French Onion Chicken and Rice in the Pressure Cooker

Serves 4 in about 31 minutes. The pressure cooker brings tbsp soy sauce and swiss cheese together.

Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless-skinless chicken breasts or thighs*
• Salt (to season chicken)
• Pepper (to season chicken)
• Garlic powder (to season chicken)
• Onion powder (to season chicken)
• 1 ½ cups long grain white rice (rinsed very well)
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 small onion (cut in half and thinly sliced in to half rings)
• 2 garlic cloves (pressed or finely minced)
• 1 (10 oz) can condensed french onion soup
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
• 1 packet onion soup mix, dry (one envelope)
• 4-6 slices swiss cheese (or provolone)

Method

1. Season the chicken on both sides by sprinkling with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. keep it nearby.
2. Rinse the rice well, until the water mostly runs clear. Strain and add to a 7" or 6" pan. Stir in the 1/2 cups water to the rice in the pan and keep it nearby.
3. Turn the pot on Sauté mode (Normal heat). When the display reads Hot, add the oil and butter.
4. Stir in the chicken and brown it a little on both sides. Then remove it to a plate.
5. Tip in the onion to the pot and cook, while stirring now and then, until translucent.
6. Stir in garlic and cook for a few seconds, while stirring the whole time, until you start to smell it. Careful not to let it burn.
7. Tip in the condensed French onion soup, beef broth, soy sauce, and onion soup mix. Mix well, scraping any brown bits off of the bottom of the pot (deglaze).
8. Leave it to the contents heat up and just start to simmer.
9. Set the chicken back in the pot, trying not to overlap it by much. It will submerge a bit, and that's okay.
10. Tip in a tall legged trivet to the pot and set the pan of rice on it, uncovered.
11. Put the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. Turn on oven broiler to 375 degrees F.
15. Open the lid after the pin drops and remove pan of rice (careful!).
16. Move the rice to a casserole dish.
17. 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.
18. Tip in the soup mixture from the pot over the chicken and rice. Then lay the cheese slices on top in one layer.
19. 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.
20. Serve.

More instant pot ideas are in the instant pot collection.