My one pot pressure cooker chicken and rice is that ultimate go-to dish which I make when I’m pressed for time but need something absolutely fulfilling in terms of taste and the right amount of energy boost with its nutrition content!
I know how difficult it is to religiously follow a fixed eating pattern when you are exposed to so many temptations! With the increasing number of food delivery apps, it is almost impossible to not fall prey to their traps!
You may even justify yourself with thousands of reasons, ultimately ending up with the conclusion that eating from outside once in a while won’t do that much harm!
While I agree to the above statement to some extent, the problem arises when it becomes our weekly excuse!
Given the stressful life we live, there will never be a lack of reasons for not feeling good about yourself which finally would lead to order from outside and satisfy our souls for that momentary pleasure!
Why am I saying all these today? Because I have burnt myself enough in this circle of fire!
So, I have vowed to myself to develop recipes that would prevent me from getting takeaways as much as possible!
And that’s exactly where this pressure cooker chicken and rice fits in with utmost perfection!
What is One pot pressure cooker chicken and rice?
Pressure cooking is an integral part of Indian cuisine! I cannot imagine a kitchen without a pressure cooker and that too of multiple sizes!
Irrespective of whether you cook at home or not, I am absolutely sure that you have seen & used a pressure cooker at least once so far in your life!
So this recipe of pressure cooker chicken and rice is perfect for even those novice cooks who haven’t done much cooking yet but are trying their best to learn this basic life skill!
The beauty of this recipe is such that this has proved to be a savior for me even though I have been cooking since ages!
That’s simply because being a working woman, I frequently need to make something quick and easy without compromising the taste and benefit!
This simple pressure cooker chicken and rice offers the right amount of carb (of course you have to stop yourself from overeating even if you find it too tasty!) with high protein from chicken.
Add a side of fresh salad and you have a perfectly balanced meal with carb, protein and fiber! Win-win!
And the spices used here are minimal; so you don’t have to worry about having a long list of items handy. The typical holy trinity of aromatics – onion, ginger and garlic – make the base of this dish.
And for spicing up things, all you need is a good quality garam masala! You can choose to make your own garam masala at home; or get your hands on a pack from a good brand.
Just stir fry everything for a while and then leave the remaining hard work to the pressure cooker to handle while you focus on completing your own To-Do list!
Ingredients for One pot pressure cooker chicken and rice
Chicken: For my pressure cooker chicken and rice, I prefer bone-in pieces. I believe bone-in (but skinless) chicken drumsticks and chicken thighs would work best here.
However, I used chicken curry cut pieces as that’s the most easily available portion in our Indian market. So, feel free to use curry cut chicken just as I did!
If you feel fancy, definitely go for fancier cuts like drumsticks or chicken thighs!
Rice: You must be wondering which variety of rice would be perfect for this pressure cooker chicken and rice!
Let me break the good news to you – ANY!
This is not one of my restaurant style dishes; this is my go-to homely meal which is why I kept everything very down-to-earth i.e. using what we use in your kitchen almost on a daily basis!
I used my regular rice which is what I use for making plain rice. But you can, by all means, use Basmati rice to make a fancier pressure cooker chicken and rice!
Just add a little less water than what I have suggested here i.e. instead of 1:2 ratio of rice to water, follow a 1:1.5 ratio.
Garam masala: Here comes the showstopper of my pressure cooker chicken and rice!
I think I have already made it very evident that this one pot recipe of mine is one of the simplest recipes simply because I intend to keep it weeknight-friendly.
But that doesn’t mean in any way that we have to compromise on the taste & flavor of it! That’s where my homemade garam masala shines through!
The only powdered spice I have used here is garam masala as this one spice blend is enough to bring in that perfect taste in your one pot chicken and rice!
My only urge to you is that you make the garam masala at home so that you reward yourself with the best possible results!
Mustard oil: As a regular mustard oil user, I love the flavor of this oil in my pressure cooker chicken and rice.
But I do understand that mustard oil can become a little too pungent for many; so feel free to use any oil that you use regularly in your kitchen to cook your daily meals.
Whole spices: Don’t worry, my one pot chicken and rice is really a pretty simple recipe as I wanted to keep it that way deliberately.
Hence, I used just the regular whole spices, which are cloves, green & black cardamoms and cinnamon, to infuse the oil before cooking chicken in it.
Garlic: I want to mention this aromatic separately as this is another key ingredient to make sure you have an extremely flavorful pressure cooker chicken and rice!
I added a generous amount of finely chopped garlic cloves to the hot oil after tempering it with whole spices.
When chicken is cooked in this garlic infused oil, it gets another dimension of flavors making them irresistibly tasty!
Green chili: A spicy kick is a must for a good pressure cooker chicken and rice! Add finely chopped green chillies as much or as little as you like!
Onion: About a cup of thinly sliced onions adds the caramelized touch along with a hint of sweetness to your chicken and rice meal.
Ginger paste: This quintessential aromatic round things up in terms of a complete flavor profile without which you will feel that something is missing in the overall taste. So do not skip it!
Ginger also helps in digestion which you may already know!
Salt: Season your chicken and rice nicely with salt to taste while frying the chicken in oil. This will ensure that your chicken pieces are properly seasoned even deep inside the meat.
You can also add a fat pinch of black pepper as well for an extra kick!
How to make One pot pressure cooker chicken and rice?
