Instant Pot Chicken and Rice

Instant Pot chicken and rice is a delicious and simple supper that you can make all in one pot.

Don’t worry, internet friends! If you do not have an Instant Pot, I already have stove top instructions for this recipe here: one pot chicken and rice.

But if you don’t have an Instant Pot yet…why not? You should really look into getting one. See my full Instant Pot product review video here. But in short, I am loving mine.

Instant Pot chicken and rice is a delicious and simple supper that you can make all in one pot. It is SO delicious and easy!

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs (up to 1.5 pounds works)
• cooking spray (I used avocado oil spray, but a tablespoon of oil of your choice works)
• 3 small shallots diced
• 1 cup carrots diced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 cloves medium fresh garlic minced
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white jasmine rice rinsed and drained (Do NOT skip the rinsing. Rice will likely scorch if not rinsed!)
• 2 cups chicken stock or broth divided ( I use 1/4 cup for deglazing the pan)
• 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves chopped and divided (or 2 teaspoons dried)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Generously salt and pepper your chicken thighs.
2. Using the sauté setting (normal level), preheat until the display reads "hot."
3. Use tongs to put chicken in the pan (watch out for oil splatter!)
4. Sear chicken thighs, 4 minutes on each side.
5. Remove and set aside chicken on a plate.
6. Add 1/4 cup broth to deglaze the pan, scrape the bits with a wooden spoon (do not skip this step!). If there are any stuck on spots, be sure and lift those away from the pan with a wooden spoon.
7. Add shallot, mushroom and carrots, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Add garlic, and continue to cook for another minute.
9. Add remaining chicken stock, rice, thyme and stir together.
10. Place the chicken thighs on top of the mixture, and do not stir them in.
11. Place the lid on, and lock it, setting the valve to sealing.
12. Cook on manual high pressure for 8 minutes, and allow the Instant Pot to release naturally (do not use the quick release lever) for 10 minutes. Quick release the remaining pressure.
13. Once any remaining pressure is fully release, remove the lid carefully.
14. Use two forks to shred the chicken, and stir the pot.
15. Serve immediately.

Recipe Adapted From apinchofhealthy.com

Recipe Notes

Do NOT skip rinsing the rice first! This will remove some of the starch, and will prevent scorching/ sticking to the bottom.

Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.

I do not recommend using frozen chicken for this recipe.

If you want to substitute types of rice, make sure the substitute you choose has a similar cook time to white jasmine rice (ex: White basmati should work well in this recipe.)

If you are using very large chicken thighs, you may want to cut them in half. Just for reference, my thighs were about 4 thighs equaling 1 pound of weight (about 4 to 5 ounces each). It doesn't have to be exact, but I just wanted to give y'all a heads up, since I have seen some really huge thighs at the store (ex of huge: 2 thighs equaling 1 pound of weight).