Rootitoot Hawaiian Chicken & PIP Rice
BBQ-and-pineapple Hawaiian chicken cooked together with pot-in-pot rice in the Instant Pot, from The Rootitoot Cookbook. Serve the chicken over the rice... and dream of the sandy beaches of Napili Bay on the island of Maui.
Ingredients
| 3-4 | boneless, skinless chicken breasts, in 1-inch pieces | |
| — | salt and pepper | |
| 1 Tbsp | 15 ml | vegetable oil |
| 3 cloves | garlic, minced | |
| 2 tsp | 10 ml | grated fresh ginger |
| 1/2-1 cup | 120–240 ml | BBQ sauce |
| 1 8 oz can | can pineapple chunks | |
| 2 Tbsp | 30 ml | cornstarch |
| 2 Tbsp | 30 ml | water |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | green onion, sliced |
| 1 1/2 cups | 360 ml | white long-grain rice, any kind (for PIP rice) |
| 1 1/2 cups | 360 ml | water or chicken broth (for rice) |
| 1 Tbsp | 15 ml | lemon juice (optional, for rice) |
| 1/4 tsp | 1.3 ml | salt (for rice) |
| 2 tsp | 10 ml | butter (for rice) |
Instructions
Season chicken chunks generously with salt and pepper. Hit Saute and when the display says Hot, add the oil and swirl it around to cover the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken and saute it for a minute or two, stirring frequently. Add garlic and ginger and continue sauteing for half a minute until fragrant.
Hit Cancel. Stir in 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce and 1/2 cup of juice from the can of pineapple. If there isn't 1/2 cup of juice from the can, add a little water to get to 1/2 cup. Thoroughly deglaze the pot: thoroughly scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pot into the liquid.
For the rice: In a small pan or oven-safe bowl, stir all ingredients together and put the container on the trivet, right on top of the chicken/pineapple mixture.
Secure the lid and make sure the valve is set to Sealing. Push the Pressure Cook (or Manual) button. Adjust time using the + and - buttons to get to 4 minutes. When it beeps that it's done, just leave it alone for 14 minutes natural release. Flip the valve from Sealing to Venting for a quick release.
Whisk together the cornstarch and water to make a smooth slurry. Open the pot, remove the rice and cover it with foil. Hit the Saute button a couple of times until it gets to the "Normal" setting (medium hot). Add the pineapple and bring to a boil.
Add most of the cornstarch slurry and boil to thicken, stirring gently and constantly. If you want it thicker, add a little more slurry. Then press Cancel. Add the scallions now if you like or save them as a garnish. You can also add up to 1/2 cup more BBQ sauce at this point.
Remove the foil from the rice and fluff it with a fork. Serve the chicken over the rice... and dream of the sandy beaches of Napili Bay on the island of Maui... like I do.