Instant Pot Chicken and Rice (VIDEO)
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is creamy and cheesy with tender morsels of chicken. You will fall in love with the flavors and our garlic secret. This is the quicker and easier version of our wildly popular stovetop chicken and rice recipe. Watch the video tutorial below and you’ll see how easy this is.
We love our instant pot because it produces the same great results in a fraction of the time so you can enjoy dinner fast! Some of our favorites include Instant Pot White Chicken Chili, Instant Pot Bone Broth, IP Corn on the Cob and the quickest Tender Ribs.
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The Secret to the Best Instant Pot Chicken and Rice:
The texture of this Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is almost like a risotto but doesn’t require the tedious stirring for 30 minutes. The flavor is truly memorable and yet this recipe calls for simple ingredients. How? The secret is in using an entire head of garlic.
This Will Transform Your Rice: The garlic head is cut in half so the garlic cloves are exposed. The flavor infuses the rice and then you can remove the head of garlic if you want to, or squeeze the cloves into the rice. The garlic cloves will be melt in your mouth tender and so tasty. We used the same trick to make Instant Pot Beef and Rice (Plov).
Ingredients for Chicken and Rice:
You can use any kind of chicken here: chicken breast, thigh meat or chicken tenders. We prefer chicken tenders because they require very little prep (minimal trimming of fat), and reheat really well. They are also the most tender. We often use the chicken we have on hand.
The best rice for this recipe is jasmine rice (white, long-grain rice). You could also use Basmati or Texmati without adjusting the cooking time. Brown rice like we used in our Instant Pot Rice with Beef (Plov) recipe, would require a longer cooking time.
How to Cook Chicken and Rice in an Instant Pot:
We used a 6 Quart Instant Pot to make chicken and rice. This recipe moves fast so have all of your ingredients prepped and ready before you turn on your instant pot. Chop your onion, grate or julienne your carrots (here’s the julienne slicer we love), half your garlic head.
- Set your instant pot to sautee on high heat, add 2 Tbsp oil and 2 Tbsp butter.
- Add onion, carrots, and salt and saute 5 min.
- Add chicken and salt and saute 5 min.
- Pour in broth and stir. Place halved garlic head cut-side-down.
- Cover with lid and set the lever to sealing position. Cook on manual high pressure 10 minutes with manual pressure release.
Tips for Using an Instant Pot:
First-time users: always read the users manual for your specific instant pot prior to starting since your machine may not operate or look exactly like ours.
- Make sure the rim and rubber seal on your instant pot are clean for the seal to form properly.
- Stir the rice together before turning on to avoid the “burn” notice.
- Remember to set your lever to the stealing position for pressure to build.
- When manually releasing pressure, wear an oven mitt and keep your face away from the hot steam vent.
- I keep a paper towel ready to shield the vent in case it sputters liquid while venting/releasing pressure.
- Always check the pressure indicator on your machine to ensure that the pressure has fully released prior to opening the lid.
- Follow timing instructions precisely and set timers. With pressure cooking it easy to over-cook something if you forget about your pot.
Easy 30-Minute Meals You Will Love:
These are our go-to 30-minute meals that our family-friendly (our kids go back for seconds), and they require minimal prep. These are our favorite, easy chicken dinners for busy weeknights!
- Chicken Pesto Pasta – easy 1-pan dinner
- Beef and Broccoli – with the best sauce
- Philly Cheesesteak – the authentic way
- Chicken Fried Rice – a great way to use leftovers
- Zuppa Toscana – famous restaurant copycat
Watch Natasha Make Chicken and Rice (Instant Pot Style):
This Instant pot chicken and rice recipe will transform dinner for you. It’s one of the easiest and tastiest dinners you’ll make and there’s minimal cleanup because it all comes together in the instant pot!
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Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
This Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is creamy and cheesy with tender morsels of chicken. You will love the flavors and how quick it is to make Chicken and Rice in the Instant Pot! Watch the video tutorial to see how easy this is.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 large carrots thickly grated or julienned
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, or tenders (trimmed and cut into 1" pieces)
- 2 tsp sea salt divided
- 1/4 tsp black pepper ground
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups Jasmine rice un-rinsed
- 1 head garlic unpeeled, cut in half crosswise
- 1/3 cup parsley finely chopped, plus more to garnish
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese plus more to serve
Instructions
-
Set a 6 Qt Instant Pot to saute on high heat and add butter, oil, chopped onion, grated or julienned carrots, and 1 tsp salt. Sautee, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until soft and golden.
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Add trimmed, chopped chicken, another 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Sautee, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
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Add 4 cups chicken broth and 2 cups rice and stir to combine. Cut whole garlic head in half through the cloves and parallel to the base. Place garlic halves on top, cut-side down. Cover and cook on manual high pressure for 10 minutes then quick release remaining pressure.
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Open the lid and stir in 1/2 cup parmesan with 1/3 cup chopped parsley. Serve with more cheese and garnish with parsley if desired.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natasha Kravchuk
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Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe (VIDEO) 
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup 
Chicken Stock (Chicken Bone Broth) 3 Ways! 
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes 
Lemon Chicken Recipe (with Lemon Butter Sauce) 
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Dear Natasha,
I plan on making this Dish for my picky two year old son. However, I own the instant pot mini duo, which has a 3-quart container. Would this recipe work with that? Let me know, thanks!
Hi, a 3-quart would probably be too small for this full recipe. I haven’t tested it, but I think it would go above the max fill line. The cook time should be about the same.
This was absolutely delicious! My husband loved it and went back for 3rds.(My son didn’t care for it due to the texture of the rice. He’s going through a face of only liking certain foods.) I will absolutely make it again! I didn’t have onions, so I used onion powder. So good! I highly recommend!
That is the best when kids and the family love what we moms make. That’s so great!
