Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is the perfect one-pot dinner recipe. A delicious comfort food to enjoy all year round! Make either chicken breast and white rice or chicken thighs and brown rice.
Save on time and dishes with this quick and easy recipe made entirely in the electric pressure cooker. Two of my most popular Instant Pot recipes are Instant Pot Rice and Instant Pot Chicken. So I decided to combine the two and make a one-pot meal out of both.
The advantage of a pressure cooker is that water doesn’t evaporate. Grains like rice and chicken can be cooked together perfectly because you use less water for the rice while the chicken sits on top and gets cooked with just the steam. The result is a super-duper tender and juicy chicken and fluffy rice.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot though, you can still enjoy this delicious recipe by making regular 1-Pot Chicken and Rice on the stove.
Instant Pot Chicken Breast and White Rice
The original recipe initially was for chicken breasts and white rice cooked together in the Instant Pot. After extensive testing, I found the right amount of cooking time to achieve fluffy rice and juicy chicken. After 5 minutes high-pressure and 10 minutes natural pressure release, the chicken is JUST cooked. It won’t be dry but it shouldn’t be pink at all, just white.
It’s important to note that if your pin drops before the 10 minutes, the pot most likely didn’t get to high pressure and the chicken might be undercooked. Double-check before you start that the sealing knob is in the sealing position, and no air or steam comes out of the knob.
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice
Some people asked me for versions of the original recipe but using either brown rice instead of white, or chicken thighs instead of breasts. After what feels like a million test trials, I finally got the formula. Yay!
Brown rice takes triple the time to cook than white rice and would dry out the chicken breasts in the process. The secret is to use bone-in chicken thighs with brown rice. The result was absolutely amazing.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken – use chicken breasts or chicken thighs. I recommend using chicken breasts no bigger than 6.5oz (180g). If too big, cut them into 1” cubes to ensure they cook through. If using chicken thighs, go for bone-in skinless thighs.
- Cilantro – you’ll need 1 whole bunch of fresh cilantro to make the flavorful cilantro water for the rice. I suggest you don’t replace it, but if needed, you could use parsley. Just keep in mind that it has a slightly stronger flavor.
- Avocado oil – I recommend using a high-smoke point fat, such as avocado oil, ghee or bacon fat. This is important so the fat doesn’t burn at the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Onion – use one small white or yellow onion.
- Garlic – you will need two cloves.
- Rice – use white basmati or brown basmati rice depending on what piece of chicken you’ll be cooking. I don’t recommend using any other type of rice because they need different cooking times on the Instant Pot.
- Carrots – a staple in many rice recipes. 1.5 or 2 medium carrots should yield a cup when chopped. You can also use baby carrots.
- Celery – when cooked, celery adds great flavor. For this chicken and rice recipe, you will need 2-3 celery stalks.
- Red bell pepper – the more veggies the better. I love red bell pepper for its color and texture. Orange or yellow bell pepper work great too.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Season Chicken – add sea salt and pepper generously to both sides of chicken breast or chicken thighs. Set aside.
- Prep Veggies – peel and dice the carrots. Deseed and dice the red bell pepper, and dice the celery. Also, finely chop a medium onion and two cloves of garlic.
- Prep Cilantro Water – add a bunch of cilantro and 1 cup of room-temperature water into a blender. Blend until completely smooth and no bits of cilantro are left.
- Preheat Instant Pot – press the “Sauté” button on the panel to preheat the pot.
- Sauté Onion and Garlic – once the Instant Pot display says “hot”, add a drizzle of oil or fat and then add the chopped onion and garlic. Sauté until translucent.
- Add Remaining Ingredients – this is a very important step and you need to work fast! Once the onion and garlic are ready, add the rice, season with salt and pepper, then add the cilantro water. Give a quick stir, then add the diced vegetables on top of the rice (make sure not to mix them in). Then, place the chicken on top of the veggies and close the lid immediately. The reason for this is to avoid too much water from evaporating so you don’t get the nasty “burn warning” on your Instant Pot. (See my tips to avoid the burn warning below).
