An Instant Pot can be a game-changer when it comes to chicken and rice. This delicious and easy-to-make dish is perfect for any night of the week. Simply add your chicken, rice, and seasonings to the pot and let it cook. In just minutes, you’ll have a perfectly cooked meal that everyone will love.
Your one-stop shop for a flavorful, cost-effective, comprehensive family-friendly dinner option that can even give you leftovers for the following week is this incredibly easy Instant Pot chicken and rice! An added benefit is using just one pot for cleanup.
One-Pot Meal (in an instant!)
For busy families, chicken and rice cooked in the Instant Pot are game changers! Especially on days when you don’t have as much time as you anticipated to prepare dinner, no matter how well you believe you’ve prepared it. This quick dish makes a one-pot supper that is full of flavor, nutritious, and will brighten any day!
You’ll enjoy this one if you enjoy my one-pot chicken and rice or chicken and rice casserole. Although they are all unique and deserving of a spot at your dinner table on any given night, this chicken and rice in the Instant Pot recipe always come out on top for simple hands-off cooking.
It has a cheesy, creamy texture that may make you think of risotto, a casserole, or perhaps a combination of the two. There are tonnes of herbs in it, as well as soft, nutritious vegetables and chicken that fall apart. It is elevated by the parmesan cheese and lemon-pepper flavors.
Which Rice to Use?
Here is the lowdown! For this recipe, there is no need to precook the rice. All of it is put in raw at once, and the pressure cooker’s magic takes care of the rest. Because white rice cooks significantly faster than brown rice, it performs well in this situation.
Due to the timing requirements of this recipe, brown rice would not be properly cooked if used in this dish. Either that, or you would have overcooked everything else if you cooked the brown rice for a long enough time. For this one, stick to white rice!
Best Cut of Chicken
Instant Pot chicken breast and rice is a good option for this recipe, but I prefer to use chicken thighs instead. Sometimes I’ll just use whatever is on sale to keep costs even lower! I like thighs better than breasts because they are more tasty and juicy. Though technically less meat is included, a non-butterflied breast is still a fantastic choice.
Tips
- Be ready: It is advantageous to have your mirepoix (celery, onions, and carrots) ready to go when the sauté button is pressed. Everything will be streamlined and made even simpler than it already is if it has been chopped earlier.
- Variations: You can certainly increase the number of vegetables in this dish if you’d like. It’s fantastic to add 1/2 cup of bell peppers to the onions, or you can add 3 additional cloves of garlic to give everything a stronger garlic flavor.
- Fresh herbs: If you have it or like the taste, replace the parsley with basil or oregano.
- Rinse rice: White rice naturally contains a lot of starch, so washing it will help remove any remaining starch and prevent clumping.
- Do not stir: You mustn’t stir after placing the rice on top of the chicken and the liquid on top of that. To avoid the burn notice, do this. Maintaining the rice above the chicken will prevent it from drying out and burning on the bottom of the pot once it has absorbed all of the stock.
- Quick release: Keep in mind to avoid a natural release because doing so will cause everything to cook for much longer than necessary. See my straightforward Instant Pot use tutorial for more details on what that exactly implies.
Storage Suggestions
- To store: If you’re not feeding a large family or gathering, this recipe yields a lot, so you’ll probably have leftovers. Meal planning wins the day! For up to five days, store in an airtight container.
- To freeze: Put in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to three months.
- To reheat: Reheat on the stovetop at a low simmer after thawing in the refrigerator overnight. You should add a little bit of broth or water to moisten it back up. Put a lid on it so the steam can help it reanimate!
More Easy Instant Pot Dinners:
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 3-4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 large carrots peeled and shredded
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs , or breasts (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 1 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper or ground pepper more to taste
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice rinsed
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Extra virgin olive oil is warmed. Then incorporate the celery, onion, and carrots. Add some pepper and salt on top. Cook for 5 minutes or until soft.
- If the sauté mode is turned off, restart it. After that, add chicken pieces to the hot oil. On top, season with salt and pepper. Cook for five minutes. The last minute, add the garlic, minced.
- Chicken should be topped with rice. Next, ladle the chicken broth on top (do not stir). Put the lid on top and seal the valve. 10 minutes of high pressure cooking. then after cooking, perform a fast release.
- Use oven mitts to remove the lid. The parmesan cheese and fresh parsley are then combined.
- If necessary, taste and add additional salt, pepper, or spices. When warm, serve.
