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This easy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice recipe delivers tender, juicy chicken thighs with perfectly cooked Spanish-style rice in just 30 minutes, making it the ultimate weeknight dinner solution. It has bold spices, colorful vegetables, and everything is cooked together in one pot!
This Instant Pot Arroz Con Pollo is my kind of easy meal!
This is one of those meals that just makes dinner ridiculously easy! The chicken always comes out so tender it falls off the bone, and the rice soaks up all those amazing flavors from the chicken, spices, and broth. It's completely hands-off once you close that Instant Pot lid. I love that I'm getting protein, grains, and veggies all in one easy instant pot chicken and rice recipe.
Don't miss my other Instant Pot recipes, like Instant Pot Chicken Thighs, Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo, Instant Pot Spaghetti, Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup, Instant Pot Short Ribs, or Instant Pot Ribs!
How to make Instant Pot Chicken and Rice:
Sauté: Push the sauté button and pour a little oil in the instant pot. Sear the chicken thighs for a few minutes on both sides then remove to a plate. Dump in onion, bell pepper, garlic, spices, and tomato paste then stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Add Ingredients: Pour white wine in the pot and deglaze the pan. Cook for about 1 minute until most of the win is evaporated. Dump in rice, chicken broth, and bay leaf then stir. Place chicken thighs on top of the rice mixture then turn the instant pot off.
Cook: Push the manual button, high pressure, for 15 minutes. When the timer is over, let it naturally release for 15 minutes before releasing the rest of the pressure and taking the lid off. Pour the frozen peas on top then put the lid back on for a few minutes.
Serve: Remove chicken to a plate then gently fluff rice with a fork then garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley and serve! My family loves this meal served with a warm cooked tortilla on the side, and I always add a drizzle of hot sauce over my rice. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I make this in a 3 quart and/or 8 quart model instant pot? Yes! Just use the minimum fill requirements for the liquid.
Can I use frozen chicken? Yes. Check out my tutorial for Instant Pot frozen chicken thighs. You wont brown the chicken at the beginning and the skin will not get crispy, so you can remove the skin after cooking, or brown the skin in a hot skillet after cooking. Or see my tutorial for Instant Pot frozen chicken breasts.
Can I substitute brown rice? Yes. To substitute brown rice in this recipe, add ¼ cup extra chicken broth and cook on high pressure for 22 minutes, with a 10 minute natural pressure release. I suggest using chicken thighs when cooking with brown rice, as chicken breasts are more likely to overcook and be dry when cooking for so long.
Can I make this Chicken and Rice on the stovetop? Yes! Follow the same directions, using a large skillet, over medium heat, instead. When everything is assembled, cover the skillet with a lid and transfer to the oven. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes, until the rice is cooked through.
Can I make this Chicken and Rice in the Slow Cooker? I haven’t tested this recipe in the slow cooker, but yes, I think it could work. I recommend browning the chicken thighs and sautéing the veggies and spices before adding to the slow cooker, then adding your rice and chicken. This will take 3-4 hours on high or 4-6 on low for white rice and 5-6 on high or 6-8 on low for brown.
Instant Pot Arroz con Pollo
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4-5 bone-in chicken thighs, , with skin
- salt and pepper
- 1 onion, , chopped
- 1 bell pepper, , chopped
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste*
- 1/2 cup white wine, , optional*
- 2 cups long grain white rice, , rinsed
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
- cilantro or parsley, , for garnish
Instructions
- *UPDATE 5/17/2020: I removed this recipe after many comments of readers struggling with the burn notice–then received a ton of backlash because so many of you love this recipe and– it works perfectly for me as well) so I am reposting it. Before cooking, PLEASE CONSULT your instant pot manual for the proper rice to liquid cooking ratio for your instant pot. I use a 1:1 ratio, but some require a 1:2 ratio, so you may want to add an additional cup of broth.
- *Prepare all of your ingredients and have them ready. This will help prevent too much liquid from evaporating during sautéing and help you avoid a burn notice.
- Brown chicken: Turn Instant pot on sauté setting. Add oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to the hot pot and cook for a few minutes on both sides, until the skin on the chicken thighs is golden brown and crispy. Remove chicken to a plate.¼ cup olive oil, salt and pepper, 4-5 bone-in chicken thighs
- Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper and tomato paste to the pot. Stir well and sauté for 2 minutes. Remove everything to a plate.1 onion, 1 bell pepper, 6 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 Tablespoon tomato paste*
- Add white wine to the pot to deglaze the pan, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 1 minute until most of the wine has evaporated. Turn the pot OFF!½ cup white wine
- Add chicken broth and bay leaf to the pot and stir. Add the veggie/spice mixture and stir to combine. Pour rice over everything and place chicken thighs on top, skin side up.2 bay leaves, 2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth, 2 cups long grain white rice
- Pressure Cook: Secure instant pot lid, with valve turned to the sealed position. Cook on manual, high pressure, for 15 minutes. When the timer beeps allow the pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes before removing the lid.
