Instant Pot chicken and rice is a delicious and simple supper that you can make all in one pot. 👉🏻Pin this recipe here.👈🏻
Don’t worry, internet friends! If you do not have an Instant Pot, I already have stove top instructions for this recipe here: one pot chicken and rice.
But if you don’t have an Instant Pot yet…why not? You should really look into getting one. See my full Instant Pot product review video here. But in short, I am loving mine. #NotSponsored
This post may contain affiliate links, which pay a referral fee to me at no additional cost to you. My full affiliate disclosure can be seen here.
Okay, back to this Instant Pot chicken and rice. It is such a quick and easy dinner!
And it’s a complete one pot meal with your protein, starch and veggies all in one pot. True comfort food!
How to make Instant Pot chicken and rice
First, gather your ingredients. For tastiest results, always use the best quality ingredients you have access to.
Ingredients
To make this Instant Pot chicken and rice recipe you will need the following:
- boneless skinless chicken thighs
- cooking spray
- shallots
- carrots
- mushrooms
- garlic
- uncooked white jasmine rice
- chicken stock or broth
- fresh thyme leaves (half the amount of dried works well as a sub)
- salt and pepper
Cooking on sauté
Instant Pot chicken and rice is every bit as good as the original stove top recipe. I did have to strategize a little to get the cooking times for all the ingredients to line up. Here is how I did it.
Generously salt and pepper the raw chicken thighs. Spray the inner pot with cooking spray, or add the oil. Using the sauté setting (normal level), preheat until the display reads “hot.”
Use tongs to put chicken in the pan (watch out for oil splatter!) Sear chicken thighs, 4 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside chicken on a plate.
Add 1/4 cup broth to deglaze the pan, scrape the bits with a wooden spoon (do not skip this step!). If there are any stuck on spots, be sure and lift those away from the pan with a wooden spoon.
Add shallot, mushroom and carrots, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic, and continue to cook for another minute.Add remaining chicken stock, rice, thyme and stir together.
Add chicken on top of the mixture, and do not stir them in.
Pressure cooking
Close the lid and lock it, setting the valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes, and allow the Instant Pot to release naturally (do not use the quick release lever) for 10 minutes. Quick release the remaining pressure.
Once any remaining pressure is fully release, remove the lid carefully.
Use two forks to shred the chicken, and stir the pot. It is really tender and will basically fall apart.
Serving tips
Sprinkle with some additional fresh thyme or parsley, if you prefer. Serve immediately. You could leave the chicken thighs whole if you prefer, as shown above.
Or you can do what we do at my house and shred them with two forks. Since they are so tender, they are pretty easy to shred.
Preventing scorching
Heads up, I did revise this recipe as of 8/20/2018 after several complaints about scorching and/ or not coming up to pressure.
The remedy? In the revised instructions below I added some additional chicken stock, and I cut off the NPR (natural pressure release) time at ten minutes by quick releasing any remaining pressure, rather than letting it depressurize fully.
It worked out great for me, three times in a row. So I am considering it blog worthy to publish these updated instructions.
I love that this worked so well in the pressure cooker! Y’all let me know if you try it.
FAQ’s for Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
I would not recommend it. Some people have had good luck with this, but I have had mixed results. For best results, I recommend fully thawed chicken.
Yes, as long as it has a similar cook time to jasmine rice. For example, white basmati rice should work well in this recipe. Brown rice may not work as well since it typically has a longer cook time.
I probably would not recommend it. Why? Chicken breasts have a significantly lesser cook time, and they would likely dry out.
Yes! I have many recipes that do this. For this particular recipe, I recommend the sauté as written in the recipe instructions. This will give you best results.
Of course! The dish is already delicious as is, so don’t worry if you do not have any. But if you want to add some, it will be delicious.
