Instant Pot Cauliflower Rice and Chicken

white counter with white bowl filled with cauliflower rice, shredded chicken thighs, and fresh vegetables

4.93 from 13 ratings

Instant Pot Cauliflower Rice and Chicken

Cauliflower Rice in the Instant Pot is the perfect compliment to any meal, and this Instant Pot Cauliflower Rice with chicken is the perfect healthy version of your favorite Mexican dish. I love that it's easy to make and impresses your guests!

Prep Time5

Cook Time18

Total Time23

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cauliflower Spanish Rice

Servings:

Calories: 329kcal

Author: Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Instant Pot Trivet

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
½ onion chopped
1 jalapeño chopped
1 tbsp garlic minced
2 tbsp cilantro chopped
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp paprika
4 chicken thighs
½ cup chicken broth low sodium
4 cups cauliflower florets
2 tbsp tomato paste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Turn the Instant Pot to sauté and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot sauté the onions, jalapeños, garlic, and cilantro for about 1 minutes. Add the cumin, chili powder, paprika, and mix around. 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 onion, 1 jalapeño, 1 tbsp garlic, 2 tbsp cilantro, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp paprika
Next add in the chicken and chicken broth. Lock the lid into place and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure using manual for 9 minutes. Release pressure using the quick release method. 4 chicken thighs, 1/2 cup chicken broth
Remove the lid and place a steaming basket over the chicken. Add the cauliflower florets to the steaming basket. Lock the lid into place and cook on high pressure again for 1 minute. Release the pressure using the quick release method. 4 cups cauliflower florets
Carefully remove the steaming basket full of cauliflower. Using a fork or tongs remove the chicken and set aside. There will be about 1/4 cup liquid at the bottom of the Instant Pot. Strain the liquid from the onions and jalapeños, leaving about 2 tbsp. of liquid and the onions and jalapeños in the Instant Pot.
Add the cauliflower back into the Instant Pot. Use a mash potato masher to break the cauliflower into rice like chunks. Stir in the tomato paste to give the cauliflower rice a nice orange color. 2 tbsp tomato paste
Serve the rice immediately and top it with the chicken, fresh tomatoes, limes, and more cilantro.

Video

Notes

You can use already riced cauliflower in this recipe. Add the riced cauliflower and close the lid for a few minutes instead of cooking the cauliflower rice at all. I always err on the side of undercooked (because I can cook more) than mushy cauliflower rice.
If using frozen cauliflower rice, cook it on high pressure for 0 minutes (that’s right–zero minutes). That will allow your Instant Pot to come to pressure and then you can release pressure without fear of overcooking the frozen cauliflower rice.
This is already a healthy Spanish rice dinner, but if you’d like to make this recipe even healthier, use chicken breasts instead of boneless and skinless chicken thighs.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix Spanish Rice:

Entire recipe: 3tsp, 4.5 G, 3.75R | Count per serving (recipe serves 4): .75 tsp, 1.25 green containers, .9 red container

Weight Watchers:

5 Freestyle Smart Points per serving | 5 2022/2023 Points

Keto/Low Carb:

10 grams of carbohydrates per serving, 7 net carbs per serving

2B Mindset:

This is a perfect dinner recipe, and you could use it for lunch as well if you add an FFC.

Nutrition