Instant Pot Hainanese-Style Chicken Rice with Ginger-Scallion Sauce

Directions

1. Season and temper the chicken

   Pat the thighs dry and season on both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and the white pepper. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes while you rinse the rice until the water is nearly clear, then drain it thoroughly. Wash hands and sanitize surfaces after handling raw chicken.

2. Brown the skin lightly

   Select Sauté on Normal on a 6-quart electric pressure cooker. Add neutral oil and place the thighs skin-side down in two batches. Cook 3 minutes, just until pale gold; transfer to a clean plate. The chicken will not be cooked through.

3. Deglaze the thin base

   Add 1 teaspoon sesame oil, garlic, ginger and the scallion whites; stir for 30 seconds. Cancel Sauté, pour in the broth and scrape the base completely smooth with a wooden spoon. No browned spot should remain.

4. Layer rice and chicken

   Stir the drained rice and 1/2 teaspoon salt into the broth just until level. Set the thighs skin-side up in one layer on top without stirring them into the rice. Keep the pot below the half-full line because rice expands, and do not double this recipe in a 6-quart cooker.

5. Pressure-cook and release

   Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes; allow 10 to 12 minutes to reach pressure. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then vent any remainder in short controlled pulses. Pause if starchy steam sputters and open only after the float valve drops.

6. Verify doneness and crisp

   Check the thickest part of several thighs, avoiding bone, for 165°F. If any is cooler, return it to the pot on Sauté Low with a splash of broth until safe. For crisper skin, transfer safe chicken to a foil-lined tray and broil 2 to 3 minutes while the rice rests.

7. Make the two sauces

   Mix scallion greens, sugar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 2 teaspoons sesame oil in a heatproof bowl; pour over the 2 tablespoons hot neutral oil. In another bowl, stir soy sauce, lime juice and honey. Keep chile-garlic sauce at the table so the shared meal stays mild.

8. Build the plates

   Fluff the rice and rest it 5 minutes. Slice the chicken from the bones if desired, then serve over rice with cucumber. Spoon on ginger-scallion sauce, drizzle with soy-lime sauce and let diners add chile-garlic sauce themselves.

Why this works

Swaps & notes

Easy swaps

• Use six boneless skinless thighs and cook for 4 minutes with the same 10-minute natural release; verify 165°F.
• Replace cucumber with quickly blanched baby bok choy for a warm vegetable side.
• For gluten-free bowls, use certified gluten-free tamari in place of soy sauce.

Cook notes

• Total time includes browning, a 10- to 12-minute pressurizing period, the 5-minute cycle, a 10-minute natural release, optional broiling and resting.
• Written for a 6-quart electric pressure cooker. Follow your model manual for minimum liquid, the half-full grain limit, locking and venting; never force the lid.
• Do not use converted or brown rice with this timing. Different rice types need different liquid and pressure times.
• The base is intentionally mild. Chile-garlic sauce belongs at the table, where each diner controls the heat.

Storage

Remove chicken from the bones, cool chicken and rice in separate shallow containers within 2 hours, and refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat both to 165°F; add 1 tablespoon water per cup of rice before covering. Freeze the chicken and rice separately for up to 2 months. Keep the fresh sauces and cucumber refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Questions