My family loves this recipe. I want to double it because I have a large family and we like leftovers. If I double this recipe is the cook time the same?
Thanks for sharing that with us, Amy. If you are at the recipe, click on Jump to recipe and click on the number of servings to adjust the ingredients. Hope that helps.
Hi we loved this recipe as did friends we shared it with! I am wondering whether this could be frozen and reheated?
Hi Sue, you could freeze this since rice does reheat pretty well. When reheating, I would suggest first thawing in the fridge overnight then add a little sprinkle of water when it’s heating up so it doesn’t get dry. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha, I hate to give you a lower rating as I do love your recipes, but for some reason the 4c liquid to 2c rice caused an extremely soggy result. I actually used 2.5c rice and 4c liquid too! Most other recipes I looked at do 1:1 ratio of liquid to rice, so I’m not sure what went wrong. The flavor was still good, and I tried to salvage by putting it on ‘dehydrate’ setting, but do you have any tips when something like this turns out too wet?
Hi Robin, I haven’t had that experience but I am always happy to help troubleshoot. Usually, a soggy rice result is due to using a different kind of rice. Between the veggies, chicken and rice, that amount of water should be just right and a different type of rice could require a different amount of water.
Can you use a 8 quart Instant Pot?
Hi Terri, I haven’t tested this in an 8 quart but I assume they would be the same. If you try it out in your 8 qt pot, I would love to hear how it goes.
Enjoyed making this. Needed at least a little extra salt. What do you think about using a little Lawry’s Seasoned Salt?
Hi Rich, we love using Lawry’s seasoned salt. I think that is a great idea.
I cut the recipe in half. Cooking time was way too long. I thought it might be and scaled back to 6 minutes with 4 minutes natural release, but rice and veggies were still mushy and chicken a little on the overdone side but ok. I will try 4 minutes at high pressure next time with quick release.
Also thought it was lacking in flavor. Added southwest seasoning which helped.
Thank you for sharing that with me Nic!
Finally tried this recipe last night and it was delicious. My husband liked it and brought left over to work.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for this awesome feedback Ana!
Hi, I’ve made this recipe a couple of times already and it was a hit, and my question is can I use buckwheat instead of rice, and if so do I have to rinse the buckwheat and how long should I cook it for In the instant pot? Thank you
Hi Natalia, I have not tested this with buckwheat to advise. If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
Hi,
Can I use short grain rice? Will this affect the texture or cooking time?
Thanks
I haven’t tried that but I imagine that should work, but the cooking time will definitely be different.
Fell upon the recipe searching “Instapot chicken and rice.” So happy I did! Simple ingredients that we had ready. Start to finish took about 40 minutes. And it is amazing! Printed the recipe to ensure that we use it again soon. YUMMMMMM!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Chris! Thank you for sharing that wonderful review!
can you use leftover chicken with this?
Hi Lynne, I have not tried this with leftover chicken to advise. If you experiment please let me know how you like that!
Hi there. I have the Instant Pot Duo Nova. Is there anything different that I have to do to this recipe?
Hi Veronica, that should work the same as long as you have the 6 quart one!
Absolutely love how easy and delicious this recipe is. Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Christa! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
I’ve made this several times now and love it! It reheats awesome so I make it and then have my lunches for work for a few days. I cube the carrot instead of shredding since I like the larger chunks of veggies. I make it with brown rice sometimes and set it for 30 minutes. I’ve also added a bag of frozen peas in at the end when I stir in the cheese. I like the added color and flavor of the peas. Thanks for such a wonderfully versatile recipe!
I love it, thanks for your feedback and for sharing this with us!
2 IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: I tried your Chicken and Rice in my brand new Instant Pot. 1st meal in the IP. It was so good that I decided to invite my in-laws over Thursday (today) for dinner. I have an 8 qt IP and am hoping it will not go over the half way mark if I double the recipe, but I need to know if it needs to cook longer for a double recipe? Plus, I have some frozen chicken in the freezer. When I use that for this recipe, how much longer do I need to cook it and do I add all the other ingredients like it shows in your video or the chicken first so that it thaws. I love your cooking videos, Natasha!!! You are my favorite cook!! We loved your lasagna roll ups and your meatloaf!! Both were yummilicious!!!
I haven’t tried this in an 8qt or doubling it so I can’t say for sure, but it should be about the same cook time. I would thaw the chicken before cooking to keep the cooking times consistent so you don’t end up with mushy rice. If you test that out, let me know how it goes.
This. Was. Delicious.
Made it last night and it was a huge hit!!
Any tips on the best way to reheat leftovers? Reheating rice can give me trouble sometimes
Hi Lauren, When reheating, we like to sprinkle a little bit of water when it’s heating up so it doesn’t get dry. I hope that helps.
Thank you!!!
I made this Instapot chicken and rice once before and followed the recipe exactly and found that using chicken broth made the all over taste too chickeney (?) so today I replaced it with 4 cups of herb broth and then added 1 tablespoon of chili flakes. I find it a more balanced taste, but it also ocurred to me, that it is possible that my broth might have been stronger than yours.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me Peter! Yes, some broth is stronger than others and that may have been the culprit. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Ohhh, and I totally forgot to mention that I also added a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce for some subtle ummmph! And it is a great recipe for quick crowd pleasing!
The rice with cheese is really good. But the cubed chicken Is a little dry. Next time I’ll just cook whole, laying it on top of rice
Thank you for sharing that with us Virginia. Did you use chicken thighs or chicken breast?
My kid absolutely loved this! Super easy to make too 🙂
Wonderful to hear that, Erin. Thank you for your great review!
Sorry but my family was not pleased with this recipe. Very bland even with a full head of garlic. Not sure your reasoning for cutting the whole head of garlic in 1/2 and placing on top instead of peeling and chopping it to add to the chicken. It might have actually made it a little more flavorful if it was sautéed with the chicken. I have tried many a recipe from you Natasha, but sorry this did not hit a home run in my house.
