This Mediterranean Chicken Rice dish is not any traditional recipe but it’s a recipe that I learnt from my friend’s teenage daughter! We all loved it a lot. It is a simple dish with simple flavors and comes together very quickly in the Instant pot. Hence this dish has become a staple in our home. Even though I still avoid grains to a large extent, I do have rice on an occasional basis. And I am so grateful I can enjoy this dish. I also sometimes mix this with some precooked cauliflower rice that way I eat less rice. I have posted an AIP version of this recipe before which is baked instead of cooked in the Instant pot.
What are the ingredients in Mediterranean Chicken Rice?
- Chicken – I prefer to use chicken thighs but you can use chicken breasts or chicken drumsticks too.
- Vegetables – You can use any combination of vegetables in this recipe. I prefer to use onions, celery and mushrooms. If you are okay with nightshades, you can add tomatoes as they will give a nice tanginess as well as give it some vibrant color.
- Rice
- Italian seasoning: Make sure that the Italian seasoning blend you use is nightshade free. I prefer this organic brand.
- Garlic Powder: You can use either fresh garlic or garlic powder in this recipe. The beauty of this recipe is that it has minimal prep required and so I usually just use garlic powder.
- Sea Salt: I recommend any good quality sea salt.
- Freshly ground black pepper: I strongly recommend using freshly ground black pepper as that gives it very good flavor.
- Fresh Thyme: Adding a few sprigs of fresh thyme leaves adds a lot of flavor to this dish. If you don’t have fresh thyme, you can just skip it.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I prefer to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for this recipe as it imparts it additional flavor.
- Water or Chicken Stock or bone broth: I normally use filtered water but if you have chicken stock or bone broth handy, you can definitely use that. However if you do use that, add less salt than what the recipe calls for as your stock or broth may already have salt in it.
Does this recipe need to be cooked in the Instant Pot?
- Using the Instant Pot for this recipe makes it a quick and easy meal. However, if you do not have an Instant Pot, you can cook it in a regular cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid on low heat. The cooking time will be higher (about 15 minutes).
Watch my Step by Step Video Tutorial:
Instant Pot Mediterranean Chicken and Rice (Nightshade free)
Author: Indira Shyju
Recipe type: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
A delicious and flavorful chicken and rice dish with mediterranean/italian spices that comes together easily.
RecipeIngredients
For marinating the chicken:
- 1.5 lbs Chicken thighs, cut into about 1 inch pieces (you can use chicken breast too)
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
For cooking:
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1.5 cups white long grain rice (I like to use Basmati), washed and drained
- 1 tbsp italian seasoning
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 3 cups water or stock or bone broth( if using stock or broth, adjust salt accordingly)
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- a couple fresh sprigs of thyme
RecipeInstructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the chicken and the marinating ingredients and toss with a spoon in order to mix well. Keep aside for a few minutes as you do the rest of the prep.
- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Add the olive oil and when hot add the onions and saute for about 2 minutes. Then add the celery and the mushrooms and let them cook for another 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Next add the chicken and stir for a couple minutes. Next add the washed rice, the italian seasoning, garlic powder and the salt. Add the water or the broth. Stir to mix. Close the lid of the Instant Pot. Make sure the valve is in Sealing posiiton. Press Cancel . Then hit the Pressure button and manually change time to 12 minutes. (aternatively you can also just press the 'Rice' button.)
- Once the pressure time is done, manually release the pressure slowly and then open the lid carefully. Fluff the rice lightly using a spatula and let it stay covered for 5 minutes. Then serve.
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