Instant Pot French Onion Chicken and Rice is a go to weeknight meal for us. Is is a quick cooking dish that would take over an hour in the oven. The flavor is French onion, but in a hearty chicken and rice dish!
Season the chicken on both sides by sprinkling with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Set aside.
Rinse the rice well, until the water mostly runs clear. Strain and add to a 7" or 6" pan (I use one of the ekovana stackable stainless pans). Add the 1 ½ cups water to the rice in the pan and set aside.
Turn the pot on Sauté mode (Normal heat). When the display reads Hot, add the oil and butter.
Add the chicken and brown it a little on both sides. Then remove it to a plate.
Add the onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent.
Add garlic and cook for a few seconds, stirring constantly, until you start to smell it. Careful not to let it burn.
Add the condensed French onion soup, beef broth, soy sauce, and onion soup mix. Stir well, scraping any brown bits off of the bottom of the pot (deglaze).
Let the contents heat up and just start to simmer.
Place the chicken back in the pot, trying not to overlap it by much. It will submerge a bit, and that's okay.
Add a tall legged trivet to the pot and set the pan of rice on it, uncovered.
Put the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
Cancel the Sauté mode and press the Manual (or Pressure Cook) button, then the + or - button to choose 6 minutes. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
When the cook cycle ends and the machine beeps, let the pot go into a natural pressure release for 7 minutes. Then manually release any remaining pressure. Turn off the pot.
Turn on oven broiler to 375 degrees F.
Open the lid after the pin drops and remove pan of rice (careful!).
Transfer the rice to a casserole dish.
Lay chicken on top of the rice. Press the chicken down into the rice a little so it is even with the top of the rice.
Pour the soup mixture from the pot over the chicken and rice. Then lay the cheese slices on top in one layer.
Set under the broiler just long enough to melt the cheese, not to brown it. You want the cheese creamy, and you don't want to dry out the chicken.
Serve.
*Frozen boneless-skinless thighs have worked well for me at the same times. I haven't made this with frozen breasts as I want to cbrown them, and can't when they are frozen.
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Inspired by Buns In My Oven