Instant Pot Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice)

Instant Pot Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice)

This Instant Pot arroz con pollo has a freshness that is missing from store-bought yellow rice. The flavor is bright yet warm and comforting.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Latin American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 1 15

Total Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 479kcal

Author Gary White

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 small bunch of cilantro thoroughly washed
1 Tbsp. garlic minced
1 Tbsp. capers
1 Sazón Goya packet
¼ cup green olives sliced
3 cups long grain white rice

Instructions

Place the whole chicken in the Instant Pot, breast side up. Add water, Adobo, and black pepper. Lock the lid, close the vent, and set the cooking time for 30 minutes at high pressure. Once cooking time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally (about 30 minutes).
While chicken cooks, place onions in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add tomatoes, red bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, and capers, and pulse until combined (makes about 2 cups).
Transfer the chicken to a separate bowl (it may fall apart). Pass the broth through a fine mesh strainer and return to the Instant Pot.
Add sofrito, Sazón Goya, olives, and rice to the broth. Mix well. Lock the lid and cook at low pressure for 4 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick-release the remaining pressure.
While the rice cooks, separate the chicken meat from the bones into bite-sized pieces. Discard the skin and bones.
Add chicken pieces to the pot mix well, and serve.

Video

Notes

Expert Tips

1. If I can offer you just one tip for making this recipe, it is to make your own sofrito! There are some good store-bought options, but it's so easy to make that you won't regret it. You can make it in about five minutes (and while the chicken is cooking).

1. If you've ever made stock using a whole chicken, you already know what a difference it makes in taste. There are two more benefits to using a whole chicken: whole chicken is the cheapest way to buy chicken, and there is no waste.

1. Some people may prefer to avoid the Sazon Goya seasoning packets. While we prefer this recipe with the extra flavor it brings, we have made it without in a pinch, and the recipe was still flavorful.

FAQs

Can I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts? The short answer is yes, but you must make some modifications. If your goal for using chicken breasts is to cook everything in the pot at once, I'll tell you why I don't recommend that here. Rice has a specific cooking time. Neither one of those times is ideal for cooking chicken breasts. So I would suggest cooking them separately - either in broth in the pot for 7 minutes at high pressure with quick release OR bake in the oven at 425F for 25-30 minutes.

For the rice portion, you'll want 7 cups of store-bought broth in the pot, and follow the recipe as written from that point forward. You want an extra cup of broth than what's listed because we're compensating for about a cup of water that would usually cook out of the chicken.

Can I use a rotisserie chicken? Yes. But instead of starting with 6 cups of water, add 7 cups of store-bought chicken broth to the pot. Then, follow the recipe as written. You want an extra cup of broth than what's listed because we're compensating for about a cup of water that usually cooks out of the chicken.

Can I use frozen chicken? While I always recommend using fresh or thawed chicken, this recipe will work with frozen chicken. The cooking time will remain the same.

How long will leftovers last? Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Nutrition