Hello everyone, how’s quarantine treating you all? I’m using this time to slow down a bit and get things done I haven’t found time for lately. I organized the walk-in closet, cleaned the garage and also planning to help my husband in redoing our lawn. It was ruined by the raccoons and the crows last year. Amidst all this, it was wonderful to see my daughter cooking in between with the extra time she is getting while studying from home. The other day she was making mushroom risotto from my blog and, she said I should post more one-pot meals. That’s when I thought I should share this Instant pot chicken and rice.
Update June 5, 2022
Watch the video for this recipe on my YouTube channel
This easy chicken rice is a long favorite in our house. My daughter could easily eat every day. It’s so homey and comforting. I used to make it in the oven before but from last year I started cooking it in the instant pot. It is easy and convenient and the flavors mingle perfectly. Simple, healthy and a truly one pot meal. All you need to round out the meal is a generous portion of steamed veggies or salad on side. For best flavors, make sure to use all the ingredients as mentioned there is only a few of them and follow the recipe exactly.
To make chicken rice in your instant pot you will want to start with 7-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs. This will be anywhere around 700- 800 gm. Boneless chicken thighs work best in this recipe because they cook up nice and quick. They simply get rubbed with salt and red chili powder then seared on sauté high/more (just golden brown) but they don’t have to be cooked through. I brown the smooth side for 4 minutes and the other side just for 2 minutes. (if the high/more function is not available in your instant pot then keep on normal). Make sure you do not unnecessarily flip them, they should only be flipped once, halfway through the cooking process. Remove it from the Pot and set it aside.
The next step is to sauté onion in the same oil. Lower the heat to normal. I took pictures of different steps so you can see. Cook onions, stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. After a couple of minutes add tomatoes and let them soften a bit. If at any time your masala starts to stick, add a big splash of water and keep cooking.
Then it’s time to add basmati rice and water. After adding the rice cancel the sauté function. Take the time to scrape the sides and bottom to get all nicely mixed up. It is a very important step when using an Instant Pot so that you will avoid the “Burn” message when the Pot is coming up to pressure. Lay chicken pieces (smooth side facing up) on top of the rice mixture. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, turn the steam release handle to the sealing position and set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook High for 4 minutes. Yes, that’s how long basmati rice takes in the IP. Once the Instant Pot is done cooking allow it to do a Natural Release. Just be sure you rinse your rice adequately before cooking to keep it from getting sticky.
This recipe makes 4-5 servings when eaten as a main dish. My daughter always takes the leftovers to university for lunch and heats it up in the microwave. It freezes well too. Divide the leftovers into portions and place them into airtight meal prep containers or freezer-safe bags.
I invite you to try this recipe and let me know what you think. Hope you love it as much as we do. You are also welcome to post a picture and tag me on Facebook and Instagram using the #simpleglutenfreekitchen hashtag, so that I can see your take on my recipe.
This chicken and rice is made in instant pot which makes it a perfect busy weeknight meal. If you do not have instant pot instructions to cook in oven are also given.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups quality basmati rice
- 1 cup sliced onion
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
- 1 1/2 tbsp ground coriander (can use less)
- 3/4 tsp turmeric (optional)
- few strands of saffron
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp red chili powder
- 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 (+) cup oil
- salt and red chili powder to season the chicken
Instructions
- Soak saffron in 1/4 cup water.
- Pat the chicken dry, rub salt and red chili powder on both sides.
- Set a 6-quart Instant Pot to SAUTE mode on high. Add the oil. Once hot and shimmering place the seasoned chicken thighs (smooth side down) in two batches. Sear it on both sides without flipping for a few minutes (about 4 minutes), until the meat releases easily from the bottom. (I just brown the smooth side more). Add one more tbsp of oil after cooking the first batch and let it become hot.
- While the chicken is browning, take the time to rinse the rice until the water runs clear. This step is so important to keep the rice from sticking.
- Once the chicken thighs are golden brown, remove and keep aside.
- Adjust Sauté to normal then add the onions. Sauté until they look soft and translucent, stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan (if at anytime you feel that the chicken bits are browning add a big splash of water and scrape with wooden spoon).
- Next, add ginger garlic paste and tomatoes, cook until soft about 2-3 minutes. Add a splash of water to soften the tomatoes faster.
- Once cooked, add 1/4 cup of saffron water, gently scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any stuck-on bits.
- Stir in rice, salt, red chili powder, coriander powder and turmeric. Cancel sauté. Pour the 1 1/3 cup water and stir everything together
- Lay the chicken on top and pour any drippings from the plate back in the pot ( {there should be 2-3 tbsp, the total water to cook rice should be little more than 1 1/2 cup} check notes at the end of the recipe)
- Close and lock the lid; set the valve to sealing and set to cook at high pressure for 4 minutes.
- Once the chicken and rice had finished cooking, allow the pressure to decrease naturally.
- Open the cooker, allow it to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Heat the oil in a 4qt to 5qt Dutch oven.
- Brown chicken pieces on both sides and remove it in a bowl.
- Add in the onions in the same pot and saute until golden.
- Next, add ginger garlic paste and tomatoes, cook until soft. Add saffron water, gently scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any stuck-on bits.
- Stir in rice, salt, red chili powder, coriander powder and turmeric. Pour 2 1/2 cups water and stir everything together.
- Lay the chicken on top and pour any drippings from the plate back in the pot ( in total you need double the amount of water to cook basmati rice in oven, add 1/4 cup of saffron water and 1/4 the of drippings)
- Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Allow it to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
- Scoop and serve. Alternately you can shred the chicken and serve mixed with rice.
Notes
If after following the recipe instructions religiously your Instant Pot beeps with a : “burn” message. Do not panic. This can mean two things
You did not de glaze the bottom of the pot properly.
The steam valve is not in the sealed position.
I would check the valve and continue cooking, it's only 4 minutes (speaking from experience). What happens was that once I forgot to put coriander powder and I realized only after laying chicken on the rice. I tried adding coriander powder in little amount at different places and while doing that the chicken got submerged and absorbed some of the water needed for cooking rice. But even then, when I opened the instant pot and checked there was only a thin layer of scorched rice at the bottom of the pot (as in tahdig but more brown) . I picked the chicken pieces first and then inverted the rice on a serving tray and scraped the crispy brown bottom (check photo below) with the rice spoon. There was no burnt smell at all.
The action plan for the next time is to scrape the bottom nicely after the masala and you can also put the chicken pieces on trivet so that the water only covers the rice or you can add little more water( sometimes it depends what kind of rice you are using).
Cooked in oven
Update: December 5, 2021
The other day my daughter called me to ask how much was few threads of saffron as written in my recipe. I thought to update it for all my readers.
Basically you use about 3 threads (1 1/2″ long) per person. So for 5-6 servings I used this much as shown in the picture below.
angiesrecipes
Glad that you have got something done :-)) The chicken rice looks terrific…so flavourful, comforting and tasty!
evi erlinda
I can smell your sweet saffron, Balvinder! It ‘s SO good!
This basmati rice pot is very delectable!
Easyfoodsmith
Certainly need such comforting and easy to fix delicious meals right now.
Jeff the Chef
Who doesn’t love chicken and rice? it’s such a comfort food. But I have to say, your rice looks like a real standout! Man, I wish I could reach right through my screen and grab a serving!
Unlike you, I have not had time on my hands. I’ve had to covert all the work for my day job to an online format, which has dramatically increased my workload. So, I might just convert this to a slow-cooker method!