Get a complete and healthy dinner on the table in under 35 minutes with this Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken and Rice. It's gluten-free, saucy, super tasty, and makes for great leftovers.
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I'm back today with a one-pot dinner that's bursting with flavor. This Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken and Rice is succulent, juicy, and saucy thanks to tomatoes, pineapple, pineapple juice, onions, and garlic. Simply add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot or pressure cooker, add in the chicken, and cook the chicken and rice on high for 15 minutes!
Sunday nights have turned into my fun cooking nights. Relaxed from (at least mainly) a day off and in that homebody mood, I start playing around in the kitchen and trying new things.I often haven't planned ahead so I'm often working with what's on hand in the kitchen.
This last Sunday, high off of watching the Olympic Marathon Trials recording, I was inspired and hungry.
How I got hungry from watching someone else run is a whole different issue, but I digress.
I started digging through the kitchen cabinets and the fridge, searching for some inspiration. I landed on wanting to see if I could do something with brown basmati rice and frozen chicken thighs.
And as fate would have it, I've been playing around with cooking frozen chicken in the pressure cooker. After I compared that cooking time (15 minutes) to brown basmati rice's cooking time (also 15 minutes), I had my decision made.
From there I started tossing around flavoring ideas. I found a can of pineapple juice in the cabinet, had just enough tomato paste in the fridge, and one can of tomatoes left, so I decided to take the dish to a sweet and sour pineapple direction.
And though that direction wasn't towards an Olympic qualifying finish line, getting a warm, satisfying, and healthy chicken and rice dinner on the table in around 35 minutes was a victory of its own kind.
This Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken and Rice is...
- Comforting
- Saucy
- Flavorful
- Tomato-y
- Delightfully pineapple-y
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Full of hidden fruits & veggies
Make a filling and healthy one-pot dinner without needing to defrost frozen chicken thighs with this quick chicken and rice recipe.
Can you cook rice and meat at the same time in an instant pot?
Yes, you definitely can cook rice and meat at the same time in an Instant Pot.
You just want to cook cuts of meat and types of rice that have similar cooking times together. Both brown basmati rice and frozen chicken thighs, for example, cook in 15 minutes, so they're perfect to cook together in a pressure cooker.
Can you put frozen chicken in an instant pot?
Certainly! I love cooking frozen chicken in an instant pot. It will cook the chicken evenly through and leave it nice and juicy -- especially for chicken thighs.
Just made sure to add enough liquid to the Instant Pot or pressure cooker. I generally add about ½-3/4 cup for every 1.25 pounds of chicken.
Is chicken and rice healthy?
Chicken and rice can be healthy -- especially if there aren't any processed food ingredients like canned creamy soups.
This chicken and rice recipe is healthier because it is gluten-free, dairy-free, and has no processed food ingredients.
More healthy and easy chicken recipes you might like:
- Spicy Honey Chicken Marinade
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Sheet Pan Apricot Chicken and Potatoes
- Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry
- Thai Green Chicken Curry
- Sheet Pan Cuban Chicken
- Sweet Chili Lime Chicken
- Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Honey BBQ Crockpot Chicken
Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown basmati rice
- 1 ¼ cup water* see notes below
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 large garlic cloves diced
- 8 ounces pineapple juice
- ¼ large white onion cut into a ⅛" dice
- 10 oz. shredded green cabbage
- 1 cup frozen or canned pineapple chunks drained if canned
- 1.5 lbs frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs
- fresh cracked pepper
- 1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup diced green onions
Instructions
- Mix together all the ingredients listed between and including the brown rice and the pineapple in the bowl of a pressure cooker. Stir the mixture together with a rubber scraper or wooden spoon until the tomato paste dissolves into the liquids or about 20-30 seconds.
- Layer the chicken thighs into the rice mixture, making sure to turn the chicken in the liquid mixture until it's covered with it.
- Give a few good cracks of black pepper (to your taste) over the chicken and rice mixture.
- Lock on the pressure cooker lid and cook the chicken and rice on high for 15 minutes.
- Quick-release the steam on the pressure cooker.
- Un-lock the lid and scoop the chicken and rice into bowls. Top with a few tablespoons of cheese and about 1 tablespoon green onions and serve hot!
