Pressure Cooker Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Rice
This Instant Pot Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Rice is a quick and easy pressure cooker recipe that pairs a yummy coconut rice with black beans and mango.
Table of contents
I am always excited to come up with another one pot chicken and rice dish because my family never gets tired of them. Plus, kids always seem to be more willing to try new flavors when it’s tied to something fun.
This is a great recipe to pair with the movie Cool Runnings. You could also make this other One Pot Jamaican Jerk Chicken that is cooked in the oven!
Serve this up with a refreshing drink like Agua de Jamaica, otherwise known as sorrel in Jamaica, and another tropical inspired dessert No Bake Guava Cheesecakes.
Ingredients
- Jamaican Jerk spice
- Bone in chicken thighs
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Fresh ginger (optional)
- Garlic
- Black beans, drained
- Chicken stock
- Coconut milk
- Basmati rice
- Shredded coconut
- Cilantro
- Mangoes
Often you can find Jamaican Jerk seasoning in the grocery store but if you have a hard time finding it you can order online via Amazon or from The Spice House.
The Spice House is one of my favorite go to’s for spices I can’t find at my local grocery stores.
Possible substitutions
I often get questions about rice substitutions. If you do not like Basmati or cannot find it you can substitute Jasmine or plain long grain rice.
The ginger adds a little extra zing to the dish. If you don’t have fresh ginger you can use 1 teaspoon of ground ginger.
You can also use any version of chicken thighs you would like- bone in with skin on, boneless, boneless skinless.
How to make this
- Season chicken with Jamaican Jerk spice.
- Press saute mode on your pressure cooker and add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Brown chicken on each side, about 3-4 minutes a side. Remove chicken from the pot.
- Add an additional 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and add the onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes and then add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 additional minute.
- Then add the chicken stock to deglaze the pan, scraping up any burnt bits. Add the coconut milk and rice. Stir to level.
- Sprinkle half of the shredded coconut and cilantro over the rice before adding the black beans. Top with the browned chicken thighs.
- Ensure sealing ring is in place before closing the lid and turning the knob to sealing. Cook for 7 minutes on high pressure. No pressure release for 10 minutes before releasing remaining pressure.
- Serve sprinkled with remaining coconut, cilantro, and diced mangoes.
Other dinner and a movie recipes
- Instant Pot Peruvian Chicken and Rice (Emperor’s New Groove)
- One Pot Sausage Cassoulet (Beauty and the Beast)
- Bratwurst and Potatoes Casserole (Darby O’ Gill and the Little People)
- Bangers and Mash (Brave)
- BBQ Bacon Cowboy Burger (Cars)
Top Tips
Don’t skip deglazing the pan because this is how we reduce the likelihood for getting the burn warning.
If you are using a Mealthy Multipot or Instant Pot for the first time, this is a great guide on how to use an electric pressure cooker.
Top tips for cooking with kids
- Kids can help with all of the prep work like cutting up the onions, garlic, and ginger.
- If using fresh ginger, give your child a spoon and use it to “peel” the skin off by scraping it along the ginger.
- They can also add all of the ingredients to the pot and be in charge of adding all the garnishes at the end.
See here for more tips on cooking with kids!
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Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Jamaican Jerk spice
- 2 pounds chicken thighs
- 1 onion diced
- 1 Tablespoon ginger minced (optional)
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced (about 2 cloves)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk
- 2 cups rice
- 1 (16-ounce) can black beans drained
- 3/4 cups shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 mangoes diced
Instructions
- Season chicken on both sides with Jamaican Jerk spice.
- Press saute mode on your pressure cooker and add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Brown chicken on each side, about 3-4 minutes a side. Remove chicken from the pot.
- Add an additional 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and add the onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes and then add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 additional minute.
- Then add the chicken stock to deglaze the pan, scraping up any burnt bits. Add the coconut milk and rice. Stir to level.
- Sprinkle half of the shredded coconut and cilantro over the rice before adding the black beans. Top with the browned chicken thighs.
- Ensure sealing ring is in place before closing the lid and turning the knob to sealing. Cook for 7 minutes on high pressure. No pressure release for 10 minutes before releasing remaining pressure.
- Serve sprinkled with remaining coconut, cilantro, and diced mangoes.
No matter how well I deglaze the pot or even add extra stock I get the food burn notice. I like the flavor of this and have tried it many times but it just doesn’t work. I don’t understand, I’m following the recipe to the t…
I’m so sorry you are having trouble with the recipe and getting a burn notice. A lot can depend on the brand and size of the pressure cooker you have. Here are some tips that might help. I prefer to use a cooking spoon that has a flat side and scrape really well to make sure that there are absolutely no burnt bits that can set off the sensors. You can also try adding an extra 1/2 cup of liquid to the pot. Finally, I’ve heard some people have bad luck with rice in particular in the pressure cooker so once you’ve deglazed the pot add the rice and then the liquid and do not stir. Hopefully this helps and please reach back out if you are still having problems.
My family really liked this. I did get the “burn” notice on my instant pot, so I must not have deglazed my pot well enough. I’ll try it again and get a stainless steel whisk in there while deglazing to get everything up off of the bottom.
Hi Melissa, I’m so glad that your family enjoyed this. A couple tips for deglazing, use a flat utensil like a spatula to scrape up the bottom. You can also let the chicken stock or water to simmer for a minute or so and scrape. The simmering helps to soften and loosen up what’s become stuck to the pan. Good luck!
Do you drain the black beans?
I’ve done it both ways so really it’s personal preference. I tend to drain it because it turns the rice black otherwise and my kids can be picky about that.
This looks like something I’d love to make with friends or family!
How would cooking times change if using brown rice?
I would increase cooking time to 15 minutes although I have never made it with brown rice so cannot day for sure.
I went to Jamaica many years ago on my honeymoon and that was my first time eating jerk chicken. I have been hooked on the flavor ever since. This recipe is a major win and the flavors are amazing! So easy to make in the IP!
Yum!! This was such a hit with my whole family! The mango added just a pop for fresh fruit flavor!