Pressure Cooker Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice)

Arroz con pollo in white casserole dish.

Pressure Cooker Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice)

Comforting, flavorful, and fresh chicken and yellow rice from Latin American traditions.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Latin American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

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 bunch of cilantro thoroughly washed
1 Tbsp. garlic minced
1 Tbsp. capers
2 Sazón Goya packets
¼ 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 cook for 30 minutes at 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 transfer 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 and 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 bite-sized pieces. Discard skin and bones.
Add chicken to pot and mix well. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Expert Tips

If I can offer you just one tip in making this recipe... it is 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 literally make it in about five minutes (and while the chicken is cooking).
If you've ever made stock from using a whole chicken then you already know what a difference it makes in taste. But even more than that, there are two more benefits to using a whole chicken: whole chickens are the cheapest way to buy chicken, and there is no waste.
I understand that some people may prefer to avoid that 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 will need to make some modifications. If your goal for using chicken breasts is to cook everything in the pot at one time, I'll tell you why I don't recommend that here. Rice has a very specific cook time (for white rice: 3 minutes at high pressure with quick release or 12 minutes at low pressure with natural release). Neither one of those times are ideal for 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 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 in step 5 from that point forward. The reason you want an extra cup of broth than what's listed is 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 pot. Then follow recipe as written starting at step 5. The reason you want an extra cup of broth than what's listed is because we're compensating for about a cup of water that would usually cook out of the chicken.

Can I use brown rice? Yes, however you'll want to make sure you have 9 cups of broth when you get to step 5. Then change cook time to 22 minutes at high pressure with a 10 minutes natural release. Brown rice has a different starch content than white rice, so when it's first finished cooking, it may seem a little soupy. It should firm up a bit the more it sits.

Can I use frozen chicken? While I always recommend using fresh, or thawed chicken, this recipe will work with frozen chicken. The cook 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