Hi Sue, did you make sure to season it – this normally has ample flavor and is a very popular recipe among our readers. I’m happy to help troubleshoot but without being there or having more details, it’s impossible to know if anything was changed.
We also found it to be bland, and I followed the recipe to a T. The parsley helped a lot. I like the suggestions to add fresh ginger, red pepper flakes, thyme, mushrooms.
Thank you so much for sharing that suggestion with me Kelly!
I made the chicken and rice for a late lunch. It was delicious!
I’m happy you enjoyed that! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Super easy recipe, love the hidden veg with the shredded carrots for my picky eater. But I found it a little bland. I wanted some more flavors going on, will try adding more herbs next time as I think thyme would be yummy, and it needed more salt.
Thank you for sharing that feedback with us Jeralyn!
I tried this recipe today with my Instant Pot. I modified some ingredients because I don’t have them at the moment. I used canned carrots and peas in lieu of shredded carrots and plain white long grain rice instead of jasmine rice. It still turned out great. I love the recipe. I love it. Thank you very much for sharing this.
You’re welcome Janne! So happy you enjoyed that!
The Instant Pot Chicken and Rice looks excellent. It it possible to replace the white rice with brown rice? I know brown rice takes longer to cool.
Hi Bill, I haven’t made this one with brown rice but one of my readers wrote: “I made it with brown rice since that was all I had on hand — and increased pressure cook time to 20 minutes.” I hope that helps!
How much minced garlic should I use in place of a head of garlic?
It depends on the size but a typical garlic would have 10-12 cloves I think.
My first real entree in my Instant pit, and it was a huge hit with my rice loving husband!😀. I used brown rice and cooked for 20 minutes. Also cut the chicken bigger since it was cooking longer. Fork tender chicken! Been following you for a while, and very glad I finally tried your recipe! Thanks!
I am so happy that you and your husband both enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for giving it a try and for sharing your experience with us!
Natasha, I have an 8 quart instant pot..will the timing be the same? Cant wait to try! Thank you
Hi Jennifer, I haven’t tested this in an 8 qt but according to the manufacturer, no matter the size of your instant pot, whether it is 8qt or 6 qt, the cooking time will remain the same.
I made this recipe tonight and love it!! I used wings since that’s what I had on hand. I also used chopped garlic and fresh grated ginger. I also used chicken stock. This will be a staple in my kitchen now.
I enjoy watching your videos! Thank you so much!
Yum! That sounds so good right now! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review with us!
Hi Natasha,
My family loved this recipe. We want to make it again and share some with a friends family. If I were to double or 1.5x the recipe, do I need to adjust the cook time?
Hi Tessa, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! You will need to cook the chicken for a little while longer and you can add a minute or two more to the pressure cook.
Love love love this recipes but my husband is a diabetic so his blood sugar spikes after eating it. Can cauliflower rice be used instead of regularly rice?
Hi Susan, I haven’t tested this with cauliflower rice so I’m not sure what to advise for the cooking time since cauliflower would cook faster.
Too much liquid in the recipe. I think maybe 2.5-3 cups should be enough. My rice is really mushy like porridge.
Thank you for sharing that feedback with us Shirley. It should not be like porridge. Was anything altered in this recipe?
2x liquid/rice ratio is standard. Mine came out fine.
I tried this the first time, my whole family loved it, it’s so creamy, just like Natasha, the texture resembles risotto. Love this and all your videos, thank you
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for that great review.
Instead of chicken can shrimp be used.
I haven’t tested that with shrimp to advise, if you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I tried to follow this recipe but the rice burned to the bottom with most not even cooking. Tech and me apparently do not mix well.
Hi Joseph, That seems odd that you got the burn notice – there is a significant amount of water in the recipe where the burn notice shouldn’t appear. I wonder if it was a fluke with the machine?
I have made this a few times and the flavor is greay but my chicken is a bit dry. Any tips?? Thanks!
Hi Amanda, if using a different kind of rice, you may need a little more water since some types of rice absorb more water and the chicken, in that case, may seem a little dry. With rice, a splash of hot water at the very end can make all the difference in a fluffy texture and to correct any dryness.
I do not own an Instant Pot, could this be cooked in the oven instead? Or would it change the consistency and flavor too much?
Thank you
Hi Brad, the original version of this recipe is actually stovetop! You can find that recipe here.
White chicken meat tends to be dryer than dark in an IP/general. You may want to use dark meat if you used white.
How can you adapt this to skillet?
Hi Darlene, I haven’t tested this in a skillet since they tend to be too short to hold all the ingredients. But we do have this exact recipe made in a pot. You can find it HERE. I hope that helps.
How long does this stay good for??
Hi Laurel, this recipe will stay good for a few days. I hope you love this recipe.
Made this for supper tonight. Family enjoyed it. I did make mine with minute rice and used cheddar cheese. Still turned out very good.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I just purchased my first combo pressure cooker/air fryer. Thinking about trying this chicken and rice recipe, but wanted to ask about adding the cheese at the last. Is the cheese necessary since we have a non-cheese eater in the family? Should something else be substituted or will it be o.k. just without the cheese?
Hi Alice, the cheese is a topping, you can definitely omit it for cheese-free chicken rice. Or you can always serve part with cheese and part of the recipe without it.
Hi Natasha. Will this work with a mixture of jasmine and basmati rice or just basmati? I only have a bit of jasmine left and a ton of basmati. Thank you! 🙂
Hi Anastasia, others shared that they used basmati rice and it worked well too but I’m just not sure if it will work if you mix both as I haven’t tried it yet.
I have mixed those types of rice and it still turned out delicious! This is a family favorite and we make it probably weekly! Though sometimes on the stovetop because the wine just gives it that extra yummy kick!
