Instant Pot Arroz con Pollo – made in a fraction of the time! An easy, one-pot, chicken, rice and vegetable dish infused with delicious Spanish flavors of saffron and smoked paprika, similar to Paella but without the seafood. Fast and easy! See recipe notes for the stove-top version! Updated Recipe 3/11/20
Drop by drop a river is made.~ Rumi
Here’s a quick and easy weeknight dinner that can be made in an Instant Pot, or on the stovetop. Arroz con Pollo which translates to “rice with chicken”, is a traditional dish in both Spain and Latin countries. This version is influenced by Spanish flavors with the use of saffron and smoked paprika, similar to paella but without the seafood.
The saffron gives it its beautiful golden hue, whereas in Latin countries, the use of annatto is more common.
You can also make this on the stovetop!
Saffron does vary in flavor. Some are quite mild, and others like this Rumi Brand are more intense. Notice how deeply red the color is. The flavor is twice as intense as most saffron I’ve tried, so you’ll need a little less than the recipe calls for.
The saffron really gives this recipe for Arroz con Pollo, it’s authentic Spanish flavor, so don’t skip it. Soak the threads in warm water, then add both the water and the threads to the dish.
Season chicken thighs with smoked paprika and salt and pepper.
Now, if you want these to have a little color, I suggest browning the tops for just a couple of minutes.
They taste totally fine without browning; they just won’t look like the photographs here.
Saute the onions and garlic, add the veggies, rinsed rice, stock, wine, and spices and nestle the chicken over top.
A note about rice. Different rice requires different amounts of water and cooking times. Be sure to check recipe notes to prevent the burn error.
Here I’ve just used plain old white rice. Not aborio, not calrose, not brown, not basmati. All of the others will work, but you will need to adjust water.
Pressure cook for 10 minutes, on high. Naturally release for 10 minutes. Stir in the peas and olives. Squeeze with lime.
Here I’ve kept the Arroz con Pollo simple, but you could serve it with warm tortillas, queso fresco cheese ( or sour cream), avocado slices and a lime wedge.
Here you go, Arroz con Pollo, made in an Instant Pot! So quick and easy! See the recipe notes for the stovetop version!
Enjoy and let us know what you think.
xoxo
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Instant Pot Arroz Con Pollo
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: main, chicken,
- Method: instant pot
- Cuisine: Spanish
Description
Instant Pot Arroz con Pollo – made in a fraction of the time! This Spanish version is infused with saffron and smoked paprika and full of amazing flavor! See notes for stovetop version. Please read recipe notes about the “Burn Error” before starting. Updated recipe 3/11/20
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs (whole, boneless, skinless)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ——
- 1/4– 1/2 teaspoon saffron
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- —–
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced or sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 1 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth (see notes, varies depening on rice you use)
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika if you like.
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 –1 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes (fire-roasted are nice) with the juices
- 1 cup white rice, rinsed (use medium-grain or short-grain white rice) or see notes for other varieties -IMPORTANT!
- 1/4 cup sliced green olives
- 1– 2 cups peas (frozen are fine, or sub shelled edamame)
- a squeeze of fresh lime
- Optional Garnishes: lime wedges, warm tortillas, queso fresco cheese or sour cream, avocado, fresh Italian parsley.
Instructions
- Please read instructions all the way through first, including the NOTES, taking note of the type of rice being used -and be precise with measuring!
- Season the whole chicken thighs, generously on all sides with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Set aside. You could brown the top side in oil if you like (so they end up like photos) or just plop them in raw (they will still taste really good, but look a bit paler – totally fine if in a hurry)!
- In a small bowl, pour 2 tablespoons warm water over the saffron threads, if using and let this steep. (If using Rumi Saffron, ¼ teaspoon is enough.)
- Heat oil in a 6 quart Instant Pot, using the “saute” function. Add the onion and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring. Add the garlic, and cook for 2 more minutes, then add bell pepper and carrots and cook 2-3 minutes.
- Add the saffron and its water, the chicken broth and wine to the instant pot, bring to a simmer, then using a wood spoon or spatula, scrap up any browned bits – getting into all those corners (this is absolutely imperative to preventing the burn error!!!).