More Instant Pot Recipes You May Enjoy
- Instant Pot whole “rotisserie” chicken
- Instant Pot “baked” sweet potatoes
- Instant Pot classic beef chili
- Instant Pot red beans and rice
- Instant Pot chicken breasts
- Instant Pot chicken thighs
- Instant Pot pasta e fagioli soup
- Instant Pot hard boiled eggs
- Instant Pot spaghetti (one pot)
- Instant Pot chicken recipes
- Instant Pot oatmeal (pot in pot method)
See ALL of my Instant Pot recipes here.
Tools Used to Make This Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links, which pay a referral fee to me at no additional cost to you. My full affiliate disclosure can be seen here.
- Instant Pot – my favorite electric pressure cooker
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Wooden spatula and/or wooden spoon
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Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Instant Pot chicken and rice is a delicious and simple supper that you can make all in one pot. It is SO delicious and easy!
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs (up to 1.5 pounds works)
- cooking spray (I used avocado oil spray, but a tablespoon of oil of your choice works)
- 3 small shallots diced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 2 cloves medium fresh garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked white jasmine rice rinsed and drained (Do NOT skip the rinsing. Rice will likely scorch if not rinsed!)
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth divided ( I use 1/4 cup for deglazing the pan)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves chopped and divided (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
-
Generously salt and pepper your chicken thighs.
-
Spray the inner pot with cooking spray, or add the oil.
-
Using the sauté setting (normal level), preheat until the display reads “hot.”
-
Use tongs to put chicken in the pan (watch out for oil splatter!)
-
Sear chicken thighs, 4 minutes on each side.
-
Remove and set aside chicken on a plate.
-
Add 1/4 cup broth to deglaze the pan, scrape the bits with a wooden spoon (do not skip this step!). If there are any stuck on spots, be sure and lift those away from the pan with a wooden spoon.
-
Add shallot, mushroom and carrots, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
-
Add garlic, and continue to cook for another minute.
-
Add remaining chicken stock, rice, thyme and stir together.
-
Place the chicken thighs on top of the mixture, and do not stir them in.
-
Place the lid on, and lock it, setting the valve to sealing.
-
Cook on manual high pressure for 8 minutes, and allow the Instant Pot to release naturally (do not use the quick release lever) for 10 minutes. Quick release the remaining pressure.
-
Once any remaining pressure is fully release, remove the lid carefully.
-
Use two forks to shred the chicken, and stir the pot.
-
Serve immediately.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Do NOT skip rinsing the rice first! This will remove some of the starch, and will prevent scorching/ sticking to the bottom.
Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
I do not recommend using frozen chicken for this recipe.
If you want to substitute types of rice, make sure the substitute you choose has a similar cook time to white jasmine rice (ex: White basmati should work well in this recipe.)
If you are using very large chicken thighs, you may want to cut them in half. Just for reference, my thighs were about 4 thighs equaling 1 pound of weight (about 4 to 5 ounces each). It doesn’t have to be exact, but I just wanted to give y’all a heads up, since I have seen some really huge thighs at the store (ex of huge: 2 thighs equaling 1 pound of weight).
Note: Instant Pot chicken and rice originally appeared on A Pinch of Healthy 11/4/2016.
TJ says
I Followed the directions exactly as written and it resulted in a great flavor overall, but the rice and carrots were totally mushy. Chicken was juicy and shredded easily. Seemed like a lot of rice in Relation to the chicken and veggies.
Lisa says
I am new to instant pot cooking. Do I need to use more chicken broth if using an 8 qt instant pot?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Lisa. Heads up: Many people with 8 quart models have had issues with this recipe, and I am trying to figure out why. Adding more liquid may help you not to get a burn error. But I am not sure since I have not tested it myself.
Cynthia Rose says
I made this recipe last night and found that the rice and the chicken was overdone. Next time I would use less broth and less cooking time. I also found that the carrots, although they kept their shape were completely mushy so I would leave out the 2-3 minute precook of the carrots.
I seasoned the chicken well, but used low sodium broth so it could have used more salt. Next time I will taste the liquid before putting on the lid.
