How To Cook Chicken And Rice In An Instant Pot:
We used a 6 Quart Instant Pot to make chicken and rice. This recipe moves fast so have all of your ingredients prepped and ready before you turn on your instant pot. Chop your onion, grate or your carrots , half your garlic head.
How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
What is the best rice for fried rice?
For classic fried rice, use white rice. Be sure to rinse the rice well before adding it to the Instant Pot.
What cut of chicken should I use?
I like to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into small pieces. Try to make sure the pieces are about the same size so the chicken cooks evenly.
Can I use fresh instead of frozen vegetables?
Yes! Instead of frozen vegetables, use ½ cup of fresh peas and ½ cup of finely chopped carrots. Adjust the cook time as needed the carrots may take an extra 1-2 minutes to soften.
Why This Recipe Is So Good
- Thick and creamy with melty Parmesan, a tang of lemon juice, and perfectly cooked chicken and rice, this recipe is the ultimate comfort food.
- This chicken and rice is so rich and delicious, but so easy to make! With just a few steps in the Instant Pot, this is the perfect easy but filling meal. Its absolutely one of my favorite Instant Pot chicken recipes!
- This recipe only takes a handful of ingredients that you may already have in your house! We love how simple the ingredients are but how amazingly rich and cheesy this chicken and rice is.
Also Check: How To Cook Jasmine Rice In An Instant Pot
Ingredient Variations For Rice Cooker Chicken
Here is a list of ingredients that you can choose from next time you want to make rice cooker chicken that you will love.
White Rice rice is a staple ingredient in rice cooker chicken and can be used with pretty much any other ingredient that you choose.
Green Onions this is a natural way to add flavor and sweetness.
Chicken Breasts main protein source for choosing high-quality chicken breasts for best results.
Chicken Thighs this chicken meat is a flavorsome dark meat. When cut into smaller pieces releases juicy flavors you will not get from raw chicken breasts.
Chicken Stock or Bouillion Cube adds additional flavor.
Chinese Sausages if you are looking for a slightly spicier dish, Chinese sausages turn your dish into a rice cooker meal.
Shiitake Mushrooms are hearty mushrooms that add a rich, umami flavor.
Garlic is a great way to add delicious flavor, depth, and of course aroma.
Sesame Oil adds a nutty aroma and depth to Asian-inspired dishes.
Chinese Rice Wine has a subtle, sweet flavor.
Oyster Sauce adds additional flavor and sweetness to rice cooker chicken dishes.
Chili Powder is a rice cooker chicken favorite, especially if you enjoy spicy dishes.
Green Beans add some variety, green goodness, and crunch.
Black Pepper adds to the savory flavors.
Soy Sauce or Teriyaki Sauce adds an umami flavor that brings all the flavors of your rice cooker chicken together.
How We Made This Recipe Better
To our readers whove had issues with this recipe: We apologize and we hear you! After learning about some of the recipes difficulties, we headed back into the kitchen to ensure it would be successful for everyone. After retesting weve identified scorched to be the issue.
When added to the bottom of the pot, the rice browns too quickly, signaling to the pressure cooker theres stuck-on food. The degree to which this happens differs from machine to machine. We didnt get a BURN error, but did experience significant scorching. After a few more rounds of testing weve come up with this solution: Layer the dry rice on top of the chicken-salsa mixture before adding the lid and setting the pressure cooker to HIGH pressure. This keeps the rice from burning and helps it cook to its fluffy, tender best.
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Storage Leftovers And Freezing
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator. They should be good for up to 4 days. This recipe reheats just fine in the microwave.
To freeze, allow to fully cool and put in a freezer safe container. It should be safe your freezer for up to 4 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Faq For Chicken And Rice In Instant Pot
Can you cook rice and meat at the same time in Instant Pot?
Yes, you can cook both rice and meat at the same time the Instant Pot. The key to getting this to turn out perfectly is making sure they cook at similar lengths of time. If they dont, you will end of with mushy rice or over cooked meat.Sometimes it is necessary to precook one of the ingredients for a few minutes to avoid this happening.
What happens if you put raw chicken in the Instant Pot?
You can put any type of raw chicken in your Instant Pot and cook it. Usually, you place the chicken on the trivet, add water and cook the chicken.
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Instant Pot Chicken And Rice Ingredients
- CHICKEN BREAST 1 lb of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast or Chicken Tenders. If youd like, you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs as well.