- Stir in the remaining spices and salt.
- Stir in the tomatoes and their juices.
- Rinse the rice (important) and sprinkle it evenly over top – do not stir!
- Place the seasoned chicken over top of the rice, nestling it in a bit.
- Pressure cook on High for 10 minutes.
- Naturally release, for 10 minutes.
- Break the chicken apart with two forks, and stir in the olives and peas, covering on warm for just a few minutes until peas heat through.
- Squeeze with lime and serve with the optional garnishes.
Notes
RICE: If using a different kind of rice, you will need to adjust broth amount. Read rice to liquid ratio on the package of your rice, (considering liquid from tomatoes) and add more or less broth accordingly. So if your rice requires 2 cups of water per 1 cup of rice, you will need to add 2 cups broth (instead of the 1 1/2 cup in the recipe). Different kinds of rice also require different cooking times. For example, brown rice takes 15 mins of pressure cooking. Wild rice takes 25. If unsure how much liquid your type of rice needs, just google. Thinner, long-grain rice ( like Basmati) won’t work as well here and tends to get soggy or mushy.
I have not tried this with brown rice, but I am guessing the brown rice would need 1/4-1/2 cup more liquid and take 5 minutes longer to cook.
BURN ERRORS: I used a 6-quart instant pot, have tested this 4 times, with no burn errors using jasmine rice and white basmati rice. With that being said, a few of you are still getting burn errors- and I believe it is because you are using a different kind of rice, with not enough liquid. So just make sure to read your rice package. Please leave any notes in the comments below for suggested ratios and times- for others to reference. Thanks!!!
STOVE TOP VERSION: If making on the stovetop, follow the same directions, but brown the thighs first before nestling into the rice. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook at a gentle simmer until rice is cooked through and all the liquid is absorbed. (30-45 minutes).
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 382
- Sugar: 5.1 g
- Sodium: 1095 mg
- Fat: 10.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 44.3 g
- Fiber: 3.5 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 106.5 mg
I found a lot of issues with this recipe. Primarily that the rice overcooks to a mushy mess, and that the flavors are more “southwestern Tex-Mex” than authentically Spanish.
Issues:
1) Pressure cooking rice for 10 minutes turns it into a mushy mess. Instead, I pressure cook the browned chicken in the sauteed sofrito for 5-6 minutes, release, then add rice and pressure cook for 4 minutes.
2) WAY TOO MUCH CUMIN. 2 whole teaspoons PLUS the cumin in the chili powder. If you are using high quality saffron (you should), it is extremely expensive. The huge amount of cumin obliterates the delicate saffron. Most regions of Spain don’t use a lot of cumin, and Spanish cuisine doesn’t use chili powder at all. That’s Tex-Mex stuff. I omit it, and use only paprika, saffron, and turmeric for color. I get additional flavor from Spanish chorizo in the sautee stage.
3) None of the garnishes are Spanish. They are all Mexican. Lime juice, Cotija, Queso Fresco, avocado, cilantro or hot sauce are not seen in traditional Spanish cuisine.
4) Raw bell pepper in the sofrito is better replaced with roasted piquillo pepper from a jar, which is far more Spanish in style.
I changed the order of the steps to more effectively build flavors and avoid overcooking anything.
Ingredients
1 onion, diced or sliced
1 piquillo pepper, roasted and diced.
1 carrot, diced
6 cloves garlic, rough chopped
2 Spanish chorizo, sliced
1 ½ lbs chicken thighs (whole, boneless, skinless)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon saffron
2 tablespoons warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth ( see notes, varies depening on rice you use)
¼ cup white wine or dry white vermouth
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup white rice, rinsed at least 3 times
¼ cup sliced green olives
1– 2 cups peas
chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish
Directions
Set instant pot to saute. As it heats, wash and chop all the vegetables. Season the whole chicken thighs generously on all sides with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Drizzle in a little oil or duck fat to the instant pot, and brown chicken thighs on one side only in two batches, 5-6 minutes each batch.
While chicken browns, rinse the rice. In a small bowl, pour 2 tablespoons warm water over the saffron threads, if using and let this steep. (If using Rumi Saffron, ¼ teaspoon is enough.)