All in all a good 1 pot recipe, I just feel like it needs some tweaks for my tastes. Thanks!!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Thanks for the feedback Cynthia!
Ann says
I used this recipe tonight and it was my fiRST time ever using an instapot! As nervous as I was going in as a newbie, it turned out fantastic!! Soooo yummy, thank you!!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay Ann!🙌🏻 I am so happy that you enjoyed it. And thank you for taking the time to leave feedback!🙏🏻🥰
Evelyn says
I also got the “burn” message even though I followed the receipe to the T. I even added more liquid after the first “burn” message and immediately got another one. We ended up taking everything out and shearing the half raw chicken over the stove.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am sorry to hear this Evelyn. Question: Are you using the 6 quart or 8 quart model?🤔
Kurt says
I’m baffled by all of the mixed results here. I mostly followed the recipe to the letter, and I thought it turned out well. I was careful to use a wooden spoon to scrape up any burned bits from the bottom of the pot when I added the initial broth in the pot for deglazing. As far as my changes, I substituted canned, sliced mushrooms for fresh because I was tired and hungry and didn’t want to spend the time cleaning and chopping mushrooms. Also, my shallots were rather old, so I only used part of the amount called for, and used a bit of chopped, red onion for the remainder. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’m looking forward to making this again in the future.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am glad you enjoyed it Kurt! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
David Jackson says
I’m confused by the recipe! The ingredients call for:
> cooking spray (I used avocado oil spray, but a tablespoon of oil of your choice works)
…but this isn’t in the recipe directions! In the instructions, the THIRD step reads:
> Use tongs to put chicken in the pan (watch out for oil splatter!)
Does that mean we should spray the pot first (or add the oil) before pre-heating, or before sauteeing?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Great question. I usually let the oil heat up, so I add it before preheating. I will update the instructions for clarity. Thank you for the feedback!
Swoosh says
I made this last night and loved it. I tweaked the recioe because im only cooking for myself and i used brown rice. Used a whole tera box of chicken broth. Pressure cooked for 5 min and let it release naturally fully. I also added a quarter of habanero, 1 serrano, 1 cherry pepper, celery, half sweet onion, 4 medium garlic cloves. This has become a new favorite and its sinple and healty. Thanks for your recipe. Well done 😁
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Jordan says
i followed the directions for this recipe exactly and it didn’t work for me. I went to pressure cook the chicken and rice and as my Instant pot was reaching pressure, it started to flash “burn” across the screen. I then vented the pot and opened it up, seeing half cooked rice. I was able to save the meal by trying to pressure cook the meal for an additional minute until the screen flashed burn again. I’m not sure if it’s my instant pot or just this recipe. I rinsed and drained the rice and also deglazed the pot. Bummer because I was so excited to make this!
Olivia says
This happened to me the first time I tried to make it. Of you have an 8 qt pot then you will need to double the recipe. Mare it again last night and the rice still comes out gooey. Need to still play with the cooking time but it at least did not burn the second time when I doubled everything.
Angie says
i made this tonight and it is delish! I did add cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup to the top for creaminess! When I opened the pot and started mixing it the rice at the bottom was pretty brown in spots but no issues. I did however almost double the recipe and add almost 2 times the liquid
Thank you for sharing!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Glad you enjoyed it Angie!
Simon says
I honestly think this recipe broke my Instant pot. Following the updated recipe–the one that calls for washing the rice to prevent burning–my pot constantly gave the Burn message. I restarted it, unplugged it, even dumped all of the food out of it so I could wash all the burned food out, and started over but repeatedly got the burn message. I cleaned it out again now my InstantPot won’t pressurize at all.
I’m sorry but I cannot recommend this one at all! Beware!!
Anne says
We’ve had problems with the instant pot coming up to pressure. We replaced the gasket and the problem was fixed!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
That is good to know Anne! Thanks for sharing.