Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is delicious one pot meal with chicken breasts or chicken thighs, white rice or brown rice, and vegetables. It is ideal for busy weeknights!
It is one of our favorite dump-and-go dinners just like Instant Pot chicken fried rice and Instant Pot chicken and potatoes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Rice comes out fluffy and each grain separate: Combined with tender chicken pieces and fragrant spices, this Instant Pot chicken and rice recipe is the ultimate comfort food.
- Easy one pot meal: Paired with boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, all ingredients cook in one pot without hovering over them on the stove.
- A version of Eastern European pilaf: If you are like me and are originally from former USSR, you know how time consuming “plov” is. So this recipe is my version of it. The only difference is that everything cooks in one pot, Instant Pot. Also, now I have a stovetop chicken and rice recipe!
- Simple fridge and pantry staples: We love the simplicity of the ingredients and yet how flavorful, comforting and healthy this dinner turns out!
Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
This recipe uses only a handful of simple ingredients you more likely have in your house right now.
- Chicken: Boneless chicken breasts, boneless chicken thighs or cut up whole chicken (here is a quick tutorial how to cut a whole chicken) will work in this recipe.
- Rice: You can use white rice or brown rice, just cook times will be different. The best brown rice to use is long grain or basmati. Short grain will result in more mushy but still tasty dish. As for white rice, best rice to use is jasmine rice but long grain white rice or basmati rice will be great too. In a pinch, you can use even sushi rice but dish will come out more mushy.
- Vegetables: Onion, garlic and carrots.
- Chicken broth: Low sodium chicken broth from a carton, bouillon cube or base diluted with water, chicken broth or chicken broth made in Instant Pot will work. Or just use cold water but this dish will be less flavorful.
- Spices: Ground cumin, dried thyme, dried oregano, salt and pepper. You can also add any of your favorite spices like garlic powder, onion powder or Italian seasoning to taste.
- Fresh herbs: While an optional ingredient, fresh herbs like parsley, dill, cilantro or green onion always add lovely flavor at the end.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Here is quick overview how to make chicken and rice in Instant Pot step-by-step. There is detailed recipe card below. If you would rather make it in a Crock Pot, check out my slow cooker chicken and rice recipe.
- Saute onion and garlic with spices: To the bottom of the pot, add oil and onion, then saute just until fragrant. I like to do so under a hood fan with a stove off, of course. Press Cancel and add dried thyme, dried oregano and ground cumin, and cook another 30 seconds. This step will make spices and dried herbs fragrant.
- Add remaining ingredients in the following order: Add the chicken, carrots, rice, broth, salt, pepper and bay leaves. It is best to add ingredients in this order and not to stir the rice mixture afterwards in order to prevent Burn notice.
- Cook on high pressure: Turn valve to Sealing position and pressure cook for 10 minutes if using white rice, and for 22 minutes if using brown rice.
- Release pressure: White rice – release pressure right away by turning pressure release valve to Venting, called Quick Release. Brown rice – do Natural Pressure Release allowing pressure come down on its own until the pin drops. Then stir gently with a wooden spoon and discard bay leaves.
How Long to Cook Chicken and Rice in Instant Pot?
Cooking time will mostly depend on the type of rice you use. It does not matter if you use chicken breasts or chicken thighs, pressure cooking time will remain the same.
Here is a timetable for your quick reference and perfect results every time:
- With white rice: Pressure cook for 10 minutes with Quick Release.
- With brown rice: Pressure cook for 22 minutes with Natural Release.
- With red rice, yellow rice, purple rice: Pressure cook for 22 minutes with Natural Release.
Tips for Best Results
- If your rice comes out undercooked: Stir, close the lid and let it sit for 5 more minutes. It will get there. Also try to add a few more minutes to cook time next time. Unfortunately, you can’t re-close the lid, cook for extra 2 minutes and say that’s your new cooking time. When it comes to rice cooked in an Instant Pot, it can be a little bit of a trial and error. Sometimes different varieties of rice cook differently or it could be old.
- If your rice comes out mushy: Cook it a few minutes less next time. Easy-peasy.
- If you stirred by accident, let it be: More likely it will not cause Burn warning.
- Using more rice: You can use 3 cups of rice, to stretch the meal and to eat less meat, increasing the broth to 3 1/2 cups and salt to 1 1/4 teaspoons. Same cooking time. That’s what this recipe was until January 2026, we now like it this way more.
- Add frozen vegetables: I know some people like peas and corn in chicken and rice. Add them unthawed and stir gently one more time. Sometimes I like to add broccoli, reminds me chicken and rice casserole.
Serving Suggestions
We serve Instant Pot chicken and rice as is as it is a complete meal with juicy chicken and fluffy rice. Sometimes with spinach salad or cucumber and tomato salad.
