Pressure Cooker Arroz con Pollo

Chicken and rice is an absolute favorite in my house. This chicken meat was incredibly tender- falling off the bone- in this pressure cooker version. The rice was full-flavored and fabulous.

This recipe was adapted from The Essential Mexican Instant Pot Cookbook: Authentic Flavors and Modern Recipes for Your Electric Pressure Cooker bye Deborah Schneider. I used a stove top pressure cooker. I branched out from my comfort zone and used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. 😉 I also substituted a Cubanelle for an Anaheim chile and increased the garlic.

We ate it with a green salad. Wonderful!

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp saffron threads
• 2 1/2 to 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (8 thighs) or 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 3 tsp coarse salt, divided
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 small white or red onion, diced
• 8 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Cubanelle, Anaheim, or Poblano Chile, stemmed, seeded, and diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, cored and diced or one 14-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained (I used Basmati rice)
• parsley or cilantro, minced, for garnish

1. In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to a bare simmer over medium-high heat.
2. Add the saffron threads to the hot broth and let steep for about 30 minutes.
3. Season the chicken pieces on all sides with 1 tsp of the salt, the black pepper, and the pepper flakes. (I used a 9×13-inch pyrex dish.)
4. Heat the oil over medium heat in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
5. Working in batches, add the chicken in a single layer and cook until well browned on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a large plate.
6. Add onion, garlic, and diced chile to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes, until the onion begins to soften.
7. Stir in the tomatoes, cumin, smoked paprika, bay leaf, and the remaining 2 tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened.
8. Stir in the saffron-infused broth and the remaining 1 cup broth, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
9. Stir in the rice and, using a wooden spoon, gently swirl the rice until it falls in an even layer.
10. Return the chicken to the pot, arranging the pieces in an even layer, then pour in any accumulated juices.
11. Secure the lid and seal under pressure, set to meat/stew on an Instant Pot. (I brought my pot up to high (2nd ring) but may reduce to the first ring next time because a lot of the rice was crispy- but delicious- on the bottom of the pot.)
12. Cook for 20 minutes.
13. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then move the pressure to venting to release any remaining steam.
14. Open the pot and let cool for 10 minutes to allow the rice to firm up prior to serving.
15. Serve garnished with minced herbs, as desired.