Simple Instant Pot Chicken Paella With Chopped Pimentos
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Make this Simple Instant Pot Chicken Paella recipe! Packed with vibrant flavors and tender chicken, it’s a quick and easy meal perfect for any weeknight dinner.
Simple Instant Pot Chicken Paella with Chopped Pimentos
Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Total Time: 25 Minutes Servings: 6 Servings |
No one wants to spend a large amount of time in the kitchen cooking. I sure don’t. I developed this recipe as a Friday night meal during the fall. This is when our family is the busiest. We needed a quick, hearty meal before we were off to watch my son play high school football.
This easy-to-follow recipe simplifies the traditional process while maintaining the authentic taste and aroma that paella lovers crave.
With just a handful of ingredients and the push of a button, you can create a comforting one-pot meal. Whether you’re an experienced cook or a kitchen novice, you’ll find that this Instant Pot Chicken Paella is not only delicious but also accessible, making it a wonderful addition to your weekly dinner rotation.
Why You Will Love This Chicken Paella
Quick and Easy: Using an Instant Pot drastically reduces cooking time without sacrificing flavor or texture, making it perfect for busy weeknights. I make it most Friday nights, because it is the busiest for our family.
Flavor Explosion: This dish is a vibrant medley of flavors, combining tender chicken, aromatic spices, and the sweetness of chopped pimentos.
One-Pot Wonder: Minimal cleanup is required since everything cooks in one pot, allowing you to enjoy your meal without the hassle of multiple dishes. Again, such a big bonus on busy weekdays.
Ingredients Needed
Please note that a full list of ingredients and a printable version of this recipe are available below.
- Olive oil – Used for sautéing the chicken. This oil adds a little bit of depth to the flavoring of the chicken.
- Chicken breast – You can purchase previously cooked chicken and skip the cooking chicken part of this recipe. It will make it go by much quicker.
- Goya Yellow Rice – Don’t substitute for anything other than this yellow rice. It makes all the difference in this meal.
- Pimiento-stuffed green olives – These add such a nice flavor. My daughter, who doesn’t love green olives, loves them in this recipe.
- Smoked paprika – This spice adds a lovely, deep, rich flavor to this meal. It can’t be skipped. Regular paprika will not taste the same. It must be smoked.
- Diced pimientos (with liquid) – Adds an extra little kick to this meal, plus I love how it adds some extra coloring.
How to Make This Simple Chicken Paella Recipe
STEP ONE: Add olive oil to Instant Pot and turn Instant Pot on to Saute. Leave lid off. Add chicken breast to hot Instant Pot with oil to “brown” all sides.
STEP TWO: Carefully add water and close the Instant Pot. Turn the steam vent to close, turn on, and set to Saute for 25 minutes.
STEP THREE: When done, release steam, remove chicken, and shred. Remove water and reserve three cups to cook rice.
STEP FOUR: Next, add shredded chicken, the three cups water (you may need to add fresh water to the reserved water to get to 3 cups), Goya Yellow Rice, chopped green olives, smoked paprika, and diced pimiento (with liquid).
STEP FIVE: Then stir to incorporate all ingredients. Close the Instant Pot lid and turn on the Rice setting. When done, release the steam, stir, and serve.
More Simple Chicken Dinner Ideas
Fajita Style Easy Chicken And Rice Recipe
One Pan Chicken Cobbler Casserole
Instant Pot Chicken Paella with Pimentos Recipe

Make this Simple Instant Pot Chicken Paella recipe! Packed with vibrant flavors and tender chicken, it's a quick and easy meal perfect for any weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1.5 pounds of chicken breast
- 4 cups water
- 2 boxes of Goya Yellow Rice
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 jar diced pimiento (with liquid)
Instructions
- Add olive oil to Instant Pot and turn Instant Pot on to Saute. Leave lid off. Add chicken breast to hot Instant Pot with oil to “brown” all sides.
- Carefully add water and close the Instant Pot. Turn the steam vent to close, turn on, and set to Saute for 25 minutes.
- When done, release steam, remove chicken, and shred. Remove water and reserve three cups to cook rice.
- Next, add shredded chicken, the three cups water (you may need to add fresh water to the reserved water to get to 3 cups), Goya Yellow Rice, chopped green olives, smoked paprika, and diced pimiento (with liquid).
- Then stir to incorporate all ingredients. Close the Instant Pot lid and turn on the Rice setting. When done, release the steam, stir, and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 253Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 191mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 36g
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