Pressure Cooker Chipotle Chicken and Rice Bowls! Just like take away fast food but better. Use the pot-in-pot method to cook the chicken and rice together in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
My husband is a huge fan of Chipotle—both the spicy, smoky peppers themselves and the restaurant chain. He declared this dish better than Chipotle’s fast casual burrito bowls, so I call it a win!
The chicken and rice both pack a flavorful wallop with this recipe. Boneless chicken thighs are simmered in a homemade chipotle sauce (it’s a blender sauce that comes together in a flash), and the rice is tossed with diced jalapeño peppers, cilantro, and spring onions just before serving.
You can definitely turn down the heat if you’re not a chilli fan like me. Just use a heaping spoonful of smoked paprika in place of the chipotle peppers and omit the jalapenos.
I use the “pot-in-pot” method to make this recipe, cooking the rice and chicken at the same time in my 6 quart Instant Pot. Sounds complicated, but it’s actually quite simple!
- New to Instant Pot? Check out our post How To Use an Instant Pot: A First-Timer’s Guide.
You simply combine the chicken and chipotle sauce on the bottom of the pot, place an elevated metal steamer rack on top, then place a bowl of water and rice on the trivet. Fluff up the rice after cooking and mix with its spicy ingredients.
For this pot-in-pot method, be sure to use a steamer rack about 3 inches high and a small (1 1/2 quart) stainless steel bowl to cook the rice. It is important that the bowl is raised over the chicken and you can still close the lid.
Any long-grain white rice works well for this recipe. I’ve also had success with fast cooking brown rice (Trader Joe’s brand).
You can also cook the rice separately on the stovetop while the chicken cooks in the pressure cooker if you prefer. Without the rice, the pot will take about 10 minutes less to come up to pressure.
Serve the chicken over the rice and garnish each bowl with sliced jalapeños, lime wedges, and a generous sprinkling of cotija or other mild cheese.
Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken and Rice Bowls
This recipe is spicy! If you prefer less spice, substitute a heaping spoonful of smoked paprika for the chipotle peppers and omit the jalapenos.
This recipe works best in a 6 quart pressure cooker. If using a larger pressure cooker, add 1/2 cup of water or stock to the sauce mixture in the blender, or double the recipe to ensure there is enough liquid to pressure the pot.
You can also use bone-in and skinless chicken in this recipe (up to 3 1/2 pounds).
The chicken can also be used for things like tacos, burritos, quick chicken chili, or enchiladas.
Hob instructions: In a covered soup pot or Dutch oven, simmer the chicken thighs in the sauce until tender, 30 minutes. Cook the rice in a separate pot.
ingredients
For the chipotle chicken:
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2 cloves garlic
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1/2 Middle yellow onion
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2 Chipotle in Adobo sauce (from a can)
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1/3 Cup water
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1/3 Cup fresh lime juice (from 2 medium limes)
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1 tablespoon honey
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2 teaspoon ground cumin
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2 tablespoon paprika
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1 teaspoon Salt
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1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
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1 1/2 to 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
For the rice:
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1 Cup long grain white rice
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1 Cup water
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1/2 Cup corianderchopped
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2 Middle green onionscut
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1 Jalapeno chillicored and chopped
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1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
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1/2 teaspoon Salt
Serve:
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2 ounces crumbles Cotija cheese
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12 thin slices Jalapeno chilli
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1/2 limecut into 4 columns
method
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Make the sauce:
In a blender, combine garlic, onion, chipotle peppers, water, lime juice, honey, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Blend for about a minute until you have a smooth sauce. If necessary, scrape the sides of the blender halfway through blending.
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Mix the chicken with the sauce:
Place the chicken thighs in the saucepan of a 6-quart or larger electric pressure cooker, then pour the sauce over the chicken, stirring to evenly coat the chicken with the sauce.
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Add the steam rack:
Insert an elevated steamer rack with the chicken. Make sure all legs touch the bottom of the pot.
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Rinse rice:
Place the rice in a wire sieve and rinse under running water. Drain for about a minute, then combine the rice with 1 cup of water in a small (1 1⁄2 quart) stainless steel mixing bowl.
Place the bowl of rice and water on the steamer rack in the pot. The bowl should fit snugly in the pot; Make sure you can still latch the pressure cooker lid shut.
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Cooking chicken and rice:
Attach the lid to the pressure cooker. Make sure the pressure regulator is set to the “Sealing” position.
If using an Instant Pot, select the Poultry or Manual program, then set the time for 15 minutes. If your pressure cooker does not have a “poultry” program, set it manually to “high pressure” for 15 minutes. For stovetop pressure cookers, cook on high pressure for 12 minutes.
It takes about 15 minutes for your pressure cooker to reach pressure and then the actual cooking begins. The total time from closing the pressure cooker to the end of cooking is about 30 minutes.
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release pressure:
At the end of cooking, release pressure naturally for at least 10 minutes, then perform a quick pressure release by toggling the pressure release knob from seal to vent.
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Fluff the rice:
Wearing a pair of heat-resistant gloves, remove the bowl of rice and the steamer rack from the pot.
Fluff the rice with a fork and mix in the cilantro, spring onions, jalapeño, lime juice and salt.
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Shred Chicken:
Using two forks, shred the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces in the saucepan.
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Surcharge:
Divide the rice among the individual bowls and top the chicken with some of the sauce. Top each bowl with cotija cheese, sliced jalapeño, and a lime wedge.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 555 | calories |
| 23g | Fat |
| 32g | carbohydrates |
| 61g | protein |
