 1/2 tsp dried

Other Ingredients

2 ½ lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs boneless skinless
¾ cup Italian Breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons Hot Honey or regular honey
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
14 ½ ounces Diced Tomatoes I used 1 can of no-salt added diced tomatoes
12 ounces Beer I used a pale ale
1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Reduced Sodium Chicken Base optional
2 Dried Chipotle Chile Peppers optional
1 Dried Ancho Chile Pepper optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Optionally, tie the fresh herbs - Thyme, Rosemary, and Sage (if using fresh herbs) - together with twine to easily discard after cooking.
Add chicken thighs to the Instant Pot. Then add the dried spices, fresh herbs (if using), Italian breadcrumbs, hot honey, extra virgin olive oil, diced tomatoes, beer, Better than Bouillon Base (optional), and dried chiles (optional).
Place lid on the Instant Pot in the sealed position. Pressure cook on LOW for 20 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally.
Discard the fresh herbs, bay leaves, and dried chiles. Remove the chicken and shred with forks. Alternatively, if the chicken is very tender, you may be able to use tongs and shred directly in the Instant Pot.
If the sauce is too thin, turn the Instant Pot on "sauté mode" for a few minutes to thicken the sauce. I didn't find this step necessary after letting the pressure naturally release.
Taste the chicken and add more salt if needed. Serve over white rice and a side of garlic bread.

Video

Notes

I recommend pressure cooking on LOW in your Instant Pot. I tested this recipe cooking on HIGH and the breadcrumbs absorbed the liquid too quickly and it never got to pressure.

Nutrition