I helped my 14 year old make this today! It was a hit & made her more confident cooking. I used plain white rice because I was out of jasmine and it worked great, no other changes.
That is the best when kids help with the cooking. That’s so great!
Hi,
Would this recipe work with brown rice?
Thank you
Hi Sue, I haven’t made this one with brown rice but one of my readers wrote: “I made it with brown rice since that was all I had on hand — and increased pressure cook time to 20 minutes.” I hope that helps!
Hi Natasha
Happy Early Mother’s Day!!! I have made this twice but the second time I made it I added 16 oz sliced mushrooms. That made it even better. Everyone loved it!!! Thank you
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Natasha…..help me convert this recipe to use Brown Rice….please.
Hi Barbara, I haven’t made this one with brown rice but one of my readers wrote: “I made it with brown rice since that was all I had on hand — and increased pressure cook time to 20 minutes.” I hope that helps!
Perfection! Prepared exactly per recipe, and it was unbelievably flavorful. The rice was creamy, and the chicken perfectly tender. Yum! (Oh so easy, also!)
Love it! Thanks for your excellent feedback, Gigi. So glad you enjoyed this recipe.
This is probably the 7th recipe we have tried…..and the 7th winner! My kids are so incredibly picky and now THEY are looking for a recipe on your website and making it themselves. Thank you!
Lovely to hear that Jenn! Thank you for giving this recipe an excellent feedback.
Hello! What veggie can I substitute if I don’t have carrots?
Hi Paola, one of our readers replaced the carrots with yellow pepper and loved this recipe. If you experiment with that I would love to know how you like this recipe.
I don’t have an istapot but I have a good old pressure cooker. Would it be the same.
Hi Kathy, that should work OR you can follow this identical recipe here that is made on the stove top.
Hi Natasha, I discovered your blog few days ago and had to say this recipe was the most success I had with cooking lately! It turned out absolutely perfect, with every bite, I couldn’t get over how flavorful and creamy it was. Definitely a new addition to my repertoire
Thanks for sharing your good feedback with us, Michael. I’m glad that it was a success and you loved it!
Excellent! A little prep work, but so easy. I did make a few modifications. For one, I put in leftover turkey this time instead of the chicken. Also I did not add the Parmesan. Instead, after the release I put all in a baking dish and added shredded mozzarella to the top and baked it off. So delicious – thank you!
Thank you for sharing those changes with us, Karen! I’m so glad you enjoyed that.
I don’t have an instant pot. Can I use my pressure cooker instead?
Hi Lisa, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hi Natasha, this recipe sounds so yummy and I want to try it but, I don’t have an Insta Pot ( at least not yet) can I make this in a pot on the stove or in the oven? If so, do I need to make any adjustments for this to come out as it does in an Insta Pot?
Hi Rosana, the original version of this recipe is actually stovetop! You can find that recipe here.
Hi Natasha, I love your recipes and I cannot wait to try this one. I was wondering if you can sub quinoa for the rice and if so, would it be the same amount and same cooking time?
Thank you.
Hi Wendi, we haven’t tested substituting quinoa. If you experiment, please let me know how you liked it.
Thank you for this GREAT recipe! Was my very first time using Instant Pot and this was a hit! My family absolutely loved it. Used brown rice instead of white and had to cook it for 30 min because of that. In the end it was still a bit soupy, but after adding parmesan it turned out amazingly creamy and smooth.
You are so welcome, Katia. I’m sure you’re excited to try out other recipes using your new instant pot.
Hi,
Great recipe, can it be made with beef you think? What adjustments would need to be made?
thanks!
Hi Ankush, I haven’t tested that but I bet it could work! If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
Do you take the halves of the garlic out when it is done?
Hi Jennifer, we take it out and serve it on the side or you can leave it in the rice. Your preference.
My husband and I LOVED this dish. Incredibly delicious and got better after the flavors developed in the fridge. A wonderful, comfort food dish that we will make again and again.
Love your comments and feedback, Joyce. I hope you love every recipe that you’re going to try!
1st time made an instapot recipe in years and took a chance. This did not disappoint! So glad I tried again Thank you!!
You’re welcome and thanks for sharing!
Great recipe. Chicken and Rice cooked perfectly. First recipe where my rice didn’t turn out watery. I added chopped red and green peppers. I also minced my head of garclic and through it in with the peppers and chicken.
The best thing I added was curry powder and ginger powder. I was very generous with both. Adding these gave the rice such rich flavor! Take my advice there
That’s a great idea! Thank you for sharing that with me, Ashley! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
We are just learning the Instant Pot and have made this recipe at least 6 times in the last 2 months! Love the flavor and texture of this! I plan to make Beef Plov as soon as I can get my hands on short grain brown rice.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
I love your recipe and it is a family favourite. The last twice or three times I keep getting a burn notice any idea why that could be? I’m following the instructions and didnt get it when I first made it?
Hi Michelle, sometimes if the chicken is sitting directly on the surface, that can show up, Give the mixture a stir before turning it on.
This recipe is awesome. I’ve made the IP Beef Plov in your website that calls for the brown rice. Question – can I make this recipe with the brown rice?
Hi, I haven’t made this one with brown rice but one of my readers wrote: I made it with brown rice since that was all I had on hand — and increased pressure cook time to 20 minutes.
Hello, for the instant pot chili and rice recipe, can i substitute the rice with broen rice? Also how long should i cook it for? Since brown rice will probably need to be cooked longer?
Hi Sana, I haven’t made this one with brown rice but one of my readers wrote: I made it with brown rice since that was all I had on hand — and increased pressure cook time to 20 minutes.
