Why this fits a family on a budget
Chicken thighs, canned tomatoes, and bulk rice are among the most affordable grocery staples available, bringing this hearty four-serving meal in at roughly $2.17 per serving. The Instant Pot does all the heavy lifting and gets dinner on the table in 20 minutes with virtually no hands-on cooking skill required.
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1.5 cup long-grain white rice
• 14.5 oz chicken broth (low sodium)
• 10 oz canned diced tomatoes with green chiles (like Rotel)
• 0.5 cup frozen green peas
• 0.5 whole yellow onion
• 3 whole garlic cloves
• 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin
• 0.5 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 0.25 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 0.75 cup water
1. Dice the half onion into small pieces. Mince the 3 garlic cloves (or press through a garlic press). Cut the chicken thighs into 1-inch bite-sized chunks and season them all over with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and turmeric.
2. Set the Instant Pot to 'Sauté' mode and let it heat for 2 minutes until the display reads 'Hot.' Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil.
3. Add the diced onion to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, for 2–3 minutes until the onion looks translucent and softened. Add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant (it will smell noticeably toasty).
4. Add the seasoned chicken chunks to the pot and stir to coat them with the onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring once, just until the outside of the chicken turns from pink to white — it does not need to be fully cooked yet.
5. Pour in the chicken broth, the can of diced tomatoes with green chiles (do not drain), and the 0.75 cup of water. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot — this step is important to prevent a burn warning.
6. Add the rice and stir once so it's mostly submerged in liquid. Press 'Cancel' to stop Sauté mode.
7. Secure the Instant Pot lid and set the valve to 'Sealing.' Select 'Pressure Cook' (or 'Manual') on High Pressure and set the timer to 5 minutes. It will take about 5–7 minutes to build pressure before counting down.
8. When the timer beeps, carefully do a Quick Release by turning the valve to 'Venting' — stand back as steam will rush out. Wait until the float pin drops fully before opening the lid.
9. Open the lid and stir in the frozen green peas immediately — the residual heat will warm them through in about 1 minute. Taste the rice and chicken and adjust salt if needed. Serve directly from the pot.
Cost is a national-average estimate and varies by store and region.
This recipe was generated by Plento Pasto's AI from a library of family-friendly dishes and reviewed for a real photo before publishing. Cooking times, costs, and nutrition are estimates — use your judgment in the kitchen.