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
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
I made this as my Insta-Pot debut and it was delicious!! Your instructions were clear and concise and took the “nerves” out of pressure cooking. I had been craving Chicken and Rice casserole your recipes delivers the flavor and comfort without the canned soup ingredients. Thank you so much.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it, Laurie!
Love this recipe make it at least once a month. Have you ever tried adding lemon? juice, fresh, zest, or even lemon pepper season? looking to play around with it an try something different:)
Hi Jamie! I’m so glad you love the recipe! I have not, but that sounds amazing. Let us know if you experiment with it.
So I made this instapot chicken and rice tonight for dinner and it did not disappoint. I even took some of the garlic and mixed it in with the rice and chicken. So yummy!
Wonderful, Denise! So glad it was enjoyed.
I made this tonight and it was delicious! Everyone loved it and I added some broccoli. Didn’t have a head of garlic so I used minced garlic. Definitely doing this again.
Great to hear that it was a huge hit, Nicole!
Looks and reads great! I’m super new to instapot cooking. Heard that whole chicken with bones tastes better, collagen, etc., but having a hard time finding a jasmine rice and whole chicken recipe. Have cooked turkeys most of my adult life. Kids love my day after soup which has rice in it. Now that I have an instapot, I thought it would be a way to speed up and make that. Turkey is hard to find in summer, so I thought chicken. Know what to do in the stove. No idea what to do in an instapot, and experimenting is expensive on my little budget. Advice? Jasmine rice. Whole chicken. Love garlic, spicy everything, just no red beets, fennel or gizzards/liver. *shiver of revultion* Everything else is fine
Hi Peter. I have a separate recipe for Instant Pot Whole Chicken and Gravy that you can reference. I do not have a recipe for a whole chicken and rice.
Hi Natasha, I would like to try this tonight but I only have regular, medium grain white rice or brown jasmine rice. Which do you think would work better and how should I adjust the cook time? Thank you
Hi Melissa, brown rice like we used in our Instant Pot Rice with Beef (Plov) recipe, would require a longer cooking time.
This is the third time we have made this and it’s perfect every time. We did halve the recipe this time since it’s just the 2 of us. Very flavorful and we use the garlic to spread on a French bread.
Hi Tammy! Thank you for sharing. That sounds amazing!
Very nice dish that was tasty and very easy to prepare. “Basic” in the best way; it’s a keeper. Thank you for posting the recipe and for the tip on garlic. If only there were also an easier way to cut onions! 😊😭
Hi Carol! Thank you for sharing! So glad you found a keeper.
This was super yummy and so easy! Thank you for such a great recipe!
You’re welcome, Lois! I’m so glad you loved it.
I love your recipes! With that said, I followed your recipe exactly and it came out overcooked. I used the right amount of ingredients and jasmine rice. Bummer!
Hi Nicole, I’ve never had that experience before but I guess it depends on the brand of yoru Instant Pot? Mine always comes out perfect using this exact recipe but I recommend to lessen the time on your next try.
My baby has Down syndrome and he’s working on self feeding. This meal is so perfect for practicing because it’s sticky enough to attach to his hand so he can bring the food up to his mouth. Plus the consistency is pillowy which is great for new eaters.
The adults love it, too! We like to top it with homemade curry mustard sauce. 🤤
Hi Elle! Thank you for the feedback. I’m so glad this recipe is helpful.
On our family’s weekly meal rotation! It’s quick, healthy and most importantly, one pot.
So glad your family loves this recipe!
I’ve made this recipe many times and love it but always end up with more leftovers than I can eat. Can I halve the recipe? Would I have to adjust cooking time as well?
Hi Danielle ,several of our readers have halved the recipe and kept the time the same. I hope you love this recipe.
Hello Nathasha,
From reading the comments, some say that if they use less liquid the rice will be less mushy? I would have thought more liquid would work better. What is your thoughts? Thank you.
Hi Nicole, I’m not exactly sure what you mean but if you make the recipe as written using the rice that is directed, it should turn out just right and should not be mushy.
Made this for the first time and loved it! Thank you, Natasha!
Hi Marylou! That’s great. I’m glad you loved the recipe.
I’ve done this recipe many times and it’s absolutely great and my husband and kids love it every time ! However. Today I wanted to make this but instead of chicken use stew meat ? I know it’s going to be different but it’s what I have on hand. How do I adjust the cooking time and cut the meat ? Thank you for the great recipes !
Hi Natali! I’m glad you love this recipe. If you are using stew meant, then I recommend my instant pot rice (beef plov) recipe.
What a delicious recipe! We followed the recipe almost exactly. The only change – added an extra tablespoon or 2 of water & did natural release for 5 minutes since we live at just under 6,000ft. (We’ve learned that you need a little extra water & natural release time at high altitudes when cooking rice). Anyway, it came out perfect! It’s like a healthier, grown up version of chicken and rice casserole from my childhood! We put most of the garlic cloves back into the rice and it literally melted. We used a few others as a smear on rosemary bread. So good! This will be added into the dinner rotation!
Hi Maia! I’m glad you found another one to add to your dinner rotation. Thanks so much for sharing with us.
This has become one of my most favorite recipes, so much so that I’ve memorized it and shared it with family, friends, and coworkers. I don’t usually leave comments but I had to say thank you for this amazing, easy, and delicious dinner!
That’s awesome, Monica! I’m glad you enjoy this recipe. Thank you for the wonderful review.
Could you use instant rice in this recipe? I’ve made this before and it’s wonderful, but only have instant rice on hand.
Hi Rhonda, Instant rice would not work well in this recipe.
Can I double this recipe? Will it fit in the 6 quart instant pot
Hi Lily! I haven’t doubled it, but my readers have, here’s what they had to say: “my kids love it and it doubles easily if you have the bigger cooker. If you don’t have the cheese it still makes a tasty dish. It can also be easily modified. I substituted diced chuck roast, beef broth and upped the cooking time to 15 min. It came out tender and perfect, it is like a quick version of your beef plav.” I hope that helps.