- Set the Instant Pot – Seal the pot lid and turn the pressure valve to the “sealing” position. then press the “Cancel” button. Now press the “Manual” button and select 6 minutes high pressure if you’re cooking chicken breast with white rice. Or select 22 minutes high pressure if you’re cooking chicken thighs with brown rice instead.
- Release Pressure – once the Instant Pot beeps, wait for full natural pressure release. This can take anywhere from 15-25 minutes until the safety pin drops on its own.
- Shred Chicken and Serve – when the Instant Pot chicken and rice is finished cooking, open the lid and shred the chicken using two forks. Then mix everything together and serve immediately. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro on top and dive in!
Tips To Avoid The Burn Warning
Sometimes Instant Pots can be finicky and give you the Burn Warning even when you think you made everything right. After some trial and error, I found some tips that will help you avoid the burn warning:
- Don’t skimp on the fat for sautéing the onion and garlic. Be generous.
- After sautéing the onion and garlic, make sure there are no burnt bits and pieces stuck to the bottom of the pot. If necessary add a splash of water and deglaze the bottom with a wooden spoon to scrape everything off.
- Have ingredients already measured out and ready to go so no time is wasted. This is especially important for the diced vegetables. Have them chopped and all in one bowl ready to add.
- Once you add the rice, add the cilantro water immediately and stir. Do not let the dry rice sit on the hot bottom of the pot without liquid for more than 5 seconds.
- Do not mix the vegetables and chicken in the cilantro water. Let them sit on top of the rice.
- Put the lid on quickly. The longer it takes to close the pot, the more liquid evaporates. This increases the chance to get the burn warning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! As long as you choose the right cooking time to ensure either are well cooked through it is perfectly safe to cook both at the same time.
Yes! As long as you make sure chicken reaches 165F internal temperature it is 100% safe to add to the Instant Pot.
If you add dry or rinsed rice to an already preheated or hot Instant Pot and don’t add liquid to it at the same time or very quickly after your rice will immediately stick to the bottom and start burning.
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Equipment
- instant pot
Ingredients
- 2 5oz / 10 oz chicken breasts / bone-in skinless chicken thighs - (Either 2 five-ounce chicken breasts if you are making the recipe with white rice. OR. 2 ten-ounce bone-in chicken thighs if you are making the recipe with brown rice.)
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 cup water - (at room temperature, not cold!)
- 1/2 Tbsp ghee or bacon fat or avocado oil
- 1 small diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup white basmati rice or brown basmati rice - (choose white or brown depending on the type of chicken you are using)
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper
- Salt
- Pepper
- cilantro for garnishing
Instructions
- Generously season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and set aside.
- Peel and dice carrot, dice celery, deseed and dice bell pepper.
- Add cilantro and room-temperature water into a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Peel and chop onion and garlic.
- Preheat Instant Pot by pressing the “sauté” button.
- Once the Instant Pot's display says "hot": add fat or oil, chopped onion, and garlic, and sauté until translucent. Stir often. Make sure no burnt bits of onion or garlic are stuck to the bottom of the pot. If for some reason there are, deglaze by adding a tablespoon or two of water and scrape with a wooden to remove all bits from the bottom.
- Now work fast: add rice, salt and pepper to Instant Pot and then pour in cilantro water and give it a quick stir. Add diced vegetables on top in one layer (do not mix in!) and then top with seasoned chicken breasts. Then IMMEDIATELY close lid to avoid water from evaporating (<-important!)
- Turn venting knob to "sealing", hit "cancel" and then "manual" and adjust to 6 minutes high pressure for chicken breast / white rice version OR 22 minutes for chicken thigh / brown rice version.
- Wait for full natural pressure release. This means once the pot beeps don't do anything. Don't touch the valve and instead just wait for the safety pin to drop on its own. This can take anywhere from 15-25 minutes.
