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. 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. Once the rice is cooked, drain the excess water. On the other hand, cooking rice in a pressure cooker needs an exact rice-water ratio. 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. Generally, I use ghee(clarified butter) when I make it at home, but butter also works well.
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. 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. You can reheat it in the microwave for a minute, and it’s ready to eat.
