This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Instant Pot chicken and rice recipe has tender, juicy chicken and the most amazingly soft and flavorful rice. You can even add carrots to make it a complete meal!
This lemon chicken and rice recipe came about because I keep seeing Crockpot recipes for chicken and rice that are cooked in there at the same time. Naturally, since I’m slightly obsessed with my Instant Pot (hello instant gratification), I wondered if it was possible to cook rice and chicken in an electric pressure cooker at the same time without anything going wrong. We’ll figure out a Crockpot version later. 😛
There’s just something tempting about throwing it all in there and it turning into a delicious dish with no extra work. I’m notorious for messing up stove-top rice, and I wanted to get this right!
Turns out it is possible to make rice and chicken in the Instant Pot at the same time, and the results are great. It’s also really hands-off once you close that lid, which to me is a bonus. 🙂
It saves time, dishes, and it’s just really tasty. And that rice turns out sooo creamy without using cream or any type of condensed soup. There isn’t a “sauce” per se, but the rice soaks up most of the liquid and becomes perfectly seasoned and almost has a risotto quality to it.
And, this is actually a fairly healthy meal. I like the rice so much that I have posted a separate recipe for just the rice sans the chicken.
If you want a veggie in there, add some carrots… so good.
How to make chicken and rice in the Instant Pot
It’s easy to make chicken and rice in the Instant Pot, but I do recommend following the tips below to ensure your recipe is successful. I have done a lot of research (and experimentation… this is probably my most tested recipe to date on the blog) to make sure it works. I’m going to put it out there that there’s a pretty good chance this recipe can go wrong if you don’t follow the cooking instructions exactly.
- Don’t guess on liquid measurements.
- Rinse the rice (I just measure it out, put it in a sieve, and then rinse and quickly let the water drain out).
- Stick to using white rice (I’ve tested jasmine and basmati). Brown rice is a different beast.
- Don’t make substitutions unless you’ve made the recipe first and you’re confident they will work… or you don’t mind if it goes wrong in the name of experimentation. 😉
- I usually make this recipe with larger chicken breasts. I don’t look for a particular weight, but you know sometimes the ones at the grocery store are just tinier than you’re used to. If you do end up with smaller ones, I’d reduce cooking time by a minute or so. You could definitely also try chicken thighs – they’re typically more forgiving when it comes to overcooking them.
I really think this is the best chicken and rice. It’s crazy easy and just so comforting.
Try my chicken and rice soup if you love these flavors!
Love Instant Pot chicken recipes? Try my Instant Pot teriyaki chicken, this Instant Pot chicken noodle soup, or my Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup recipe.
I hope you love this easy chicken and rice recipe!
Want to make just the rice? Check out the best Instant Pot rice recipe.
Questions? Don’t hesitate to ask. Leave me a comment below. 🙂
Update (5/7/2019): After reading the comments and doing further testing, I’ve slightly altered the recipe. Originally, the recipe called for 18 minutes on high pressure with a quick release. I’ve changed it to 12 minutes on high pressure with a 5 minute natural release, followed by a quick release for the remaining pressure. My logic behind this is two-fold: the 12 minutes leads to more tender chicken (as does a partial natural release). I also am learning that newer Instant Pots get the burn warning much easier than my older Instant Pot, and hopefully these changes will address that issue.
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2.5 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup white jasmine rice (or basmati) rinsed
- 4 dashes Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 medium carrots peeled & sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Season both sides of each piece of chicken with salt & pepper.
- Press the sauté button on your Instant Pot. Add the oil and onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, then add the chicken broth, lemon juice, rice (rinse it first), Italian seasoning, and butter. If you want to add carrots, add those in at this point too. Leave the sauté button pressed so it heats up as you're adding the ingredients.
- Give the ingedients in the Instant Pot a good stir (make sure nothing is sticking), and then immediately add the chicken pieces on top. Close the lid, set the valve to "sealing", and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes.
- Once the countdown has completed, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release the rest of the pressure. Give the rice a stir prior to serving (it will absorb a little more liquid as it rests for a few minutes). The rice will have a consistency that's soft, creamy, and a little sticky. If needed, season with salt & pepper to taste.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe multiple times in my 6-quart Instant Pot, and it has worked every time without a burn warning (I've heard this can happen in some of the larger and newer Instant Pots when cooking certain recipes - such as ones with rice). I suggest following my instructions exactly as written for best results.
- If desired, use low-sodium chicken broth. I found this recipe to be perfectly seasoned with regular chicken broth, though.
- Makes 4 generous servings. If I was eating this by myself, it would be more like 6+ servings.
