Instant Pot Chicken & Rice

When I first bought my Instant Pot Pressure Cooker, I was a little bit nervous about what exactly to try.  I had thought it would be a throw everything in for 20-40 minutes type of appliance, but the truth is,  it’s a little bit more complicated than that.  It all depends on the recipe, how many vegetables and kinds of vegetables there are in the recipe and if you care if the vegetables are at all mushy or not.

Some people have serious texture problems and can’t handle a mushy vegetable.  Some people don’t mind either way.  Me?  I’m in the middle.  I prefer them not to be too mushy, but don’t mind them softer than a lot of people do. I’m definitely not too texture sensitive though.

Regardless, I also realize that I can’t cook all vegetables for the same amount of time that meat and rice cook for.  Once, I tried putting broccoli in the Instant Pot, in with my chicken and rice and I ended up with green chicken and rice.  The broccoli was nowhere to be found.  Or actually, you could kind of tell it used to be broccoli….but it had totally disintegrated into the dish.

The good thing about THIS particular recipe is that you CAN cook the vegetables for the same amount of time as the meat and rice.  If you have a problem with your carrots being mushy, make the pieces a little bigger, so that they don’t fall apart quite as fast.

I make this recipe pretty regularly, when I haven’t put anything in the slow cooker earlier in the day.  It’s super simple and is very tasty.  I love the way that the thyme seasons the chicken and the rice, and since we’re using a whole grain (the brown rice), a vegetable and a lean meat, it’s pretty good for you, too!

I love what my kids have to say on the days that they smell this one cooking.  They come running in and say, “Are you making that yummy chicken and rice dish?!”  I’m like, YES, I AM!  They all shout, YAY!!  And we’re all happy!

Print Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken & Rice

This Instant Pot chicken & rice recipe is so delicious! I love how the rice turns out perfectly every time in the Instant Pot!

Prep Time3 hrs 52 mins

Cook Time3 hrs 52 mins

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Sarah

Ingredients

• 1 pound frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 3 green onions
• 3 carrots diced
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 1-1/2 cups brown rice rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth plus 1/2 cup for deglazing vegetables
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• On the sauté setting, preheat on normal for 1-1/2 minutes.
• Add 1 tbsp of oil (I used coconut oil)
• Add in garlic, green onions, carrots, mushrooms and cook for about 4 minutes
• Add 1/2 cup broth to deglaze the vegetables.
• Rinse rice, to prevent the rice sticking to the bottom.
• Add 1 and 1/2 cups of chicken broth and brown rice and stir together
• Add thyme, salt and pepper and stir
• Add the frozen, boneless chicken breasts
• Place the lid on, lock it and set valve to sealing
• Cook on manual, high pressure for 20 minutes.
• Switch over the valve release to release the pressure and remove the lid carefully
• Use kitchen shears to cut up chicken into chunks or shred with forks and stir the pot.
• Serve!

Notes

If you use thawed chicken breasts, cook for the same amount of time.  20 minutes is how long the brown rice should cook for.