This Instant Pot chicken and brown rice is so simple and turns out perfectly every time. Ultimate comfort food in less time than the oven version.
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Instant Pot Chicken and Brown Rice
Chicken and brown rice casserole reminds me of my grandma’s house and it’s one of my favorite comfort meals. The savory smell of it cooking brings back so many memories.
My grandma didn’t have an instant pot and let me tell you, that has been a total game changer for this recipe. It no longer takes over an hour in the oven to make my favorite childhood dish.
This is a simple dish that will come out perfect every time with very little effort. Plus, this is a one pot meal so there are not extra dishes to wash.
If you need help making Instant Pot Chicken and Brown Rice, we have a video at the end of the post to help.
Jump to Recipe5 Reasons to Love this Instant Pot Chicken and Brown Rice
- It’s delicious and comforting. We make this all the time. The mixture of the creamy brown rice and the fall-apart tender chicken is unreal.
- Speed is the name of the game. This is so much faster than the oven or slow cooker version.
- Less Dishes. This is a one pot meal. Meat, veggies, and grains all cook together. No saute-ing in extra pans.
- It’s a healthy dish. Under 400 calories per serving. Whole grain brown rice, vitamin-rich veggies and protein-packed chicken.
- You can set it and walk away. No need to stir every 5-10 min. You really can just walk away and let it do it’s thing.
Substitution Options:
You can use this homemade cream of chicken soup in this recipe. It’s healthier and it tastes better and is seriously so easy! It’s only 3 ingredients and spices and takes about 5 minutes to make, but a can of condensed cream soup works great too!
If you don’t have cream of chicken on hand, substitute for another “cream of” cans of soup. I’ve made this with cream of mushroom and cream of celery. Both options were delicious.
Swap out the brown rice for white rice. Both ways turn out great, but my family prefers the brown rice making the dish more hearty and healthy.
What is the Best Cut of Chicken for this Recipe:
I prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe because they are moist, cook fast and shred nicely.
Boneless, skinless chicken breast is another option for this recipe, you may want to cut the breasts in half to help them cook faster.
Don’t have an Instant Pot? Get your own Instant Pot here:
More Tasty Instant Pot Recipes
You are going to love ALL of these other Instant Pot recipes we have. Make your meals faster, meats more tender and flavors more robust.
Instant Pot “Burn” Notice
*Update from a couple of years ago to add this section about the “burn” notice coming from the instant pot.
I checked into this and first thought maybe it is because it can use some more liquid.
The Instant Pot is a smart piece of kitchen equipment. The “burn” notice usually pops up when you are cooking something that is thicker in nature. Without enough liquid in the recipe, the Instant Pot will not be able to produce enough steam to come to full pressure.
What to Do with a “Burn” Notice?
So what do you do when this happens? Shut off the Instant Pot and quick release the pressure. Be careful, it is hot and that steam comes out quick.
Once all the steam is released, open the lid, add 2 Tbsp more chicken broth or water and stir it all together. This should give your Instant Pot the liquid it needs to build steam.
Lock the lid and set it to cook again. No need to adjust the time because the “burn” notice seems to come at the beginning while the Instant Pot is heating.
Hope this helps!
Here is the Recipe for Instant Pot Chicken and Brown Rice:
Instant Pot Chicken and Brown Rice
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 1/4 c chicken broth
- 2 c rinsed brown rice
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 c carrots, chopped
- 2 c white mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 10.5 oz cream of chicken soup (1 can)
- 1/4 tsp thyme (8 sprigs fresh)
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot on to SAUTE mode. When Instant Pot says "Hot" heat olive oil and sauté onions until translucent. Then press CANCEL button to end saute mode.
- Add broth to the pot and deglaze the bottom of the pan by gently scraping the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pan. There is no need to discard the brown bits. Rinse brown rice and add it to the pot. Stir in carrots and mushrooms.
- Arrange chicken breasts on top of veggies and rice; season with salt and pepper.
- Add cream of chicken soup to the top of the chicken and add sprigs of thyme. *Do not stir in the cream of chicken!
- Secure lid on Instant Pot, and turn nozzle to SEALING.
- Cook on MANUAL high pressure setting for 25 minutes. Then Quick Release. Be careful not burn your hand on the hot steam!
- Once steam has released, open Instant Pot lid and stir to shred the chicken and combine with rice and veggies.
Nutrition
Here’s the Video to Show you How to Make Instant Pot Chicken and Brown Rice:
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Hello! I am Camille, a wife, mother of four, Disney obsessed, certified teacher, and reality optimist. Motherhood comes with its ups and downs, and I hope while you’re here you’ll find something that makes your #momlife easier!
Beautiful! I’m adding this to my favorite must-try list this week. Thanks for sharing.
What do I do my instant pot keeps saying burn doing this recipe
You may need to add more liquid. I didn’t receive that warning, but yours may cook hotter than mine?
All I had was chicken thighs and white rice, so I cut the thighs into bite size pieces and cooked them for 8 mins with 10mins NPR and it turned out perfectly. This was so tasty! Thank you.
wow!! these look so good, my 4 year old is going to loose her mind when I serve these up. you’re amazing, thank you for sharing.
I am so glad!! 🙂
Brown rice is really good for our health, that’s why I love your recipe so much. Thanks.
I am so glad! THANK YOU for your support!
Do you use raw carrots or canned?
I like to use raw
Do you know if I can sub quinoa for brown rice?
Yes, that would be fine!
Every vet my dogs have ever had state never to feed dogs onions.