Easy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
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 nights!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 491kcal
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.
Video
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
Calories: 491kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 571mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g