Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice

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Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice is packed with chicken and veggies, with a satisfyingly tasty sauce that pulls it all together. It’s as good as any take out fried rice you’ve ever had.

» We think you’ll also like this Instant Pot White Chicken Chili and Spanish Rice.

A bowl of chicken fried rice

I used to be skeptical that you could cook rice in the Instant Pot and have it turn out well, but the first time I tried it I had to swallow my pride and admit it. In fact, the Instant Pot cooked the rice so perfectly that I’ve never gone back to the stove top method.

That’s why this recipe is a winner, because you can easily make the rice in the Instant Pot, then add the other fried rice ingredients and use the saute mode to cook the egg, then stir it all together and even let it get a little crunchy on the bottom, like it would have at a restaurant. Try this shrimp fried rice as well.

A bowl of chicken fried rice

Ingredients You’ll Need

This fried rice recipe is easy to make with just 8 ingredients, plus garnishes if you want. There are a few substitutions you can make, if necessary. See below for details.

  • Jasmine rice – Be sure to rinse the rice really well under cold water until it runs clear to remove the starch from the rice. This will help give a nice fluffy texture to the rice. You can use any long grain rice, but don’t use minute rice.
  • Chicken broth – We’re using a 1:1 ratio of rice to broth, which is the best way to cook rice in the Instant Pot. Try to use a low-sodium broth to avoid over salting. You can also use vegetable broth, if you want.
  • Onions – The onions aren’t meant to add texture, but will add a lot of flavor when cooked with the rice.
  • Chicken breastCooked and diced chicken. Cook the chicken and cut it into small cubes beforehand. You can cook the chicken in the Instant Pot before starting the rice, to save on pots. Or use a store-bought rotisserie chicken to save time.
  • Frozen Peas & Carrots – I use a bag of frozen veggies because it’s easy to just pour them in. They need just a few minutes to heat up, but don’t need to be cooked, which saves a lot of time. If you’re using fresh carrots instead, add them at the start and cook them with the rice.
  • Soy sauce – Use a low-sodium version if you can because the regular strength will add too much salt to the dish.
  • Sesame oil – Adds a nice nutty flavor and helps crisp up the rice in the Instant Pot.
  • Green onion & sesame seeds – These are great for garnish. If you don’t have them, that’s fine.
  • Butter – We generally use salted butter when cooking but you could substitute unsalted butter.
  • Eggs – Scramble the eggs right in the pot to cut down on extra dishes.

How to Make Instant Pot Fried Rice

Pour one cup of water into the inner pot. Season the chicken breasts with salt. Place the trivet inside the pot. Place the chicken on top of the trivet. If you don’t have the trivet, you can place the chicken directly in the water.

frozen chicken breast in the Instant Pot

Lock on the lid and set the vent to sealing. Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes for thinner chicken breasts or 10 minutes for thicker chicken. Allow a 5 minute natural pressure release, then let out the remaining pressure and remove the chicken to a cutting board. Pour our the water in the pot.

If you want to save time, you can also use a store-bought rotisserie chicken or any leftover pre-cooked chicken you have on hand.

While the chicken is cooling, rinse the rice well under cold water until the water is clear. Add the rinsed rice, chicken broth, and onion to the Instant Pot and secure the lid.

basmati rice in an instant pot

Press the pressure cook button and set the time to 3 minutes on high pressure. When done, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, cut the chicken into small cubes.

Open the lid and fluff the rice. Add the soy sauce and toasted sesame oil, then add the peas and carrots and the diced chicken. Stir well to combine. Place the lid on top and allow it to sit on Keep Warm for 5 minutes. Doing this will gently warm the carrots and peas without burning the other ingredients.

Frozen peas being added to the Instant Pot

Turn on Saute mode. Set it to low heat if your Instant Pot has this function. On high heat, the pot will become very hot and can quickly burn the contents on the bottom. If you only have high heat, be sure to act quickly to avoid burning.

Push aside the rice to make a well. Add butter to the well and when it’s melted, pour the beaten eggs into the well. Cook, stirring constantly, until the egg is cooked. Then gently stir the egg into the rice mixture. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with sliced green onion and sesame seeds.

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A bowl of chicken fried rice

Why Use An Instant Pot?

The Instant Pot is one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can buy, because it drastically cuts down on the cooking time for developing flavors in soups and stews, getting tough cuts of meat tender, and even baking a cheesecake. If you don’t have one, check out our guide on which one to buy. Also see our guide to How to Use an Instant Pot and the many accessories you can buy for it.

