Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice (GF, DF)

This Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice recipe is creamy, delicious, and cooks all in one pot. With mushrooms, onions, lemon, and thyme, it’s an easy and healthy pressure cooker recipe that’s both gluten free and dairy free.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword #dairyfree, #glutenfree, #instantpot, #rice, chicken

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Time to Pressurize 5

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 567kcal

Author Taryn Solie

Equipment

Ingredients

8 ounces whole mushrooms baby bella or cremini
½ large white onion
1 to 1.25 pound chicken thighs 4 large or 5 medium
1 tbsp oil avocado or canola
1.5 tsp kosher salt divided
½ tsp ground black pepper divided
½ tsp garlic powder
1.5 cups long grain white rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp dried thyme
1 lemon

Instructions

Plug the Instant Pot in, making sure the lid is removed and the metal insert is inside. Press the Saute button and pour in ½ tbsp of oil into the metal insert. Let it warm up while you season the chicken thighs. Lay the chicken thighs out in a single layer on the cutting board. Sprinkle ½ tsp kosher salt and a bit of freshly ground black pepper (roughly ¼ tsp) across the thighs. Take a pair of tongs and flip each thigh over and repeat on the other side.
Once the metal insert has warmed up and the oil is hot, use the tongs to carefully place the seasoned thighs in a single layer in the Instant Pot. The hot oil will splatter so you may want to wear a kitchen glove or wrap a towel around your hand. Let the thighs cook for 6 to 8 minutes, uncovered (i.e. don't put the lid on the Instant Pot), until they're browned on the one side and come up from the insert fairy easily. Then flip them over with the tongs and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove them from the Instant Pot when done and set aside on a bowl or plate.
Pour the remaining ½ tbsp of oil into the Instant pot, then dump the diced onion and sliced mushrooms into insert. Sprinkle the garlic powder and the last ½ tsp of kosher salt onto the veggies and stir them around with a wooden spoon. Let them cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Any browned bits that were on the bottom of the insert from browning the chicken will start to come off as the veggies start to sweat (i.e. release any water they have naturally). You can also pour in a bit of the chicken broth (1-2 tablespoons) to help this along.
As the veggies cook, measure out the rice and rinse it well with water to remove any loose starch that may be clinging to the outside of the grains. A fine mesh colander works well for this, or you can place the rice in a bowl, fill the bowl with water, then strain the water out.
Once the veggies have cooked down, press the Keep Warm/Cancel button to turn off the heat. Pour in the chicken broth, rice, and dried thyme into the Instant Pot. Juice the lemon and pour the juice into the insert as well. Stir slightly to combine and let rice and veggies settle under the broth. Grab the seared chicken thighs with the tongs and place them in the Instant Pot, putting them on top of the rice and veggie mixture but still sitting in the broth.
Place the lid securely on the Instant Pot, making sure the plastic ring is in place on the inside of the lid. Set the valve (the little knob on the top) on the lid to Sealing, then press the Manual button and set the time to 5 minutes by using the plus and minus buttons. The Instant Pot will take a while to come to pressure (roughly 5 to 10 minutes), then the display will turn to a number once it’s been pressurized.
When the timer goes off and the Instant Pot is done cooking the timer will go off. Unplug the Instant Pot and let it sit for 5 minutes (this is a very short “natural pressure release” where the ingredients keep cooking put the pressure starts to come down). Carefully turn the valve on the top to Venting, making sure to keep your hand and arm away from the top so as not to get hot steam and burn yourself. This is called a “quick pressure release”. When the pressure is fully released (you’ll hear a small click), remove the lid from the Instant Pot. Remove the chicken and stir the rice up a bit, then plate everything together and serve!

Notes

Do not put the lid on while the Saute function is on! When cooking using the Saute function in the Instant Pot, you want to leave the lid off.
Chicken thighs are used in this recipe as they are much more forgiving than chicken breasts, which tend to dry out easier. You could certainly try this recipe with chicken breast, but they might end up tough and/or dry.
Any long grain white rice will work for this recipe - a basic one, or something like Jasmine or Basmati. I have not tried this recipe with short grain, wild rice, or brown rice, and doing so will likely mean the cooking time is different.
This simple instant pot chicken recipe calls for baby bella or cremini mushrooms, but really you can use whatever mushrooms you like. You can even fancy it up by using a special mushroom like trumpet, oyster, or chanterelle.
Add a little more veggies to this dish by putting in a cup of frozen peas as soon as the dish is finished cooking. Simply remove the chicken, mix the peas into the rice, then replace the lid and let them sit for 4 to 5 minutes (without turning the Instant Pot back on). Then remove the lid and serve!

Nutrition