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Chicken and Copycat Rice-A-Roni Instant Pot Meal

donveyfarms
This simple recipe allows you to have a hot dinner on the table in under an hour, using simple, whole foods, and the whole family loves it (kids too!)! Let's dive in to how to make this homemade chicken rice meal.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4 People

Equipment

  • Instant Pot (I used an 8 quart)
  • Tongs
  • Spatula
  • Measuring Cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • Instant Pot Trivet
  • 2 Wide mouth quart mason jars
  • Small Bowl

Ingredients
  

  • For Rice:
  • 1 cup Rice see note
  • 1/4 cup Spaghetti noodles
  • 2 cups Chicken Broth See note
  • 2 TBSP Butter
  • 1 teaspoon Dry Parsley
  • 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
  • 1/8 teaspoon Turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1 1/4 tsp Salt
  • For the Chicken:
  • 4 to 6 Chicken legs see note
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Dried Parsley
  • 1 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Ground Sage
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 1 tbsp Avocado oil
  • 1 cup Water
  • 2 cups Vegetable of choice fresh or frozen
  • 1 cup water

Instructions
 

For rice:

  • In a small bowl, make rice a roni spice blend by combining the salt, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric, and italian seasoning
  • Whisk the spices together
  • Pour rice into a wide mouth quart mason jar
  • Break noodles into 1/4-1/2 inch small pieces, add to rice
  • Pour spice blend into jar with noodles and rice
  • Add chicken broth to jar
  • Put lid on jar and shake well
  • Remove lid and add butter to jar
  • Set jar aside

For chicken:

  • Season chicken with spice blend by combining the salt, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, and sage. (or season with your favorite poultry seasoning blend)
  • Pour half of the seasoning onto chicken drumsticks then flip and season the other side with the rest of the spice blend.
  • Turn instant pot sauté setting to on, and heat til it says "Hot"
  • Add oil and butter to instant pot
  • Add chicken to the instant pot and cook til golden brown on one side 2-4 minutes
  • Use tongs to flip chicken and brown on the other side (an additional 2-4 minutes)
  • Remove chicken from instant pot, set aside
  • Turn off heat and add 1 cup of water to the pot
  • Use a spatula to scrape any cooked-on bits from the bottom of the pot to avoid burn notice during pressure cooking

To cook the whole meal:

  • Place trivet into the bottom of the instant pot
  • In the other quart jar, place your vegetable of choice and 1 cup of water
  • Place both jars in the center of the instant pot trivet
  • Arrange the chicken around the edge of the pot next to the jars
  • Put the lid on the pot, make sure the pressure valve is set to seal, and set the cook time to high pressure 18 minutes
  • It should take between 20-25 minutes to come to pressure before cooking time starts
  • Once cook time is complete, turn steam valve to open for a quick release of pressure
  • Remove both jars and chicken from instant pot.
  • ​Use fork to make fluffy rice, and serve.

Notes

What kind of rice? I have found long grain white rice, and jasmine rice to work well with this recipe. You can also use 1/2 brown rice, and 1/2 white as a substitute for all white rice without changing the texture or flavor too much. I do not use instant rice or wild rice for this recipe, it changes the texture quite a bit. 
Can I use fresh herbs? Certainly! For every 1 tsp of dried herbs, you can substitute 1 tbsp fresh herbs.
Do I Need To Use Turmeric? The turmeric in this recipe for the bright yellow color. Although you can choose not to use turmeric it if you do not have any.
Do I Have To Use Chicken Broth? For this recipe, I use canned chicken broth because I pressure can many gallons of chicken broth every year. If you do not have canned chicken broth available, you can substitute the same amount of water and whatever the measurement of chicken bouillon you have for that amount of water. If you do not use chicken bouillon or broth, you may need to add more onion powder, garlic powder, and salt to this recipe.
Chicken Legs: You can use any cut of chicken you would like for this recipe. You can also use frozen, or thawed. For completely frozen chicken legs, set the instant pot time to 18 minutes. If using thawed chicken, only cook 15 minutes. For chicken thighs, change the time to 20 minutes for thawed, 24 minutes for frozen. For chicken breasts or wings, use the same time as legs.
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. This recipe does not freeze well.