Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is a quick, easy to make, one pot wonder, that is perfect for those busy nights when you are cramming to get dinner on the table. This simple, yet tasty dish will soon become a regular in your meal rotation.
iServe with a refreshing Pina Colada Fruit Salad and finish off the meal right with a delectable treat like Buckeye Brownies for a great meal.
At our house we love rice, from Wild Rice Pilaf to Red Beans and Rice. Which is one of the reasons we love Instant Pot Chicken and Rice because it is both an adult and kid-friendly dish and it leaves very little mess after the meal is done, cooking the chicken and rice together. Plus, with the use of peas and carrots being incorporated in the rice, in a pinch it can pass as a stand alone dish with no additional sides required. That’s a winner in my books!
While I love a good crockpot recipe like Crockpot Chicken Thighs, sometimes I don’t want to have to wait hours for a meal to be done and I want a simple one pot meal like Instant Pot Chicken and Rice that does not require the use of other pots and pans to make it a complete dinner. The instant pot is perfect for chicken dishes too, like this Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken.
What You Need to Make Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
With just some pantry staples and bone-in split chicken breasts, you are on your way to an easy yet ever so tasty dinner.
Chicken
- Bone-In Split Chicken Breasts
- Salt and Pepper
- Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Vegetable Oil
Rice
- Carrots
- Onion
- Salt
- Long Grain White Rice
- Minced Garlic Cloves
- Butter
- Chicken Stock
- Frozen Peas
- Fresh Parsley
- Lemon Juice
- Parmesan Cheese
How to Make Chicken and Rice
Time needed: 35 minutes
Season the chicken and sear in the Instant Pot. Then remove the chicken in order to saute the veggies and add the rice. Coat rice with butter as the butter melts in the Instant Pot. Next add the chicken stock and then return the chicken to the Instant Pot to cook. Once chicken is cooked, remove it and stir in final ingredients. Let rice cook for five minutes longer, fluff rice with a fork, and then serve with chicken.
- Season Chicken
Pat chicken dry and season with spices.
- Sear Chicken in the Instant Pot.
Put Instant Pot on the “saute” setting, add oil, and add chicken, skin side down. Cook until golden brown.
- Saute Veggies and Add Rice.
Remove chicken and add carrots, onion, and salt. Saute for 5 minutes.
Then add rice, garlic, and butter, stirring until butter is melted and rice is coated.
- Add Chicken Stock.
Add chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pot.
- Return Chicken and Cook.
Add chicken and any accumulated juices back to the pot. Cook on high for 15 minutes.
- Remove Chicken.
Once 15 minutes is up, quick release pressure, and remove the lid. Then take chicken out.
- Stir in Additional Ingredients and Finish the Rice.
Add to the Instant Pot peas, parsley, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. Let rice stand for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.
- Season and Serve.
Season rice to taste and serve with chicken.
Tips and Tricks
Making this recipe is Eazy Peazy…
- Don’t Freeze The Rice: If you freeze this meal, make sure to take the rice out just before you want to eat it. Don’t defrost the rice ahead of time. Put it directly in the microwave. Otherwise the consistency will change.
- Foods You Don’t Like: Feel free to take out the carrots or peas if either of those veggies are not your favorite.
- Replacing: If you are partial to other spice combinations, you can replace the recommended spice profile for one of your choice.
- Plan Ahead: Remember that although the cook time for the chicken says 15 minutes, it takes a little bit of time for the Instant Pot to be brought up to pressure and start cooking. Keep that in mind when planning dinner or other sides to be ready at the same time.
- Different Ways To Serve: If you want to have the rice feel more incorporated in the meal, rather than a side, shred the chicken and serve it on top of the rice.
Make Ahead and Storage
How to make this recipe ahead of time:
- Follow cooking instructions like normal.
- Let chicken and rice cool completely.
- Transfer rice and chicken into separate air tight containers.
- When ready to eat, heat rice and chicken separately in microwave-safe dishes in the microwave until heated all the way through.
- Dish out onto plates for all to enjoy.
*Note: This dish can be made up to 3 days in advance.
Freeze Ahead:
This dish can be turned into a freezer meal. That’s right you heard me.
- Follow cooking instructions like normal.
- Let chicken and rice cool completely.
- Lay rice on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet to help prevent the rice from sticking.
- Transfer rice and chicken into separate gallon sized freezer bags.
- When ready to eat, defrost chicken in the refrigerator 24 hours ahead of time.
- Take the rice out straight from the freezer when ready to eat. Add a little water to the top.
- Reheat both separately in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish.
Other Great Recipes:
- Instant Pot Pad Thai
- Instant Pot Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki
- Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
- Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup
- Easy Rice Pilaf
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Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 bone-in split chicken breasts 12 ounce size
- Salt and pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
Rice
- 3 carrots peeled and diced
- 1 onion chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups long grain white rice
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry, and season with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Turn your instant pot on to “saute” and add vegetable oil. When oil is hot, add chicken, skin side down, and cook about 6-7 minutes, until chicken is golden brown. Work in batches, two at a time if needed to get a good sear.
- Transfer to a plate. Set aside.
- Add carrots, onion, and ½ teaspoon salt to the pot, and saute for 5 minutes, on saute mode.
- Add rice, garlic, and butter, stir until butter is melted, and rice is coated.
- Add chicken stock to the pot, use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pot, and scrape any browned bits off the bottom.
- Add chicken and any accumulated juices back into the pot.
- Lock lid into place, and set vent toggle to “sealing”
- Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- When 15 minutes is up, quick release pressure, and remove lid.
- Take chicken out of the pot, stir in peas, parsley, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese.
- Let rice stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork, and season to taste.
- Serve with the chicken.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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2048 says
This recipe is perfect for busy nights!
Cindy says
I made this today, with chicken legs, only I substituted, Thai chicken broth, and used frozen peas, carrots and corn, and lime juice and peel instead of lemon. Definitely going into the regular rotation!
A says
Kept getting burn notice on my pot. How do you keep rice from sticking to pot and getting burn notice? Smelled good. Maybe I’ll try without the rice
Rachael says
You can use a little more liquid, or add some butter to the bottom before cooking so it doesn’t stick. I did not have this problem.
Kandace says
Ok this was Yummy! The chicken was tender, and loved all the flavor in the rice. My kids and husband asked for seconds. This will be on our regular rotation.
Rachael says
Love that they asked for seconds. We love this one too.
Donna Jones says
I used chicken thighs instead of breasts. I think it made the dish a bit fattier than I intended. The rice tasted amazing and the chicken was good.