Instant Pot Pelau Recipe
Love Trinidad pelau but don’t feel like standing over the stove? This Instant Pot chicken pelau brings together seasoned chicken, pigeon peas, and rice in one pot, without the usual stovetop cooking time. It’s an easy way to enjoy a Caribbean favorite on a busy day.
Traditional Trinidad pelau gets its signature color and flavor from caramelizing sugar before adding the seasoned meat. For this Instant Pot version, I use browning instead, skipping the sugar-browning step while still giving the pelau its familiar rich color. It’s a simpler way to make this Caribbean favorite without standing over the stove.
It’s one of my go-to recipes when I want pelau without spending too much time in the kitchen. And if you enjoy making Caribbean dishes in your pressure cooker, check out my Pressha It ebook, filled with Caribbean favorites adapted for the Instant Pot. Grab a copy of my ebook!
What is Pelau?
Pelau is a popular one-pot rice dish in Trinidad and Tobago, made with seasoned meat, pigeon peas, rice, coconut milk, and aromatics. It’s a staple at beach limes, family gatherings, and Carnival fetes.
Traditionally, the meat is browned using caramelized sugar, which gives pelau its signature color and flavor. You can see that method in my traditional chicken pelau recipe.
Why use the instant pot for pelau
- Less hands-on cooking: No need to caramelize sugar or keep checking the pot while the rice cooks.
- Convenient: Once everything is prepared and the lid is sealed, the Instant Pot handles the pressure cooking.
- Great Caribbean flavor: You still get the seasoned chicken, pigeon peas, coconut milk, and aromatics that make pelau so good.
How to make instant pot pelau
Ingredients you’ll need
- Chicken: Seasoned with green seasoning for that familiar Caribbean flavor.
- Rice: Parboiled rice holds its shape well during pressure cooking and helps prevent mushy pelau.
- Pigeon peas: Canned pigeon peas are convenient and don’t need additional cooking before going into the pot.
- Pumpkin: Adds a little sweetness, flavor, and color to the pelau as it cooks. I use Caribbean pumpkin (calabaza).
- Aromatics: Onion, garlic, and pimento peppers add flavor.
- Seasonings: Green seasoning, black pepper, salt, and fresh thyme.
- Coconut milk: Adds richness and flavor to the rice.
- Browning: Gives the pelau its familiar dark color without caramelizing sugar.
Instructions
- Add the ingredients: Add the seasoned chicken, parboiled rice, drained pigeon peas, pumpkin, aromatics, and seasonings to the Instant Pot. Pour in the coconut milk, water or broth, and browning. Stir to combine.
- Pressure cook: Secure the lid and set the valve to sealing. Select the Rice setting and cook for 15 minutes.
- Natural release and serve: Once cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally until the float valve drops. Carefully open the lid, fluff the rice, taste and adjust the salt if needed, and serve.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your chicken pelau with:
- Coleslaw: A fresh, crunchy contrast to the seasoned rice and chicken.
- Sliced zaboca (avocado): A classic pairing with pelau.
- Homemade mauby: A refreshing Caribbean drink to enjoy alongside your meal.
Reheating and Storage Instructions
Storing leftovers
- Refrigerator: Allow the pelau to cool slightly, then transfer it to shallow, airtight containers and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Store for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze cooled pelau in freezer-safe containers or bags for up to 3 months. Divide it into portions for easier reheating.
Reheating:
- Microwave: Add a splash of water or broth, cover loosely, and heat in 1-minute intervals, stirring between intervals until heated through.
- Stovetop: Add the pelau to a saucepan with a splash of water or broth. Cover and warm over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Reheat leftovers until steaming hot throughout (165°F). Only reheat the portion you plan to eat.
More Caribbean Instant Pot recipes
If you enjoy making Caribbean food in your Instant Pot, here are two more recipes to try:
- Instant Pot saltfish and rice cook-up: A flavorful one-pot rice dish made with saltfish, coconut milk, and Caribbean seasonings.
- Instant Pot curry beef: Tender beef cooked with curry and Caribbean seasonings in the pressure cooker.
If you try this Instant Pot pelau recipe, leave a comment and star rating below! I’d love to hear how it turned out and whether you made any adjustments.
Recipe
Instant Pot Pelau Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add the seasoned chicken, pigeon peas, pumpkin, browning, salt, black pepper, coconut milk powder, water, and parboiled rice to the Instant Pot.
- Stir everything together until well combined.
- Secure the lid and set the valve to the sealing position.
- Select the Rice setting and allow the Instant Pot to cook. On my model, this runs for 15 minutes.
- Once cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally until the float valve drops.
- Carefully open the lid, fluff the rice, and taste for salt. Adjust if needed before serving.
Nutrition
Notes
Recipe Printed From ThisBagoGirl.com
I have eaten this at a friend's house and want to try making it, can you tell me what browning is
Hi, it's a sauce blend that we use. Caramelized sugar and spices. You can find it pre made in the supermarket. I prefer Grace brand of browning.
It's so terrific finding such an EASY instant pot pelau recipe. I am intimidated by pelau no more! Great results. Thanks HomeMadeZagat! Boss cook!
Thank you!!! It does make it easier right? Appreciate you!!
Hi, I have a different instant pot. Mine is the 8 quart Duo Crisp. How many minutes is the rice function on your machine? I tried this recipe and I wasn't successful but I think it may help if I set the cook time manually. I also ran into a burn issue with the coconut milk powder. I will give it a try again. Thank you for sharing.
My rice gives 10 minutes. So it builds the pressure, the pressure cooks for the 10 mins, then it releases. And u mixed everything up good before setting the pressure? The milk shouldn't burn. Let me know how it goes.
My rice gives 10 minutes. So it builds the pressure, the pressure cooks for the 10 mins, then it releases. And u mixed everything up good before setting the pressure? The milk shouldn't burn. Let me know how it goes.
Can I use regular coconut milk instead of the powder? If so, how much of the liquid milk do I use?
Yes you can. About a 1/4 cup. And you can lessen the water amount by the 1/4 cup for the milk.
Hi, I tried this recipe in April and it didn't work very well, but I was able to fix it with your suggestions. It came out just right the second time. It was wonderful. Thank you for sharing and being kind.
Thank you so much for letting me know it worked out for you. Appreciate it!!
Any suggestions for getting nice crumbly rice? Mine came out sticky for some reason. Also I suspect we need to fry the chicken first? Mine came out a little pale. So did the rice actually. Could it be the browning?
What type of rice did you use? I only cook with parboiled rice cause it's stands up to "pressure" a little better than the others. No everything is a dump and go. So yes definitely the browning. You can adjust the amount based on the color you see to get it as dark as you like.
I come back to this recipe time and time again. It’s sooo easy. I’d prefer the rice to come out more al dente than it does buttt again… love that I can make a quick Trini pot. Will definitely look at your other recipes hoping to find more Instant Trinbago dishes. Like a soup or even a curry potato and channa
This was so east to make. Fastest pelau ever made. Tastes great. Thank you for the recipe!
Hello. Trying this recipe for the first time. How long do I let the chicken saute before adding the rest of the ingredients?