Step 1: Take the rice in a bowl and pour water over it. Wash the rice in the water and then discard the water. Repeat the process at least 5 times.
Step 2: Once the water runs clear, transfer the rice to a large sieve with fine mesh and place the sieve over the bowl to allow remaining water to drip off.
Step 3: Heat a wide-mouth pressure cooker and add oil to it. Once oil is hot, temper it with cloves, green & black cardamoms and cinnamon sticks.
Step 4: Let the whole spices become fragrant in the hot oil for half a minute. Then add minced garlic and chopped green chillies.
Step 5: Give the garlic and chillies a quick stir and sauté for a minute. Then add the sliced onions.
Step 6: Sauté the onions on medium flame for about 12 to 15 minutes until they turn golden brown.
Step 7: It’s time to add the chicken pieces now. Drop chicken pieces into the pressure cooker and also add the ginger paste.
Step 8: Give a very good stir to the chicken so that they are nicely mixed in with oil and aromatics.
Step 9: Continue sautéing for 15 minutes on medium-low flame until a nice golden color is developed on all sides of the chicken pieces.
Step 10: At this stage season the chicken with salt to taste and also add the garam masala. Give a good mix to distribute the seasoning and spice evenly.
Pro tip: Garam masala is the key spice in this simple pressure cooker chicken and rice recipe; so you will get best results if you make the garam masala at home!
I have a very popular homemade garam masala recipe on my YouTube channel! You can check it out here!
Step 11: After sautéing the chicken with spices for 10 more minutes, add hot water to the cooker. The amount of water must be in the ratio of 1:2 with the amount of rice i.e. for ¾ cup of rice, I added 1 & ½ cup of water.
Step 12: After adding water, bring the flame to high and let the water come to a full boil. Then cover the pressure cooker tightly using its lid with the whistle on.
Step 13: Keep the cooker on high flame until the very first whistle. Then lower the heat to minimum and let the chicken and rice cook for exactly 10 minutes on lowest flame.
Step 14: Switch off the flame after 10 minutes and leave the pressure cooker undisturbed to allow the pressure to release on its own completely. This may take upto 30 minutes.
Step 15: Carefully open the lid after pressure is released. All the water must have been absorbed by now.
Pro tip: To get a fluffier rice, I suggest leaving the cooker without any disturbance for at least 2 hours. This will help all the excess moisture to be soaked up and rice will become dry & fluffy.
Step 16: When you are ready to serve, carefully spoon out the rice along with chicken pieces on the serving platter.
Step 17: Sprinkle fried cashews on top of your pressure cooker chicken and rice to add that delicious crunch! Garnish with fresh coriander and enjoy!
More delicious one pot recipes from Flavor Quotient
- One Pot Greek Lemon Chicken and Rice
- Spanish One Pot Chicken and Rice
- Mediterranean One Pot Chicken and Rice
- Chicken - 500 gms
- Rice - ¾ cup
- Mustard oil - 4 to 6 tbsp
- Cloves - 5
- Green cardamom - 5
- Black cardamom - 1
- Cinnamon - 2-inch stick
- Garlic - 8 to 10 cloves, minced
- Green chili - 1 to 2, finely chopped
- Onion - 3, medium, thinly sliced (1.5 cup sliced)
- Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
- Garam masala - 2 & ½ tsp
- Salt - 2 tsp
- Water - 1 & ½ cup
- Take the rice in a bowl and pour water over it. Wash the rice in the water and then discard the water. Repeat the process at least 5 times.
- Once the water runs clear, transfer the rice to a large sieve with fine mesh and place the sieve over the bowl to allow remaining water to drip off.
- Heat a wide-mouth pressure cooker and add oil to it. Once oil is hot, temper it with cloves, green & black cardamoms and cinnamon sticks.
- Let the whole spices become fragrant in the hot oil for half a minute. Then add minced garlic and chopped green chillies.
- Give the garlic and chillies a quick stir and sauté for a minute. Then add the sliced onions.
- Sauté the onions on medium flame for about 12 to 15 minutes until they turn golden brown.
- It’s time to add the chicken pieces now. Drop chicken pieces into the pressure cooker and also add the ginger paste.
- Give a very good stir to the chicken so that they are nicely mixed in with oil and aromatics.
- Continue sautéing for 15 minutes on medium-low flame until a nice golden color is developed on all sides of the chicken pieces.
- At this stage season the chicken with salt to taste and also add the garam masala. Give a good mix to distribute the seasoning and spice evenly.
- After sautéing the chicken with spices for 10 more minutes, add hot water to the cooker. The amount of water must be in the ratio of 1:2 with the amount of rice i.e. for ¾ cup of rice, I added 1 & ½ cup of water.
- After adding water, bring the flame to high and let the water come to a full boil. Then cover the pressure cooker tightly using its lid with the whistle on.
- Keep the cooker on high flame until the very first whistle. Then lower the heat to minimum and let the chicken and rice cook for exactly 10 minutes on lowest flame.
- Switch off the flame after 10 minutes and leave the pressure cooker undisturbed to allow the pressure to release on its own completely. This may take upto 30 minutes.
- Carefully open the lid after pressure is released. All the water must have been absorbed by now.
- When you are ready to serve, carefully spoon out the rice along with chicken pieces on the serving platter.
- Sprinkle fried cashews on top of your pressure cooker chicken and rice to add that delicious crunch! Garnish with fresh coriander and enjoy!
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