Remove bowned chicken thighs to a plate.
Add drizzle of olive oil. Add the chorizo and sautee for about 1 minute. Add the onion and carrots and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring. Add piquillo pepper and cook 2 minutes. Add garlic and sautee 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste
Add the saffron and its water, the chicken broth and wine to the instant pot, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the remaining spices and salt.
Place the chicken in the sofrito. Pressure cook on High for 5 minutes and quick release.
Add rice and pressure cook another 5 minutes. Naturally release.
Break the chicken apart with two forks, and stir in the olives and peas, covering on warm for just a few minutes until peas heat through.
Serve with crusty white bread, garlic bread, “pan con tomate,” or a side salad. Pairs best with a white wine or a fruity red wine.
Thank you, Dan. Tried your version and it was delicious. My only issue was with the rice being underdone (I used long grain white rice). I added 2 cups of broth (but did skip the wine) and I think I needed more liquid.
And thank you for the inspiration, Sylvia!
Great recipe!!! Easy and full of flavor. Will become one of my “make often dishes.
Oh goody. Glad it turned out.
I really enjoyed this recipe. I prepped all the spices and veggies the day before so it was pretty easy to follow the recipe. Served with a bit of cheese and sour cream. In one place it says four servings (nutrition area) and another place says six. Definitely six servings.
thanks Kathy! Appreciate this, changed it to 6 servings!
Sooo good! Just made this tonight and it was a HUGE hit. I seared the chicken on the grill as you suggested – doubled the amount of chicken since there are three males in the house so doubled the seasoning for that part as well). I also added a pack of Sazon rather than safron and used Adobo instead of salt for the Instant Pot seasonings part. Added gandules (not green peas) at the end and Topped my plate with olives (no one else likes them). Once again your recipe did not disappoint!
thanks Sandy!
Love your blog! We cook so many of your recipes. We don’t have a pressure cooker so I just did it on the stove and browned the chicken first like you said in the notes. Was delicious and everyone loved it. xxx
The food is delicious.
However, the rice went straight to the bottom of the pot, which appears to be the cause of our repeated burn errors despite scraping the bottom and adding more liquid.
We used white jasmine rice, 1:1 broth to rice. We added 1/4 cup of broth after the first burn error.
We had to finish it in a pan on the stove.
Again, the food was great. We probably need to get better at layering the food. Just be careful.
Sorry about that.
This was delicious but the rice was rather mushy. I followed the recipe exactly and used regular white rice. Would a shorter natural release help?
Did you use 1 cup rice and 1 cup broth? Thanks
Yes and I sprinkled the rice on top and did not stir.
Ok I updated the recipe today. Not enough liquid. Sorry about that.
Made this for the second time- the first time got the burn error ( with aborio rice) but this time worked out perfectly, using jasmine rice.
Made this with brown rice and increased liquid by ⅓ cup- high pressure, 15 minutes- came out perfect. Browned the thighs in the instant pot first, then set aside – thanks for the suggestion. Love all your recipes Sylvia!
Still burns, added more chick broth, hope that works.
Hi Johnny, what type of rice are you using? My guess is the type of rice you used requires more liquid. So you did the right thing, by adding more broth- I’m hoping!
How did you get the color on the chicken? Mine looked more pale. Still delicious but did you seer the chicken before?
I did give it a quick sear, just on the top.
Hi,
I need to double the rice to make this recipe work for me (but leave the protein the same) – should I just double everything in that “section” as well?
I have a 6qt instant pot
Thanks
Hi- I haven’t tried it, but that would be my guess. Hopefully, it will all fit? I would stick with using regular white or jasmine rice here.
I love this recipe and so does my family. It is absolutely delicious and easy to make. I have made it several times now and every time I make it I end up getting the “burn” error. I know you mention this in step 4 so I am always careful scrap up everything, but I still get it. Any suggestions?
My guess is the type of rice you are using, requires more liquid. Please read recipe notes and check rice packaging for required liquid to rice ratio.
I followed the recipe and directions exactly! This dish was so flavorful and was a hit with the whole family. We served it with corn tortillas, cotija cheese and avocado. No burn error!
