Instant Pot Mediterranean Chicken–bites of chicken, rice, artichokes and capers seasoned with lemon. A delicious dinner with minimal effort.
Instant Pot Mediterranean Chicken
This chicken and rice dish is so yummy! Greg said, “I’m not trying to be a prisoner of the moment but this is a top 5 dish of all time!” He really really loved it! I love the addition of artichoke hearts and capers. They add so much flavor. You’re going to love this easy Instant Pot chicken and rice dish. Try it out for dinner this week!
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts–cut into cubes
- Smoked paprika
- Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Chicken broth–or use 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon of Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
- Lemon juice–I like using fresh lemon juice but bottled will also work
- Long grain white rice–you can also use jasmine or converted rice
- Artichoke hearts–mine were packed in water
- Capers–add a salty, lemony flavor. You can substitute with chopped green olives.
- Shredded parmesan–or you can use feta
- Parsley and lemon slices–for garnish
Instructions
- Sauté onion and garlic: Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting (MORE setting). When displays says HOT add in the oil and the onions. Sauté for 4 minutes and then add in the garlic and sauté for 30 more seconds. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Coat the chicken: Add in the chicken cubes, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir so that the chicken is coated in the onions and seasonings.
- Deglaze pot: Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking (this will help prevent the burn message). Pour in the lemon juice.
- Sprinkle in the rice evenly, don’t stir.
- Pressure cook: 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 10 minutes. Move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir in the artichokes, capers and parmesan.
- Serve: Scoop onto serving dishes and garnish with parsley and lemon slices.
Tips/Suggestions
- If you’d like to use brown rice instead of white rice I would throw the chicken into the pot in whole pieces instead of cutting them up into cubes. Then cook for 20 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release. You could also use bone-in chicken thighs or drums with the brown rice. I would use the same amount of liquid listed in the recipe card for brown rice.
- Capers are green, pea-sized balls that are actually pickled flower buds. Before they start to blossom, the buds are picked and soaked in brine or packed in salt. They add a lot of flavor to the dish. But if you’re not a caper fan you can totally leave them out.
- Look for capers in the condiment aisle next to the pickles, olives, and sauces. Some grocery stores will also stock capers next to the pasta sauces.
- Look for artichokes in the canned vegetable aisle or the frozen produce aisle. If you end up using frozen artichokes thaw before stirring them in.
- I used a 6 quart Instant Pot but you can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- You can double this recipe. Double all ingredients and keep the same cooking time.
- This recipe is gluten-free, just check chicken broth label to make sure it’s gluten-free.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Recipes You’ll Love…
Instant Pot Smothered Greek Chicken And Rice
Instant Pot Greek Chicken And Potatoes
Instant Pot Greek Lemon Dill Chicken Bowls
Instant Pot Greek Chicken Lemon Rice Soup
Instant Pot Greek Chicken Rice Bowls
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Instant Pot Mediterranean Chicken
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
Bites of chicken, rice, artichokes and capers seasoned with lemon. A delicious dinner with minimal effort.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into cubes
- 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 (9.9 oz) jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 2–3 Tbsp capers
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan or feta cheese
- Parsley and lemon slices for garnish
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When displays says HOT add in the oil and the onions. Saute for 4 minutes and then add in the garlic and saute for 30 more seconds. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Add in the chicken cubes, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir so that the chicken is coated in the onions and seasonings.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Pour in the lemon juice.
- Sprinkle in the rice evenly, don’t stir.
- 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 10 minutes. Move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir in the artichokes, capers and parmesan.
- Scoop onto serving dishes and garnish with parsley and lemon slices.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
*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.
This recipe is very tasty (I love artichoke hearts and capers!) I made this with breasts, but next time I will use thighs 🙂
★★★★★
Another delicious, easy recipe! Next time I need to double it….it went fast!
★★★★★
Thanks Colleen! I appreciate the 5 star review 🙂
I found the recipe easy enough but it was lacking something! I even added spinach for color but it needed a boost for flavor! Also the rice was a bit undercooked!
sorry to hear it! I wonder if you add in lemon zest?
Another great recipe!!
My husband loved
Will definitely be making this again
★★★★★
Thanks for the 5 stars Donna!
My husband and I make this regularly. – it’s so easy and delicious. It always comes out just right. The recipe is similar to another we make with Kalamata olives, so sometimes we still use this recipe and just add some olives. It’s a really adaptable dish. PS: A useful tip is to rinse the rice prior to cooking. It keeps the rice from being gummy or potentially causing a burn error. Thanks Karen.
★★★★★
Good tip! Thanks!
Hmm…do you think it would be okay to use the marinated artichokes? That’s all I have on hand and I’m so excited about making this recipe tonight. Thanks!
For sure!
We tried this tonight. I have a Ninja Foodi and used a 14.5 oz. can of chicken broth and increased the time to 5 minutes and it came out great. No crunchy rice. 😊
★★★★★
Wahoo!!!
What would the time adjustments be if using brown Basmati rice? I can never get it right in the instant pot.
It will be the same as long grain brown rice so 22 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release. 1 cup rice to 1.25 cups water/broth.
Glorious recipe! I used white wine in place of lemon juice, chicken thighs for more fat, 2 full heads garlic, basmati white rice, doubled the recipe, pressed rice down a little in the liquid, set for 6 minutes high pressure, NPR for 15 minutes while I did other things. Rice was cooked perfectly. Similar timing and cooking strategy (chicken on bottom, rice on top without stirring, as my chicken biryani). Flavor profile is perfection. Definitely making again. Thank you ma’am!
★★★★★
You’re welcome! So glad you loved it Kirsten!
As written, even if you increase the cooking time you will get a bunch of uncooked rice on the top of your dish.
The flavors are fine, but the instructions need an overhaul!
★★★
Another fantastic recipe which I am adding to my “Karen” collection. The flavors of capers and artichokes gave this dish a true Mediterranean nuance. The 3 minutes timing and resting were enough, but perhaps my rice did have a bit of borderline chew…I will add another minute or two of cooking, next time. And “next time” will be within the week, as this dish is that special. While we love rich and saucy foods in this household, it was a revelation to have such flavor and satisfaction from a lighter meal.
★★★★★
Yay yay yay!!!! So glad you liked it. We loved this one!
Love this recipe. Delicious flavor but my rice was a little crunchy and I followed the recipe. Any suggestions?
★★★★
I would add a couple minutes of cooking time and maybe an extra quarter cup of liquid
This recipe looks amazing but I simply cannot do onions. I have tried. So can I used dried minced onions instead along with minced garlic from the jar? If so, can I just mix all that in with the spices and chicken before I set the pot to cook?
Will this same process work for all the recipes that call for sautéing onion prior to cooking the meat? Can I just add in the minced onion with the spices?
I’ve done this before with great results when out of fresh onion and garlic.
YES you can totally do that!
Can you use cauliflower rice? If so, how?
I would just do it on the stove if you are using cauliflower rice. Saute onions, cook the chicken, leave out the broth, heat the cauliflower through, add in rest of ingredients.
This looks amazing but I dont have an instant pot. How could I make this in my slow cooker?
I have had mixed results with rice in the crockpot. I would think the stove would be a better bet!
Karen, sorry, I’m probably asking a dufus question 😉 Are the artichokes in the recipe the basic ‘hearts of artichoke’ I see in cans at the store, or marinated artichokes? Figured I’d clarify, since the latter type are all I’ve seen in jars.
I am not Karen, but I think she meant artichokes hearts in the cans, not marinated or she of said that. I am going to try this real soon. Surprisingly I have everything that this recipe requires.
Yes you are correct. They are the hearts of artichoke.