After trying your cheeseburger sliders a couple days ago and absolutely loving them, my wife and I decided to try this recipe for dinner tonight. If we could give it more than 5 stars, we would. This is, by far, the best meal we have ever made in our IP. The texture of the ride was so creamy even before adding the cheese, and the addition of the carrot and parsley is brilliant (and I am not a parsley fan). We made two tweaks to the recipe: 2lbs of chicken and our favorite self-defense seasoning instead of the salt. We are already looking up more recipes to try next.
That should have been salt-free, not self-defense. Darn tablet.
Awesome! This is excellent feedback, thank you so much for sharing your experience making this recipe.
Can you used minced garlic instead? I don’t have a head of garlic and am trying to stay away from stores.
Hi Kimberly! We prefer the full head of garlic but that should still work.
Kids loved this recipe. My 17 year old made it, and he had no problems.
That is great! I’m glad that the kids loved this.
i only have frozen thighs, how do i adjust the liquid and cooking times?
Hi Mavis, it is in step 3. I haven’t tried cooking it while the chicken is still frozen to advise but it would be best to use thawed chicken to be sure.
Thank you for including the calories just need to know how much is in a serving size? About 1 cup?
Hi Lynn, these types of recipes are usually 1 cup per serving. This recipe makes for 8 servings.
I love watching your videos! I just bought a new instant pot and made this recipe. This was my first time using the instant pot and one of your recipes. It was delicious!! I will definitely be making this again.
Hello Connie, I’m so glad that you instantly loved your instant pot because of this recipe. Keep up the good work!
Absolute comfort food. I’ve made so many of your recipes, they never disappoint! This was so good!
I am so happy that you loved this recipe, Crystal. Thank you for your awesome review!
Can white rice be used with this recipe ?
Hi Scarlett, we recommend white Jasmin rice but that should work.
Has anyone tried couscous? I currently have this on hand
I used brown jasmine rice and mor carrots. I cooked it on the multigrain setting and it turned out great. Thank you
You’re welcome! Isn’t the flavor amazing – the best comfort food!
Do you have any tips for making this recipe if you do not have an instant pot?
Hi Barb, we actually have the original Chicken and Rice stovetop version on our blog HERE. I hope you love it.
Delicious! I didn’t have a full bulb of garlic, only the jarred chopped garlic. Added about a tablespoon when I added the chicken and it was so yummy!!!
I’m so glad that worked out! Thank you for sharing that with me.
Delicious! I found this while searching for some new chicken and rice flavors for the InstaPot. Only thing I changed was the water to rice ratio. I followed the rule of thumb when using any type of pressure cooker to cook rice (any type) and that’s 1 cup of water for each cup of rice. Pressure cookers build up steam which creates excess water on its own. Add too much water and you have soup. I also just minced 4 cloves of garlic and tossed it in as I didn’t have a whole head. Turned out perfectly! Not soupy, not soggy, and not too dry either. Note this can also be done with frozen chicken. You can cut it when done or if semi-thawed you can cube it beforehand. Loved adding this new carrot flavor to my recipes!
I love your very detailed feedback, Tamera. Thank you for sharing your experience with us, that is very useful information. I also appreciate your great review!
This is delicious! Howe er I am one person… can I freeze the chicken and rice into individual servings ?
Hi Barb, you could freeze this since rice does reheat pretty well. When reheating, I would suggest first thawing in the fridge overnight then add a little sprinkle of water when it’s heating up so it doesn’t get dry. I hope that helps.
I have a 8 quart pot. Will that be ok to use? Looks delicious!!!
I have not tested that in an 8qt Instant Pot but one of our readers has with great results. I hope that helps.
I made it in an 8qt and it was perfect.
That’s awesome! I’m so glad that worked!
I have the 8qt and followed the recipe to the T and it came out perfect. Although I might reduce the liquid. But other than that it was delicious!!
Super! Thanks for sharing that with us, Carmen. I appreciate your good feedback.
I actually posted this message to one of your other recipes by accident. It was meant for the chicken and rice in the instant pot. And yes, that means I make a lot of your recipes. Everyone I’ve tried so far has been great. Here’s my question again:
My family loves this recipe. I’m planning on making it again this week but forgot to buy the shredded Parmesan. Can I use Grated Parmesan or shredded mozzarella instead.
That should work, Anna! You may try a different amount based on your taste preference. Some of our readers omitted the cheese all-together also.
I love the idea of adding some fresh herbs at the end, but I am not a fan of parsley. Can you recommend any other herbs to try? Thyme? Sage?
I think any herb you like the taste of should work. My go to herb is basil, LOVE it! I use basil in lots of things. To me, parsley is for looks and has no taste (to me).
Can I use the same measurements for the ingredients but in an 8qt Instant Pot?
Hi Mei, I have not tested that in an 8qt Instant Pot but one of our readers has with great results. I hope that helps.
I wanted to love this, it was so easy and quick to prepare, but I just did not like it that much. I added a bit of fresh broccoli to the veggie mix based on a suggestion but don’t think this was a positive addition. I liked the creamy rice texture but found the flavour meh, and hard to finish a serving. I could see the rice as a side dish but too…monotonous for a main dish. I will not make this again – but I love so many of Natasha’s recipes.
Hi Barb, this normally should be quite flavorful – did you change any ingredients or omit something? Most times, a dish that seems underseasoned just needs a little extra salt.
Do you think this recipe could work without the carrot?
Hi Meg, we enjoy it with that but I’m sure it can be omitted.
Can you use grated Parmesan instead of shredded? Grated is all I have on hand and grocery stores around here are pretty bare.
Hi Shannon, that should work! I hope you love this recipe.
Can you make it in the regular pot?
Hi Marianna, yes! Check out our stovetop chicken and rice recipe.
Thanks a million, I’ll give it a go
I hope you love it Marianna!