- Open the pot and enjoy the smell! Then use two forks to shred the chicken. Mix it all and serve immediately with some fresh cilantro sprinkled on top.
Notes
- *Please read the blog post section where I go into detail about what to pay attention to in order to succeed to avoid any error messages from the pot.
- nutritional info is for white rice and chicken breast.
Nutrition
Angie says
We loved this tonight! I made it with chicken breasts and white basmati, but instead of using water with the cilantro, I used chicken broth instead. So yummy! Will definitely be making it again!
satisifed texan says
Made this last night, it came out perfect and everyone loved it! My husband and 16 yr old son said I should make it all the time, lol! I did leave the skin on the chicken thighs. I like the flavor it adds and just discarded the skin with the bones when I shredded the meat. The only thing I might have done differently is I sauted the onion and garlic on normal saute setting instead of high. Those having “burn” issues might try this. Otherwise I followed to a T. IT was absolutely delicious. thanks!!
JoyN says
Just made this last night! Of course, made some variations, I like living on the edge!
1.5 c brown rice (did NOT double the liquid)
Didn’t have cilantro, so I used 1.5 tsp dried coriander and some Herbes de Provence
Doubled the chicken: used 1 pkg (approx 2 lb) FROZEN skinless thighs ( 1 of the 3 pack that comes from Costco)
25 minutes on manual (high) with slow release (about 20 minutes) and it turned out yummy! (could have had less liquid, actually, but was still good!) Reminded me of a dish my mom used to make that used onion soup mix, which I am going to try next time.
Greg says
Tried this in an 8 quart duo and got the dreaded burn message. The second time I increased the liquid to 2 1/2 cups (chicken stock instead of water) and it came out wonderfully. Great recipe.
Shannon says
I have a 6qt 7-1instant pot. Can I double the recipe for the white rice and chicken breast combo and do the same amount of time? I
We have a family of 4 and I would love to have leftovers to take to work for lunch.
Shannon says
I went ahead and tried recipe and I too got the burn warning. Deglazed pan and added a cup of chicken broth and now trying again. Fingers crossed it works now.
Lorena says
Oh Shannon, I’m so sorry this happened to you. I hope you got it to work in the end!!
Lorena says
Hi Shannon, yes, absolutely. Double the recipe and keep the same time. Make sure chicken is in one layer or even easier cut it in stripes.
BeiBei says
I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but am looking forward to it. One question: I usually wash my rice well before cooking it, what would happen if I did that first? And is there any problem with not washing rice? Thanks!
Lorena says
Hi BeiBei, I never wash rice. In Europe and North America Rice is washed and re-dried before being packaged so no need to rinse. The only thing you rinse away is starch and nutrients. I prefer to keep it dry. If you insist in washing I read from others that the recipe still worked.
Rhawnie says
Hi, just for info, if using basmati rice, it is always advised to wash well. This rice has not been washed or treated with nutrients as regular white rice before packing.
Melissa says
I made this tonight-YUM!!!!! Where has this recipe been all my life?? I made it in a cuisinart pressure cooker with short grain brown rice. Any idea if doubling the recipe works well? My husband was disappointed there won’t be leftovers for lunch!
Lena says
Do you to rinse the rice before using it?
Lorena says
Hi Lena, no I don’t. I add it dry dry dry.
Kristin says
I tried this but everything keeps sticking and my pot keeps switching to burn. I don’t understand what’s wrong
Lorena says
Hi Kristin, first of all, I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this. I’ve had many people with the same problem and even contacted Instant Pot (the brand) about this to have them have a look at my recipe and they couldn’t find any reason for it not to work. I have a couple points that I know can cause the “burn” issue due to user error, but if you are not doing any of them, I’m afraid your specific IP might be faulty.
