Crunchy Valley Chicken

Crunchy Valley Chicken–an Instant Pot recipe for chicken and rice with a ranch-seasoned creamy sauce and then a surprise element of crunch and sweetness.

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Instant Pot Crunchy Valley Chicken

When I first saw the recipe for crunchy valley chicken I was skeptical. It seemed like a very weird combination of ingredients. My son was also skeptical when he saw that there were craisins in his dinner. However we all ended up loving this chicken dinner. The original recipe is make on the stove and baked in the oven and was a Hidden Valley contest entry. I transformed it into an easy Instant Pot recipe. The water chestnuts add a fun crunchy factor and the craisins give just a bit of sweetness that you’ll love!

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Butter
• Onion
• Celery
• Boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
• Chicken broth or water and Better than Bouillon
• Converted rice or long grain white rice
• Black pepper
• Water chestnuts
• Mayonnaise
• Sour cream or greek yogurt
• Dried cranberries or raisins
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Sliced almonds or slivered almonds

Steps

Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the butter and let it melt. Add in the diced onion and celery and saute for 3 minutes. 

Add in the chicken and sprinkle 2 Tbsp of the ranch dressing mix over the chicken. 

Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot. Sprinkle in the rice and the pepper.

Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. 

Stir in the water chestnuts, mayo, sour cream, cranberries and remaining tablespoon of ranch dressing mix. 

Spread out the mixture evenly. Sprinkle the panko and almonds over the top. Drizzle with the melted butter.

Place the air fryer lid on top of Instant Pot and bake at 350 for 7 minutes, or until top has browned a bit. 

Serve and enjoy!

Notes/Tips

• Serve with a green salad or a side of steamed green beans with garlic butter.
• I used my Duo Crisp 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
• If you don’t have an air fryer lid you can do the step 7 in your oven. Spread the rice/chicken mixture into an 8×8 inch pan. Sprinkle the panko and almonds over the top. Drizzle with the melted butter. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 
• Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Other recipes you can make with almonds are Instant Pot Country Captain Chicken and Slow Cooker Hawaiian Haystacks.
• What is converted/parboiled rice? Don’t confuse converted rice (or sometimes it is called parboiled rice) with pre-cooked or minute rice. Parboiled rice has been processed in its husk by soaking, steaming, and drying. As a result, all the nutrients from the husk are absorbed into the grain before it’s removed. The starch content alters in the process, making cooked parboiled rice less sticky than regular white rice. The rice kernels aren’t clumpy and glued together instead they are more separated. I found a bag of parboiled rice at Walmart next to the normal long grain white rice. Sometimes I buy it at Winco in the bulk section. I have also found it in the orange box (Ben’s brand) next to other rices.

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More Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Dishes…

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.