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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If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
I really wanted to like this….followed the recipe EXACTLY to the T, but I found it very bland and the consistency a total mush. I love risotto and can make a really good one….but this recipe didn’t do it for me. Next time 🙂
It should be full of flavor if no adjustments were made. We have always used and followed this recipe to the T and had great tasty results.
Me too. It’s so mushy. Any thoughts on how to make it less mushy?
Hello! Can you use frozen chicken for this recipe? If so, what would be the adjusted time? Thank you!
Hi Cat, 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 did. It was all I had. I let it sit in water (in the food saver bag) while I got things around, including dicing the onions and carrots. I cut it into small cubes and then proceeded, only adding one minute to the time. Worked fine.
My husband and I loved this dish! I used what I had left of a bag of brown jasmine rice and balanced it out with brown long grain rice. I kept the same liquid measurements which made it a little soupy the first night but the rice soaked it all up overnight so leftovers were wonderful too. I cooked for 15 minutes and did a natural release for about 5 minutes. I had coworkers ask me what that wonderful smell was when I heated up the leftovers for lunch! I’ll definitely be making this again. Thanks for the recipe and the helpful suggestions from others in the comments.
You are very welcome, Lisa. So glad that you liked it!
I love the taste of this and I’ve made it a few times. I wish it were a little less “gummy” when done. What would happen if I rinsed the rice? (I followed the recipe exactly.)
Hi Irene, For this specific recipe, the result wouldn’t be the same consistency after rinsing. We do not rinse the rice so that extra starch helps with the creamier texture. I would have to run a test to tell you for sure, but I think you might add a couple of tablespoons less water if rinsing.
I tied the chicken and rice today and it was explosive with the garlic. Thank you!!!!
Wonderful to hear! You’re very welcome. So glad you loved it.
I’ve made this and it’s very good. But I have a “funny” for you: I’d like to see you dice a medium onion, grate 2 large carrots and trim and cut into 1-inch pieces 1.5 pounds of chicken in 5 MINUTES! You’d really have to speed that camera up!
That seems fun LOL!
Hi there! Question for you: If we wanted to substitute minced garlic, how much would we use? Thanks!
Hi Scott. Some of my readers have done this with good results but you’d have to add it to your taste preference. I do not have a specific amount.
I love all your recipes!! Question, what do you do with the garlic?
Hi Darlene! Thank you, I’m glad you love my recipes. See step 3 in the recipe card for instructions. 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 melt in your mouth tender and so tasty.
Do I leave the whole head of garlic in when it’s done cooking? 😅
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.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. It’s so awesome and tasty, I gave it 5 stars even though I had to add just a little more water / broth when it was done (most likely my fault, as maybe I measured the rice slightly over 2 cups. It’s a keeper and I will make again and again. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipe, Natasha.
Hi Diane! That’s wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thank you!
As a mom of two, expecting our third while dealing with morning sickness, I came here looking for something quick and simple that would please the family, and hopefully be something I could eat too! Your recipe delivered, though I made a few changes.
I left out the onion and garlic and parsley (looking forward to the day when I’m well enough to add them!), and didn’t sautée the carrots or chicken beforehand. Just threw it all in together. I also added spinach.
I reduced the amount of liquid in the recipe to a scant 3 cups because I didn’t want mushy rice.
After cooking, I added butter and shredded cheddar instead of Parmesan because that’s what I had on hand.
It came together so quickly, cooked up beautifully, and it’s truly delicious (even though I left out or swapped ingredients and skipped important steps!)
This will be a dinner we repeat… hopefully with the really flavourful ingredients soon!
Hi Caroline! That’s wonderful to hear. I’m so glad you loved the recipe, even with the changes. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Great recipe! If using brown rice, how would you adjust the cooking time? Thanks! : )
Hi Dan, I haven’t tried that yet to advise. 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.
I use short grain brown rice that I purchase at Costco. I cook for 35 minutes on high pressure w a 20 minute release and it comes out great.
I made this with brown rice and pressure cooked for 15min with 5min natural release. Added a bit of onion powder and garlic powder (didn’t have the whole garlic on hand). Skipped the parm and Served with a splash of low sodium soy sauce and chow mein noodles. Turned out delish. Thanks!
Hi Ted, thanks for sharing your review and tips.
Thanks, Ted. I also used brown rice and wondered how to adjust the time for cooking.
I bought an instapot just to make this recipe and it was worth it! My family loves it and I do as well. We have company coming for dinner tonight and I’m fixing this. I use several of your recipes and love your website and videos!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Sherry!
This dish is delicious. Despite how delicious it is, my family has collectively decided that it looks like something served in a detention center. We now refer to it as prison slop. The parsley garnish definitely helps it to look a little more presentable.
Hi Val! That is funny! I’m glad your family enjoys the recipe. 🙂
I have made this recipe many times and my family absolutely loves it! We are considering trying quinoa in place of the rice for a little extra protein, but I’m a bit unsure of how it might turn out Have you ever tried it with quinoa or can you offer any tips?
Hi Moranda! I’m glad you love this recipe. I have not tried Quinoa in an instant pot to know how to make the adjustments. Let us know if you experiment with it.
We mad a FODMAP friendly version and was excellent! Used garlic infused and shallot infused olive oil, lactose free butter, and Fody chicken base. Left everything else out until after. Chopped up cilantro and lactose free sour cream and cheese. Delicious!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Sandy! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
My family just didn’t like this. I was hoping for the best but mushy rice was not a hit. I’ll stick the making them separately.
So our family LOVES this recipe but I have a question….every time I make this the InstaPot burns the rice on the bottom of the pot right at the end. I get the burn warning and I turn off the pot and open it and it’s all done an delicious except it’s burnt on the very bottom. Is it me or my InstaPot? I am following all the directions of the recipe and otherwise it turns out excellent!
Hi Cary, be sure you are using cold water in the recipe. I haven’t had a burn noticed personally to advise on what’s causing that to happen.
Natasha can I make the chicken and rice insta pot recipe with already cooked chicken?
Hi Laura, you can add the chicken when you’re adding the cheese and let it warm.