Okay, so I made this Pressure Cooker Chicken and Rice for myself the other day just as an experiment and not for the blog. Luckily, I decided to snap some photos of the process “just in case” it turned out good. Well, let me tell you, it turned out better than good. This Pressure Cooker Chicken and Rice is “stuff your face” good. Like, I wanted to eat it ALL.
What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
I used the Instant Pot 7-in-1 cooker for this recipe, but there are several other manufacturers that make similar multi-function pressure cookers (Magic Mill, MaxiMatic, Power, GoWise). If you have a single function pressure cooker, but still want to make the rice in the pressure cooker instead of on the stove top, here are some directions from HipPressureCooking.com.
Pressure Cooker Alternative
I know pressure cookers can be expensive, but this recipe can also be made with a slow cooker and I’ve provided those instructions right along side the pressure cooker instructions below. The only difference between the two methods is the type of cooking vessel and the amount of time needed. The pressure cooker is simply faster.
How Long Does it Take to Cook Chicken in a Pressure Cooker?
Boneless cuts of chicken only take about 10-15 minutes (not including pressurizing and depressurizing time) to cook in a pressure cooker. Bone-in chicken takes longer to cook, whether in a pressure cooker, in an oven, or on a stove top. In a pressure cooker, you’ll want to cook bone-in chicken for about 30 minutes to make it fall-off-the-bone tender. That doesn’t include the time needed for the vessel to pressurize and depressurize.
Other Spice Blends
Not only is this one of the easiest and best tasting things I’ve ever made, you can use just about any spice blend you like with this method. I used a Creole seasoning blend this time, but you could do a curry powder, Greek seasoning blend, lemon pepper, Caribbean jerk, or even a dry BBQ rub. Just take note of whether or not your seasoning blend contains salt. Mine contained a decent amount of salt, so I did not need to add any additional salt along the way.
What Type of Chicken Should be Used?
Split or whole chickens are usually some of the least expensive cuts of chicken at the grocery store, but they also happen to give the most flavor to this dish. You can use any cut, but whichever cut you decide to use, make sure it is bone-in and skin-on. That’s where the flavor is.. I bought cage-free organic chicken because my budget allows it and that’s important to me, so my prices may be higher than what you’re used to.
Pressure Cooker Chicken and Rice
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 whole split chicken (3-4 lbs. total) ($10.79)
- 2 Tbsp (approx.) seasoning blend of choice* ($0.60)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
- 1.5 cups long grain white rice ($0.72)
- Handful parsley (optional) ($0.20)
Instructions
- Season the chicken well on both sides with your favorite spice or seasoning blend. If your sblend blend does not contain salt, season the chicken liberally with salt as well.
- Add two cups of water to your pressure cooker or slow cooker, then add the chicken pieces (they do not need to be fully submerged).
- Secure the lid, set the pressure cooker to high pressure. Once it reaches full pressure, cook for 30 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally. If using a slow cooker, cook on low heat for 8-9 hours or high heat for 4-5 hours.
- Once the chicken is finished cooking, carefully lift it out of the cooker and place it on a baking sheet. Adjust your oven rack so that the top of the meat will be 6-8 inches from the broiler. Turn the broiler on to high, place the chicken in the oven, and let it broil for 5-7 minutes or until the chicken skin is brown and crispy. Keep a close eye on the chicken while it’s under the broiler, as it can burn quickly.
- While the chicken is broiling, pour the remaining liquid (broth) from the pressure cooker through a sieve to strain out any bone or skin fragments. Measure the broth to see how much was left behind. You’ll want three cups of broth. If you have less, simply add enough water to make three cups of broth total. Taste the broth and adjust the salt if needed.
- Add the broth plus 1.5 cups of uncooked long grain white rice back to the pressure cooker. Secure the lid and select the rice function. Once the rice had finished cooking, allow the pressure to decrease naturally, open the cooker, then fluff with a fork. If your pressure cooker does not have a “rice” function, you can find manual instructions here. If using a slow cooker, simply cook the rice in the broth on the stove top, following the package instructions.
- Serve the tender chicken pieces over the cooked rice, with chopped parsley as a garnish (optional). The pressure cooker (or slow cooker) creates extremely tender meat, so the split chicken can be easily broken into pieces (breast, legs, thighs, wings) for serving.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Chicken and Rice in an Instant Pot – Step by Step Photos
This recipe starts with a split chicken weighing about 3-4 lbs. total. I used a split chicken because I find them a little easier to handle than a whole chicken. You can definitely use this same technique on a whole chicken or even chicken pieces (breasts, legs, etc.). Season the chicken liberally on both sides with your favorite spice blend. If your spice blend does not contain salt, you’ll want to add salt at this point (just sprinkle it on liberally).
Place two cups of water in your pressure cooker or slow cooker, then add the seasoned chicken pieces (they do not need to be fully submerged). Secure the lid on the pressure cooker, then cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, and allow the pressure to decrease naturally. If using a slow cooker, cook the chicken on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8-9 hours.
At this point the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender and a lovely seasoned broth has been created in the bottom of the pot. Carefully lift the chicken out of the cooker and transfer it to a baking sheet.
I like to cover my baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. Now adjust your oven rack so that the top of the chicken will be 6-8 inches from the broiler. Turn the broiler on to high, place the chicken in the oven, and broil for 5-7 minutes or until the chicken skin is brown and crispy…
Like this. Keep a close eye on the chicken while it’s in the broiler because broilers use an open flame that can quickly burn food. You may want to rotate the chicken half way through to make sure it browns evenly. (I also added my parsley garnish at this point.)
