Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice is a simple, one pot recipe that’s ready in no time. With just a few ingredients, this dish is perfect for meal prepping, lunch, or dinner!
One dish that I crave quite often is chicken fried rice.
It may seem strange, but I just love the deep flavor and simple ingredients that it has. Sure, I like other rice recipes, like this garlic herb rice or that chicken and mushroom parmesan rice.
But what I absolutely love is easy fried rice. And since I’ve been making it non-stop lately, I decided to put my pressure cooker to good use and whip up this easy chicken fried rice recipe.
And I firmly stand by the belief that this is better than takeout chicken fried rice. You can control exactly what goes in this dish and how much flavor you want. Scrambled eggs, peas, carrots, chicken, and rice….simple yet oh-so good!
This pressure cooker fried rice recipe is not only a breeze to whip up, but it also makes a delicious dinner or simple lunch throughout the week. You can prep this diced chicken recipe on Sunday and have your meals ready to go every day.
Ingredients in Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
The ingredients list for this homemade chicken fried rice is simple:
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs
- Olive oil
- Chicken breasts
- Rice
- Chicken broth
- Garlic powder
- Frozen peas and carrots
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
What’s the Best Rice for Fried Rice?
I used basmati rice for this recipe. However, any type of long grain rice will work, such as jasmine or brown rice.
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
Just one pot (your pressure cooker, of course!) and a handful of ingredients is all it takes to whip up this deliciousness.
- To start, melt some butter your IP (using the sauté button) and then scramble two eggs. Remove to a separate plate and set aside.
- Add some olive oil to the pot and then brown some diced chicken breast pieces. It’s not necessary to cook the chicken all the way, as it will do so once the pot is locked and pressurized.
- To the chicken, add the rice and sauté about 30-45 seconds. This helps the rice maintain its texture and not turn mushy once cooked.
- Add some chicken broth and spices to the IP, then close, seal, and cook on the ‘manual’ setting for about 3 minutes. After a natural release is done for about 10 minutes, do a quick release and uncover the pot.
- Stir in the peas and carrots, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Stir and season to taste, adding more soy sauce, if needed. Stir in the scrambled eggs and get ready to devour!
How to Prevent Rice From Being Mushy in the IP
Great question! I sautéd the rice in the IP for about 30-45 seconds before adding the liquid so that it would help retain its texture. You can also rinse the rice under cold water before cooking to remove some of the starches, if needed. You also want to be sure that you do not use too much liquid when cooking, which will result in that soft, mushy texture.
Can I Meal Prep Instant Pot Fried Rice?
Using this fried rice recipe is a great idea for meal prepping throughout the week, or even freezing for a later date. Once the rice has cooled to room temperature, store in airtight containers (I like to use glass) or freezer-safe containers if freezing.
When ready to serve, simply reheat in the microwave or on the stove. If serving from the freezer, be sure to let thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
This really is the BEST Instant Pot chicken fried rice. There. I said it. It’s really that good.
Tips for Making Fried Rice in an Instant Pot
- I tested this recipe using a 6-quart Instant Pot. I don’t recommend using one smaller than that.
- Note that most grocery stores carry bags of frozen peas and carrots that have already been mixed together. You don’t need to buy two separate bags of veggies!
- If you’re sensitive to salt, I suggest using a low-sodium soy sauce or adding less soy sauce than the recipe calls for. You can also add more in if your rice needs it!
Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? I’ve got you covered!
- Instant Pot No Bean Chili
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Garlic Herb Potatoes
- Instant Pot Tomato Basil Soup
- Instant Pot Creamy Macaroni & Cheese
Easy Video Tutorial for Making Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice:
Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium chicken breasts, cubed into small pieces
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 2⅓ cups chicken broth
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed (can usually find a bag in your grocery's freezer section that is both peas & carrots in one)
- 4-5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1½ teaspoons sesame oil
Equipment
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to 'sauté' setting. Once pot is hot, add butter and let melt. Add in eggs and scramble in the pot until cooked. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- While still on 'sauté' mode, add olive oil to the bottom of pot. Add cubed chicken and cook for about 2-3 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot so that you don't receive a burn warning. It is not necessary to cook chicken completely, as it will do so once comes to pressure.
- Add rice in with chicken and sauté for about 30-45 seconds. This will help rice retain its texture and not become mushy when cooked.
- Add chicken broth, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir and then cover, place into lock position, and make sure the valve is in the 'sealing' position. Press the 'manual' button and cook for 3 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, let the pot do a natural release for 10 minutes. Then, do a quick release by turning the valve to the venting position and letting the steam release until the pin drops. **I like to place a folded kitchen towel over the valve so that it catches the steam**
- Remove lid, stir in peas and carrots, soy sauce, and sesame oil until combined. Taste and add more soy sauce, salt and/or pepper, if needed. Stir in scrambled eggs. Serve immediately.
Notes
- This recipe was tested and made in a 6-quart Instant Pot.
- See my tips and tricks for making this Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice above the recipe box.
Great recipe! I have the 8 qt and I don’t have the manual button. Do I just pressure cook it for 3 minutes also do I cook the veggies separately or put the frozen in when it’s done cooking?
Hi Stephanie! Yes, you should be able to pressure cook for 3 minutes and then let the IP do a natural release for 10 minutes. Per the recipe directions, add in the thawed frozen veggies when everything is done cooking (listed on step #6) so that they don’t become too mushy. Hope you enjoy!
Hi! This sounds really good! I was just wondering… can this recipe can be doubled? I’d like to make it for my husband and friends, and they really, really like rice!
Hi Elena! You can absolutely double this recipe! Hope you enjoy!
I made this for dinner tonight for the husband and myself and man oh man! It was so easy (only the second time I’ve used our instapot, he usually cooks), and so freaking delicious! We’ve already talked about meal prepping with this recipe and what different proteins we would like to try in it! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so happy you both enjoyed, Jessica! Using different proteins is a great idea. Thank you for stopping by!
This is fantastic and I’m going to add it to my food prep rotation! The only change I would make is doing the scrambled eggs on the stovetop while the pot is coming to pressure, since you don’t add them in until the very end.
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Rachel! Thanks for stopping by!
Had everything on hand except sesame oil. Still came out amazing. I can see this being a staple in our house. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that, Lisa! So glad you enjoyed!
Hi! I have an 8qt IP and want to check out this recipe. Do I have to do anything different to the recipe?
Hi Angela! No that size will work well with this recipe! Hope you enjoy!
How do I keep from burning my rice? I messed with this for 2 hours and finally gave up =(
Hi Lauren! Is the rice burning after the IP cooks? You need to make sure there is enough liquid covering the rice…as long as 2 1/3 cups are used per the recipe ingredients, it shouldn’t burn at all. You’d have to cook it very long to do so. The cook time for this recipe is roughly 23 minutes (10 minutes for the IP to come to pressure, 3 minutes cooking, and then a 10 minute natural release). Hope this helps!
Can you make it with pork? If so how?
I’ve never made this with pork, so I have no idea how to do so. Hope you enjoy!
I cooked high on manual for 3 min then 10 min natural release and the rice was still crunchy. What did I do wrong?
Hello! I don’t know what you did wrong as I wasn’t in your kitchen, but if you cooked it according to the directions, that should have been more than enough time for the rice to cook through. It would’ve cooked for about 23 minutes total (10 min coming to pressure, 3 min cook time, and 10 min natural release), which does not result in uncooked rice. Did you make sure there was enough liquid? Sorry you had trouble.