Some readers said they prefer more flavor and have added chopped fresh cilantro and green onion. I guess it all comes down to individual taste buds and what you have on hand.
Also fresh parsley or fresh dill would go so well with it! Add a squirt of fresh lemon juice or a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Delicious!
How to Store
Store: Leftovers can be refrigerated right in the inner pot with silicone or glass lid for up to 5 days. Or transfer cooked and cooled food to an airtight container.
To reheat: You will notice chicken and rice will thicken in the fridge into a block. That’s because there is fat, especially if you use chicken thighs. Reheat in a medium pot with a splash of water or chicken broth while breaking gently into pieces and stirring, on low heat for 10 minutes or so. Use a lid to steam it through.
Always reheat only desired amount to keep leftovers fresh.
Freeze: You can freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then follow reheating instructions above.
FAQs
No. Instant rice is pre-cooked white rice. Electric pressure cooker defeats the purpose of instant rice. Despite the similarity in names, instant rice will cook much faster than chicken resulting in mushy rice. Save instant rice for the stove.
Unfortunately you can’t. Cauliflower rice is a vegetable that will be ready in 30 seconds and chicken will not.
You can make Instant Pot chicken and rice with frozen chicken breasts or chicken thighs, just a few things to keep in mind. Make sure chicken pieces are separated. And use it only with brown rice because cook time is 22 minutes. If you use white rice, 10 minutes will not be enough to cook the meat. Also Instant Pot will take 5-10 minutes longer to come to pressure.
No. I tried to use double amount of ingredients and even in my 8 quart Instant Pot and it didn’t go well. It is already quite large amount of ingredients in the recipe as is.
Other Chicken and Rice Recipes
- Crock Pot chicken and rice
- Healthy chicken and rice casserole
- Chicken wild rice soup
- Mexican chicken and rice
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
- Instant Pot chicken and rice soup
- Instant Pot whole frozen chicken
- Instant Pot chicken stew
- Instant Pot jambalaya
- Instant Pot chicken breast
- Instant Pot chicken wild rice soup
Browse all healthy Instant Pot recipes.
Easy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts*, cut into 1” pieces
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large carrots, grated
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons thyme, dried
- 2 teaspoons oregano, dried
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cups white rice or brown rice**, rinsed & drained
- 2 1/4 cups chicken broth, low sodium
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill or parsley, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- On Instant Pot, press Sauté and let appliance preheat a few minutes until display says Hot.
- Add olive oil, onion and garlic; sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Press Cancel and add thyme, oregano and cumin; cook another 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add remaining ingredients in the following order: chicken, carrots, rice, broth, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Flatten with a spoon but do not stir.
- Close the lid, set pressure vent to Sealing and press Pressure Cook on High or Manual: white rice – 10 minutes, brown rice – 22 minutes.
- After, white rice – release the pressure using Quick Release method by turning pressure valve to Venting position, brown rice – let pressure release naturally using Natural Release until the pin drops down on its own.
- Open the lid, add dill or parsley, gently stir and serve hot.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat with a splash of water or broth breaking into pieces and stirring in a pot. Use lid to steam it through.
- Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- More rice: Recipe re-tested and update Jan 2026 with less rice and carrots, and chicken broth instead of water. You can use 3 cups of rice, increasing the broth to 3 1/2 cups and salt to 1 1/4 teaspoons. Same cooking time.
- Frozen chicken: Use only with brown rice because of longer cook time. Make sure pieces are separated. Instant Pot will take 5-10 minutes longer to come to pressure with but keep same cook time.
- If your rice comes out crunchy: Some of it on top might be. Stir, close the lid and let it sit for 5 minutes. It will get there. Also try to add a few more minutes to cooking time next time.
- If your rice comes out mushy: Cook a few minutes less next time.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have made this recipe lots of times and it is one of my top comfort foods. Sometimes, for a different flavor, I will buy the packet of spices “for plov” from the shop and dump it in there instead of measuring out my own. Today I made it with frozen chicken thighs for the first time. I was really nervous that the chicken wouldn’t cook, but it came out fantastic and tender. Thank you for such a useful and dependable recipe!
So happy it’s one of your top comfort foods! Love the plov spice shortcut, I bought it once I think.
When you say to add frozen corn unthawed and stir one more time, is that after cooking everything else? So just let it warm up from residual heat?
Yes.
The instructions were fine, but the seasonings were not great. There was way too much oregano for my taste – it would have been much better to just use a basic poultry or Italian seasoning. I think it could also be improved by substituting some of the water for broth. We ate it, and most of my hungry crew asked for seconds, but almost everyone also reached for the salt and pepper.