Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is an easy and delicious meal, made in one pot! With wholesome ingredients like brown rice, vegetables and chicken breast, it’s a comforting dinner the whole family will love.
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is a Delicious One Pot Dinner
This Instant Pot chicken and rice is one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes and a go-to when I want a dinner recipe that’s both easy and nutritious. This dish combines chicken breasts, rice, carrots and peas, seasoned with garlic and Italian seasonings. I like to finish it with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese for a touch of cheesy flavor. It’s so delicious!
I love this recipe because once the ingredients are prepped and in the pot, it’s mostly hands-off from there. While the Instant Pot cooks, you’ll be free to do whatever else you need to do… make a salad, fold a load of laundry, or just sit on the couch with your feet up!
We LOVE this recipe in my family. We also throw in extra veggies, like sautéed broccoli, and it’s super good!
Brianna
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Ingredients
- Olive Oil: For sautéing the vegetables.
- Onion & Garlic: These provide a base layer of flavor to the dish.
- Carrots: Carrots are the perfect vegetable to cook in the Instant Pot because they will soften without breaking down.
- Brown Rice: Be sure to use long grain brown rice in this recipe. White rice cooks much faster in the Instant Pot and could burn with the cook time used in this recipe.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon enhances the flavor, but it does not make the finished dish taste like mustard.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper are used to season the chicken and rice.
- Chicken Broth: The broth is the liquid that allows the Instant Pot to reach pressure, and it also absorbs into the rice as it cooks. I recommend using low sodium chicken broth so that you can control the amount of salt in the finished dish.
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts provide lean protein. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be substituted, with no change to the recipe cook time.
- Frozen Peas: To add more veggies and a pop of color.
- Parmesan Cheese: This dish is extra delicious served with grated Parmesan!
Can You Use White Rice?
Since readers have asked over the years if they could make this dish with white rice, I decided to test it myself. I reduced the cook time to 4 minutes (the cook time for Instant Pot white rice) and cut the chicken into bite-size pieces to help it cook through in the shorter cook time. Unfortunately, I got the burn message and could not get this to cook through properly in the Instant Pot with white rice. So, brown rice is definitely best for this recipe!
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
I recommend having all of your ingredients ready before you start cooking because the prep for this recipe moves quickly once you start sautéing the vegetables. To get ready, you can chop the onion and carrots, peel the garlic, and have your seasonings ready to go. Rinse the rice and set it aside to drain.
Sauté aromatics. Sauté the onion in the Instant Pot using the sauté function. Then stir in the garlic.
Add remaining ingredients. Add the carrots, brown rice, Dijon, seasonings and chicken broth. Stir well and scrape up any bits of food that are stuck to the bottom of the pot. Put the chicken breasts on top of the rice mixture.
Pressure cook. Close the lid and set the valve to the sealing position. Pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Then, let the pot naturally release for 10 minutes before quick releasing the remaining pressure. Meanwhile, cook the frozen peas according to package directions.
Finish the dish. Chop the chicken into bite-size pieces, then return it to the pot; stir in the peas. Serve and enjoy!
If you are new to cooking with an Instant Pot, you might find my guide about how to use an Instant Pot helpful.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Rinse the rice well before adding it to the Instant Pot.
- When you add the broth to the pot, be sure to scrape up any bits stuck to bottom of your Instant Pot with a spoon or spatula before adding the chicken. This helps to prevent the Instant Pot burn message during the pressure cooking time.
- If you want more veggies, try adding a chopped bell pepper along with the carrots. To add broccoli, stir in some steamed broccoli after pressure cooking. The broccoli will get too mushy if you pressure cook it along with everything else. Or stir a few handfuls of chopped fresh spinach into the finished dish.
- To learn more about cooking rice in the Instant Pot, see my recipes for Instant Pot Rice and Instant Pot Brown Rice.
Can You Use Frozen Chicken?
Yes! The cook time in this recipe is enough to cook chicken from frozen, no thawing required. Just be sure that your chicken is frozen as individual breasts, not one large mass of chicken.
What to Serve with Chicken and Rice
Since this recipe includes whole grain brown rice, a protein (chicken) and veggies, it can stand as a meal on its own. If you’d like to add in a side dish or two, try:
To Store and Reheat
Leftover chicken and rice can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat leftovers in the microwave until steaming hot. If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
More Easy Instant Pot Recipes
You can’t beat an easy Instant Pot recipe for getting dinner on the table fast! Here ae a few more of our favorites:
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 ½ cups long grain brown rice, uncooked, rinsed well and drained, do not substitute other types of rice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ¾ cups low sodium chicken broth, (one 14.5 ounce can)
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup frozen peas, cooked according to package directions
- fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a 6 quart or larger Instant Pot using the sauté setting. Add the onion and sauté, stirring, until onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Turn off the Instant Pot.
- Add the carrots, brown rice, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and chicken broth. Stir well, scraping up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Make sure that all of the rice and vegetables are in the liquid, not on the sides of the pot. Place the chicken breasts on top of the rice mixture.
- Close the Instant Pot lid and set the pressure valve to sealing. Pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure and then the cook time will begin counting down.
- Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 10 minutes (by leaving it off after it finishes cooking).
- Then, carefully do a quick pressure release by moving the steam release valve to the venting position. Once all of the steam has been released and the pin drops down, carefully open the Instant Pot lid.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board. Let it rest for a few minutes and then chop it into bite-size pieces. Stir the chicken back into the rice mixture in the pot. Stir in the cooked frozen peas.
- Serve with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan, if desired.
Notes
- You can use frozen chicken breasts in this recipe without making any adjustments to the cook time.
- Frozen peas: I’ve updated the recipe to call for cooking the frozen peas according to package directions before stirring them into the chicken and rice, rather than stirring them in frozen.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw (if frozen) and reheat to steaming hot before serving.
Recipe originally published 2018, updated Nov. 2021 and Aug. 2024.
Perfect pot of comfort food, so simple and delicious! I used more chicken than the recipe called for so I decided to add an extra 1/4 cup of chicken broth. Also added extra peas but otherwise followed the recipe as written. Will definitely be making this again.