This pressure cooker arroz con pollo has a freshness that is often missing. The flavor is so bright, yet warm and comforting at the same time.
I grew up eating chicken and yellow rice just like most people from the south. I can spot a bag of Vigo rice from a mile away. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized what I had always eaten was really a bad substitute for the real thing. I don’t think most Americans actually know any better either. Well, after doing quite a bit of research, I’m really pleased with this pressure cooker arroz con pollo.
This pressure cooker arroz con pollo has a freshness that is often missing in this dish. The flavor is so bright, yet warm and comforting at the same time.
The Process
Place whole chicken in Instant Pot breast side up.
Then add water, Adobo, and black pepper. Lock lid, close vent, and set manual timer for 30 minutes on high pressure.
Meanwhile – Place onions is food processor (with blade attachment) and pulse a few times, until coarsely chopped.
Add tomatoes, red bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, and capers to food processor and pulse just until fully combined. (Should make about 2 cups.)
Once cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally (will take about 30 minutes).
Then remove chicken from pot to a separate bowl. Be careful because it might be falling apart, which is good!
Pass broth through a fine mesh strainer and return to pressure cooker.
Add tomato/cilantro mixture, Sazón Goya, olives, and rice to broth and mix well. Lock lid at cook at high pressure for 3 minutes.
Meanwhile – separate all chicken meat from bones in medium-sized chunks. Discard skin and bones.
Once cook time is complete, quick-release pressure and remove lid.
Add chicken to pot and mix well. Serve and enjoy!
And This is the Amazing Result…
★ Did you make this Pressure Cooker Arroz con Pollo? Please give it a star rating below! ★
Pressure Cooker Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice)
Ingredients
- 6 lb. whole chicken
- 6 cups water
- 4 tsp. Adobo seasoning
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled, quartered
- 2 medium tomatoes cored
- 1 red bell pepper ribs and seeds removed, chopped
- 1 bunch of cilantro thoroughly washed
- 1 Tbsp. garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp. capers
- 2 Sazón Goya packets
- 1/4 cup green olives sliced
- 3 cups long grain white rice
Instructions
- Place whole chicken in Instant Pot breast side up. Then add water, Adobo, and black pepper. Lock lid, close vent, and set manual timer for 30 minutes on high pressure.
- Meanwhile - Place onions is food processor (with blade attachment) and pulse a few times, until coarsely chopped. Add tomatoes, red bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, and capers to food processor and pulse just until fully combined. (Should make about 2 cups.)
- Once cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally (will take about 30 minutes). Then remove chicken from pot to a separate bowl. Be careful because it might be falling apart, which is good!
- Pass broth through a fine mesh strainer and return to pressure cooker.
- Add tomato/cilantro mixture, Sazón Goya, olives, and rice to broth and mix well. Lock lid at cook at high pressure for 3 minutes. Once cook time is complete, quick-release pressure and remove lid.
- Meanwhile - separate all chicken meat from bones in medium-sized chunks. Discard skin and bones.
- Add chicken to pot and mix well. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
More Pressure Cooker Chicken and Rice Recipes:
Grandma B’s Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Pressure Cooker Chicken Broccoli Rice “Casserole”
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The nutritional information seems incorrect. Is it really 35 grams of fat per serving?
Hi Susan. Due to the nature of recipe nutrition calculators, all nutrition info is an approximation. It looks like our recipe calculator pulled the fat content of the skin of the chicken too, despite the fact that the skin is removed. When entering the information into the nutrition calculator at MyFitnessPal.com specifying a “skinless” whole chicken, it calculates as 22 grams of fat per serving (again, this is an approximation):
calories 475
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 22 g 34 %
Saturated Fat 7 g 34 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 100 mg 33 %
Sodium 2403 mg 100 %
Potassium 246 mg 7 %
Total Carbohydrate 28 g 9 %
Dietary Fiber 4 g 16 %
Sugars 1 g
Protein 51 g 101 %
Vitamin A 15 %
Vitamin C 48 %
Calcium 7 %
Iron 20 %
How long would it take for brown rice? Thanks!