Great to hear Leah!!!
Made this last night, followed the recipe exactly as written, with Basmati white rice, in my 8qt, no burn error, and it was perfectly cooked (rice was not mushy at all!) and absolutely delicious. My 10 year old had seconds, as did our Brazilian foreign exchange visitor. Ok, I did make one addition, I added a small green pepper in addition to the red pepper and other veggies. Everything else followed as written and turned out sooooooo tasty. Looking forward to my leftovers for lunch!
Thanks Jen, Can you tell me what kind of rice you used?
Sorry I didn’t see this earlier. Mine is just white Basmati rice, I am not sure of the brands I have used. I’m making this for the third time tonight, and tonight it’s Mahatma brand white Basmati. Never have gotten a burn notice, and have had delicious results each time!!
i want to make this for a group of 20 people i have the Emeril Lagasse Pressure Air Fryer Plus 6 Quart – should i just increase each ingredient by 2 – what would you recommend for cooking time?
Hi Jessie, I’m so sorry I’m not familiar with the Pressure Air fryer. I recommend making this amount on the stovetop.
Love the flavor, I did it in a 8qt IP and use brown rice add a bit more olive oil. The brown rice was al dente. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks! So maybe cook longer for brown rice? 15 minutes?
I used brown rice. Before seasoning chicken I soaked it in warm water.
Followed cooking instructions as listed. changed release to 15 minutes… Pretty perfect.
I appreciate this Myra! Helpful!!!
We’ve made this several times in our 6 quart Instant Pot- and never a burn error! Followed the recipe exactly and it has turned out every time.
Burn error during preheat. Stuff burned on the bottom of the pan. I have a 6 quart pot.
I’m so sorry about that. My guess is the type of rice you used required more liquid. What kind was it? Please refer to recipe notes and check liquid to rice ratio on rice packaging. That should solve the problem.
Super good. Loved the spice combo.
This is so delicious! The smoked paprika makes it something special. The chicken was cooked perfectly- not mushy at all; the same was true for the rice. I tend to struggle in the kitchen, but this recipe (and the others I have tried from Feasting at Home) are clear, easy to follow, and have tons of flavor!
Great to hear – I think we got the timing right now for the Instant Pot.
Outstanding. I didn’t change a thing. I made it twice the same week. It is even better the next day
Great to hear Sarah, appreciate this so much!
The flavours here are good, but there is no way on God’s green earth that using any white rice and cooking it for 15/15 in an instant pot will result in anything but mush. I cut it to 10 and instantly released and it was still mush.
My suggestion would be 5/10 – which I will try myself. I would also marinade the chicken for longer with some stronger flavours.
Hummmm… strange! Tell me what size instant pot did you use? Also what type of white rice. This recipe always turns out for me, so I’m wondering if somehow the liquid was mismeasured? Just trying to figure it out for others out there too! Any more info would be appreciated…Thanks!
I am doing it now and same error burn. I added more liquid and still it showed burn and everything is stuck to the bottom.. I used arborio rice, maybe after using saute function we should remove food and wash the pot? Thia never happened with other recipes but its first time.using rice
Arborio rice requires a lot more liquid than regular rice- 2 1/2 – 3 cups. I think that is the problem.
The taste was Flavorful but was more of a stew. I have an 8 quart pot. How do I make it more dry?
Reduce the liquid. People were having issues with the burn error, with less liquid, but give it a try.
I will make this tonight. Basmati is a soft rice and cooks fast, so I will expect it would be soft, but I don’t want to have the chicken undercooked. If it’s still too much liquid, maybe you can try to sautee for a couple of minutes, after you release the pressure. Good luck!
I made it and we loved the recipe. It did not generate a lot of liquid, maybe because I added a little more rice (maybe 1/4 cup), but it got a little mushy, which was not a problem. The thighs were cooked perfectly and did not get dry. I used 5 boneless/skinless. I think brown rice would be good in this recipe and less mushy. Next time I will try without changing the cooking time, keeping at 10 minutes. Overall, a great recipe, just like my Cuban friend makes it in a pan. Thanks for sharing.
Great to hear- thanks for sharing!!!