Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is an easy healthy weeknight one pot recipe for perfectly flavored tender chicken and fluffy rice in 20 minutes.
Oven Baked Chicken and Rice is a satisfying Dinner Recipe that’s great for a simple family meal. This pressure cooker version gets you the same delicious Chicken and Rice in less than half the time!
Making pressure cooker chicken cuts down the cooking time to just 10 minutes. Even with the prep time of searing the chicken pieces, garlic, onion, and seasoning, it’s still just a 20 minute meal. Considering half that time is just a matter of leaving Instant Pot Chicken and Rice to cook on its own, it’s hard to think of an easier dinner.
Instant pot recipes are a great way to make your favorite recipes when you’re in a time crunch. One-pot meals like Pot Roast and Beef Stew are made even easier with pressure cooking versions. The easy instant pot cooking instructions will have you enjoying a plate of delicious comfort food with your family in minutes.
With Instant Pot Chicken and Rice, the seasoned chicken and fluffy rice blend together for a homey taste and wonderful texture. After some time in the pressure cooker, the chicken pieces are perfectly tender and juicy. It’s a simple combination that never fails to satisfy.
If you have any leftovers of your Instant Pot Chicken and Rice recipe it stores well in the fridge and can make an easy lunch once you reheat it. You can also use the cooked chicken in other recipes like chicken tacos and Chicken Noodle Soup.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
Crispy Butter Chicken
Beer Braised Chicken Thighs
Crispy Rotisserie Chicken Thighs
Braised Chicken Breast with Mushrooms
Tips for the Instant Pot
- Sauté: Start the Instant Pot Chicken and Rice recipe by setting the pressure cooker to saute mode. Add oil to the base of the pan. Once the oil is slightly heated, add the bite-sized pieces of chicken to the pressure cooker. Cook chicken, moving it around to brown on all sides for 5 minutes. Add in the onion and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. The onions will become fragrant and translucent as they flavor the chicken. Add the other flavoring ingredients to the recipe like garlic, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir well so that the chicken is coated in the seasoning blend.
- Rice mixture: Add the rice and the chicken broth to the pressure cooker. Don’t stir the rice in. Just leave it over the top.
- Cook time: Close the instant pot and flip it to its sealing position. Press the manual or high-pressure button. Set a 10 minute cook time. While it’s cooking in the sealing position, the temperature in the instant pot will rise and seal the steam inside to cook the Instant Pot Chicken and Rice quickly.
- Release: Instead of a natural release, flip the valve to a quick release to let the steam escape. Then open the pot to release the remaining pressure. Be careful not to burn yourself when the steam releases from the pot. Remove the bay leaf from the Chicken and Rice. Plate the meal and enjoy!
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Variations
- Flavor add-ins: Change the flavor of Instant Pot Chicken and Rice by adding different seasonings and herbs. Garlic powder, onion powder, cilantro, rosemary, or paprika would all add amazing flavor.
- Veggies: You can also add ingredients like frozen veggies. Try adding broccoli, carrots, peas, or corn to the instant pot. Or, slice some fresh bell pepper, celery, or mushrooms to add.
- Rice: You can make this Instant Pot Chicken and Rice recipe with different kinds of rice. Try brown rice, jasmine rice, long-grain brown rice, long-grain white rice, or basmati rice. Any of these types of rice taste amazing with chicken recipes.
- Chicken Breast: Try making this recipe with chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs. Brown the chicken breasts before pressure cooking them just like you would with the chicken thighs.
- Cheese: For an easy cheese topping on the pressure cooker recipe add some Parmesan cheese to the top right before serving. The Parmesan cheese will melt nicely over the top of the hot meal. You could also do another cheese like mozzarella, cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Gouda.
Easy Side Dish Recipes
Roasted Broccoli
Easy Roasted Vegetables
Glazed Carrots
Sautéed Green Beans
How to Store
- Serve: After cooking, don’t leave the Instant Pot Chicken and Rice recipe at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: You can store the pressure cooker recipe in the fridge for up to 3 days. Let the chicken cool then seal it in an airtight container to put in the fridge.
- Freeze: After sealing in an airtight container, you could also keep the dish in the freezer. Chicken and Rice will be good in the freezer for up to 1 month. Let it thaw in the fridge before reheating it to eat.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds chicken thighs
- 1 yellow onion , diced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups white rice
- 4 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Add vegetable oil to your instant pot on sauté setting.
- Add the chicken thighs and sear on all sides, about5-6 minutes.
- Add in the onion and stir well, cooking for 5-6 minutes or until translucent.
- Add in the garlic, salt, oregano, basil, black pepper, and bay leaves and stir well.
- Add the rice over the mixture and pour the chicken broth over the rice (don't stir).
- Close, lock lid, and seal the vent.
- Cook on high for 10 minutes, then quick release the pressure.
Nutrition
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Sound great! Quick question, tho… If adding veggies (as per 1 of ur suggestions), wouldn’t u need to add more liquid to compensate for the added food? TIA! ?? Love ur recipes! ? Have been a subscriber for a few yrs now. ?