Chicken Alla Cacciatore

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Turn your instant pot on the saute’ mode, when the innner pot is hot give a good drizzle of olive oil. Brown the chicken thighs, it may take two or three batches. If you over load the pot the chicken thighs will not brown nicely. Once all your chicken thighs are all nicely browned, set them aside and add the garlic, carrots, celery, onion and mushrooms. Give another drizzle of olive oil and saute’ 2 – 3 minutes. Add the red wine and deglaze the pot and scrape up all the good bits. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings. Stir well and put the chicken thighs back in. Lay the fresh herbs on top. Place the instant pot lid on and secure. Turn the pressure valve to sealing.  Set the instant pot to high pressure and set the timer for 12 minutes. Once the time is up allow the instant pot to release pressure naturally for 20 to 25 minutes.

After the natural release, remove the chicken thighs. Turn your instant pot back on the saute’ mode. In a small bowl mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water, stir well and add to the liquid in the instant pot. Sauce will get hot and bubbly stir until thickened. For a thicker sauce repeat this step. To add shine to your sauce and bump up the flavor add 1 – 2  tablespoons butter. Place the chicken thighs back into the pot to stay warm until you are ready to serve.