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Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and White Rice is healthy dinner under 30 mins all cooked at the same time in one-pot! This Instant Pot Chicken Thighs bone in and rice recipe is packed with so much flavor, juicy bone in, skin on, well seasoned chicken thighs & absolutely flavorful seasoned rice.

Don't miss our huge collection of easy Instant Pot Recipes!

Instant pot chicken thighs and white rice in a black plate — Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and White Rice

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice one pot

Instant Pot bone in chicken thighs and rice is a budget friendly dinner that you can make during weeknights like this Instant Pot Rigatoni & meatballs. This dish is all about Juicy chicken, buttery fluffy potatoes, well cooked creamy carrots.

The secret to those great flavors is a heavily seasoned, well seared chicken, well seasoned rice and the perfect cook time just like this Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and Vegetables.

bone in skin on chicken thighs and rice in instant pot — Instant Pot Bone in Chicken Thighs & Rice

Tips & Tricks

Season well: To prevent bland chicken thighs we recommend seasoning the chicken thighs heavily, marinate the thighs overnight or for at least 30 mins. This will build immense good flavor.
Sear Chicken Thighs: Sear the well seasoned chicken thighs until the skin turns crispy and golden brown. Skin on chicken thighs is a must. The fat drippings from the skin will build a huge depth of flavor and it'll flavor up the rice as well.
Prevent BURN error: De-glaze the pot very well with stock until every bit of stuck food particles come off from the bottom and the sides of the pot. You'll have lots of brown bits stuck at the bottom of the pot due to searing the chicken thighs. They will add tons of good flavor to the dish. Also, rinse the white rice until clear water runs through.
Prevent gummy, gooey rice: Rinse the white basmati rice very well with water several times until clear water runs through. Also, strain the rinsed rice well so that there's no extra water left. Add this to the pot. Rinsing the rice well will discard the surface starch from the rice and make each grain fluffy.
Fluffy Rice, juicy chicken secret: Natural pressure release for 10 mins is a must. This will keep the bone in chicken thighs extremely tender and make an amazing pot of fluffy rice that's not gooey or gummy! Also, fluff the rice with a pair of fork after open the lid of the IP. Wait for another 5 mins before serving the Instant Pot bone in chicken thighs and rice dinner!
DO NOT Alter: Cooking rice in the Instant Pot is critical. We do not recommend altering the liquid, rice type or pressure cooking time. We have tested the recipe with long grain white Basmati rice and that's what we recommend to use.

Ingredients

Find the Ingredients with actual measurements at the bottom of the post. The list below is just a reference.

Chicken Thighs: We used bone in skin on chicken thighs. The skin will add amazing good flavors. However, you can also use skinless and boneless chicken thighs. The dish will be still yummy if not extremely yummy 😀 Refer notes below the post for change in cook time.
Rice: Long grain white Basmati rice. Do not use any other rice. The cook time and the rice to liquid ratio is different for other types of rice.
Aromatics: Yellow onion and garlic.
Veggies: We used green and red bell peppers and carrots. The bell peppers add a subtle sweetness to the dish. Do add them and you can of course add your favorite colors.
Seasonings: Paprika, crushed black pepper, Italian seasoning, Chili powder, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes. Seasonings play a huge role in this recipe. They totally elevate the flavors of the chicken and the rice. If making this for kids we would recommend that you skip the cayenne and red pepper flakes. They add a subtle kick to the dish. If you love spicy food you may even add a little more cayenne and red pepper flakes than recommended.
Lemon Juice: This adds a subtle tanginess and also a subtle freshness to the pressure cooker chicken thighs and rice recipe.
Cooking Fat: Butter and olive oil.
Chicken Stock: Better than Bouillon paste diluted in warm or hot water is the holy grail. This stuff is amazing. Use it if you can, you'll never go back to the regular store-bought chicken stock again.

Method

Find the detailed step by step recipe along with measurements + Video at the bottom of the post.

Step #1 Marinate & Sear Chicken Thighs

searing marinated chicken thighs in instant pot — Sear marinated chicken thighs

Marinate Chicken: This is a key step to make the dish awesome and to elevate the flavor of the chicken. Rinse the chicken thighs, pat them dry and rub them with the dry seasonings both sides. Marinate either over night in the fridge or for 30 mins.
Sear Chicken: Sear the marinated chicken thighs until golden brown in the Instant Pot on SAUTE function kept at HIGH heat. Use butter & oil. The butter will help brown the chicken and lend a gorgeous color. Set them aside.
Brown Bits: There'll be lots of brown bits stuck at the bottom of the pot. Don't worry, they will begin to come off as you begin to saute the veggies & moreover, we'll be de-glazing the pot later.

Step #2 Saute Aromatics & veggies

sautéing aromatics & rice in instant pot and adding rinsed basmati rice — Saute aromatics, veggies, add rice

Saute aromatics & veggies: In the same pot add the onion, garlic, bell peppers & carrots and saute them for 2-3 mins. Add salt to quicken the process. You'll notice that the brown bits coming off from the bottom of the pot.
Rinse White Basmati Rice: Rinse the rice very well until clear water runs through. This is important and shall prevent gummy gooey rice and the BURN error.
Add Rice: Add the rinsed and drained rice into the pot.

Step #3 Pressure cook White rice & chicken thighs

pressure cooking chicken thighs and rice in instant pot — Pressure cook chicken thighs and rice

De-glaze pot: Pour warm chicken stock and de-glaze the pot very well scraping the bottom & the sides of the pot with the help of a spatula. This will loosen all stuck food particles & help prevent the BURN error. Don't rush this step!
Pressure Cook: Cancel the SAUTE function. Transfer back the seared chicken thighs into the pot and layer them on top of the rice. DO NOT stir or mix. Secure the lid & PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for 7 mins followed by 5 mins Natural pressure release (NPR). Than, release the rest of the pressure manually.

Step #4 Fluff rice & serve

fluffing cooked rice and served chicken thighs and white rice in a black plate — Fluff rice, serve

Fluff Rice: Fish out the chicken onto serving plates. With the help of a pair of fork gently fluff the rice & allow it to rest for 5 mins uncovered. This will help absorb the amazing flavor and the grains will become fluffy. DO NOT use a spatula for fluffing rice. The rice grains will break and turn mushy!
Serve hot: Serve the Instant pot chicken thighs and white rice with lemon wedges and garnish it with lots of freshly chopped flat leaf parsley. Enjoy!

Meghna's Tip: If you truly prefer crispy chicken skin than quickly sear the chicken skin side down on the stove top until the skin turns crispy ( 1-2 mins). Use a lightly oil/butter brushed cast iron skillet and use HIGH heat.

instant pot bone in chicken thighs and rice garnished with fresh chopped parsley and served on a black plate — Best one-pot pressure cooker chicken thighs and rice

Storing Tips

Fridge: You can store the Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice dinner in the fridge for upto 5 days. Store them in air tight containers.

Freezer: You can freeze the instant pot bone in chicken thighs and white rice for upto 2 months. We love freezing the rice and chicken thighs separately in different containers.

How to re-heat?

Re-heat the instant pot chicken thighs and white rice in the microwave oven until warm or hot. Sprinkle water and than begin the re-heating cycle. This will prevent the rice from getting dry.

Thaw the chicken thighs and rice over night in the fridge and than follow the above re-heating instruction.