Looks Yummy! I’d like to do this but add more veggies… we kind of do heavy veggies and less rice.
when do you suggest I add the veggies? I’m thinking celery, maybe more carrots, mushrooms, broccoli (and maybe asparagus). I usually cut mushrooms kind of small (not a fan of the tecture) so not sure when to add them… and broccoli takes so little time to cook, also not sure when to add it. Thank you for your thoughts!
I’ve only made rice and quinoa by themselves so far – this will be my first ‘one pt’ meal with meat! Thank you for sharing your expertise!!
Thank you so much for sharing. I love the idea of adding more vegetables! I bet broccoli would be delicious Kerrie. But yes, more vegetables should work great I haven’t tested adding to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I have only recently started watch you and love it. I’m making the chicken and rice tonight. I would love more instant pot receipts. Next we will try your ribs. We use to live outside of Philadelphia and we added peppers and mushrooms to your cheese steak and it was delicious. Keep sending them out. You have a lovely family.
Mary Alice
I’m so glad you discovered our recipes, Mary Alice! Thank you for sharing those awesome tips with us.
Would like to make with Brown Jasmine rice – has anyone made it with that and what would the cooking time be
Hi Molly, I haven’t tried brown jasmine rice to advise so I can’t really tell. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
SO GOOD!!! Made it last week and ate leftovers all week. Making it again this week and can’t wait to have it again! It was a little garlicy for me, so I topped it with avocado slices to mute the garlic a little. YUM!!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite Sarah!
Hey Natasha! Would this work well with pork instead of chicken??
Hi Marta, I imagine that will work. I hope you love this recipe.
Oh i love this recipe! Iv made it a handful of times! Thank you!
Glad you love this! I hope you enjoy every recipe that you try.
Absolutely delicious!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Jessica. Thank you!
Kids loved this recipe. My 17 year old made it, and he had no problems. Could I double the recipe?
I have seen this recipe so many times but never tried it because it seemed too simple to taste good. But I decided to make it for dinner tonight and WOW was I wrong ?!!! It was absolutely Delicious. The perfect one-pot meal 😋👌
Can you use white or brown rice with this!
Hi Heather, brown rice would have a longer cooking time in the instant pot. Check out our brown rice instant pot recipe here.
Made it tonight with instant pot. Tasted so good. I’ll use 2 garlic bulbs the next time I cook. I love the garlic this way. I was wondering if u can make mashed garlic as your side dish. Lol
I think that would work too – it really depends on your preference but I haven’t personally tried it yet. Let us know if you liked it if you give it a try!
Hi! I tried this today, and even though I followed the amounts exactly, my rice came out soupy! I think 4 cups of broth for only 2 of rice was too much. The flavor was fine, but I would have preferred the rice to be drier.
Thank you for sharing that with me, Diana! We believe we found the perfect balance to meet the minimum liquid requirement for the instant pot. If you test it out another way I would love to know how you like it.
I cut the recipe in half and just had the same problem. I used brown rice and adjusted the time to 20 minutes, but still lots of liquid
Hi Natasha, This recipe looks so delicious. I just have one question. What do you do with the garlic cloves when finished cooking? Add to the rice or discard? Thanks so much!!
Hi Deb, we have a note on that in the recipe: “remove garlic head (you can either push the cloves of garlic out into the rice and eat it or discard it)” I hope that helps.
Made this tonight in the instant pot for the first time and omg its so good. I’ve made the same recipe numerous times in the dutch oven but this one is better 100%!!!! Def a family favorite. Thank you Natasha!!!!! <
You’re welcome, Karyn! I’m so glad you liked that.
Hi Natasha, I thought I saw a video for this recipe come through my Facebook feed a little while ago and wanted to make it. Now, reading the steps I just want to confirm that the rice is added in Step 3? Do you need to alter cooking time if chicken is frozen?
Hi Laurie, yes it is in step 3. I haven’t tried cooking it while the chicken is still frozen to advise but it would be best to use thawed chicken to be sure
I made mine with still mostly frozen chicken, and it came out perfectly. What happens with frozen meat is the IP takes longer to come to pressure, but once there, the cooking time is the same. Also, in this recipe, the chicken will defrost a lot as you saute it.
You can use frozen chicken. It will just take longer for the pot to reach pressure. Also you should add about 3 minutes to the cook time.
Hi Natasha, this chicken and rice dish in instant pot could it be done in a 3 quart pot? Thank love your recipes
Lisa mcbride
Hi Lisa, it’s hard to say since I’ve only tried it in a 6-quart pot but I imagine that should work.
Can this recipe be doubled if you use an 8 qt instant pot? My family devoured this the first time I made it so I wanted to see about doubling it.
Hi Angie, I haven’t tested doubling this, but if you are doubling the recipe and using a larger instant pot than 6qt, that should work fine to double the ingredients and not the time. Let me know how it goes doubling it.
I used brown basmati rice because that’s what I had on hand. I adjusted liquid to 4.25 cups. After ten minutes there’s was still SO much liquid. I cooked it for another 10 minutes, and still some liquid. I’m about to cook it for another 10 minutes. What am I missing? Does it really take this much longer to cook brown basmati rice compared to jasmine rice?
Yes, brown rice takes twice as long as regular rice if not more to cook. I hope you figure this out.
Wondering if I could cut the recipe in half? Just worried about the broth and rice ratio. Thanks
Just put my plate down and had to comment!! This was wonderful!! You are right the rice is creamy. I added broccoli to it (after microwaving) and Viola. MAKE THIS!!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Can I substitute Quinoa for the rice?
Hi Jodie, we haven’t tested substituting quinoa. If you experiment, please let me know how you liked it.
Has anyone tried this using quinoa instead of rice?
Hi Wendy, we haven’t tested that but if you do experiment, please let me know how it goes.
Tried it with quinoa and it came out mushy. I might try again and cook the quinoa separately.
Thank you so much for sharing that! I suspected that would be the case. I appreciate the feedback.
