Instant Pot Chicken and Rice (Fresh or Frozen Chicken Breast)
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Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is a quick and easy way to cook flavorful chicken breasts. Serve it over your favorite type of cooked rice (or noodles) with your favorite salad or vegetable for a perfect meal. You will not believe how easy this recipe is.
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Recipe
I have found the easiest Instant Pot Recipe yet. There’s a pretty likely probability that you have all the ingredients on hand to whip it up.
Frozen or fresh chicken gets cooked in a simple sauce of butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Sounds crazy, but those simple ingredients make the tastiest sauce that is just begging to be served over rice. Please note, if you’re using thawed chicken or fresh chicken, you’ll want to add a cup or liquid such as chicken broth so you don’t get the dreaded burn notice on your pressure cooker.
Brown rice, white rice, jasmine rice, minute-rice, it doesn’t really matter what type. Use whatever you have on hand.
This is such a great base recipe. I love to toss in some frozen peas right at the end, or sometimes, I stir in some steamed broccoli. Use whatever you want, or eat it as it.
Frozen Chicken Recipe
Do you keep a bag of frozen chicken breasts in the freezer? Barbara always does. It’s a great staple item.
Frozen meats, including chicken breasts, are great. We have all had experience with that package of meat in the refrigerator that we just did not use in time.
If your day (or week) blows up and your meal planning does not go as planned, you do not have to worry about using the fresh chicken (or ground beef or pork chops) before it goes bad.
Barbara also loves that she can pull out the bag of frozen chicken breasts and thaw out as many pieces as she needs.
This instant pot recipe is so easy that you can use frozen chicken or thawed chicken.
Instant Pot Buttery Chicken
Barbara modified this recipe from Pot O’ Gold, her favorite cookbook ever. The original recipe calls for the chicken to be cooked in the oven, but using an electric pressure cooker or Instant Pot cuts the cooking time to almost nothing!
The beauty of the recipe is that it’s easy to cut the ingredient amounts in half if you only have a little chicken on hand or if you only want to serve a couple people.
Serve this Instant Pot Buttery Chicken over rice or noodles with a side salad or your favorite vegetables. Might we suggest this Quick Asparagus and Corn Salad.
Ingredients
- Frozen or Fresh Chicken Breasts (skinless, boneless)
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Butter
- Chicken Broth (see notes)
- Rice (to serve)
How to make instant pot chicken and rice?
Step by Step Instructions
- Turn the instant pot on sauté mode. Add butter and chicken breasts, and sauté until butter is melted.
- Sprinkle with salt, black pepper and garlic powder.
- If using frozen chicken breasts, proceed to next step. If you’re using thawed or fresh, add 1 cup chicken broth.
- Close the lid and seal.
- Pressure cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.
- Let pressure release using the natural pressure release method.
- Shred or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. I love to use kitchen shears for this step.
- Serve over cooked rice.
Storage Instructions
Let leftovers cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator. Rewarm it in the microwave.
Recipe FAQs
- Use chicken breasts or chicken tenders.
- Sometimes I use frozen chicken breasts, and I do not add additional liquid to the instant pot.
- Be sure to add chicken broth to the insert if using thawed or fresh chicken with no juices. If you don’t add liquid, you will burn the chicken, and you’ll get a burn notice alert.
- The butter and the spices make the tastiest sauce that goes great over cooked rice.
Recipe Variations
- This tastes great over any kind of cooked rice or grain. Try it over cooked noodles too.
- Add some frozen veggies at the end, and turn the pressure cooker back on to sauté mode until they are cooked. Broccoli florets, carrots, zucchini, peas, etc. all make a tasty addition.
- Sprinkle with shredded cheese before serving.
- Change up the spices that you add to the chicken. Paprika, onion powder, chili powder, etc., would be good.
Kitchen Utensils
- Instant Pot
- Kitchen Shears
- Rice Cooker
Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 3 lb. frozen, fresh or thawed chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 Tablespoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup chicken juices or chicken broth*** (omit if using frozen chicken breast)
Instructions
- Place the stick of butter, chicken juices and chicken in a 6 quart Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker. Turn on Sauté mode until butter is melted. Sprinkle thawed chicken with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Close lid, and turn vent to seal. Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker to naturally release pressure once the cooking step is finished.
- Shred or chop chicken into chunks and add back to the cooking liquid.
- Serve over rice.
Notes
-
- Use chicken breasts or chicken tenders.
-
- Sometimes I use frozen chicken breasts, and I do not add additional liquid to the instant pot.
- Be sure to add chicken broth to the insert if using thawed or fresh chicken with no juices. If you don’t add liquid, you will burn the chicken, and you’ll get a burn notice alert.
-
- The butter and the spices make the tastiest sauce that goes great over cooked rice.
- The nutritional information below is auto-calculated and can vary depending on the products used.
Nutrition
Linking up to Meal Plan Monday.
