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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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 rice 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!
If you enjoyed this Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Video tutorial, be sure to subscribe to our Youtube Channel and click the bell icon so you can be the first to know when a new video tutorial is posted. THANK YOU for subscribing!
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
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.
- Add trimmed, chopped chicken, another 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Sautee, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Fantastic and I just used regular long grain white rice. I didn’t have carrots but I had frozen mixed veggies and used about 2 cups of those frozen. It is so good with a creamy texture.
Made this for the first time today. Turned out perfect! We’ll see how everyone likes it at dinner.
Thanks! Another great add for my gluten free kids
You’re so welcome, Kim!
Excellent! So creamy and delicious. I made mine with bone broth and cilantro, I didnt have parsley on hand. My son said to add dried mushrooms next time for more umami.
thank you!
Marina
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I am single dad and I always looking for dinner ideas for me and me kids. So when I found this recipe I was so excited. It’s easy and quick meal plan. Cooked it twice for dinner and they loved and it doesn’t cost a lot to make. Thanks for your help.
You’re very welcome! I’m xo glad it worked out for you.
I followed this recipe exactly except in an 8L instant pot (minimum 2 cups for pressure cooking). I did the 2 cups rice, 4 cups broth etc but it burned on the bottom and my pot shower the ‘food burn’ error message. I’ve cooked risotto dishes in it before with no problem. I still put a 5 star cos it tasted yum (just had to leave the lid on to let the steam finalize cooking the rice) and it could have been a user error.
Made many time. Experimented with different rices and each dish has turned out perfectly. Next time we’ll try red beans and rice package. Thank you for detailed instructions and recipes.
Thank you for the recipe- My rice cooker only has slow cook- not pressure cook. It’s same brand as yours but without the pressure cook.
Can I use this recipe with the slow cook option? Thanks
Hi Clelia, I don’t have a slow cooker version, but here is the full tutorial for the stovetop chicken and rice. I’m not sure this would work in a slow cooker; I haven’t tested it that way, so I’m not sure if the consistency would be right in a slow cooker.
My son and I LOVE this recipe and I make it often! Could this be frozen, as it makes so much?
Thank you!
Hi SARAH! I have not tried freezing this, but I think you could. Also- you can reduce the serving size in the recipe card if you’d like to make a smaller portion.
Hello I was wondering how many grams per serving this dish is?
Hi Alina. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to measure it that way. The nutrition facts are computer generated by entering in the ingredients. This dish is set to serve 8 people as a side. You can weigh the recipe as a whole when finished and then divide that by 8, or you can evenly divide it into 8 servings. I hope that helps!
Today was our wedding anniversary—53 years—but we’re both not quite over covid, so no going out. Instead, I asked my stud muffin how chicken and rice sounded and he said, “Fantastic!”
It’s been years since we’ve had it at our house and I went looking for your recipes. It was perfect and couldn’t have tasted any better. Perfect for slightly sore throats and touchy stomachs! Thanks for consistently having great things for me to bring to our table. J and R in Paradise 💋
My family loves this recipe. We added some broccoli to it to get the kids to eat their veggies. Love your web site. Haven’t found 1 recipe that I haven’t liked.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review, Katby!
Hey Natasha, I’m exited to try this recipe out but noticed in your regular version without the instant pot that it calls for white wine but the instant pot version does not. Is there a reason you don’t put it in this recipe ? Thanks !
HI Emily, cooking under pressure changes the flavor a bit so I thought it was better without.
Thank you! If you were to choose between the pressure cooker recipe or stovetop flavor wise, which would you choose?
Hi Emily, that is such a good question, but I sincerely love both versions, the main difference for me is whether I am on a time crunch or not. The Instant pot version takes only 30 minutes while the stove pot version takes about 50 minutes. The stove top version incorporates white wine which adds a layer to the flavor.
This was a great recipe that my husband and I both enjoyed tremendously as a dinner entree. Thanks!
My daughter loves this meal I make her for her in almost every rotation. I prefer to cube the carrots very small for her and I also love to add broccoli florets. Great recipe!
Thank you for that feedback, Vlad! This is the perfect family recipe – especially for the little ones.
I have made this recipe a dozen times and it always comes out excellent. I am not an Instant Pot user normally but this recipe got me to use ours. I probably add more garlic and cheese than the recipe calls for and I also will brown the chicken in a pan or cast iron and then put it in the pot.
I’ve found the Instant Pot doesn’t brown the chicken at all. I don’t cook it all the way, just enough to get some color on it and then throw it in the Instant Pot.
It has become a regular family favorite.
Isn’t that the best to find a family favorite recipe! I’m so glad you all loved it, Cary!
Delicious and so easy. I used long grain white rice and added about a cup of frozen spinach. Came out like a risotto and everyone loved it!
Thank you for sharing, glad you loved this recipe!
Hi Natasha :). Can this be done with frozen chicken? Thanks!
Hi Kait, I haven’t tested this with frozen chicken, but you would be missing some flavor by not doing the sauteeing part of the recipe. I recommend thawing and proceeding as instructed above. I hope you love the recipe.
I make this with frozen chicken tenderloin and baby carrots (not cut) quite often. I like to cook it on low, for about 9 minutes, and do a natural pressure release. The chicken is cooked perfectly and so tender!
I have made this many times. It is quick and easy and there’s usually enough for leftovers which I love!
That’s great, Rita!
Love your recipes and the detailed instructions really helps. Thank you the ones I have made have been a hit. And delicious!!