Lemon Herbed Chicken

Pressure cooker chicken braised with lemon juice, a generous handful of fresh herbs, and black olives that add a briny, Mediterranean depth. Eight minutes at pressure is all it takes to get fall-off-the-bone tender meat with a bright, herbaceous sauce.

Browning the chicken pieces first builds a flavorful fond on the bottom of the pot. That fond gets deglazed by the broth and lemon juice during pressure cooking, creating the base for a pan sauce that’s savory, tart, and loaded with herb flavor from parsley, oregano, basil, and celery leaves.

After pressure cooking, the olives go into the hot broth to warm through, and a quick flour-water slurry thickens everything into a glossy sauce that clings to the chicken. Simple, fast, and full of flavor.

Pro Tips

• Brown the chicken in batches so each piece gets good color. Crowding steams the meat instead of browning it.
• Use fresh herbs if you have them. The pressure cooker’s intense heat can dull dried herbs, but fresh ones hold up well.
• Cool the pressure cooker immediately (quick release) to stop cooking. The chicken goes from tender to mushy fast.
• Thicken the sauce after releasing pressure. Add the flour slurry gradually, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.

Variations

• Add artichoke hearts with the olives for a more robust Mediterranean version.
• Use bone-in thighs instead of a whole cut-up chicken for more even cooking.
• Serve over pasta, rice, or crusty bread to soak up every drop of the lemony sauce.