- Finish: Remove the instant pot lid and pour the frozen peas on top of the mixture. Return lid and allow to rest for a few minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. Gently fluff rice with a fork. Garnish with cilantro or parsley.1 cup frozen peas, cilantro or parsley
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe April 2019. Updated March 2026.
I give it low rating due to also getting the burn notice. An extra cup of broth didnt work for me and I have a mess of instant pot and now casserole dishes to clean and no idea how long and what temp to cook it on. Dinner took so long I now had to make a separate dinner for the kids. Please remove this recipe, help figure out the actual needed ratio, or give alternative cooking options when you get the burn notice.
This is ridiculous. I should have read the comments first. Do NOT use this recipe unless you are trying to invent new cuss words! Currently trying to salvage it in the oven and googling “how to clean a burnt instant pot”
I’m really sorry this happened to you! Did you double check your IP manual for the correct rice to liquid ratios for your pot? I have never had an issue with this recipe in my IP–but there are so many different brands now and the new pots are much more sensitive to the burn notice then the old ones, so it’s hard to diagnose individual problems, when mine works great for this recipe.
I tried this recipe tonight because it looked good and I wanted something different for the chicken thighs. I should have known there would be problems given all the “Burn” comments. I have an Instant Pot that states 1:1 for white rice, but I added 3x the amount of liquid given all the comments and I also got the Burn notice on my Instant Pot while pre-warming. It never got to the cooking phase because of the Burn notice and I tried to finish cooking in the oven, but the rice tasted like mush and was not good at all. Unfortunately I don’t know what else I could have done.
Trying to head the warning of a “burn” in the instant pot- I added an extra 1.5cups of broths. I used thawed boneless thighs and brown rice so I went with the 22minutes at first. I had a lot liquid left after 22 minutes so I did another 15 minutes. It came out very creamy and paella like..:smells wonderful and tastes great! My chicken pulled apart into pieces so I added already cooked shrimp to go with the paella theme. Yummy!
Thanks for sharing your experience! Can I ask what brand and size of instant pot were you using?
Darn! I should have read the comments. I thought the liquid-to-rice proportion was wrong, but then rationalized that perhaps enough moisture came from the other ingredients and the pressure. Burn notice! Too bad this was my first recipe for this brand new Instapot, so my wife is unimpressed with the new gadget.
I’m so sorry John! This recipe always works great in my instant pot, but I have added a note to the instructions for readers to double check their liquid to rice ratio requirements for their specific instant pot to make sure it will work for them.
I had the same problem, “burn” message on my instant pot. My instant pot never got to pressure and the bottom of the pot was stuck with burned rice. I transferred the contents to a pot and finished cooking it on the cooktop (I had to add another 1-1/4 cups water). The rice to water ratio of 1 to 1 did not work for me. I think it should be closer to 1.5 -2.0 (water) to 1 (rice)??? not sure. On the upside, the taste came out nice. I will make this again, but probably on the cooktop and not the instant pot.
Same as Jennifer… had to finish in the oven in a casserole dish. After doing some sleuthing on the internet, many say not to mix a paste (such as the tomato) but instead to dollop it on top and mix after cooking is done I can’t imagine one tablespoon would make much of a difference though? I made sure I rinsed my rice well too. Oh well.
Hi, I’m having the same problem. how did you transfer and finish this in the oven? Thanks!
2 cups of chicken broth to 2 cups of rice did not work. I got a burn notice halfway thru. Usual rice to liquid ratio is 1 to 2. I luckily caught it just as pot shut off. I removed contents, washed pot ad cooked the rest of the time. Yes, the pot was well deglazed before I pressure cooked.
I love love love the taste of this recipe, but I had endless trouble with the ‘burn’ message of the Instant Pot! I had to finish the dish in a casserole dish in the oven. I read all the hints and rinsed my rice in water before cooking for 3 minutes in a colander. If anyone has any other hints, please email me at duvenjennifer@gmail.com because i love this so much and want it to be easy! Thank you!
I’m so sorry that happened! I’m not sure what brand/kind of instant pot you have–I have never gotten the burn message. I would definitely consult your manual to see what the liquid to rice requirements are. Also, try spraying the bottom of the pot with cooking spray.
I used Natty Lite to deglaze my pot. It got all them yummy bits off my pot’s bottom. Then them bits got all in my chicken. It was yummy.