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 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!
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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
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In case anyone was wondering, this makes a fantastic vegetarian side dish if you omit the chicken and substitute veggie broth!!!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Not sure what went wrong. Used texmati rice as that was the only kind I had. Added mushrooms. Other than that, followed the recipe. After 10 min, the pot is still full of broth and rice hasn’t cooked. So, looks like liquid rice soup with the mostly uncooked rice. Always had success with other recipes from you. Any ideas?
Hi Helen, did you possibly use instant rice or maybe your instant pot didn’t come to pressure properly? Make sure to set it to the sealing position so it comes to pressure properly.
I agree with Helen. My instapot rice is always 1 to 1, not 2:1 and this came out like chicken and rice soup.
Absolutely delicious! I omitted the parsley because my ultra picky 6 and 7 year old boys despise “green things” (sad face) and they devoured it. This is probably only the 3rd recipe in history we all loved. It will be in the weekly rotation from now on! So creamy, its hard to believe there is no cream and only a half cup of cheese. The garlic added so much flavor. Can’t wait to try your Beef Plov. Thanks!!
I’m so happy to hear that you and your family loved this recipe. I hope you’ll enjoy all the recipes that you will try!
This is delicious and is a weekly staple in my house. To change it up this week, I cooked up some garlicky shrimp on the side and tossed them in (peeled and tails removed) once the rice was done (omitting the chicken). It was really great! Thanks, Natasha!
That’s great and sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing that with us, Mandie and I appreciate your review.
Delicious dish! So creamy. It’s true comfort food and super easy to make.
I added Italian blend herbs to the original recipe, then when reheating leftovers, some lemon juice and lemon zest.
Sounds great, Katherine. Thank you for your review and for sharing some reheating tips with us!
This recipe doesn’t have the wine or bay leaves – can I still use them in the Insta?
Hi Vicki, It works really well without those ingredients with the instant pot. It’s not quite the same when you can’t ‘cook off’ the wine as you could on the stovetop. This recipe does not disappoint without the wine or bay leaves.
I made this tonight and it was great! It’s almost risotto like with no stirring. I did add broccoli, diced mushrooms and diced summer squash in place of some of the chicken, it was still really good. Next time, I won’t sauté the broccoli first so it stays firmer but other than that, this is a great dish! Thanks!!
I love your ideas for add-ins. That sounds so healthy and delicious.
Awesome recipe! Everyone loved it!! Will be making again!
Great to hear that, Jackie. Thank you for sharing!
Wow. One of the best chicken and rice. Yes the rice is like risotto when it’s done. Definitely keeping.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Shanna!
Any way of making it in a slow cooker?
Hi Ellen, 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
Can this be made in a slow cooker (Crockpot)?
The best chicken and rice ever!!
Everyone loved it from 1 1/2 years old to 60 1/2 years old 😍
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Mary!
I love this recipe. It’s a weekly staple in our house. The only I do not like is how the chicken tastes when reheated as leftovers. Has anyone ever tried this with shrimp instead? If so, how did you make it with the shrimp?
Hi Mandie, I haven’t tested this with shrimp instead but maybe others here have tried and can share some tips?
What did I do wrong? My rice burned to the bottom and it wouldn’t seal. I took it out twice and cleaned the pot and added more liquid but had to finish in the microwave. Ughhhh.
Hi Lynnea, did you check that the seal was clear of any debris? Sometimes that can cause issues with its sealing. I haven’t had it burn using the proportions of ingredients in the recipe. If this is your first time using an instant pot, I highly recommend doing the test run per the instant pot instructions and watching a video tutorial on youtube for your specific model (there are many of them now). I hope that helps.
I’ve had to replace that inside ring seal several times because it won’t seal. You can get them on Amazon.
This was so simple and delicious – my kids are going to love it! It’s so good in fact that I was thinking of trying to freeze some to bring with us on our family vacation this summer. Do you happen to know if it freezes well?
Thanks for your fantastic review, Heather. I honestly haven’t tried freezing this recipe yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
Delicious! I didn’t have carrots, substituted celery. It still had the best flavor. Saving this recipe and will be making again. Thank you.
I’m so glad that substitution worked, Nancy! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I’m going to make this tomorrow. First time using Insta pot. Would brown jasmine rice or basmati be ok w same timing ?
Hi Felicia, brown rice like we used in our Instant Pot Rice with Beef (Plov) recipe, would require a longer cooking time. 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!
I can’t wait to try this! Do you think it’ll work ok in my 8 quart?
Hi Wendy, 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.
Hi Natasha!
I did use my 8 quart and followed the directions exactly. The chicken and rice is a winner, and I’ll add it to my keepers! I love your recipes and love your step by step instructions. You make delicious recipes music less intimidating.
Hello Wendy, nice to hear from you and thank you for sharing your experience making this recipe. I’m happy to know that you enjoyed and loved it!
OMG this my absolute favorite recipe! So glad it’s IP savvy now. Could I double it safely in the IP?
Hi Angela, 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.
Delicious. And fool proof. What more can I say? It was perfect!!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
What I was lacking in garlic cloves (which is rare in my kitchen) I made up for with a squeeze of a half lemon at the end. It was really good!
Glad you enjoyed it!
One word…. AMAZINGGGGGGGG! If you’re in doubt about this recipe, please give it a try, the flavor is incredible even though the ingredients are so simple. Natasha knows what she’s doing because this is bomb! I was looking for recipes to rotate into weekly dinners and this fit perfectly, my picky 3 year old loved it! Now off to search her other recipes because my taste buds trust her lol
Thank you for this awesome feedback, Crystal! I’m so glad this was a hit!