Ninja Foodi Chicken & Rice. Delicious Mediterranean style chicken and rice cooked together in the Ninja Foodi. Using brown rice and chicken thighs, you will love the simplicity of this pressure cooker chicken thighs and rice recipe.
You get the best of both worlds with this chicken and rice recipe. The bone in, skin on chicken thighs is crispy thanks to the Ninja air fryer and moist thanks to the Ninja pressure cooker.
Ninja Foodi Chicken Thighs & Rice
I am proud to have lived in Portugal for 12 years (almost 13) and what I will miss, is the amazing chicken and rice dishes.
The way that they cook fluffy rice and crispy chicken thighs together and serve them with simple Mediterranean flavours.
One café that we ate out a lot was in our nearest town. It was across the road from the river with amazing views to the local park.
They charge 9€ for the meal of the day. It includes bread and olives, a main meal and a dessert and a drink.
Talk about amazing value for money and you were always excited over what the meal of the day was going to be.
One day, just after Sofia was born, we went for lunch and the meal of the day was the most delicious lemon chicken. The chicken was slow cooked, and it was served with fluffy Mediterranean rice and salad.
From 10 years eating out at the café, that was our favourite ever lunch and the one we still talk about all these years later.
I am often recreating what I have eaten in a café or a restaurant and then making it at home with my kitchen gadgets.
This Ninja Foodi chicken thighs and rice is based upon the Mediterranean perfect pairing of chicken and rice and so easy to recreate at home.
If you love the idea of Ninja Foodi rice and chicken, then this is the recipe for you.
Can You Cook Chicken & Rice Together In The Pressure Cooker?
Yes, you can. Its like when you bake chicken and rice in the oven and the chicken sits on the rice and adds flavour to the rice.
It is also fantastic for saving on washing up and having a lazy family dinner with only a few simple ingredients.
Ninja Foodi Chicken Breast & Rice
There are so many ways to cook pressure cooker chicken and rice. Don’t think you have to use chicken thighs because you don’t. Chicken breast and rice using your Ninja Foodi is just as delightful.
Just make sure if you are using chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs that they are medium to large chicken breasts, otherwise your cook times will be off.
You can also use chicken legs instead, or turkey drumsticks.
Frozen Chicken & Rice Ninja Foodi
Or another great option is to use frozen chicken in your Ninja Foodi. Because meat cooked from frozen only needs slightly longer, I recommend you use slightly smaller meat.
As we are using medium to large chicken thighs, opt for frozen small to medium chicken thighs or use boneless thighs.
Ninja Foodi Chicken & Brown Rice
In this chicken and rice ninja foodi recipe we are using brown rice. Not only is it healthier than white rice, but it has a longer cook time.
This helps get the cook times spot on and ensures that the rice is not overcooked.
Ninja Chicken & Rice Ingredients
Rice – Quality brown rice makes such a big difference to this recipe. I recommend this brown rice, which you can buy in bulk and is one we love. Plus, because it’s a good size bag it will do several batches of chicken and rice.
Chicken – We used medium to large sized skin on, bone in, chicken thighs. Because it is a longer cooking chicken, it is ideal for being ready at the same time as the rice. You will also love the way the chicken sinks into the rice as it cooks making your rice more flavoursome.
Stock – You can use any water or stock when cooking chicken and rice. But I recommend for the Mediterranean flavours to start with chicken stock and then add extras to the liquid. Then you are combing stock and seasoning and it will give your rice the wow factor.
Seasoning – I also recommend seasoning your chicken thighs with Mediterranean flavours and then air frying them for a little first. This will ensure your chicken is flavoursome and never boring.
Or if you don’t want to go Mediterranean you can swap the seasoning for cajun and make cajun ninja chicken and rice.
Then for the kitchen gadgets that we have used in this Ninja Foodi recipe, it has just been our Ninja Foodi. We have this one and its wonderful for going from the pressure cooker to the air fryer at the flick of a switch like we have done in this chicken and rice recipe.
