Make perfect Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice with this simple recipe! Season and sear chicken thighs and then cook with rice under high pressure for a quick and easy meal.
Hands-off
Minimal prep
You’ll Learn: The pan-searing technique for juicy chicken with golden edges
Worth It: Great for eating throughout the week
Bonus: One-pot means easy clean up
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Instant pot favorite – The seasoned chicken is moist and flavorful. The rice is still fluffy yet almost creamy like risotto. The two together are truly wonderful. It feels like an instant pot rice casserole.
- Meal prep go to – This is a great recipe to make for meal prep with pantry staples like rice! It makes A LOT of rice so I use it as a way to make super flavorful rice that I can use all week long!!
- Easy weeknight eating – This is a one-pot meal made entirely in the Instant pot! It’s so easy to make and perfect for any weeknight dinner.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving this instant pot chicken and rice with simple sides. Air fryer brussels sprouts or air fryer asparagus would be great. If you don’t want to cook an extra dish, you could make a simple salad like a lemon kale caesar, or a salad with mason jar dressing.
For another one pot chicken dish, try this lemon chicken orzo next.
Kitchen tools
There are a few things you need to know before you attempt this instant pot seasoned chicken and rice. The size of instant pot or pressure cooker matters. I have an 8 qt instant pot and I was able to fit 4 chicken thighs in mine comfortably. If you have a smaller instant pot or larger thighs, you may only be able to fit 3 in the pot.
You can also do this recipe in the crock pot, but it will create a slightly different texture since it will not be pressure cooked. Saute everything first, then transfer to your slow cooker to cook for four to six hours.
ingredients
- Chicken thighs – I find that bone in, skin on chicken thighs are the best for instant pot chicken recipes
- Kosher salt, smoked paprika, black pepper, dried oregano, cumin – these spices make the perfect blend for seasoning the chicken
- Oil – I used avocado oil, but you can use olive oil or any neutral oil. I also like to add a tablespoon of unsalted butter
- Yellow onion – the diced onion is the base of flavor for the rice mixture
- Long grain brown rice – I find that long grain is the best for this cook time, but you could use any rice
- Chicken broth or chicken stock – the broth adds so much extra flavor and keeps the whole dish really moist
Ingredient substituions
I like to make this chicken and rice recipe with bone in skin on chicken thighs. They are very juicy when cooked under pressure. You can use boneless chicken thighs instead if you prefer. I prefer to use fresh chicken thighs, but you can also use frozen chicken thighs. Allow the chicken thighs to thaw in the fridge or freezer on the counter.
You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts but it will not be as moist. I prefer any type of chicken thigh for this instant pot chicken and rice.
The spice blend brings so much flavor, but you could also add onion powder or garlic powder too.
You can add some diced celery and diced carrot to the diced onion for more flavor. Some minced garlic cloves would also be great. For some more veggies, add in frozen peas or green beans. I like to use chicken broth to flavor the rice, but you can use vegetable broth instead.
You could also use cream of chicken soup in place of chicken broth. This will add flavor and a bit of creaminess.
I use long grain brown rice to cook with these instant pot chicken thighs. You can also use white rice, jasmine rice, or basmati, but it should always be long grain rice in order for the cook time to be accurate.
You must rinse your rice before cooking it. I made this mistake before and the result is hard and undercooked rice. Giving your rice that nice soaking before cooking allows it to cook evenly with the chicken.
how to make
Step 1: season and sear chicken thighs
To make this instant pot seasoned chicken and rice start by combining paprika, salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin in a small bowl. Season chicken thighs on all sides with this seasoning mixture.
Turn instant pot on to sauté and pour in the avocado oil. When the oil is hot add the chicken thighs to the instant pot and brown them for 3 minutes on each side.
While the chicken is cooking rinse your rice until the water runs clean. It is important to make sure the rice is thoroughly rinsed. Remove the browned chicken from the instant pot and add the diced medium onion.
Step 2: sauté onions and rinse rice
Sauté onions in the instant pot until soft and fragrant. This will take about 3 minutes.
While you sauté the onions scrape up the “flavor bits” left over from the chicken with a wooden spoon.
Next, turn the instant pot off and pour in water and chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Then, add the rice.
Make sure rice lays in an even layer along the bottom of the instant pot. Arrange chicken thighs on top of rice with the skin side up.
Step 3: cook under high pressure
Close the lid and set instant pot vent to sealing position. Then, set it to manual high pressure for 3 minutes.
When the instant pot is done cooking hit the off button and allow the pressure to release naturally – wait for the metal pin to drop, this can take a total time of up to 20 minutes. After the pin drops, open the instant pot, remove the chicken thighs and fluff the rice. Enjoy immediately and garnish with a little parmesan cheese.
Storage and reheating
Allow the chicken and rice recipe to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat in the microwave or toasted oven until the chicken is just warmed through. I like to reheat the chicken and rice separately.
Check out these other delicious instant Pot recipes
Keep reading to find the whole recipe. As always, if you make this recipe, please let me know in the comments or on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Instant Pot Seasoned Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in skin on chicken thighs
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 yellow onion – diced
- 2 cups long grain brown rice
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Combine smoked paprika, salt, pepper, oregano and cumin in a small bowl. Season chicken thighs on all sides with the seasoning mixture
- Turn instant pot on saute mode. Pour in oil. Add seasoned chicken thighs to hot oil.
- Brown chicken thighs for 3 minutes on each side and remove from instant pot. Pour diced onions into the instant pot and saute until soft and fragrant – about 5 minutes.
- While you saute the onions, rinse the brown rice thoroughly. Rinse until the water is clear.
- Turn the saute mode off. Pour the water and chicken broth into the instant pot followed by the rice. Make sure that the rice is covered with the liquid. Place the seared chicken thighs on top of the rice.
- Close the instant pot and set the vent to sealing. Set the instant pot to manual high pressure for 3 minutes. When the instant pot is done cooking, turn it off and allow the pressure to release naturally – wait for the metal pin to drop completely, this can take up to 20 minutes.
- Open the instant pot and remove the chicken thighs. Stir the rice and place the lid back on the instant pot to allow the rice to steam for another few minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the rice. Serve with the chicken and some veggies!
- ** This recipe makes a large amount of cooked brown rice. I like to serve it immediately with the chicken and then the leftovers with other meals!
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Leave a Reply