My Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is creamy and cheesy with tender morsels of juicy chicken in less time than the classic dish. You will fall in love with the flavors, especially with my secret tip for adding garlic. This is a fan-favorite recipe, so watch the video tutorial below to see how easy this is.
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Helpful Reader Review
“Follow the recipe exactly and Comes out perfect every time! Amazing flavor.” – Amber ★★★★★
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Video
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!
Easy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
The texture of this Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is almost like a Risotto, but it doesn’t require the tedious stirring for 30 minutes. The flavor is truly memorable, and yet this recipe calls for simple ingredients.
The secret to great Chicken and Rice in the Instant Pot is in infusing the rice with an entire head of garlic. I add the whole head while cooking, so then the garlic will melt in your mouth. (We used the same trick to make Instant Pot Beef and Rice (Plov).)
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, Bone Broth, Corn on the Cob, and Tender Ribs.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Simple ingredients really shine in this Instant Pot Chicken and Rice recipe! Grab a pack of chicken and a few pantry staples.
- Vegetables – onion, grated/julienned carrots, and parsley
- Garlic – I use a whole head of garlic, halved lengthwise and leave this unpeeled.
- Chicken – boneless breasts, thighs, or tenders cut into bite-sized pieces (1″). *We prefer chicken tenders because they require less prep and reheat well. They are also the most tender.
- Chicken broth – use Homemade Chicken Stock or a low-sodium version from the grocery store
- Jasmine rice – unrinsed. You could also use Basmati or Texmati without adjusting the cooking time. Brown rice would require a longer cooking time.
- Parmesan cheese – Salty and nutty flavor that permeates the whole dish
How to Make Chicken and Rice in the 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.
- Set your Instant Pot to sautee on high heat, add oil, butter, onion, carrots, and 1 tsp salt, cooking for 5 minutes.
- Add chicken and salt, and saute for another 5 min.
- Add in broth and rice and stir. Place the halved garlic head cut-side-down on top. Cook for 1 minute on manual high pressure, and then quick release.
- Open the lid to add the Parmesan cheese and parsley. Stir and serve with more cheese to sprinkle over the top.
Tips for Using an Instant Pot to Make Chicken and Rice
Always read the user’s manual for your specific machine because it may operate differently.
- 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 the heat to avoid the burn notice.
- For safety, wear an oven mitt when manually releasing pressure, and keep your face away from the hot steam vent. Also, keep a paper towel ready to shield the vent while venting/releasing pressure.
- Check the pressure indicator to ensure that the pressure has fully released prior to opening the lid.
- Follow timing instructions precisely and set timers. With pressure cooking, it’s easy to overcook something if you forget about your pot.
Helpful Reader Review
“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!” – Snk ★★★★★
Easy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice makes for the perfect go-to or first Instant Pot recipe! It’s simple and will impress you right out of the pot! It’s freezer-friendly and keeps in the fridge, so you can easily use this recipe for meal planning for the week. Let me know how you love it in the comments!
PS. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can still enjoy this recipe, because it is the quicker and easier version of our wildly popular Stovetop Chicken and Rice Recipe.
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. Sauté, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until soft and golden.
- Add trimmed, chopped chicken, another 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
- Add 4 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of rice and stir to combine. Cut the 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.
Notes
- To refrigerate – pack in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To freeze – place airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- To reheat – place leftovers in a casserole dish covered in a 350°F oven or in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally until heated through to 165°F.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Easy 30-Minute Meals You Will Love
Just like Instant Pot Chicken and Rice, these are go-to 30-minute meals that our family loves (our kids go back for seconds), and they require minimal prep. Perfect for a weeknight!
- Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Beef and Broccoli
- Baked Chicken Tacos
- Philly Cheesesteak
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Zuppa Toscana
- Lettuce Wraps
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.