Instant Pot Curried Chicken and Rice

Instant Pot Chicken breast and rice - curried chicken and rice made in the Instant Pot and flavored with garlic, ginger, and curry powder. With fluffy basmati rice, chicken, carrot, and peas, this wholesome meal will impress you.

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Instant pot chicken breast and Rice flavored with curry powder will satisfy your rice and curry craving. This Instant Pot Garlic Herb Chicken and Rice is one of the most popular recipes on the blog for all the good reasons. So I thought would share another equally delicious chicken and rice recipe here.

This recipe doesn't call for tons of spices, yet the rice is so flavourful and delicious. If you are like me, who finds comfort in a bowl of rice and curry but doesn't want to spend hours in the kitchen, then this one-pot Chicken and rice recipe is definitely for you.

I love rice and have been sharing some wonderful rice recipes over the years. Check out the others with chicken in them - Stovetop Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole and Instant Pot Ranch Chicken And Rice. I have a few flavorful vegetarian rice recipes like Rice Pilaf With Dried Fruit and Nuts, One Pot Mushroom Rice, and Herbed Garlic Butter Rice.

PinHow To Cook Fluffy Rice In The Instant Pot?

Cooking rice in the Instant Pot is easy. Rice to water ratio and the right timing is the key to perfect fluffy rice.

I cook rice in a pressure cooker or using the cook and drain method. When cooking rice in an open pot and draining the extra liquid, you don’t need to worry about rice to water ratio. Because once the rice is cooked, you drain excess water. On the other hand, cooking rice in a pressure cooker needs an exact rice-water ratio.

TO COOK PERFECT RICE, BELOW ARE A FEW TIPS

• Wash rice under a running tap until the water runs clear. This step is necessary to remove any extra starch from the outer layer.
• Measure water. As a general rule, for every part of rice, you need two parts of water(1:2). But while cooking in Instant Pot, because there is no water evaporation, the amount of water you would need is less. For 1.5 cups of soaked basmati rice, 2 cups of liquid work the best.
• Always add warm water to the rice.
• Soak rice for 10 – 15 minutes. Soaking rice helps to get fluffier separate grains.

These tips are for regular white rice and long grain Basmati rice. But rice varieties are not only limited to this. With my 15-20 years of experience in cooking rice, these few tips have always worked for me.

Cooking rice perfectly also depends on its quality. If the rice is starchy, you will have to adjust the quantity of water and time. The age of the rice grain also determines the end result. The older/aged grain, the better, fluffier rice you will get.

PinWhat do You need For Curried Chicken breast and Rice?

The recipe calls for fewer spices than any regular curry would need, yet the flavors are just spot on. A good flavourful curry powder, along with turmeric powder and chili powder, is all you need. To enhance the flavor, whole bay leaf and cinnamon are added to the butter and sauteed.

Generally, I use ghee(clarified butter) when I make it at home, but butter also works well.

For maximum flavor

• Use aged Basmati rice if available. Long grain basmati rice is aromatic and enhances the flavor.
• Use a good quality Mild Curry Powder. Packed spices lose the aroma if left open for a long time. So make sure to keep opened spice packets in an airtight container.
• Saute Onion, garlic, and ginger until the aromatic, and raw smell is completely disappeared.
• The most important step is to saute spices in the onion, ginger, and garlic mixture until aromatic. Cooking spices before adding liquid help to develop flavor.

I prefer to add carrots and peas to make this dish more wholesome.

PinHow To Avoid Burn Notification in Instant Pot?

Getting burn notice while cooking on an instant pot is quite annoying, especially while you have a hungry family to feed.

First, every time the pot is given a burn notice doesn’t mean something has burned. It might indicate that the bottom layer of the pot has some brown bits stuck. So it is very important to deglaze the pot to release any brown patches from the bottom. Like in the above recipe, Stock is added to deglaze the pot.

Another reason for the burn notice could be less liquid in the pot. In the recipe, the amount of stock is just enough. Any more liquid, the rice will turn mushy.

The last reason could be the Inner pot is very hot while setting it to manual high-pressure mode. If you tend to get burn notifications frequently, in this recipe, after cooking the spices, switch off the instant pot and let it cool.  Once it has cooled down a bit, switch to saute mode and follow the rest of the steps.

Store

Curried chicken and rice can be easily stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep them in an air-tight container or zip-lock bag.

You can reheat it in the microwave for a minute, and it's ready to eat.

Serve With

This serves as a great family dinner or even for a large gathering if you scale up the quantity. Since this is a whole dinner by itself and has chicken as protein in it, you may only need to add some fresh yogurt or a light salad like Cucumber Strawberry Salad, Lemon Dill Potato Salad( No Mayo), or Apple Kale Salad With Apple Cider Vinaigrette with a great dressing and a superfood like kale.

More Instant Pot Recipes

Healthy Cauliflower Soup

Chicken In Creamy Tomato Sauce

Sweet Corn Chicken Soup

Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy

Instant Pot Corn Chowder

📖 Recipe