An unbelievably savory dish of perfectly seasoned brown rice with tender and juicy chicken thighs. This is one of my all-time favorite recipes to make in the Instant Pot. In fact, whenever people ask me what they should make when they first get an instant Pot, this is the recipe I recommend.
Chicken Thighs are Perfect for Instant Pot Cooking
Chicken thighs are an excellent meal to make in an Instant Pot. They hold up great to pressure cooking and don’t need to be shredded to enjoy. For this recipe we use 4 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs with a simple seasoning mix that gives it a wonderful and traditional roasted chicken flavor. And we can enjoy the chicken with a knife and fork.
Sear the Seasoned Chicken First
Another great thing about an Instant Pot is that you can sauté. This means we can season our chicken thighs and seal in all the flavor before we pressure cook it. The chicken will be seasoned with some classic chicken seasonings – fresh thyme, paprika, garlic powder, salt and some lemon juice. If using dry thyme, use about half the amount. Mix the dry spices together with the lemon juice and rub it all over the chicken thighs. Then we heat the oil on “sauté” mode and when hot, we sear each side of the chicken thighs for 2-3 minutes each. When searing, don’t move them around. As the chicken sears, it will begin to loosen from the bottom of the pot.
After the chicken thighs are seared, remove them and set aside on a plate. Continuing in the sauté mode Add the butter and chopped onion. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes or until they start to become translucent. Then add in the garlic and stir another minute. Don’t let the garlic sauté too long. It will start to burn after about a minute or so. Press cancel to stop the sauté mode.
Now, pour in about a ¼ cup of the chicken broth and use a wooden and scrape the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. This is called deglazing. It’s important to get it all up. Next, add the remaining broth and stir in the rice (rinsed first). Add the chicken thighs on top of the rice, secure the lid with the vent set to the sealing position, and pressure cook (manual setting on some pots) on high pressure for 18 minutes. After the 18 minutes are up, we let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes. Then remove the chicken to a plate and let the rice sit in the Instant Pot, with the lid off, for about 5 minutes. It will continue to absorb the liquid and thicken to perfection. As an option, you can place the chicken under the broiler of your oven for about 5 minutes to crisp up the skin. It’s worth the time!
Recipe
Best Damn Instant Pot Chicken and Brown Rice
- Total Time: About 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
A savory recipe for chicken thighs and brown rice for your Instant Pot. One of the easiest and best recipes to show off how good an Instant Pot recipe can be!
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs with skin
- 1 cup long grain brown rice, rinsed
- 1 ¼ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ⅓ cup chopped onion
- chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Mix lemon juice, thyme, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder; season chicken thighs with mixture.
- Set Instant Pot to sauté mode and add oil. Once oil is heated add chicken thighs, skin side down. Sear for 2-3 minutes then flip and sear other side for 2-3 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.
- Continuing in sauté mode, add butter to the pot, followed by onion. Sauté onions for about 2-3 minutes or until translucent, then add garlic and sauté another 1 minute.
- Press cancel to stop the sauté mode and pour in about ¼ cup of the broth. Scrape the bottom of the pot to get any browned bits that might be stuck on. Add the rice into the pot. Pour in remaining broth and place chicken on top of rice. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Secure the lid, set the valve to sealed position and pressure cook (manual on some Instant Pots) on high pressure for 20 minutes. After cycle is complete, let pressure naturally release for 15 minutes (quick release after 15 minutes if it’s not fully released).
- Remove chicken and let rice sit for 5 minutes with the lid removed to continue to absorb liquid.
- Optional Step: Place chicken under broiler for 5 minutes to crisp skin.
Notes
A personal note: this is my absolute favorite Instant Pot recipe and the one we make the most. ~Jason
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 18min + 15min NPR
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: instant pot, chicken thighs, brown rice
Jessica
Just made this and it’s incredible!!! I popped the chicken in my air fryer at the end. Any suggestions on how I can make 3x this recipe?
RecipeTeacher
Hey Jessica, i’m so glad you like it! So for this recipe, since we’re cooking two distinct items at once, I don’t stray far from the original recipe for adjustments. You can usually get away with adding a couple of more chicken thighs, depending on the size, but to double or triple the recipe, I do suggest doing it in batches.
Allison
Will the recipe have the same cook time with short grain brown rice?
RecipeTeacher
Hi Allison. so i’ve not tried this exact recipe with short grain brown rice but short grain tends to be a much different texture when cooked. It’s much more of a clump than it is light and airy like we want. That said, you certainly could try it.
Judy Means
Sooo easy and good! My rice needed to cook 5 more minutes
★★★★★
Nancy
This was absolutely fabulous! Both my husband and I are on diets that are restrictive because of allergies, and the only thing I had to omit was the paprika, as I can’t have nightshade. It was so flavorful, and did not use any prepared soups or sauces. I actually made it with chicken breasts, and it was wonderful! Super easy.
★★★★★
Glenn
Hi, just to let you know, I made this last night… everyone loved it!! I will be cooking this again, and I’m ashamed to say, I won’t be telling people how easy it is to make, I will let them think it’s a complicated recipe that I spent hours prepping and cooking!! Thanks for the recipe.
RecipeTeacher
I LOVE when people try this recipe. It’s our favorite Instant Pot recipe. Thanks for the feedback, Glenn!
Kim
I’ve made this many, many times and it a delicious recipe-in fact, it’s our favorite IP recipe. I always double the recipe in my 8 qt IP for leftovers the next night. I never liked the skin on the chicken as, even broiling it at the end, it’s not really crispy, plus the amount of fat that renders off it makes the rice pretty greasy. I made one change early on-I removed the grease in the IP after browning the thighs, before adding the butter and onions. But, there was still a lot of fat in the end product. Tonight, I removed the skin and large fat pockets from my bone in thighs, seasoned them and followed the recipe from then on, but still used a paper towel to remove the excess oil from the pot before adding the butter. It was a game changer! The thighs (I did leave the bones in) are juicy, more flavorful and tender, and there’s no extra fat in the rice. Best result ever!
Handeye
This recipe is DELICIOUS. As good as something you’d get in a restaurant. The recipe is straightforward and easy. I only had skinless, boneless thighs but I followed all the same steps and it turned out great. The cherry on top – this fits well in a healthy eating plan.
★★★★★
Lori
Is sauté mode high or low?
Barbara Paul
I would give this recipe 10 stars if I could! I’ve made several chicken and rice recipes over the years, but never have I tasted any this good! This is the first of the Recipe Teacher’s recipes that I’ve tried, and if this one is any indication of his others, then I’ve discovered cooking heaven. Yes, that good!
★★★★★
RecipeTeacher
I’m so glad you like it, Barbara! This one is my favorite recipe too. I can’t wait for you to try some others as well. 🙂
Sandra
I have a 6 qt. InstaPot. Can I use 6 chicken thighs for this recipe? It looks delicious!!
Thank you!
RecipeTeacher
Hey Sandra. I’m guessing 6 will fit just fine.