I have seen this recipe so many times but never tried it because it seemed too simple to taste good. But I decided to make it for dinner tonight and WOW was I wrong ?!!! It was absolutely Delicious. The perfect one-pot meal 😋👌
That’s awesome to know that the recipe exceeded your expectations! Thank you for sharing that with us and for your great feedback.
We love making this dish for a family meal, even our almost 2 year old loves it!! I add broccoli into ours so I can have my son eat more veggies.
**Question** Can this be made with cauliflower rice (not precooked)? I want to try it that way but I’m afraid it would become too mushy.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me and for giving great feedback! I haven’t really tried this with cauliflower rice to advise. Sorry I wish I could help you more but if you decide to experiment- I would love to know how it goes!
Made this on Wednesday when my niece and her boyfriend came for dinner. Great reviews from all, including my fussy granddaughter, and lots left over to send home with my niece. Served with a side salad and it was a full meal for us.
Next time, I would cut the recipe in half and still have a little leftover for the next day after the three of us eat.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me Pat! I’m so glad your family enjoyed this recipe.
My hubby made this for us the other night and it was really tasty and really easy to make. I am laid up right now with a broken foot and wanted a recipe my hubby could make and he did he watched your video and made it all by himself. The only thing was I added a can of cream of mushroom soup and only put in 3 & 1/2 cups of liquid .. love your recipes and videos!
Yum! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Made this recipe tonight. Delicious!! The only change I made was added mushrooms and halved the recipe. Thank you for sharing your recipes. Love your blog.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it Summer!
Hi Natasha,
why did you pick Jasmine rice for risotto? I’ve read in a couple of places to avoid Jasmine rice if possible as it doesn’t have enough starch and risotto might become too mushy. Medium- or short-grain rice is the best, like Arborio. Thank you.
Hi Anna, this isn’t a true risotto but it is much easier with a lovely creamy texture.
Followed directions to a “t” but it turned out to be just a big bowl of mush. Will try again another day and reduce cooking time significantly
I’m so sorry to hear that! I have not had that experience. Was anything altered in the recipe?
I had the exact same issue! Followed the recipe. I think I’ll reduce by 1 cup of liquid at least next time.
Make sure you are not using “instant” rice (Minute rice or similar parboiled rice).
all I can say is OMG !!! fantastic made it tonight, thank you Natasha
Isn’t the flavor amazing! Thank you for the wonderful review, Ronnie!
Hello, I would like to make this dish with brown jasmine rice. When i cook brown jasmine on its own, I put it on high pressure for 24 minutes with a 10 minute decompress time. If I used your recipe but with the brown jasmine, would cooking it on high pressure for 24 minutes +10mins for decompress over cook the chicken?
Thank you for sharing that with us Ben. I haven’t tried brown jasmine rice to advise so I can’t really tell. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I ended up cooking the rice separate from everything else and mixed everything together when it was done. It took longer but worth it since the chicken was cooked perfectly. Great recipe for sure. Thank you
Thank you so much for sharing that with me and for giving great feedback. I hope you love every recipe you try!
This was the first time that a recipe I followed worked perfectly! She is awesome and so is this dish. My family LOVED it!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me and for giving great feedback, Stacee. I’m glad that your family loved this recipe!
Anxious to try this recipe as it looks doable and tasty. Curious, though, it says serves 8 as a side dish. What would one serve with it?
Hi Pat, we like to serve this with the main course meat like chicken or beef. You can also serve it alongside a nice crisp salad.
Making this today. Can I put whole chicken legs in? That is what I have.
Hi Ann, I haven’t tried this with bone-in chicken, so I would suggest removing the meat from the bones and using just the meat.
Hi Natalie,
Love your videos and recipes.
Tonight we tried our Instapot for the first time and cooked the chicken and rice dish and we loved it!
The only change I made was I added a can of cream of mushroom soup and I decreased The liquid by 1/2 cup . I wanted to add fresh mushrooms but was worried about the amount of liquid in mushrooms. Your recipe was delicious and I squeezed out the garlic and added it back in…yumm
I’m so glad you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing those changes with us.
This was east, and came together quickly. I followed the recipe exactly, and it looked like it was going to be amazing. It was sort of bland though. I added salt and cracked pepper to the individual plates to help.
I wish it had been more flavorful because I would make it often.
Thank you for sharing that feedback Rachel!
This looks So good! I want to try this but use cauliflower / cauliflower rice instead of regular rice.
ALSO Thought of adding some broccoli pieces. I’m very new to Ipmp, do you have any suggestions?!?! I love cheese, and have cut both back with the fat, so am glad to see this is cheesy but not focused all on the cheese!
I bet broccoli would be delicious Blair. But yes, more vegetables should work great.
what about cooking time for cauliflower rice? I know i could just add premade cauliflowr rice in at the end, but how would that affect cooking time for the chicken and such?
Hi Blair, I haven’t tested this with cauliflower rice but I suspect it would turn to mush.
My whole family loved it! Kids didn’t even know there was onions in it and they hate onions. Thank you for another great recipe.
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great, Gabrielle!
This was yummy! I made it with brown rice since that was all I had on hand — and increased pressure cook time to 20 minutes.
I also added chopped kale when I added the rice to increase the veggie content.
It didn’t look as beautiful as Natasha’s but it tasted good! (the kale was not bright green anymore, like the uncooked parsley was)
I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
Concerning the instant pot chicken and rice recipe; can the recipe be halved in the pot and still work and would leftovers be freeze able?
Hi Karen, I have not tested halving this recipe in a 6qt pot. One of our readers was planning on testing it in a 3qt pot. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I tried this recipe last night. When it was done I had to leave on warm for close to an hour before we ate. The rice got mushy and the chicken was dry. Was this because I left it on warm? Or did I do something else Wrong?
