Easy Chicken and Rice
SERVES: 4
PRESSURE LEVEL: HIGH
RELEASE: QUICK
TOTAL TIME: ABOUT 1 HOUR
TIME UNDER PRESSURE: 15 MINUTES
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS For our pressure-cooker take on classic chicken and rice, we used bone-in chicken breasts rather than boneless for better flavor and meat that stayed moist. Avoiding heavy, greasy rice was the biggest challenge. Browning the breasts before cooking them under pressure allowed us to keep the flavorful fond but render off and discard most of the fat before cooking. We also decreased the liquid in the standard 2:1 ratio of liquid to rice to account for the moisture released by the chicken and carrots that couldn’t evaporate. Stirring the rice made the dish gluey, so we simply fluffed it with a fork when incorporating the peas, lemon juice, and parsley. See the step shot and Troubleshooting that follows the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
|
4 |
(12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed |
|
Salt and pepper |
|
|
1 |
tablespoon vegetable oil |
|
3 |
carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces |
|
1 |
onion, chopped fine |
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1½ |
cups long-grain white rice |
|
4 |
garlic cloves, minced |
|
2 |
cups low-sodium chicken broth |
|
1 |
cup frozen peas |
|
3 |
tablespoons minced fresh parsley |
|
2 |
teaspoons lemon juice |
1. BUILD FLAVOR: Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in pressure-cooker pot over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken, skin side down, until golden, about 6 minutes; transfer to plate.
2. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat left in pot. Add carrots, onion, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth. Using wooden spoon, scrape up all browned bits stuck on bottom of pot and brush any rice off sides of pot. Nestle chicken, skin side up, firmly into rice.
3. HIGH PRESSURE FOR 15 MINUTES: Lock pressure-cooker lid in place and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.
4. QUICK RELEASE PRESSURE: Remove pot from heat. Quick release pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
5. BEFORE SERVING: Transfer chicken to serving dish and tent loosely with aluminum foil while finishing rice. Sprinkle peas, parsley, and lemon juice over rice, cover, and let stand until for 5 minutes. Fluff rice gently with fork and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chicken.
VARIATIONS
Easy Spanish-Style Chicken and Rice
Omit carrots. Add 4 ounces chorizo, cut into ¼-inch pieces, 1 finely chopped red bell pepper, and ⅛ teaspoon crumbled saffron threads to pot with onion and salt in step 2.
Easy Chicken and Rice with Spinach and Feta
Omit carrots, parsley, and peas. Add 4 ounces coarsely chopped baby spinach and 2 ounces crumbled feta with lemon juice in step 5.