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Instant Pot Chicken & Rice

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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!

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5 from 7 votes

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 Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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.
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Comments

  3. James Carter says

    May 20, 2018 at 8:52 pm


    Made this for my 18 month old(picky eater). I used different veg. and turned out great. Feels good when the kid eats dad’s cooking. Thank you so much.

    Reply

  6. Erin says

    March 9, 2018 at 7:08 pm


    I made this tonight and had little time to make dinner due to sick children. I didn’t measure the veggies or spices but did use a pound of frozen chicken thighs and measured rice and broth. It was easy, fast, and delicious. Perfect, actually. It was a great dinner! Highly recommend! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Shannon says

      April 2, 2019 at 7:32 pm


      We loved this recipe!! I did use a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup on top of the chicken. We like the chicken and rice to be a little creamy. I cooked it for 25 mins and let natural release for 10 mins. I just wanted to make sure the chicken was cooked. It was perfect!!

      Reply

  13. Michelle Ferrier says

    February 1, 2018 at 8:47 am

    This looks delicious. I’m a new Instant Pot user. if I cut the recipe in 1/2 would Use the same cooking time? Only a couple in my family would eat rice.

    Reply

  15. Jenna says

    January 24, 2018 at 8:50 pm


    I doubled the recipe but only increased the broth to 3 cups total, and it turned out perfect! I kept the cooking time the same. Thanks for the recipe! I love that it uses brown rice and frozen chicken.

    Reply

  16. Sarah says

    December 30, 2017 at 1:27 pm

    I know I emailed you, but thought I’d respond here in case anyone else had the same problem. I’ve made this recipe several times with no problems at all. I have heard from some others that are in higher elevations, say that they need more liquid. If you are reading this and have had a problem with the amount of liquid, let us know. It’s strange how it works great for some, but not for others.

    Reply

    • Dan says

      February 10, 2018 at 1:42 pm

      The issue may also be the size of the Instant Pot. The largest one has a bigger pot, more surface area for the liquid to spread, and needs more liquid. Discovered this the hard way and have been adding more water or chicken broth to recipes when I use that one.

      Reply

    • Amy says

      February 15, 2018 at 6:19 pm

      Do you know the calories per serving. My family loved it. I had to cook 5 more minutes because chicken breasts weren’t cooked through.

      Reply

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