Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is a quick, easy meal you will love! This healthy chicken dinner is an inexpensive, classic dinner great for feeding the whole family.
This delicious Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is the perfect comfort food meal at the end of a long day! Tender chicken thighs are kept perfectly juicy while cooking with the creamy rice and mushrooms. This healthy meal is super filling and reheats easily for a delicious leftover lunch!
This recipe can easily be made ahead of time, and it reheats perfectly. It makes a great freezer meal for long term meal planning, too. This recipe is a great base recipe to save; you can easily swap out the seasonings and vegetables to make tons of different meals!
Ingredients for Mushroom Chicken Rice
Here is a quick overview of what you will need for this recipe. For exact measurements, keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card below.
- Olive oil – You will need some to help the seasoning stick to the chicken then a little more to brown the chicken. Feel free to replace with avocado oil or your favorite cooking oil.
- Chicken thighs – Bone-in and skin-on chicken works best for this recipe. Breasts dry out too easily, so I do not recommend using a different cut unless you are also altering the cooking time.
- Diced onion, minced garlic, sliced mushrooms – These are sautéed before adding in the rice, adding a ton of flavor to the entire dish! You could replace onions with shallots or substitute carrots instead of mushrooms if you prefer.
- Chicken stock, Lemon juice – You technically could use water or chicken broth, but chicken stock gives you MUCH more flavorful rice! You can make your own to make this cheap and super tasty. Use low sodium chicken broth if you are sensitive to salt. Lemon juice adds a bright flavor that complements the chicken and mushrooms perfectly.
- Long-grain white rice – Make sure to rinse your rice VERY well until the water runs clear. This is very important as the rice can come out clumpy, stuck together, and dense. Jasmine rice works great right after rinsing, but basmati rice works best if you let it soak in water about 30 minutes, then rinse, then cook.
- Seasoning – The chicken is seasoned with a Lemon Pepper Seasoning (salt included) while the rice is seasoned with Herbs de Provence.
How to make Chicken and Rice in the Instant Pot
This rice recipe is simple and easy, but the Instant Pot can be a little picky! Here is a step-by-step guide to avoiding a burn warning while making this great chicken dinner.
Season & brown chicken
Pat your chicken dry and trim off any excess fat or skin. Pour half the olive oil on the chicken, then season with the lemon pepper seasoning. Using the sauté function, add in the remaining olive oil and allow it to get nice and hot. Add chicken thighs skin-side down and cook for 5 minutes. Flip and sear another 4-5 minutes and remove from the pot.
Sauté onions, mushrooms, and garlic
Add onions and sauté for four minutes. Pour in the sliced mushrooms and cook another 4 minutes. Finally, add minced garlic and sauté 1 more minute or until it is nice and fragrant.
Deglaze
Pour 1/4 cup of chicken stock into the pot and scrape any and all bits from the bottom of the pot. Make sure to deglaze very well and scrape all remains off the bottom with a wooden spoon – Any stuck bits can trigger the burn warning!
Add remaining ingredients
Turn off the sauté function. Return the chicken thighs to the pot, then pour in your rinsed rice, the remaining stock, lemon juice, and herbs de Provence seasoning. Push any rice down into the liquid between the chicken thighs, making sure the spices are distributed and all pieces of rice are covered by the liquid.
Cook
Close the lid and seal the venting valve. Turn on the high pressure cooking function and set for 7 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, allow the pressure to naturally release for 12 minutes before opening the valve and removing the lid.
Broil (optional)
Remove the chicken thighs from the pot, shaking off any rice. If you prefer a crunchy texture on the chicken skin, transfer the thighs to a baking sheet and broil for about 2 minutes or until the skin is golden brown with crispy edges. Keep a close eye on these–The broiler can burn them quickly if you’re not careful!
Serve
When you open the lid and remove the chicken, there will still be some liquid in the pot–Stir and allow the rice to sit for 10 minutes (covered), then serve. Add a little sprinkle of fresh herbs and cracked pepper for extra flavor and garnish. This is a hearty dish on its own, but feel free to add a Wedge Salad, some Mustard Greens, or an easy Green Bean side dish.
Storage and Freezing
Allow this dish to completely cool, then transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. You can store the chicken and rice together or separately.
This recipe works well for freezing and reheating, so try it as a meal prep option! First, make sure the food is completely cooled. Any residual heat will turn into condensation which can quickly cause freezer burn. Store in an airtight freezer-safe container up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheat
You can microwave this dish to quickly reheat – Try heating in 1 minute bursts on 60% power to avoid overcooking the chicken. If you love crispy skin, microwave the rice but air fry the chicken. Air frying these chicken thighs on 370 for 4-5 minutes will give you a delicious crunch on the skin while still making sure the meat is warm and juicy.
FAQ’s about cooking chicken and rice in the Instant Pot
Do I have to use long-grain rice?
Yes, long-grain rice should be used. Different types of rice will require different cooking times.
Can I use a different chicken cut?
I don’t recommend different cuts in this. Bone-in chicken breasts are likely to be more dry or possibly require more cooking time due to their size. Boneless cuts will cook too quickly and come out dry. You could use skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4 chicken thighs bone-in and skin-on
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
- 1/2 onion diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup long-grain rice rinsed well in warm water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon herbs de provence
Instructions
- Pat chicken thighs dry and trim any loose or excess skin. Rub 1 tablespoon of the oil over the chicken thighs, then season well with lemon pepper seasoning.
- Turn the Instant Pot “sauté” function on and wait for it to get hot. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil, then add the chicken thighs skin side down. Sear for 5 minutes on the skin side, then flip and cook another 5 minutes on the other side. Remove from Instant Pot and set aside.
- Pour onions into the Instant Pot and sauté for about 4 minutes, then add in mushrooms and continue cooking another 2-3 minutes. Add in garlic, continuing to sauté for minute or until fragrant.
- Add 1/4 cup chicken stock and deglaze the pot. Make sure to scrape up any browned bits at the bottom–Any stuck pieces can cause a burn warning during the pressure cooking phase.
- Add chicken thighs, rinsed rice, the rest of the chicken stock, lemon juice, and herbs de provence. Make sure any rice is covered by the liquid.
- Put lid on Instant Pot, and set “pressure cook” function to 7 minutes.
- Once cooking has finished, allow the pressure to naturally release for 12 minutes.
- After 12 minutes, manually release remaining pressure and remove the lid. Allow rice to sit for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving.
- OPTIONAL: If you prefer crispy chicken skin, remove the thighs from the pot and broil for 1-2 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
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