Instant pot chicken thighs and rice. Easy one-pot instant pot recipe the whole family would love. Weeknight dinner just got easy and quick with this easy instant pot rice recipe. It is flavourful and uses pantry staple ingredients. The boned in chicken thigh falls right off the bone and the rice buttery, tender and fluffy.
Instant pot chicken thighs and rice recipe
I already have a pressure cooker rice and chicken on the blog but it uses boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Today’s recipe, I am sharing with you how to perfectly cook bone-in chicken thighs with rice in your instant pot without the rice turning mushy or the chicken overcooked.
You can also use chicken legs for this recipe. Chicken legs or quarter is a combination of thighs and the drumstick.
If you follow this recipe to the letter, you won’t get the almighty BURN notice, a big statement but it is the truth and that is why I made a video just to show you how easy it is. I can’t deny I have had a few shares of BURN notices when using my 6qt Instant pot Duo but one thing I didn’t do is fret.
I just believe the new instant pot has a mind of its own and it sometimes doesn’t like tomatoes. There you have it, this recipe didn’t use tomatoes, so no cause for alarm.
Related post: If you don't own a pressure cooker but you would still love to make this recipe, check out my one-pot chicken and rice recipe.
Avoid instant pot burn warning on rice recipes
One secret to cooking perfect meal in the instant pot without the BURN scare is to make sure you deglaze the pan thoroughly. Sometimes, you might even need to wash the pan before you continue cooking or let the pan cool a bit.
Not all BURN notice need a panic response, sometimes, we just need to chill and see how it pans out.
If you are cooking rice in your instant pot and you get a burn notice halfway through the cooking process, just turn it off and let it come to release its pressure naturally. You can be assured that the rice would come out fluffy and well done.
Note: only do this with rice recipes that you are not cooking with other protein like chicken or beef tips.
What you will need to make this recipe
To make this simple instant pot rice and chicken recipe, you would need the following Ingredients
Skinless bone in chicken thighs: I bought chicken thighs with skin and removed the skin myself
Uncooked rice: I used golden Sella basmati rice which cooks like long grain rice. You can also use pure basmati rice for this recipe. You do not need to soak the rice before cooking it.
Stock: I used chicken stock but feel free to use any type of stock of choice, beef or vegetables.
Herb de Provence: substitute this with Italian seasoning or any other herbs of choice
Paprika
Ginger and garlic paste
Salt and black pepper
Onion
Butter
Vegetable oil
How to make instant pot chicken thighs and rice
Season the skinless chicken thighs with salt, black pepper and smoked paprika. Mix to combine and set aside.
Turn on the instant pot and select the Sauté button on normal heat. Saute the onions in butter and vegetable oil until soft.
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste then add the seasoned chicken thighs to the pot and leave undisturbed to brown for 3 minutes, flip the side of the chicken and brown for another 3 minutes.
Take out the chicken thighs from the pot and set aside.
Add 2 cups of broth to the pot and deglaze the bottom of the pan thoroughly. This step is crucial in order to avoid getting a BURN notice.
Add washed rice to the pot, a cup of broth and stir to combine. Add herd de province, salt to taste (optional) don't mix. Place the chicken on top of the rice and securely cover the instant pot.
Select manual or pressure cook and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes. When the cooking cycle is completed allow the pot to come to natural pressure for 10 minutes then carefully do a quick release.
Open the pot, add the chopped chives and stir to combine. Leave the rice to stand covered for another minute or two. Fluff the rice and serve.
How to serve
Serve this instant pot chicken thighs and rice as it is or with a side of coleslaw, cucumber salad or brown sugar-glazed carrots.
How to store
You can store this recipe in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure that it is completely cooled and store in an airtight container.
Other easy instant pot recipes
Instant pot pork chops and rice
Instant pot macaroni and cheese
If you made this easy instant pot meatballs and sauce recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 6 pieces bone-in chicken thighs
- 2 cups basmati rice I used golden Sella basmati rice which cooks like long grain rice. You can also use pure basmati rice for this recipe. You do not need to soak the rice before cooking it.
- 3 cups chicken stock
- ½ tablespoon herb de provence substitute this with Italian seasoning or any other herbs of choice
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ tablespoon ginger
- ½ tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 small onion
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon chopped chives substitute with chopped spring onions
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with salt, black pepper and paprika. Mix to combine and set aside.
