This Instant Pot Chicken and Rice dish is an easy, one-pot meal that comes together in 30 minutes!
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What's the best part about one-pot meals? Lesser clean-up for later! This one-pot meal is made by pressure-cooking chicken along with rice. This not only helps reduce the time involved in cooking but also enhances the flavor of the rice. This a super-convenient meal for those rushed weeknights, it is also packed with flavor and doesn't let down on the taste quotient!
Our family eats rice so often, and I love making 1-pot rice meals in the Instant Pot. Some of our favorite 1-pot meals are Instant Pot fried rice, Instant Pot rice and veggies, and our Sunday lunch favorite - Instant Pot chicken biryani .
Why you should make chicken and rice in the Instant Pot
- Family-friendly one-pot meal
- Made in under 30 minutes!
- Easy to customize - add any combination of veggies you like
- Super flavorful and aromatic
Ingredients List
For this recipe, we will need:
Chicken - You can use either bone-in thighs and legs or boneless chicken. I prefer bone-in chicken as it is more flavorful and juicy. If using boneless chicken, go for boneless thighs.
Rice - Use aromatic rice such as basmati or jasmine rice for more flavor.
Chicken broth or bouillon - Go for a low-sodium broth or bouillon. This is optional but adds so much good flavor.
Tinned tomatoes
Yellow onion, bell pepper, and corn
Garlic, fresh or dried basil
Seasonings and spices -
Salt and pepper
Nutmeg
Oregano
Thyme
Parsley
Paprika
Olive oil
Recipe Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to the 'Saute' setting and add olive oil. Let it heat for 3-4 minutes while you prep your ingredients. Add cleaned and dried chicken thighs and legs (skin on), skin-side down. Season with salt and fresh black pepper.
- Let the chicken cook on one side for 3 minutes, and flip it over on the other side. Season again with salt and pepper and cook again for 2-3 minutes. Once cooked, keep aside on a plate.
- Add chopped onions and saute for a minute. Then add 2 cloves garlic (minced), 1/2 a bell pepper (finely chopped) and 1/4 cup corn kernels. Add 1/2 teaspoon each of white pepper powder, nutmeg, oregano, thyme, parsley (or add 1.5 teaspoons of assorted dried herbs). Saute for a minute more.
- Add 1/2 a tin of tomatoes, saute and be sure to mix well so that any residue at the bottom of the pot is mixed in with the tomatoes. Add 1.5 teaspoons paprika powder and mix.
- Add 2 cups of washed and rinsed rice, followed by 2.5 cups of chicken stock (can be substitued with water and salt). Mix well.
- Add the seared chicken back to the pot, making sure it is almost entirely immersed in the liquid. Now put on the lid of the pressure cooker and set it to 'Pressure Cook' (or Manual) for 6 minutes (make sure the vent on the lid is in 'Sealing' position)
- Let the steam release naturally and open the lid of the cooker once the safety valve comes down. Add some roughly chopped basil leaves and throw it in. Give it a gently stir to combine.
Serve up warm!
Expert Tips for cooking chicken in the Instant Pot
Use bone-in meat: You can use either bone-in thighs and legs, or boneless thigh or breast meat. My personal preference is to make this recipe with bone-in meat, as I am partial to the meaty flavour from bone-in meat.
Use Frozen chicken: For convenience, you could use frozen meat as well - the advantage of using the Instant Pot is that frozen meat doesn't need to be thawed! Big win!
Don't skip the browing: The recipe involves 3 steps - browing the chicken (skip this step if using skinless, boneless meat), sauteeing the veggies, adding the seasonings +rice+liquid, and finally, pressure cooking all the ingredients. You can also make this meal without taking the extra trouble of sauteeing the chicken and veggies - but I highly recommend doing this (if you have the time!) as this adds layers of flavour that you simply cannot get by skipping ahead and cooking it all together.
Use low-sodium broth: Keep in mind that using low-sodium chicken broth gives this dish oodles of flavour, so try using broth instead of water. Another tip is to sprinkle in some fresh basil or parsley right at the end, it adds a lovely boost of flavour.
FAQs
Yes, you certainly can replace bone-in chicken with chicken breasts, if you prefer. I personally like the flavor of bone-in chicken, but boneless breasts are a great option as well - particularly if you want to cut down on cooking time.
Use small-medium-sized (4-6 ounce) boneless chicken breasts, and skip the initial steps of searing the meat. Continue with the rest of the instructions and set the cooking time to 7 minutes. After the cooking cycle is complete, allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally for 5 minutes and then manually release pressure.
Yes, you certainly can use frozen chicken together with uncooked rice in the Instant Pot. If you are following this recipe and would like to replace the bone-in meat with frozen chicken, I recommend you substitute with frozen boneless chicken breasts.
With frozen boneless chicken breasts, you can entirely skip the initial part of searing the chicken. Proceed with sauteeing the aromatics and seasonings, add the raw rice and liquid and place the frozen chicken breasts on the
rice. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 9 minutes. After the cooking cycle is complete, allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally for 5 minutes and then manually release pressure.
More 1-pot Instant Pot Meals
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Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 chicken thighs and legs bone-in, skin-on
- Salt and pepper to season
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup corn kernels
- ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon parsley
- ½ tin tomatoes approximately 7 ounces or 200 grams
- ½ teaspoon paprika powder
- 2 cups rice washed and rinsed
- 2.5 cups chicken stock can be replaced with water and salt
- Fresh basil leaves can be replaced with dried basil
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to the 'Saute' setting and add the olive oil. Let it pre-heat for 3-4 minutes. Add cleaned and dried chicken thighs and legs (skin on), skin-side down. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Let the chicken cook on one side for 3 minutes, until lightly browned, add pepper and salt to season and flip it over on the other side. Season again with salt and pepper. Cook again for 2-3 minutes. Once cooked, keep aside on a plate.
- Add chopped onions and sauté for a minute. Then add 2 cloves garlic (minced), 1/2 a bell pepper (finely chopped) and 1/4 cup corn kernels. Add 1/2 teaspoon each of white pepper powder, nutmeg, oregano, thyme, parsley (or add 2.5 teaspoons of assorted dried herbs). Sauté for a minute more.
- Add 1/2 a tin of tomatoes, sauté and be sure to mix well so that any residue at the bottom of the pot is mixed in with the tomatoes. This is important - if nor properly deglazed, the Instant Pot will show a 'Burn' error.
- Add the paprika powder and mix.
- Add 2 cups of washed and rinsed rice, followed by 2.5 cups of chicken stock or water. If adding water, add more salt to season. Mix well.
- Add the seared chicken back to the pot, making sure it is almost entirely immersed in the liquid. Now put on the lid of the pressure cooker and set it to 'Pressure Cook' (or ‘Manual’) for 6 minutes (make sure the vent is in 'Sealing' position for the Instant Pot)
- Let the steam release naturally and open the lip of the cooker once the safety valve comes down. Add some roughly chopped basil leaves and throw it in. Give it a gently stir to combine.
Can you use brown rice for this?
Yes, although brown rice will need more time to cook. If you are cooking both rice and chicken together using the recipe instructions, the rice will be undercooked. You can try pressure cooking for more time.
Can I double the recipe ?
Hi Kathy, yes - you could double the recipe using the same time and settings if you are making it in a 6-quart Instant Pot. If you try it out, I'd love to hear back!
Do your instructions for chicken breasts refer to bone-in or boneless?
The instructions are for boneless chicken breasts, thank you for pointing it out, I have updated the recipe as well.
I love the sound of this, such an easy dinner!