How To Cook Chicken & Rice In Ninja Foodi?
- Remove the packaging. Get the chicken thighs out of the packaging and load into the air fryer basket and then load your air fryer basket into the Ninja Foodi.
- Add in the flavours. This is when I add in the extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with Mediterranean seasonings. After a quick air fry to make the chicken thighs skin crispy it is time to pressure cook.
- Pressure cook. Add your stock and brown rice into the main cooking pot and place the partly cooked chicken thighs on top of the rice. You want to make sure all the rice is in the liquid as this will make sure the rice cooks properly.
- Release. After the pressure cooker has beeped and you have done a partial natural pressure release, its time to check on your chicken and rice. Put the chicken to one side, fluff up the rice and then serve. Or to make the chicken and rice taste even better, stir in a couple of teaspoons of butter as you fluff up the rice.
How Long To Cook Chicken & Rice In Ninja Foodi?
The Ninja Foodi chicken and rice cooking time is JUST 21 minutes.
It is a 5 minute air fry first. This is to add some flavour to the chicken thighs and to get your chicken thighs a little crispy.
Then we move to the pressure cooker and cook for 16 minutes, followed by a 5 minute natural pressure release.
Making this a lazy man chicken and rice dish thanks to how quick everything cooks and thanks to everything happening in one cooking pot.
What To Serve With Chicken & Rice?
As this is a lazy man chicken and rice recipe, it really doesn’t need any extras. It is simply perfect the way it is.
But if I was feeding more people and wanted to stretch out this Ninja Foodi chicken and rice then I would be adding our air fryer garlic bread and our air fryer cherry tomato salad.
More Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes
- Instant Pot Frozen Chicken & Potatoes
- Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Wings
- Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Drumsticks
- Instant Pot Mexican Chicken Casserole
Ninja Foodi Chicken & Rice
Ingredients
Kitchen Gadgets:
Ninja Foodi Chicken & Rice Ingredients:
- 4 Chicken Thighs
- 240 ml Brown Rice
- 300 ml Chicken Stock
- 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tsp Basil
- 1 Tsp Mixed Herbs
- 1 Tbsp Thyme
- 1 Tbsp Parsley
- 1 Tbsp Oregano
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Remove the packaging from your chicken thighs and place them into your air fryer basket. Place the air fryer basket into the Ninja cooking pot and rub extra virgin olive oil into the chicken skin and sprinkle with salt, pepper, basil, and mixed herbs.
- Air fry for 5 minutes at 200c/400f.
- Remove the air fryer basket and add stock, seasoning and rice into the cooking pot. Stir and make sure no rice is out of the liquid. Place the chicken thighs over the rice and stock and place the lid on your pressure cooker.
- Pressure cook for 16 minutes, followed by a 5 minute natural pressure release.
- After the cook time is up and you have released pressure the chicken will have sunk into the rice.
- Remove the chicken, fluff up the rice and then serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Can’t make it now? Then pin it for later!
I invested in a Ninja Foodi a year ago and this has been one of my go to mid week recipes. Never tasted rice so good, even white rice!
5 minutes isn’t enough time to crisp the chicken
You refer to ML of rice. I changed that go grams, but not sure if that’s right.
For anyone not watching the video above. By “mixed herbs and basil” she means all of the other herbs too
Can I put Campbell chicken soup in this dish
Hi Meraline,
Yes that would be fine 😊
Ninja foodi chicken and rice, a classic meal and wanted to try it in a gadget,but too scared, until i came across your blog and you explain things just like i need them to be explained, not everybody is good at learning new things are their. Many thanks.
Love the way you cook things and explain exactly what you are doing.
Thank you for the recipe this was super tasty and the whole family loved it, i am getting more confidence with the Ninja Foodi, it took me a few weeks to actually turn it on, thanks to you i am getting more creative.