Instant Pot Country Captain Chicken

Instant Pot Country Captain Chicken–chicken thighs braised in a tomato sauce with aromatic spices such as curry powder, nutmeg, and pepper.

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Instant Pot Country Captain Chicken

I’ve adapted this recipe from Southern Living. The original author wrote, “This dish is a regional classic that many natives either grew up eating all the time or have never heard of before…It originated in the Lowcountry, that sunny area around Charleston and Savannah…Country Captain Chicken has been a staple of Junior League cookbooks in the Southeast since at least the 1950s and is found in various forms in cookbooks from as far back as the 19th century.” I, of course, have taken the original recipe and simplified it down a lot, made it healthier and made it in the Instant Pot in a fraction of the time. I think you’ll love this unique dish with fun flavors! My kids loved this chicken and said it was “so tender!”

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Butter–or olive oil
• Onion–or shallot
• Boneless skinless chicken thighs–frozen or fresh
• Smoked paprika
• Cayenne
• Kosher salt
• Curry powder
• Black pepper
• Nutmeg
• Dried parsley
• Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
• Diced tomatoes
• Cornstarch
• Raisins
• Slivered almonds

Steps

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

Add in the chicken. Sprinkle with chicken with paprika, cayenne, salt, curry, pepper, nutmeg and parsley. Stir to coat the chicken in the seasonings. 

Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. 

Dump diced tomatoes on top.

Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.

In a small bowl, stir cornstarch together with a quarter cup of the hot liquid from the pot until mixture is smooth. Then turn Instant Pot to saute setting and stir the cornstarch into the pot until sauce thickens. Turn off Instant Pot.

Break the chicken up with a spoon. Stir in the raisins and almonds. 

Serve chicken and sauce over rice. 

Notes/Tips

• Serve the chicken and sauce over hot cooked rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
• Don’t love raisins? Try using craisins instead.
• I love shopping at Winco in the bulk section for items I only need a small amount of. For example, I bought slivered almonds, curry powder and raisins all in the bulk section.
• I love buying the big bags of frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs at Costco for recipes like this one. You’ll use the 12 minute pressure cook time for fresh or frozen chicken. When using frozen chicken the pot will take a little more time to come to pressure.
• You can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe (same 12 minute cooking time). The meat won’t be as moist and tender but it will still be tasty. If you want you can use chicken tenderloins for this recipe. Use about 1.5 pounds and pressure cook for 3 minutes (5-10 minute natural pressure release).
• For pot in pot rice: If you want to make rice at the same time then position a tall trivet* into the pot. Add water and rice to a pot-in-pot pan*, cover with a lid or foil and place it on top of the trivet. I used 1 cup of white rice to a 1.5 cup of liquid ratio.
• I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Have some extra raisins? Make these chocolate oatmeal cookies.
• Another recipe to make with curry powder is Queen Elizabeth Chicken.

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More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes…

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.