- OLIVE OIL You will be using the saute function of the Instant Pot to saute the chicken in oil. We like to use Extra Virgin Olive Oil for this because of its high smoke point.
- MUSHROOMS Sliced. Any kind will work. Cremini, button, porcini, portobello are all fine.
- CARROTS We used matchstick carrots. But you can dice or slice them however youd want to.
- ONIONS Diced. We use yellow onions because of its softer, milder flavor.
- GARLIC Minced.
- SALT AND PEPPER To taste.
- CHICKEN BROTH If you need to substitute for vegetable broth, you can.
- RICE We used brown rice. But you can use white rice as well. Read below for cooking time differences.
How To Cook Chicken And Rice In An Instant Pot
Feel free to use these instructions as a checklist for the perfect chicken and rice instant pot recipe.
Note: when cooking rice in the instant pot, the ratio is 1 cup of liquid to 1 cup of rice. I added additional liquid to this recipe to assure the chicken was moist. If you find your rice is sticky or mushy, reduce the liquid to 1 cup.
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Instant Pot Chicken And Rice With Cream Of Chicken Soup
You guys will love this instant pot cheesy chicken and rice! Its so simple and quick to whip up, stores well & freezes well too. The leftovers taste even more delicious.
You can make this Creamy chicken and rice pressure cooker recipe with frozen thawed chicken breasts or thighs and simple pantry staple ingredients you probably already have in your house.
The cream of chicken soup adds a whole new level of irresistible creaminess to this recipe. Youll love it! The secret is when you add it! This is one of our favorite instant pot chicken and rice recipes.
Optional: Brown Chicken In Instant Pot
First, press Saute button to Sauté More function to heat up Instant Pot.
Itll switch to ON on the screen.
Wait until it says HOT on the screen .
Amy + Jackys Tips!
Pat dry the chicken with a paper towel. Then, season one side of the chicken generously with salt and black pepper.
Add 1 tbsp olive oil in Instant Pot. Swirl the inner pot to ensure the oil covers the whole bottom of the inner pot .
Add the chicken in Instant Pot , then brown this side for 5 minutes.
Lightly season the other side of the chicken with salt and black pepper. Then, flip and brown this side of chicken for another 5 minutes.
Finally, set aside the chicken thighs.
*Note: If youre skipping this browning chicken step, add the chicken in Step 4.
Add in sliced onions and 1 tsp tomato paste, then saute for two minutes.
Add in a pinch of dried oregano and dried basil, then saute for another minute.
Add in minced garlic cloves, then saute for another 30 seconds.
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Notes And Adaptations For Creamy Instant Pot Chicken And Rice:
- I use homemade cream of chicken soup, because its a cinch to make and it really adds a lot of flavor. However, you can substitute a can of cream of chicken soup mixed with a can of water if you prefer.
- I liked having the shredded cheese melted into the chicken and rice, but if youre counting calories, you can omit the cheese and it will still be very flavorful.
- If you want to add a topping , just transfer the chicken and rice mixture to a baking dish after it has cooked, top as desired, and pop it in the oven until the topping is crisp or melted.
- Leftovers can be frozen! Just transfer any leftovers to a freezer safe container, cool to room temperature, and freeze.
- You can substitute pulled rotisserie chicken if youd like .
- I wouldnt recommend using brown rice, because it takes a good bit longer to cook than white rice. The white rice has a similar cook time to the chicken, making them ideal to cook together. If you cook the chicken and brown rice together, the chicken will be overcooked by the time the brown rice is finished. Youd have to cook them separately, and that kind of negates the convenience factor of this meal!
Why Youll Love This Chicken Fried Rice Recipe:
- SIMPLE:Ready in less than 45 minutes, homemade fried rice comes together quickly with simple ingredients.
- FLAVORFUL:Featuring soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic, this recipe is full of flavor.
- VERSATILE:Serve fried rice as an appetizer, side, or a meal on its own.
Youll be surprised at how easy it is to make chicken fried rice at home!
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Instant Cheesy Pot Chicken And Rice
Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice is a complete meal with creamy chicken, rice, peas and cheese. A one-pot meal the whole family loves! This easy chicken dinner is perfect for busy weeknights!