I’m not completely sure with this particular method, but I think somewhere around 15 minutes at high pressure with a quick-pressure release. Again, I have not tested that, but it should be somewhere close.
Can I substitute sofrito to save time? If so how much sofrito should I add?
That’s a great question. And I don’t have the answer.
Karen, the blending of all the produce items along with the cilantro IS the “Sofrito”. Homemade from scratch, and better than store bought.
Recipe looks fabulous. Do you use instant rice? My rice takes 12 minutes in the Instant Pot, not 3 minutes. Thanks.
No, I don’t use instant rice. Correct me if I’m wrong, but rice cooks for 12 minutes under low pressure. This recipe is for 3 minutes at high pressure. Should work perfectly for you.
I’m not familiar with Sazon Goya packets. Is it like chicken bouillon?
No, it’s seasoning often used in Latino cuisine.
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Can you add Mexican cheese to this if so when would you add it.
I’ve never added cheese to this dish, but my guess is that you would add it at the end once everything is already cooked.
Looks good! I’m trying today! I’ll let you know how it turned out.
Looking forward to hearing about it!
I just made this and it is absolutely delicious! My favorite thing I have ever made in the pot. I didn’t do the chicken in the pot this time because I had a rotisserie that needed to be eaten, so I added the water, added some bouillon and the adobo seasoning, put it on saute and let that meld together and then did the rest of the steps. At the end, I threw the rotisserie chicken in (i had slightly warmed it in the microwave with some water), stirred well and kept on keep warm for a little bit.
Did you use all the water called for when you made with leftover chicken?
Yes.
Making this for the 3rd time. The family loves it ! The instapot is great for this dish and quick to.
Hello,
I’m still new to IP cooking. I know some recipe say you can use a frozen protein. Can I use a frozen chicken with the same amount of time?
Yes, it will work for this recipe. Not all recipes though.
I made this for the first time for our church dinner yesterday. It was a hit. Everyone loved it. My hubby gave it a big thumbs up too. He finished it off. Will definitely be making it more often.
Ok,one other question. When buying the Savon Goya packets, is there a particular flavor seasoning packet I should get? There seem to be quite a few flavor combinations.
I’m not overly familiar with all the different flavors. I would just get the one that seems regular.
Fantastic! Loved all the different flavors in the dish. Definitely going to be making this again.
Made this yesterday and it was really good! Easy to follow instructions. However, I have a ton of it left over. Can this be frozen and reheated later?
Unfortunately rice does not freeze well. While you can freeze it, the rice will be mushy upon defrosting and reheating.
Wonderful recipe with loads of flavor. I altered the recipe a little, and ended up with mushy rice but I I think that was my fault. I deleted the capers and used chicken pulled from two rotisserie chickens. Then instead of long grain rice, I used 3 cups basmati rice. Due to the change in the rice, I reduced the liquid (I used chicken and vegetable broth) to 1 3/4 cups per 1 cup of rice, as that is what the package indicated. I think the mushy rice came in when I forgot to put in the olives and cancelled the heat up process on the instant pot (before the timer started) so that I could add the olives and then started it over. I think this allowed the rice to heat/cook too long. Of course, I am new to instant pot cooking so maybe it was the change in the rice. Either way, mushy rice and all, we were all thrilled with the recipe itself! Great job Gary and Rachel!!!
It was most likely canceling that caused the mushy rice. The liquid in the pot will begin to boil before as it starts to build to pressure. So, even if you cancel before it starts counting down, it has already begun to cook at that time. Glad you still enjoyed it!
Can I use chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken? And if so how long would I cook the chicken for? Thanks. Recipe looks delicious!
The real magic of this recipe comes from making the homemade stock with the whole chicken. You definitely will not achieve the same flavor with store-bought broth and boneless skinless chicken breasts. They just don’t have much flavor.
Made this yesterday and it was fantastic. Tastes even better than my Abuela’s recipe (just don’t tell her that)
I made this recipe yesterday and it turned out great. My family loved it! I have to confess that I altered the recipe a bit. I added cumin, and instead of adding a packet of culantro and annatto season, I added one with saffron. The rice turned out mushy, so I doubled the amount of time. All in all, this recipe is a keeper.