Meanwhile, you’ve got this insanely delicious broth left in the pot that you will NOT want to throw away. Strain the broth through a mesh sieve to remove any pieces of skin or bone that may have fallen off the chicken. Measure the broth to see how much you have. I started with 2 cups of water, but ended up with three cups of broth. If you don’t have 3 cups, you can add a little water to make up the difference. Now taste the broth and make sure it is adequately salted. Add it back to the pressure cooker along with 1.5 cups long grain white rice. Secure the lid and turn on the “rice” function. If you don’t have a rice function on your pressure cooker, here are instructions for making rice with single function pressure cooker. If you have a slow cooker, you’ll simply need to make the rice with the broth on the stove top according to the directions on the rice package.
Once the rice is finished and the pressure in the pressure cooker has come down, remove the lid and fluff with a fork. This is seriously the best tasting rice I’ve ever eaten. It’s already fully seasoned and even has a little chicken fat which gives it a rich flavor and great texture.
And that’s it! Just serve the chicken pieces over the rice and add some chopped parsley for garnish, if desired.
I’m not kidding when I say that I’ll probably make this pressure cooker chicken and rice once per week and try a new seasoning each time. It’s just so delicious and too easy to not make it often. :)
we can not wait to try our pressure cooker on this recipe, ty for sharing
Chicken breast is what I have on hand. Would it be just as tasty since there’s not s much fat?
The breasts in mine were quite tasty, but I think the key is to have bone-in chicken. The bones provide a lot of flavor to both the chicken and the broth that is used to cook the rice.
If I am broiling the chicken, how long does the rice need to cook?
It depends on your pressure cooker. Mine has a button specific to rice and it will adjust the time according to how much is in the cooker. If yours doesn’t have that, there are directions for manually cooking rice in a pressure cooker on hippressurecooking.com (link also listed in the directions above).
Hi Beth!
Thanks for this easy chicken & rice recipe! :)
We love our pressure cookers as it really makes cooking so much easier & faster.
We actually make a lot of different variations of chicken & rice in our pressure cooker, gotta add this one to our to-try list!!
Pinning this one now!!! :D
Amy
Gonna try this tomorrow with lemon pepper seasoning in my slow cooker on the high setting. You reckon I could toss in some veggies with the chicken about halfway through the cooking time? I have a feeling some potatoes would be tasty but not sure when to add due to the liquid.
Hmm, I think I would add the veggies with the rice instead of the chicken. I think that vegetables need a lot less time than the chicken does, so if you put them in with the chicken they might over cook and turn to mush.
I was thinking the same with using veggies instead of rice..Maybe some potatoes and carrots..Did you try it with the veggies? How did it come out? How long did you cook it for?
Very excited to try this. Just got gifted an instantpot and need stuff to make in it. Please post more pressure cooker recipes!
This recipe looks amazing. I don’t have a pressure cookie YET, but have looked at them. I’m leaning towards a stove-top pressure cooker vs. the electric model. But I will keep this recipe to try for use when I get my pressure cooker. Thanks for taking the time to share it.
Thanks for the recipe–can’t wait to try out that tasty looking rice in broth. I’m slowly adding to my collection of pressure cooker repetoire..
Have you used your Instant Pot to do eggs, yet? I love how I can pop five or six in for 4 minutes while I’m preparing a salad. They come out perfectly every time and the bonus is they’re so easy to peel. No more pockmarked eggs. =)
I haven’t, but I definitely should! I love eggs. :D
I have never used a pressure cooker before, but have always been so intrigued by them especially because I’m often crunched on time and am always looking for more ways to be efficient!
You will LOVE your pressure cooker!!!!! I can’t believe how quick it is to get a meal together. Got my mom her “dream” pressure cooker for Mother’s Day (yes….and I still splurged on the traditional hanging basket) and she is thrilled. Going to send her the link to this recipe.
I love your recipes. I’m not a cook but my husband is and I have talked him into doing some recipes and the family loves them. In regard to “fluffing” with a fork. We used to have the perfect plastic trident fork that we used for fluffing rice and working with noodles. However, it broke and we cannot find another trident plastic fork. We like the plastic so it doesn’t scratch our no-stick pans. We would rather not use metal. Any suggestions? Thanks and keep up the awesome work.
Hi Joleen,
Not sure if you live near an Ikea but I just bought these. They’re a compact size compared to regular kitchen utensils. At that price, you could buy multiples to put away in case they break. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20239425/
If you live near store that sells asian kitchen products you could look for something called a shamoji (Japanese) rice paddle in bamboo or heat resistant plastic.
I use a wooden utensil with a flat edge to stir up my rice. No scratches to the pan.
I have a wooden pasta fork that I got as part of an inexpensive set of wooden utensils at the grocery store and I think that would work great! :)
Yum! I was wondering if this could be made with chicken breasts or if I need to get over my fear of bone-in chicken.
You definitely need bone-in chicken for this one to get the good deep complex flavor of the broth for the rice. :)
This looks so easy and so awesome! I would love to see more pressure cooking recipes!!
This looks so yummy, I’m going to give this a try.
The preparation kind of reminds me of Hainanese chicken rice – I’m sure this would be delicious with those seasonings (garlic, ginger, etc.) and a dipping sauce on the side for the chicken…
In regards to the broiler, are you using a gas oven? In my gas oven, the drawer at the very bottom is for broiler access and every time I cook something with it it burns crazy fast. I feel like the drawer is way too close to the flame but theres no was to adjust.
However! I did just realize i have a high/low temp button for the broiler. Issue may be resolved. :)
Yep, mine is gas. The gas oven in my last apartment had the broiler in the bottom drawer, too, but it did still have an adjustable rack. The adjusting part was kind of confusing. It was like a peg system in the side walls.