Instant Pot Chicken and Rice with Broccoli
- Gluten-Free
- Dairy-Free
This recipe is almost too simple and basic. It’s so basic that my husband was even surprised that I was sharing it on the blog! But this is a real-life meal and something similar to what I would be making on a busy weeknight at our house.
This recipe has just 3 ingredients and really could not be easier to make. I love it because all of the ingredients are cooked together in the Instant Pot! No other cooking equipment needed! You could even make this recipe in a hotel room, dorm room, or during a kitchen remodel! And it’s perfect for meal prep.
It’s always hard to make a complete meal in the Instant Pot because you usually want to cook your veggies separately. If you cooked almost any green veggies for as long as the black rice and chicken, they would be super overdone and soggy. Yuck!
I wanted to keep everything in one pot, so I devised a method to layer everything in together and still have perfectly cooked broccoli! My layering method allows all of the ingredients to cook separately and you don’t need any special equipment to do it! And don’t worry, the broccoli won’t be soggy and overcooked. It’s actually added near the end of the cook time!
What you’ll need is either a tall trivet insert (that lifts food about 2 inches off the bottom) or you can do a make-shift set up like I’ve shown in the photo above. You’ll need 2 small glass jars or metal measuring cups (or really anything else you can think of) to prop up the regular trivet just about 2 inches off the bottom. This will allow the rice and chicken to cook without touching one another.
In a pinch, you can just place the chicken right on top of the rice to cook, but the chicken will be discolored by the black rice and it will be softer and break apart more easily when you’re trying to remove it. I’ve definitely made it this way quite a few times, but I prefer the layering method.
The rice and chicken cook together for about 45-50 minutes, then you’ll add the broccoli florets right on top of the chicken and cook for another couple minutes. That’s it! So easy and it literally takes almost no effort.
I hope you enjoy the recipe!
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Instant Pot Chicken and Rice with Broccoli
- Gluten-Free
- Dairy-Free
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lb organic chicken thighs
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed butter ghee, or avocado oil
- 1 cup black rice
- 1 3/4 cup water
- 1 lb broccoli about 2 large heads, chopped into florets
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Prep chicken. Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Sear chicken. Set Instant Pot to "sauté". When it says "HOT" add in butter, allow to melt and cover the bottom. Add in chicken and sear for 2-3 minutes per side to get a nice brown crust. Remove chicken to a plate.
- Set up Instant Pot for cooking rice and chicken. Pour water into the Instant Pot and deglaze the bottom. Add in rice and stir. Place tall trivet inside and place chicken on top of trivet. If you only have the regular trivet, grab a couple of measuring cups or short glass jars to prop it up a few inches (as seen in the photo above). About 2 inches is sufficient. Check to make sure the trivet handles are still completely inside the inner pot. If they are sticking up at all this will prevent the lid from sealing. Just fold them down over the chicken if needed.
- Cook rice and chicken. Place lid on Instant Pot, set valve to "sealing" and set to manual high pressure for 30 minutes. It should take about 10 minutes to come to pressure then the countdown will start.
- Add in broccoli. When the cook time is up, allow 10 minutes of natural pressure release, then do a quick release. Carefully remove the lid. Quickly add broccoli to the pot and replace the lid. Set the valve to "sealing" and set to manual high pressure for 1 minute. Decrease to 0 minutes if you like lightly cooked broccoli with more of a crunch. Increase to 2 minutes if you like soft-cooked broccoli.
- Quick pressure release. When the cook time is up, do a quick release and remove the lid.
- Serve and enjoy! Salt and pepper to taste. This dish can be plated as shown in the photo or served in bowls with rice on the bottom. I love to serve this with some sort of sauce like my homemade peppercorn ranch, lemon garlic tahini dressing, or even just buffalo sauce!
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