Genius Casserole

Genius Casserole–a zesty, Mediterranean inspired Instant Pot rice dish featuring tender chicken, herbs, feta, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

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Genius Casserole

This recipe is kind of genius, not going to lie! It has fresh Mediterranean flavors (lemon, dill, oregano, feta) in a super easy one pot Instant Pot meal. The rice and chicken come out perfectly, and then you toss in the cucumbers and tomatoes at the end so it still tastes light and fresh, not like a heavy stew. Plus, it uses converted rice so it doesn’t get mushy, and the Instant Pot does pretty much all the work. The only problem with this recipe is that it makes too few servings…you will probably want to double it.

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Olive oil
• Onion
• Black pepper
• Dried oregano
• Dried thyme
• Kosher salt
• Dried dill
• Garlic cloves
• Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon chicken base
• Fresh lemon juice
• Red wine vinegar
• Converted rice–or long grain white, jasmine
• Rotisserie chicken–or raw chicken cut into bite size pieces
• Feta cheese–or goat cheese
• Cucumbers–I peeled mine
• Tomatoes–I used sliced cherry tomatoes

Steps

Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the olive oil and swirl it around. Add in the onion, pepper, oregano, thyme, salt and dill and saute for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic. 

Pour in the broth, lemon juice and vinegar and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.

Sprinkle in the rice and add in chicken.

Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. 

Stir in the feta, cucumbers and tomatoes. 

Serve and enjoy!

Notes/Tips

• Serve with toasted pita and hummus or a greek salad.
• This recipe is gluten free.
• 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.
• The 5–10 minute natural pressure release helps the rice finish cooking evenly and prevents it from being too sticky.
• You can serve this hot or cold. It’s delicious freshly made, but also works well as a chilled rice salad the next day.
• Add olives, chopped parsley, or a drizzle of tzatziki for extra flavor.
• I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
• Double this recipe by doubling ingredients but keeping the cook time the same.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Other recipes you can make with feta are Instant Pot Feta Dill Sweet Potato Mash and Instant Pot Greek Green Beans.

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for. 

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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.