Hi Carolyn, it is possible it was overcooked during that time. Did you alter anything else in the recipe? I’m happy to troubleshoot but it is hard to say without being there.
Same here! Flavor was great, but my kid’s disapproved due to the mushy rice.
Hi Rosanna, if using a different type of rice or letting it sit too long before releasing pressure, you do run the risk of it becoming mushy. I hope that helps for next time.
Hi, can this recipe be frozen?
Hi Melissa, you could freeze this since rice does reheat pretty well. When reheating, I would suggest first thawing in the fridge overnight then add a little sprinkle of water when it’s heating up so it doesn’t get dry. I have found that chicken tenders reheat the best of all the different types of chicken meat. I’m not sure why but we like it best reheated comparted to chicken breast or thigh meat. I hope that helps.
Hi Melissa, you could freeze this since rice does reheat pretty well. When reheating, I would suggest first thawing in the fridge overnight then add a little sprinkle of water when it’s heating up so it doesn’t get dry.
was a hit in our house! Thank you. Just remember to dig the garlic out before you stir it will get lost:)
also remember to take the leaves out!–
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Michelle!
This recipe was delicious! I followed the steps exactly and my husband and I loved the result. I’d like to try with brown jasmine rice next time. How should I adjust the time? Thanks again for your delicious recipes!
Thanks for your good feedback. I haven’t personally tried jasmine rice so I can’t really tell but if you decide to experiment, I would love to know how it goes.
I added a shallot and Jalapeño while sautéing. Also Instead of slicing the head of garlic and squeezing out the bulbs at the end, I just minced it up and added it at the last step before adding the pressure.
The rice has the consistency of risotto.
This is a crowd pleaser.
Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad, Jeff! Thank you for that wonderful review!
3 1/2 to 4 stars. Turned out really well. I recommend adding @ 1/4 cup of white wine to the broth to make the even 4 cups as well as a mixture of aromatic herbs after the cooking. Herbs de Provence or whatever other mixture one prefers. Definitely add Rosemary.
Thank you so much for sharing that feedback with me, Brian!
This was amazing! So easy! My kids loved it! This recipe is a keeper.
I’m glad to hear it, Angela! Thank you for that awesome review.
Foolproof recipe! Since I am severely lactose intolerant, I could not follow the directions, exactly, but I was determined to try it. I found vegan parmesan shreds at the grocery (Follow Your Heart), so grabbed them. I put a bag of frozen thighs into the fridge to thaw last night…but when I went to cook this evening, they were still frozen. Undaunted, I cut the frozen chicken up, and threw it in the pot, anyway. Also, it was a 2 lb. bag, I threw it all in and sauteed until all was white on the outside. I used Basmati, since I didn’t have jasmine rice. And I only had a red onion. Other than these major diversions, I did everything else as directed. And it turned out wonderfully. Just delish. Thank you for a really good recipe. And for your very helpful video. It let me know what to expect. And as you said, there is not a trace of onion to be found, despite my using a red one. Now, I have to keep myself away from the leftovers, or the yield on this will be one serving!
Sounds like you found a new favorite, Debba! Thank you for stopping by with that awesome review.
I’m going to try this tonight. Im sure my fussy 4 year old will love it! Just wondering how smoked paprika would go in this recipe??
Hi Carla, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I made this tonight for dinner…. 3 super picky kids and they LOVED IT!! If it was up to them I’d make it every night! I did 1 batch in the instapot and one on the stovetop because I wasn’t sure my pot could handle a double batch… there are just enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow! We followed the recipe almost exactly… I didn’t have jasmine rice so used basmati. Thank you for this awesome addition to our dinners!
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great! Thank you, Kelly!
I have a question…I have everything to make this except the garlic head. I only have minced garlic Can I use that instead and/or what should I do differently? 😫
Hi Kendra, you can still make it work although it won’t have quite the same depth of garlic flavor. If you are using pre-minced garlic, it should work fine to add it when you add the rice to the instant pot. If it’s raw garlic freshly minced, it would be a good idea to add it at the end of sauteeing the chicken.
how much garlic though?
So I made this last night, and it was perfect. I made a few changes. I added some peas to it and a few extra spices. I didn’t have a clove of garlic, so I just used garlic powder, and it worked fine. I didn’t parmesan cheese, so I used a Mexican blend of shredded cheese I had on hand. Also, for the rice, I took a suggestion from reviews of a different recipe, and I did not mix the rice into everything. I just let it sit on top of the chicken (still covered by liquid). I did this to guarantee the rice would not burn. It was perfect. The first chicken and rice dish I made, I mixed the rice in, and it burned. I hope to be making more of your recipes soon; they all look so great!
Hi Gail, thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m so glad you liked this recipe.
This is so good! I’ve made it a couple of times already! The whole fam loves it. Thank you and keep them coming!
Sounds like you found a new favorite! Thank you for stopping by, Leanna!
This did not turn out very well for me. The texture was very overdone and mushy. I have been pressure cooking for years and followed the recipe, except for adding some fresh, chopped mushrooms. The flavor was good, but I will definitely reduce the cook time to 7-8 min in the future to avoid the sticky, mushy rice.
Hi Jasmine, did you change the type of rice? That could be the culprit, also, be sure to turn off and release pressure as soon as the timer is up or it can get overcooked. I hope that helps!
This was AMAZING! Followed the recipe almost exactly and mixed the garlic in at the end. The cheese at the end is a game changer! I’m new to this blog, but definitely looking forward to trying some of your other recipes!
Thank you so much for your great review, Eric. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I made this chicken and rice last night. So delicious! My husband is already asking me to make it again! Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Grace.
Made this tonight for dinner and the family loved it. Will definitely be making it again. Might steal an idea from another reviewer and add corn next time, or maybe peas.
I’m so happy to hear the entire family loved this! That’s just awesome!