One-Pot Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Chicken, rice, and veggies cooked together in 10 minutes at pressure.
Method · 9 steps
- 1
Pat chicken thighs dry and season both sides with 1 tsp salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and thyme.
- 2
Set Instant Pot to SAUTE (normal/medium). Add olive oil. Once hot, sear chicken skin-side down 4 minutes until golden, then 2 minutes on the other side. Transfer to a plate.
- 3
Add onion and carrot to the pot. Saute 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- 4
Pour in chicken broth and scrape every brown bit off the bottom with a wooden spoon — this deglaze step is mandatory or you'll get a BURN error.
- 5
Stir in rinsed rice and remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Level the rice but do NOT stir again after adding the chicken.
- 6
Nestle chicken thighs on top of the rice skin-side up. Do not push them down into the liquid.
- 7
Cancel saute. Lock the lid, set valve to SEALING. Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 10 minutes. Total time is about 30 minutes including pressurize.
- 8
When cook time ends, let pressure NATURALLY RELEASE for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.
- 9
Stir frozen peas into the hot rice (residual heat cooks them in 2 minutes). Fluff with a fork and garnish with parsley.
Chef's notes
- →Instant Pot rice ratio is 1:1 — not the 1:2 you use on the stove. Extra liquid = gluey rice.
- →Deglaze thoroughly after searing chicken. Any fond stuck to the bottom will trigger BURN.
- →Rinse the rice until water runs clear, otherwise the excess starch turns the dish sticky.
Storage
Fridge 4 days in an airtight container. Reheat in microwave with 1 tbsp water per portion to keep rice moist.
