Pressure Cooker Pineapple BBQ Chicken & Rice is a healthy recipe full of vegetables and lean chicken breasts, made in your Instant Pot for an easy 30 minute dinner idea!
Pressure Cooker Pineapple BBQ Chicken & Rice
I took a slight hiatus from my Instant Pot recently and tucked it away in the closet. That lasted about a month and I was itching for some easy and comforting meals so I whipped it back out for some goodness. First on the list was making one of my favorite recipes that is so easy, Pressure Cooker Light & Spicy Shells. It is full of spicy goodness and so comforting this time of year. Next up was trying some new recipes in the Instant Pot. This Pressure Cooker Pineapple BBQ Chicken & Rice is something I tried out a year or two ago but never took the time to perfect the recipe. It was time to nail it down because the flavors are SO good!
Healthy Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipe
Pressure Cooker Pineapple BBQ Chicken & Rice combines frozen vegetables and rice with an Asian BBQ sauce and is topped with lean chicken breasts and pineapple. The combination of flavors is delicious and it squeezes in some vegetables and fruit for a well-rounded dinner perfect for any weeknight.
This healthy meal is also great for meal prep and tastes great the next day after being refrigerated. If you are looking to change up your healthy chicken meal prep, this Pineapple BBQ Chicken is just the thing to try!
How to Make Pressure Cooker Chicken & Rice
Not only does this meal have great flavors that combine sweet and savory, it is incredibly easy to make, which is always a win in my book! To get started, add a teaspoon of olive oil to your Instant Pot and turn on saute (high setting). When the oil is hot, add the seasoned chicken breasts to the pot and sear on each side so they are a nice golden color.
Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and add the pineapple juice to the hot pot. Using your spatula, scrape away the bits from the bottom of the pan. This helps to prevent and burning during the pressure cooking. Add the BBQ sauce and rice to the pineapple juice and give a quick stir.
Top the the pineapple BBQ rice with the frozen vegetables and the partially cooked chicken breasts. It is important that you use frozen vegetables so they don’t overcook and become complete mush. You could use just about any vegetable blend, but I prefer the Japanese Style or Stir Fry frozen vegetables. Both of them have a good mix of peppers and onions along with some other vegetables.
Place the lid on your Instant Pot and turn the knob to seal. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes and then allow the pressure to naturally release for an additional 8 minutes after the cooking time is up. At this point you will want to release any additional pressure by carefully turning the knob to vent.
When the pin has dropped and the pressure is all release, open the lid to your complete dinner in one pot! Slice or chop up the chicken and stir in the pineapple tidbits to the rice mixture. Serve the chicken over the rice or mixed in, either way this Pressure Cooker Pineapple BBQ Chicken & Rice is a complete healthy meal perfect for any weeknight!
Pressure Cooker Pineapple BBQ Chicken & Rice
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breasts
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. salt & pepper
- 1/3 c. Asian BBQ sauce I like Guy Fieri Pacific Rim Barbeque & Wok Sauce
- 2 1/2 c. frozen vegetables Japanese Style or Stir Fry
- 1/2 c. Basmati rice uncooked
- 1 8 oz. can pineapple tidbits 1/3 c. juice reserved
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the pot and turn to saute on high. When the oil is hot, saute chicken on each side for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
- Add the 1/3 c. pineapple juice to the hot pan and use your spatula to scrape the chicken bits off the bottom of the pot. Stir in the BBQ sauce and rice.
- Top the rice with the frozen vegetables and chicken breasts. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the knob to seal. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
- When the cooking time is complete, allow the pressure to naturally release for 8 minutes. Turn the knob to vent to allow the remaining pressure to release. Place the chicken breasts on the cutting board and add the pineapple tidbits to the rice and stir everything together.
- Serve the chicken sliced over the rice or roughly chop the chicken and stir it into the rice before serving.
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I’m always looking for main dish healthy options and this looks terrific. Love that it’s made in the IP for a shortcut!
Ooooo trying this for dinner tonight. Love all the flavors!
While I really enjoyed the flavor of this dish, the veggies came out mushy. I have learned that there are some things best not cooked in the instant pot- stir fry veggies being one of them. I would make this again but with only the rice and chicken in the IP, and cook the veggies separately. Lesson Learned.
I need to get better acquainted with my IP so I’m putting this one on the menu!!
OH man, I am totally going to have to try this! I have never had Asian barbecue sauce before, but I love Asian food, so I’m going to have to get some! My family would go nuts over this!