Instant Pot Tex Mex Chicken and Brown Rice Stew

$chicken stew in a black bowl$

4.20 from 5 votes

Instant Pot Tex Mex Chicken and Brown Rice Stew

Easy, fast, and healthy too - Instant Pot Tex Mex Chicken and Brown Rice Stew is a perfect cozy meal for weeknights that can be made in under 30 minutes. Add your favorite toppings - cilantro, avocados, sour cream, and tortilla chips for crunch.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Soups/Stews

Cuisine: Tex Mex

Keyword: chicken dinner, easy dinner, easy soup, easy, weeknight-friendly, gluten free, instant pot, instant pot soup, tex mex

Servings:

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Cost: $10.00

Equipment

6-quart Instant Pot / pressure cooker
Knife
Cutting Board

Ingredients

6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs (about 1 1/2 lbs)
3 Tablespoons Cooking Oil, divided
1 cup Diced Onion (any type)
2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Chili Powder (do not use Cayenne pepper)
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 14-ounce can Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes
1 cup Brown Rice
5 cups Chicken Stock
2 teaspoons Lime Juice
Cilantro, Avocados, Sour Cream, Tortilla Chips (or tortilla strips), Lime Wedges (for serving)

Instructions

Season chicken thighs lightly on both sides with some salt and black pepper (not in ingredients list).
Turn on the pressure cooker’s sauté function to normal / medium.
Add 2 Tablespoons of cooking oil. When oil is hot, add chicken thighs and sear in batches on both sides just until golden brown, about 10 minutes total. Set chicken aside.
To the heated pot, add 1 Tablespoon cooking oil and then onions. Saute for 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
Stir in ground cumin, salt, chili powder, and garlic powder.
Turn off the sauté function and pour in diced tomatoes (including liquid). Stir everything well.
Add rice, chicken stock, and chicken.
Close and lock the lid. Set steam valve to Sealing. Cook on manual / high pressure for 15 minutes.
Let pressure naturally release for 5 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure.
When all pressure has released, open the lid. Shred or chop chicken and stir it back into the soup with lime juice.
Taste and season with some more salt, if needed.
Divide soup between bowls and serve with any toppings you'd like. Enjoy!

Notes

When this dish comes out of the Instant Pot it is the texture of chunky soup. As the dish sits, the rice will absorb liquid and thicken so that the leftovers become a very thick stew. Leftovers have almost the same thick creamy texture as Italian risotto. It’s great either way. If you want a more liquid-y soup, feel free to increase the stock by a cup.

Nutrition