- Turn on the instant pot and select the Sauté button on normal heat. Sauté the onions in butter and vegetable oil until soft.
- Stir in the garlic and ginger paste then add the seasoned chicken thighs to the pot and leave undisturbed to brown for 3 minutes, flip the side of the chicken and brown for another 3 minutes.
- Take out the chicken thighs from the pot and set aside.
- Add 2 cups of broth to the pot and deglaze the bottom of the pan thoroughly. This step is crucial in order to avoid getting a BURN notice.
- Add washed rice to the pot, a cup of broth and stir to combine. Add herd de province, salt to taste (optional) don't mix. Place the chicken on top of the rice and securely cover the instant pot.
- Select manual or pressure cook and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes. When the cooking cycle is completed allow the pot to come to natural pressure for 10 minutes then carefully do a quick release.
- Open the pot, add the chopped chives and stir to combine. Leave the rice to stand covered for another minute or two. Fluff the rice and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE RATE IT AND LEAVE ME A COMMENT. USE #THEDINNERBITE OR TAG @THEDINNERBITE ON INSTAGRAM SO I CAN SEE YOUR PHOTOS, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS. THANK YOU!
TashaM says
This was a good recipe! I did alter it a bit. I used 2 cups of yellow rice and 4 cups of chicken broth. I adjusted cook time to 13 mins since I added 1 cup more Roth than instructed.
It Came out great. I even had a bit of a gravy consistency without the rice being mushy! Thanks
Hannah R Dixon says
Hi, your recipe card says 3 cups of stock and then the steps say 2 cups to deglaze the pot (step 5). I just took out a cup after adding 3 cups worried that the rice will be too mushy since the chicken will produce some liquid. (Hopefully it works!) What do you recommend?
Kelli Carter says
Hi there! How should I adjust the liquid if I prefer to use brown rice? Would you recommend brown rice?
Ajoke says
Hi Kelli, I wouldn't recommend using brown as it takes about 20 minutes to cook, which could lead to overcooking the chicken.
Jennifer Nugent says
Wonderful and easy! The flavor was awesome!!!!! Will use a lot!
Ajoke says
Thank you, Jennifer. I am glad you enjoyed this recipe.
AngelMay says
I plan on making this tonight. I will use boneless/skinless chicken thighs and white rice in my 8Q IP. What changes do I make to the cooking time for the rice and what should be my rice to broth ratio? Planning on making this as teriyaki rice bowls. Thank you
Richard Southgate says
I loved your other recipes but found the rice was overcooked in this one, I may adjust cooking times with another attempt, I slashed the chicken to the bone to ensure it was fully cooked so I figure doing this and choosing small bone in thighs might let me go to 5 mins with a quicker release, say 5 mins?
Ajoke says
Hello Richard, I am sorry to hear that the rice was overcooked. If you don't mind, can you kindly share the type of rice you used. I used golden sella basmati rice for this recipe and 6 minutes with 5 mins NPR gives the best texture. I cook jasmine rice for 4 minutes and pure basmati rice for 5 minutes. I will update the post to advice the cooking time for the other type of rice used. Thanks.
Taylor says
Easy and delicious!
Ajoke says
Thanks, Taylor.
Denise Gonzalez says
So delicious! I've had my InstaPot for a few months but have shied away from using rice. Your instructions and tips were perfect. I had boneless skinless thighs and long grain rice on hand and it was so good. Thank you!
Ajoke says
I am so glad you found this recipe helpful.I cook rice in my instant pot all the time. Thank you for your kind feedback.
Judy M says
This recipe was my worst fail since being a regular IP user for many years. First "BURN" notice ever! I removed onions after sautéing and washed the pot before starting again with the rice. The "BURN" notice happened just before the pot came to pressure. The pot was a burnt mess. I reviewed the recipe again to see what went wrong and couldn't figure it out. I will stick with "pot in pot" recipes using rice and a protein for future. Thanks, Judy
Nyila says
Chose this as my first attempt using the insapot 3-1. Definitely recommend reading the manual BEFORE you cook 😅😅 but this was delicious and really easy and fast! Next time I'll probably add more seasonings
Ajoke says
Wow, Nyila, you are bold cooking this recipe in your instant pot for your first run! Happy you nailed it and I am glad you enjoyed the end result. Thank you for your feedback