Instant Pot Low FODMAP Arroz Con Pollo

Since Bruce now has to eat a low FODMAP diet, I am looking at recipes in a new way. The original recipe came from “The Essential Mexican Instant Pot Cookbook” by Deborah Schneider. I’ve modified it to be low FODMAP and was very pleased with the results. Bruce was delighted with the results as well.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of Low FODMAP chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads (optional)
• 2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bites sized pieces. (I used boneless, skinless chicken breast, which don’t reheat well.)
• 3 teaspoons of kosher salt (Diamond Krystal)
• 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of a light oil (vegetable oil, canola oil, etc)
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 4 fire roasted chilies, Anaheim or Hatch, seeded and diced
• 14 1/2 ounce can of diced tomatoes drained or 2 Roma tomatoes, cored and diced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of Chipotle powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups of long-grain white rice, rinsed until water runs clear and drained
• Enough chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish (optional)

Tools:

Instant pot, fine mesh strainer, knife, cutting board, small saucepan, plate, wooden spoon

Instructions

1. If using the saffron:
   1. Over medium-high heat, bring 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to a simmer in the small sauce pan.
   2. Remove the sauce pan from heat, add the saffron threads to the hot chicken broth and let them steep for 30 minutes.
2. Season the chicken pieces on all sides with 1 teaspoon of the salt, the black pepper, and red pepper flakes
3. Press Saute – High on the Instant Pot and add the oil to the Instant Pot to heat.
4. Once the oil starts to shimmer, working in batches, add the chicken in a single layer and cook until browned on 2 sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
5. Add fire roasted chilies with onion and garlic powder to the pot. Stir the peppers in the pot.
6. Add the tomatoes, cumin, chipotle powder, bay leaf, and the remaining 2 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes. (If using fresh tomatoes, they will have softened.)
7. Stir all the chicken broth (if using saffron, add the saffron infused chicken broth, plus the left over chicken broth.) Scrap up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot and let come to a boil.
8. Press Cancel on the Instant Pot.
9. Gently stir the rice in to the Instant Pot with a wooden spoon until it is in an even layer in the pot.
10. Arrange the the chicken in an even layer over the rice and pour in any juices from the chicken into the Instant Pot.
11. Secure the Instant Pot lid and the Pressure Release to Sealing. Press Meat/Stew, then set the cooking time to 20 minutes. (At high altitude, the time should be set to 25 minutes.)
12. After the cooking program completes, press Cancel and let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release. Important: if you forget to press Cancel, it will leave the heat on and the rice on the bottom can scorch, just ask me how I know.
13. Open the pot and remove the lid. Let cool for 10 minutes, allowing the steam to escape so the rice can firm up.
14. Serve on a platter or in a large bowl and (optional) garnish with the chopped cilantro or parsley.

Notes:

This is what I would consider medium spicy and if you don’t want spice, replace the chipotle powder with smoked paprika and use Anaheim or even 1 roasted bell pepper.

I forgot to take pictures, but this stock picture looks very close to how the dish came out.