- Inactive time indicates the time it takes the Instant Pot to get up to pressure and the time for natural pressure release.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
I like how kid friendly this recipe is.
I did a bit of tweeking:
Used chicken thighs
Grated the onion and garlic (kids don’t like chewing on bits of onion)
Grated the carrot as well (again with the chunks)
Included some green pepper
Used regular rice, rinsed
Our granddaughter who is super picky gave it her approval along with my husband who is NOT picky at all. LoL!
A repeat for sure. Thank you.
I’m so glad it was a hit!! Thanks so much for letting me know, Lori! 🙂
Super easy, used two big frozen breasts and increased the time by two mins. they came out so good! don’t skip the lemons, i actually used limes cause its what i had on hand and it turned out good. will be making again and again!
Wonderful… so happy it turned out! 😀
I just bought an Instant Pot and this was my first recipe. It was great! I added a bit of extra water but it all ended up creamy and delicious without extra liquid. I would recommend more garlic – but I am a garlic fiend, so maybe not everyone feels that way! Thank you for your recipe.
I am so happy that it worked out for you!! I am a garlic fiend too so I agree hahaha.
I’m going to only use two chicken breasts , but they’re frozen. Think I should leave the time the same since it’s frozen?
I think there may still be a risk that they won’t be cooked properly. If you don’t want to add extra time, you could experiment and see if they do cook, but test them with a meat thermometer to ensure they’re 165F in the middle.
So I can’t figure out how to comment without replying, wish me luck. I did 3 huge frozen breasts and 1.5 cups rice ( it was an accident so I added about a .5 cup more broth) I sauteed my chicken first then followed the recipe I will add a can of French style green beans at the end and let you know how it turns out
No worries! Hope it works out ♥️
I got the IP Duo Mini (3 qt) for christmas and decided to give recipe this my first shot! I only used 2 breasts and 2 cups of broth with 1 cup of rice. Reduced the time to 10 minutes since it’s a smaller container and it came out with some liquid on top. Just stirred it for a minute and wasn’t too soupy! Chicken was a little chewy but it was all very Yummy! Thanks for sharing!
I am so pleased you liked it!! That’s great it can be adapted for a 3 qt. Happy new year! ♥️
Can this be made with frozen chicken breasts?
Hi! I haven’t tested it so I don’t know for sure. You could give it a try. Maybe add another minute or two. Then if you’re in doubt at all if the chicken is cooked, use a meat thermometer to ensure it’s 165F. Let me know how it goes!
Flavor wise this recipe is really good, but my rice was mooshy and there was so much liquid left after cooking that it was more like soup. I used an 8qt IP, and followed the recipe but I must have done something wrong. Anybody else have this result? I want to make it again because it tastes so good but I want it to come out as intended
Hi Liz, I’m sorry it didn’t work out so well for you! Maybe read through the comments? Unfortunately this recipe seems finicky in some Instant Pots (I found that out after I tested this recipe multiple times in my own IP). I have never had this happen with my own 6-qt. model. The rice is meant to be very creamy (like a risotto almost), but not like a soup.
I had the same problem with my 8 quart. I just had to add more time.
Same problem with my 8qt – mushy and lots of unabsorbed liquid. Wish I had seen the comments first. The flavor was good so will try again but back off on the liquid and hope it doesn’t burn.
Aw mine turned out like soup also, 8qt.. Extended the cook time and Fingers crossed it works.. I’m so hungry and looking forward to this! Lol!
This was absolutely delicious. My 4 year old granddaughter wants it again, like for breakfast this morning!
That’s awesome!! ♥️
I’m making this great recipe. I keep getting BURN errors. I keep canceling, stirring and beginning again. Tried adding water. IDK what to do…
I’m sorry to hear that Keren. There’s quite a lively discussion in the comments from people who have experienced similar. When I posted this recipe, I never realized that it would be such an issue for some folks. I’ve never encountered a burn warning (like ever in my entire IP life). Do you have a newer IP by chance? It seems to be happening with newer models. I’m not sure why the burn warning is occurring. I think that it must be something to do with the rice, but there’s plenty of liquid and it should be fine when stirred. Sorry this is happening to you! 🤦♀️😭
Made this tonight and was skeptical about the 2½ C of liquid, but it turned out perfectly! I used 7 legs, thawed, and they still came out great – falling off the bone tender. Since there’s only two of us, there’s enough leftover rice & chicken to make a small casserole for tomorrow! I didn’t have chicken broth on hand, so I used water. The legs were lemon-pepper marinated so the rice was still flavorful!
Yay so glad it worked out for you, Lora! 🙂