Instant Pot Chicken Thighs with Olives and Capers {Paleo, Keto}
/Pull out the Instant Pot to make this paleo and keto friendly recipe for chicken thighs with olives and capers. It's a Whole30, gluten free and dairy free recipe. This post contains Affiliate links.
The Instant Pot has taken up prime real estate on my kitchen counter for almost two years now. It's become a staple. I like how it's a hands-off process that frees me up to do other things and it also frees up my burners for other healthy recipes.
Today's recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Thighs with Olives and Capers comes from a new cookbook from Mark Sisson, along with Lindsay Taylor and Layla McGowan, called the Keto Reset Instant Pot Cookbook.
You might remember me talking about Paleo and Keto King Mark Sisson when I gave the background on the Paleo diet and how to make it work for you. Sisson focuses on living a healthy lifestyle by dumping a grain-based, high-carb Standard American Diet. Just say no to sugar in all its forms. Instead, focus on eating fresh vegetables, healthy fats, and proteins.
So this new Keto Instant Pot Cookbook has 75 low carb, high-fat recipes. Remember that fat can be your friend. Twinkies = not fat friendly. Grass-fed butter or ghee - fat friendly.
I really like Sisson's line of healthy Primal Kitchen products like salad dressings, avocado mayo, and collagen supplements. He also has really tasty clean protein bars that usually come with me during my travels.
Sisson believes that the reduction of grains and sugars and the increase in healthy fats can help your metabolic flexibility. What that means is that your body can burn a bunch of different fuel sources depending on what your body needs, instead of just relying on carbs and sugar, which can lead to post-meal crashes.
This recipe for Instant Pot chicken thighs with olives and capers had my name written all over it. You have good fat from the olives as well as the avocodao oil and then there are great spices included like my beloved turmeric, sweet paprika, and mustard powder.
So enjoy a healthy paleo and keto-friendly recipe in the Instant Pot while getting a little extra free time to relax before an amazing dinner.
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs with Olives & Capers
{Paleo, Keto, Whole30, Gluten Free, Dairy Free}
Reprinted from THE KETO RESET INSTANT POT® COOKBOOK. Copyright © 2018 by Mark Sisson. Published by Harmony Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
Serves 6
Ingredients
6 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds; see Note)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons avocado oil
3⁄4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1⁄4 teaspoon sweet paprika
1⁄4 teaspoon mustard powder
1 large or 2 small lemons
2 tablespoons ghee or fat of choice
1 cup chicken bone broth (see page 32)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3⁄4 cup pitted olives (green, black, kalamata, or a mix)
2 tablespoons capers
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves (optional)
Instructions
Season the top and bottom of the chicken thighs with the salt. Place them in a shallow baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix together the avocado oil, turmeric, black pepper, paprika, and mustard powder. Spoon about half of this mixture over the bottom side of the chicken. Flip the thighs. Spoon the rest of the marinade over the top. Allow the chicken to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.
Thinly slice half the lemon and set the other half aside.
Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and heat the ghee, swirling to coat the bottom of the pot. Place 3 thighs skin side down in the pot. Brown for 3 minutes undisturbed, then flip and brown 2 minutes on the second side. Remove to a plate. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Transfer the second batch to the plate.
Carefully pour in about 1⁄4 cup of the bone broth to deglaze the pot, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Press Cancel.
Arrangethelemonslicesonthebottomofpotandlayerthe chicken over the top, overlapping them to fit if needed. Do not try to force them into a single layer. Pour any reserved juices from the plate and any reserved marinade over the chicken, along with the remaining 3⁄4 cup bone broth. Squeeze the other half of the lemon over the top and place the spent rind in the pot. Toss the garlic, olives, and capers around the chicken.
Secure the lid and turn the steam release valve to Sealing. Press the Pressure Cook or Manual button and set the cook time to 14 minutes.
When the Instant Pot beeps, carefully switch the steam release valve to Venting to quick-release the pressure. When fully released, open the lid. Use tongs to transfer the chicken to a shallow baking dish for serving. Taste the cooking liquid and adjust the seasoning. Carefully ladle the cooking liquid with the olives and capers over top of the chicken, and garnish with parsley if desired. Enjoy!
Note: If you want to use skin-on chicken, follow the same directions as above, spooning some of the marinade under the skin in step 2. The reason the recipe calls for skinless is that chicken skin simply doesn’t stay crispy in the Instant Pot. For crispy skin, you will want to stick your chicken under a hot broiler for a minute after it has been cooked.