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!
Jessica says
Can Jasmine rice be used in place of Basmati rice?
Ajoke says
Yes, you can use jasmine rice, make sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly for the rice you will be using.
Debbie Sneed says
Oh my goodness I tried this recipe and it was so good!!! I mean Great! My children had seconds. I have made it twice in a week. My nephew is coming over and I asked my kids to tell me two dinners I should make, out of everything I have made. This was the main one.
I do have a question though. Can I double the recipe into one instapot?
Ajoke says
Yay! happy days, thank you sooo much, I am so glad you all enjoyed it. Yes, you can double the recipe if you are using the 5.7L IP. However, make sure to sear the chicken properly and avoid stacking on the rice (if you are cooking more than 6 chicken pieces), you can stagger-stack them, that way they will cook evenly. Thanks, kindly let me know if you have any more questions.
Janie Edens says
We tried this tonight. Super easy and extremely flavorful!! Didn’t have ginger so we used a few drops of our Young Living Ginger essential oil! Used wheat rice. Made it with legs and thighs.
Most definitely a keeper!! 🤤 😋
Ajoke says
I am glad you enjoyed this Janie, thanks for the great feedback and the tip on using essential oil.
Amy says
I made this tonight. The different herbs really make the dish. It was so, so good. I will be making this again. I used minced garlic and dried minced ginger (what I had). Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe!
Ajoke says
Aw, thank you so much, Amy, I am you enjoyed it and were able to make it your own.
Mark W Abel says
This was delicious east to make,except I'm new to the use of the instapot and think I could have cooked it easyer in a Dutch oven. Will be making this again.
Angel says
Can you make this ahead of time? Also, I would like to double the recipe, would that change anything other than the amount increase of ingredients?
Ajoke says
Yes, you can make the chicken and rice ahead of time. Yes, you can double the recipe if you use 8L size, personally, I wouldn't cook more than 3 cups of rice in my 5.7L IP with about 8 pieces of chicken at a time. Timing will remain the same, make sure the chicken is properly seared so that it cooks at the same as the rice. Kindly let me know how it turns out.
Tracy says
I tried this recipe for the first time today and highly recommend it. I gave up trying to sauté meat in my Instant Pot after getting really frustrated by burn alerts previously. I sautéed the garlic with some chopped onion in a pan and then added the chicken. Cleaning one more pan is so worth avoiding the burn alert. I still scraped all the good stuff and loaded it into the pot with the chicken.
Otherwise I followed the instructions exactly and the result was great. The rice was perfectly cooked and the chicken was so tender it came away from the bon as I lifted it out. I sautéed some snow pea pods as a vegetable and everyone loved dinner.
Theresa says
I only have bone-in chicken drumsticks - could I substitute those for the thighs and, if so, what, if anything, would change for the cook time?
Thank you!
Ajoke says
Hello Theresa, the cooking time will remain the same. Thanks
Beckie says
My husband cooked this as I was running late, he is Caribbean and used jerk seasoning instead of the paprika, we used boneless chicken thighs and it was delicious, thoroughly recommend.
Wendi L says
Wow, this is very delicious! Hubby loves basmati and I don't use it enough, so this was perfect. I made sure to deglaze the pan thoroughly and I didn't have any burn notices! That's a win-win-win!
Ajoke says
Hi Wendy, Thank you so much for taking the time and making sure you deglazed your IP, it's a deal-breaker for this recipe. I'm happy to hear that everyone liked it. Thank you again!
Josie says
This was super easy and delicious! I used skin-on bone-in chicken, since that's what I had, and I added diced celery to the onion because it needed to be used. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out lovely! Even my picky child ate everything. Total win, will definitely add this to the rotation!
Katie says
Have you ever added veggies?
Ajoke says
yes, but I add it after the rice is cooked. I defrost the veggies (season with salt if need be), drain excess water, and stir into the rice at the same time I add the chopped onions.
Orsi says
I added some frozen peas as soon as I release pressure. My kids are gobbling it up right now!!
nadine says
Hi I would like to know about the cooking time for brown rice with this recipe. The recipe is great.
Ajoke says
Hi Nadine, brown rice cooks between 18 to 20 minutes in an instant pot depending on the brand. I would not recommend cooking the chicken with it for that long so it doesn't turn out mushy or too soft. Ajoke x
Billie says
Can I use white rice
Ajoke says
Yes, Billie, you can use white rice, make sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Thanks and kindly let me know how it turns out.
Jenny lee says
Salted or unsalted stock?
Ajoke says
low sodium stock. if you using unslated stock, adjust the amount of salt added to the overall dish to taste.
Holly says
This recipe has given me at least a handful of burn notices. Do not recommend
Ajoke says
Hi Holly, you can try letting the instant pot cool a bit before you proceed with cooking. after you have seared the chicken, turn off the saute function and deglaze the pan thoroughly. I hope this helps, thank you and please keep me updated.
Julie McCann says
I only have boneless skinless chicken thighs; would I need to adjust cooking time? Thank you
Ajoke says
Hello Julie, you can use boneless chicken thighs, cooking time remains the same if using basmati rice. Kindly let me know how you get on. Thanks
Julie McCann says
Will do! Thnx for your quick response.
Pat says
I love the way you lay out your recipe, so clear and concise with great photography. Can I use brown rice?
Thanks.
Ajoke says
Hello Pat, thank you so much. Yes, you can use brown rice however, the chicken might turn out softer because brown rice takes longer to cook.
Trinh says
I've made this recipe so many times - incredibly simple and so quick to whip up during the weeknights!
Ajoke says
I am so happy to hear that, thank you, Trinh, for the feedback.
Melissa says
A delicious flavour profile! Husband loved it and he is a picky eater. I added Oporto chilli sauce to plate to give it a bit of a kick/spicy lemony finish. Such a yummy dish, thank you!