Here my questions to be able to rule out user error: Are you using a 6qt? Are you preheating it WITHOUT adding oil? If you add oil from the beginning the oil can burn to the bottom. Do you add enough oil once the pot is hot? Are you frying your onions and garlic ONLY until translucent, not stuck to the bottom? Do you use room temperature water (not cold)? If cold water hits the hot pot more water evaporates immediately after adding. Do you add dry rice (not rinsed)? Do you add all ingredients swiftly and immediately put on the lid on to avoid water evaporation? Did your pot come to pressure? Which version did you make white rice / chicken breast or brown rice / chicken thighs? What timing did you choose? (did you watch the video?)
Fatima says
I had a similar issue. Didn’t get a burn warning. All went as planned and when I went to check a little later, it was at natural release and at 3 Minutes the pressure was clear. Opened it knowing full well something was not right. And rice was partially done. Chicken was partially cooked. Re-attempted to pressurisé but it just didn’t work. Finally just cooked it on the stove.
Becker my IP to make sure it was working right and coming to pressure and it was working fine. Just didn’t want to do this recipe for me. 😏
But it tasted great. Loved it.
Peg says
That happened to me as well, followed recipe to a tee. Never came to pressure, tried twice. Was finally cooked though since I started it twice. A bit crusty on the bottom but tasted good. Is 1.75 cups of liquid not enough to make it come to pressure?
Lorena says
What size Instant Pot did you use Peg? I used 6 qts only and those need only 1 cup of liquid. If you used an 8 qt you need at least 2 cups which means you’d have to double the whole recipe.
ANDREA says
Hi ! I’m brand new to IP and read several comments but not time to read them all ! Sorry ! I want to use BONELESS things and BROWN rice. Doesn’t bone-in take a bit longer ? Is it still 22 min. ? Then, NATURAL release ? TIA !
Sorry- can’t rate the recipe till I try it first ! :)
Lorena says
Hi Andrea, you need the 22 minutes because of the rice. Brown rice needs 22 minutes or it’ll be hard. Your chicken should still be alright though. Dark chicken meat is way more forgiving than white, even without bones in it.
Patty Stallworth says
This was so easy and so delicious! I used the brown basmati rice and chicken thighs. Love the cilantro water! As an added bonus, it was kid approved!
Paige says
I tried this for the first time today. Brown basmati rice, 22 minutes, natural release. Ric was not rinsed beforehand. It came out dead nuts perfect. Thanks!
Deirdre says
Great recipe! I read comments and made mine with modifications as follows:
2 C brown rice
1 3/4 C water w/one bunch of cilantro
Chopped – 2 carrots, 2 stalks celery, 1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper
Sauteed in coconut oil – one onion and 4 cloves garlic
3 frozen chicken breasts
22 mins on high pressure followed by 20 natural pressure release
My picky veggie resistant 16 year old ate it! Success!!
Tina says
Hi made this last night work out perfectly my oldest daughter ate two bowls and she very picky and youngest ones like it too so did me and my hub thanks
Ariel says
I came across this recipe with little to no time tonight to prepare dinner. It was easy and turned out great. I didn’t have time to read this post thoroughly, but I am looking now and seeing people had troubles. I followed your recipe very closing using a 9 quart. I used thawed chicken breasts and white basmati rice. I used manual high pressure for 8 minutes. I had no issues. Chicken and rice is a staple in our household. So I found this awesome to change it up. Very nutritious! THANK-YOU!
Leslie says
Hi ! I’m really looking forward to making this tonight, but I have a mini 3qt IP – is there any changes I should be aware of? Thanks ! :)
Lorena says
Hi Leslie, I’ve never worked with a 3 qt but “in theory” it shouldn’t make any difference. Everything “should” work just fine.
Nancy says
So glad you commented on Leslie’s concern using 3qt Ipot…I am on my way out right now to get all the ingredients..Also have friend who is going to give this a try-she uses an Elite & became discouraged with burn issues.. since every caution is outlined here, I’m having her try this recipe. Thank you! ** I do think doing onions & garlic on med heat is a good thing….do you? Might yet another precaution for some of us who have had burn warnings :) Lovely video..thanks so much. : )