Easy and flavorful, this Instant Pot Spanish chicken and rice is a simple weeknight meal!
It’s a cinch to make Spanish chicken and rice in the Instant Pot! Also known as arroz con pollo, this is a flavorful and filling dish.
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The Instant Pot makes getting dinner on the table SO easy. It’s especially nice when you can cook all of the components of the meal at the same time, making “dump and start” dinners.
We love making Instant Pot chicken and rice recipes, because the rice and chicken cook at the same time. One of our favorites is creamy Instant Pot chicken and rice, which is a classic comfort food.
Then there’s also the gooey goodness of Instant Pot cheesy broccoli, chicken, and rice.
If you need a simple shortcut meal, you can make Instant Pot chicken and Rice-a-Roni, or even Instant Pot chicken and wild rice casserole.
Basically, practically every iteration of chicken and rice can be made in the Instant Pot–which leads me to this flavorful recipe for Instant Pot Spanish chicken and rice!
Making Spanish Chicken and Rice in the Instant Pot
Before we get to the recipe, I think it’s important to acknowledge that there are differing opinions on what constitutes Spanish rice and chicken, or arroz con pollo.
I’m not an expert on how the variations differ depending on their country of origin, but I’ve seen Peruvian, Colombian, Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican versions of chicken and rice. But reportedly, arroz con pollo originated in Spain.
If you’re looking for a side dish type of Spanish rice, I have a separate recipe for making a tomato-based Spanish rice in the Instant Pot (without the chicken), which I often pair with Mexican-inspired dishes like tacos, enchiladas, etc.
Instant Pot Chicken and Vigo Yellow Rice
But for this main dish casserole-type recipe of arroz con pollo, I decided to use Spanish saffron yellow rice from Vigo.
I love the flavor of Vigo yellow rice (it has some seasonings already added to it) and it worked great in this recipe–but you can use the Spanish rice of your choosing.
If you want to make plain yellow rice in the Instant Pot, check out my Instant Pot yellow rice recipe.
How to Make Instant Pot Arroz Con Pollo
It’s really easy to make this simple dish in your pressure cooker–it’s a “dump and start” meal you’re going to love! I feel pretty confident that this will quickly become one of your favorite Instant Pot chicken dinner recipes!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Boneless chicken breasts
- Vigo Saffron Yellow Spanish Rice
- Ranch dressing mix
- Water
- Salsa
How to Make this Spanish Chicken and Yellow Rice Recipe in the Pressure Cooker:
(Full printable recipe is available below)
Combine ingredients. First, you’ll add the chicken, rice, ranch mix, water, and salsa to the insert pot of the Instant Pot.
Pressure cook. Next, you’ll set a cook time of 4 minutes at high pressure, followed by a natural release of pressure.
Shred chicken. Last, you’ll shred or chop the chicken, stir to mix it into the rice, and serve! Easy peasy!
Notes and Adaptations:
- You can serve this with various toppings of choice: shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, cilantro, beans, or whatever you prefer!
Recommended Equipment:
Instant Pot Spanish Chicken and Rice
This flavorful spanish rice and chicken casserole cooks quickly in the Instant Pot, making an easy weeknight meal!
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut in half
- 16-oz bag Vigo Yellow Spanish Rice
- 1 packet of ranch dressing mix
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup salsa
Instructions
- In the insert pot of the Instant Pot, place pieces of chicken. Add the rice, ranch dressing mix, water, and salsa. Give everything a gentle stir to combine.
- Close the lid and set the vent to the sealed position. Select a cook time fo 4 minutes at high pressure.
- When the cook time is complete, allow a natural release of pressure. After the pressure has released and the valve has dropped, carefully remove the lid.
- Remove the chicken and shred or chop. Return chicken to the rice mixture and stir to combine.
- Serve topped with shredded cheese, salsa, avocado slices, sour cream, or other toppings of choice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 284Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 985mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 27g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.
JEnn says
Hello! To double this receive with 3 packs of Vigo would I double the water you use?
Chrysti Benner says
Hi! If you’re using three 16-oz packs of rice, I would triple the water as well (for two 16-oz packs of rice you can double the water). However, you’ll want to be sure that doubling/tripling the recipe doesn’t exceed the maximum fill line for starchy foods in your model of Instant Pot. Enjoy! 🙂
Anna says
I tried this tonight but had to switch it to the stove because I kept getting burn notice. I hope it comes out on the stove
Chrysti Benner says
I’m sorry to hear this, Anna! With three cups of water, it definitely shouldn’t be giving you the burn notice if everything is stirred together well. I’m wondering if maybe your pot wasn’t sealed well (the vent could be left open accidentally or the silicone ring could be loose)? That could also cause the burn notice. I hope it finished okay for you on the stove!
Dawn p wheeler says
I just trying this recipe and I kept getting Burn Notices and the rice never cooked right so I had to remove it and put it on the stove top I don’t think that this recipe works very well I’m very sad
Chrysti Benner says
I’m sorry to hear this, Dawn! You’re the second person to say you got the burn notice, so I’m trying to figure out what could have happened, as that hasn’t happened to me. Can I ask which model of Instant Pot you have? There should be plenty of liquid to prevent the burn error, especially if everything is all mixed together (so there’s no seasoning stuck to the bottom of the pot). Otherwise, could it be that the pot wasn’t sealed well? Either the valve being left open or the silicone seal not being as snug as it should be?
Jessica says
Burn notice here as well. Ended up putting it on the stove.
Chrysti Benner says
I hate hearing that, Jessica! I’m sorry it didn’t turn out for you. Thanks for letting me know!
Melissa W says
I did this recipe however I used 3 and 1/4 cup chicken broth and No ranch dressing don’t like it and used salsa , I cooked the chicken a bit in garlic and olive oil in the insta pot added rice packet then set 4 minutes came out Great Psst NO BURN
Chrysti Benner says
Thank you for sharing your tweaks, Melissa! I’m glad it worked out great for you! 🙂
Dawn says
This is the best chicken and yellow rice i have ever made. My husband raved about how good it was.
It turned out perfectly. The only thing different i did was use chicken broth instead of water (same 3 cups). This recipe is definitely a keeper !!
Thanks for sharing!
Chrysti Benner says
Thank you for your kind words, Dawn! I’m so glad to hear that you and your husband loved it! 🙂
AnonymousWon says
I’m cooking Chicken and Yellow Rice for the first time in the Instant Pot. I’m using bone-in chicken thighs. Seared the skin in the olive oil with some garlic, set them on a plate, threw in some chopped celery, onion, and garlic, added chicken broth and yellow rice. Gave all of that a good stir, added the seared thighs on top of the rice, all still covered by the broth. I’ve got it cooking on NORMAL+HIGH PRESSURE with pressure cook. I will repost with details on how the recipe turns out. Thanks for the quick reference to your recipe for some direction!
Chrysti Benner says
Sounds delicious! I’d love to hear how it turns out, and what cook time you used since using bone-in thighs. Thanks for sharing! 🙂