Instant Pot Duo Plus

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

  • Rinse the rice – The cooked rice can become very sticky if you don’t remove the starch, so be sure to rinse the rice before you begin.
  • Store the rice for a day – It’s possible to make great fried rice all at once, but I’ve always reserved the rice for a day in the fridge before continuing on with the recipe. What that does is dry out the rice and give it a drier texture. You can do that if you want, then continue on with the rest of the steps. Not necessary though.
  • Use long-grain white rice. My preference is jasmine rice, but any long-grain white rice will work. Go with a high-quality rice to make sure it doesn’t go mushy. And don’t use minute or quick cook rice. It won’t work in this recipe. You can use brown rice instead, but it requires a much longer cooking time.
  • Work quickly – Because the saute mode on the Instant Pot can get very hot, it can quickly burn the ingredients, so you need to work quickly when cooking the egg. Stir constantly to keep it from sticking to the bottom.
A bowl of chicken fried rice with chopsticks

Tools Used in this Recipe

Here are the tools we used to make this recipe. These are affiliate links that lead to Amazon or another online store that we use.

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A bowl of chicken fried rice

Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice

Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice is packed with chicken and veggies, with a satisfyingly tasty sauce that pulls it all together.

Note: Made in a 6-qt Instant Pot

4.85 from 58 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Pressurize Time 15 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 547 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 

  • 2 medium chicken breasts
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups Jasmine rice rinsed
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 small onion finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 10 ounce bag frozen peas and carrots
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3 eggs lightly beaten
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Garnish with sliced green onion and sesame seeds

Instructions
 

  • Pour one cup of water into the pot. Place the trivet in the pot. Season the chicken with salt and set it on the trivet.
  • Close and lock the lid, set the vent to sealing. Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes for thin chicken or 10 minutes for thicker chicken. Allow a 5 minute natural pressure release, then let out the remaining pressure and transfer the chicken to a cutting board to cool. Note: You can skip this step if you're using pre-cooked chicken. Just warm the chicken up before putting it in the rice in step 4.
  • Rinse the rice well under cold water until the water is clear. Add the rinsed rice, chicken broth, and onion to the Instant Pot and secure the lid.
  • Press the pressure cook button and set the time to 3 minutes. When done, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
  • While the rice is cooking, cube the chicken.
  • Open the lid and fluff the rice. Add the soy sauce and toasted sesame oil, then add the peas and carrots and chicken. Stir well to combine. Place the lid on top and allow it to sit on Keep Warm for 5 minutes.
  • Turn on Saute mode to low heat (if your Instant Pot has this function). Push aside the rice to make a well. Add butter to the well and when it’s melted, pour the beaten eggs into the well. Cook, stirring constantly, until the egg is cooked. Then fold the egg into the rice mixture. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with sliced green onion and sesame seeds.

Notes

  • You can save time by using pre-cooked chicken, if you want.

Nutrition

Calories: 547kcalCarbohydrates: 86gProtein: 26gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 155mgSodium: 1073mgPotassium: 540mgFiber: 4gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 6929IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 84mgIron: 3mg
Keyword Chicken, Rice
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Chicken Fried Rice in a bowl being eaten with chopsticks

4 thoughts on “Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice

  1. Ron Moody says:

    There is no butter in the ingredients, yet the instructions read “Add butter to the well and when it’s melted, pour the beaten eggs into the well.” Is it salted or unsalted? And how much is required?

    • Angela Morris says:

      Hi Ron, sorry for the confusion. Use 1 tablespoon of salted butter, though you could use unsalted if that is what you have. Let us know if you like it.

  2. OldChicken says:

    5 stars
    I rated this 2 stars as the instructions never clearly state when the chicken cooks. It does say to ‘add chicken and keep on warm for 5 minutes’ but I was paranoid the chicken would not cook merely by keeping the rice mixture warm. I then tried cooking the cooking with all the ingredients and would up burning the bottom, ruining the dish as the taste and smell of burnt rice permeated the dish. Sad. I’d suggest clearer instructions.

    • Angela Morris says:

      I’m sorry you were disappointed by the recipe. In the recipe card it calls for cooked chicken. That is why the recipe says to add the chicken and keep warm for 5 minutes.

4.85 from 58 votes (57 ratings without comment)

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