Prep: 5min
Total: 23min
Serving Size: 1 serving
Nutrition Facts: calories 247 kcal, Carbohydrate 22 g, Protein 23 g, Fat 7 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 62 mg, Sodium 716 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 1 g, servingSize 1 serving
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs And Rice
Some people asked me for versions of the original recipe but using either brown rice instead of white, or chicken thighs instead of breasts. After what feels like a million test trials, I finally got the formula. Yay!
Brown rice takes triple the time to cook than white rice and would dry out the chicken breasts in the process. The secret is to use bone-in chicken thighs with brown rice. The result was absolutely amazing.
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Tips From The Pillsbury Kitchens
- tip 1 While precut bagged broccoli florets make an easy shortcut, you can also cut your own. One large head of broccoli will provide plenty of florets for this recipe.
- tip 2 We used chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts in this Instant Pot® cheesy chicken and rice recipe so that the chicken is still tender by the time the rice is cooked through.
- tip 3 Swap the cheddar cheese in this recipe for your familys favorite easy-to-melt cheese: Swiss, Colby-Jack or provolone are all great options.
- tip 4 Have you fallen in love with your multi-cooker? Try this Instant Pot® Chicken and Dumplings for a quick and easy weeknight meal.
- tip 5 This recipe for One-Pot Cheesy Chicken, Rice and Broccoli makes it easy to cook a filling family meal without the mess.
An Easy Instant Pot Chicken Thigh Recipe:
First off, lets talk about the Instant Pot. Yall have heard me talk about it numerous times. The Instant Pot is a 7-in-1 appliance that sautes, is a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, rice maker, makes yogurt and seriously is one appliance that I think every kitchen should have. I use mine a few time a week and am constantly finding new ways to use it. This Instant Pot Chicken and Rice recipe is a great example of how you can first saute foods and then right after pressure cook it or slow cook, if thats your desire. Without the appliance, you would have to dirty up multiple dishes totally not a fan of this!
So many people look for simple instant pot chicken recipes after getting their pressure cooker, and this is definitely that. I may or may not have made this 3xs in the last 10 days, and each time Ive used different vegetables. Its seriously one of those dishes where you think WTH am I going to make for dinner tonight? OHHHH yes! I have just the thing. And bonus your family will love it! Try out different vegetables, and also different spices. My version is really basic, but you can get creative and make it more of an Italian taste by adding oregano and basil. Or try adding cumin and chili powder with corn included, and add in some canned black beans after making it and top it with salsa and cheese for a Mexican flair. The options are endless!
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Make Instant Pot Chicken Rice A Complete Meal
This is a hearty meal on its on, but sometimes I add a side dish! Here are some ideas:
- Add some soft dinner rolls or a batch of my easy Breadsticks!
- Air Fryer Asparagus or Broccoli is a healthy and easy side dish that goes great with it.
- Use your crockpot to make Ranch Carrots!
- Dont forget dessert we love some Blonde Brownies or Monster Cookies for a special treat!
This is a creamy, cheesy, and satisfying dinner! Its great for busy nights when you need something to fill up your hungry family! Its just another reason to love your pressure cooker want some more ideas? Be sure to check out some more favorite recipes!
How To Make It
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Whats Is In This Pressure Cooker Instant Pot Rice And Chicken
Golden Sella basmati rice: You can use other types of rice too. I have answered likely questions on cooking time and types of rice below. Kindly read on
Boneless skinless chicken thighs:substitute with chicken breasts
Chicken broth: substitute with beef or vegetable broth. If you don’t have chicken broth, substitute with stock cubes and water.
Dried thyme
Fresh garlic cloves: substitutewith garlic granules
3 tablespoons vegetable oil:substitute with canola or any other flavourless oil of choice
Why This Recipe Works
I mentioned this Instant Pot chicken breast and rice recipe checks alllll the cold-weather boxes. Why? Well, here are just a few reasons!
Instant Pot We all have those days when were just in a super hurry to get dinner on the table. Or, maybe you just simply dont feel like turning on your stove and getting out the pots and pans. Instant Pot to the rescue! Quick, easy, fast, and cleans up in a snap!
Browning chicken You might want to skip this step, but quickly browning the chicken in the Instant Pot is your only chance to sear in the herby flavors and oil, locking in the juiciness of the chicken for optimal flavor.
Simple spices No need to run to the store to flavor this chicken and rice dish. This meal is flavored with pantry staples like paprika, garlic, onion powder, and an Italian blend.
Amazing leftovers This Instant Pot chicken and rice keeps for up to 4 days in the fridgethat is, if it lasts that long!
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