Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice

You have got to try our Instant Pot chicken thighs and rice recipe all cooked together in one pot. Tender dark meat pieces cooked with white rice, peas, carrots with chicken broth. It is a healthy meal ready to serve in just 16 minutes.

If you’re looking for a new pressure cooker dinner, this is a great one because everything gets fluffy and tender together and it is kid friendly too. I like to make this Instant Pot recipe with mixed frozen vegetables to make it even easier but you could leave those out, either way it is a winner.

We made pressure cooker chicken and rice with cream of chicken soup years ago. That used chicken breasts but I have come to love this dark meat so this was created. For a lighter version the condensed soup was omitted and it still turned out fantastic.

Since then I have continued to experiment using my Crockpot Express or made as an easy Ninja foodi recipe too. Any pot with the high pressure function will work, with the latter you will need to use the lid that is not attached to get this done.

Can you cook raw chicken and uncooked rice together?

In a pressure cooker you can!! There is a trick to it though. You need to make sure you use enough water or broth for the jasmine rice to get tender, and not stir it either because if it sits on the bottom the high heat may cause it to burn. Done properly, following our directions, though it is delicious!

Can you make chicken and rice without cream of chicken soup?

Yes! We have done just that right here. With just a few ingredients you can create a creamy casserole style dish with meat and white rice without it. Many prefer it without processed condensed soup for health and flavor reasons.

Can you use brown rice instead of white rice?

We make Instant Pot rice all the time on it’s own. I use long grain or jasmine rice almost all the time. I will note that I have not made this with brown rice or Instant pot black rice and probably won’t. Let me explain my reasonings for this; you don’t want to cook small bites of poultry much longer than 10 minutes or so, brown rice takes closer to 20.

Tips for Success

Whenever you cook meat and a grain together in this pot you’ll want to saute it first. I mean it wouldn’t totally ruin the meal if you skipped this step, there is enough time to cook through. It just locks in the moisture of the meat when you cook the outsides just enough so it’s no longer pink.

Since I included diced onions in this recipe I add those too so they’d soften. After sauteeing, ensure that it is turned off and it is deglazed or else you might get the burn on Instant Pot notice part way thru the cook time.

Scared to try and cook everything all together because you have never done that before, don’t be. I will walk you thru the whole thing. I was there years ago when I first got this pot and knew nothing about it. There were no recipes online out there so I literally worked for weeks and weeks figuring them out.

By the time the grains were tender the meat would be way overcooked and dry. I understand that if you are trying to eat healthier you might want to veer this direction, just don’t for this.

As for the veggies, choose those that are firmer in nature. Broccoli would be a bad choice since it is done in just one minute. Carrots, green beans, and/or a bag of frozen mixed veggies work great.

For gentler choices like peas we did add some into the mix but at the end. I poured a bit in and folded them into the hot meal. Set the lid on for 5 minutes and let them steam for a few minutes. Those are totally optional and can definitely be left out if you’re not a fan.

Variations

You could use this as a great leftover rotisserie chicken recipe too. With that you can just skip the first step of sauteeing since it would already be cooked. I do this all the time if I have meat that needs to be cooked. Canned chicken (drained) is a good option too for a fast meal.

How to save leftovers

When rice is cooked and you’ve enjoyed all you want at the time allow it to cool before saving any leftovers. Use a really airtight container or zipped bag. The more air you have inside the drier your grains will be the next day. When reheating you should add about 1 Tbsp homemade chicken broth on to the top and then microwave for about a minute.

The added moisture will revive the grains a bit better if you ask me. We have made many other versions similar to this since we made this years ago. A spicier version with canned corn we called Instant Pot Mexican chicken and rice. With a layer of melted cheese on top it was out of this world.

If you have a Ninja Foodi you can even air crisp the top layer of cheddar for added texture and wow.