Instant pot chicken fried rice is the perfect one pot recipe for a fast and easy weeknight meal with no mess. It has just a few ingredients, can be made with no soy, and is naturally gluten free and dairy free. You can easily swap out the chicken for extra veggies to make it meatless or vegetarian. Look no further for a healthy and satisfying alternative to take out!
Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice Ingredients
Instant pot chicken fried rice requires only a few ingredients. You’ll need 3 teaspoons of sesame oil (divided into 3), 2 eggs, a cup of finely diced yellow onion, minced garlic, and minced ginger. Additionally, you need 1 1/4 cups of chicken broth, a pound of diced boneless skinless chicken breasts, and a cup of finely diced carrots a cup.
Lastly, cup and a half of jasmine rice, 4 tablespoons of coconut aminos (or 3 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce), a half cup of frozen peas, pepper, and two sliced green onions will go into this instant pot rice recipe.
Making Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
Start the instant pot chicken fried rice by setting the instant pot to sauté. Add the first teaspoon of sesame oil. When it is hot, use a soft spatula to spread out the oil to ensure the whole bottom of the instant pot is coated.
Beat the eggs and pour them into the instant pot and use the spatula to scramble them. Make sure to only cook the eggs to a “soft scramble” to avoid them drying out or overcooking. Just transfer them to a plate before they’re fully cooked.
Then add teaspoon number two of the sesame oil to the instant pot. After it’s hot, add in the diced onion, minced garlic, and minced ginger. Sauté until the onion has softened a bit but is not quite translucent. It’ll take around 2 minutes.
Next, turn off sauté mode and pour in the broth. Scrape up any of the brown bits on the bottom of the pot with your trusty spatula; then add in the chicken, diced carrots, and rice. Layer them in that order and don’t stir. Push the rice down a little so its submerged in the broth. This will ensure everything will cook right and the rice won’t burn on the bottom.
Place the lid on the instant pot. Make sure the valve is set to “sealing,” and cook on manual high pressure for 3 minutes.
As the rice cooks, use a fork to roughly break up the scrambled egg. Don’t break it down into too small of pieces or it will disappear into the rice when its added. When the rice has cooked, let the steam release on its own for 10 minutes. Then flip the valve and release the rest manually.
Open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Add in the coconut aminos (or soy sauce if you’re not going gluten free), pepper, and the final teaspoon of sesame oil. Stir it together and then add the peas and scrambled eggs. Give it a taste and add more coconut aminos (or soy sauce) or pepper as desired. Let it rest for 3-4 minutes so the eggs and peas heat through. Mix in the green onions or use them as garnish at the end.
Making Instant Pot Vegetarian Fried Rice
To make a meatless instant pot fried rice you start by omitting the chicken. The only other thing you do to make it vegetarian is swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth. When I’m doing this as a vegetarian or meatless instant pot fried rice I tend to add a few more veggies.
Try a half to a cup of bean sprouts, a cup of green beans, or a half cup of frozen corn. The possibilities are endless! Just add them in in step 7 with the peas and scrambled eggs. Let it heat through as it rests.
Serving and Storing the Chicken Fried Rice
Serve the instant pot chicken fried rice garnished with sliced green onions or sesame seeds. You could even use crushed red pepper flakes if you want a little kick.
To store simply let the instant pot chicken fried rice cool to room temperature and place in a large airtight container or individual meal prep containers and refrigerate. It’ll stay good for about 5 days. This is another recipe that reheats really well for lunches and is just as good for leftovers as it is for round one!
Other Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Instant Pot Chicken Lo Mein
- Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Egg Bake
- Greek Chicken Orzo Bake
- Garlic Chicken Gnocchi Skillet
- Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta
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Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
Instant pot chicken fried rice is the perfect one pot recipe for a fast and easy weeknight meal with no mess. It has just a few ingredients and is naturally gluten free and dairy free. You can easily swap out the chicken for extra veggies to make it vegetarian. Look no further for a healthy, satisfying, alternative to take out!
- Prep Time: 5-10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 17 minute
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: chicken
- Method: instant pot
- Cuisine: American (asian inspired)
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 1 and 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1-pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced in small 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup finely diced carrots
- 1.5 cups uncooked jasmine rice, rinsed well
- 4 tablespoons coconut aminos or 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 green onions, sliced
- Optional: 1/2-1 cup bean sprouts
Instructions
- Turn the instant pot on “sauté” mode and add 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil into the pot. Once hot, use a soft spatula to push the oil around and make sure the entire bottom is coated. Pour the beaten eggs into the pot and use the spatula to scramble. Only cook to a “soft scramble” by taking the egg out and transferring to a plate just prior to it being fully cooked. This avoids the scrambled eggs from drying out and getting overcooked
- Add another 1 teaspoon of sesame oil to the instant pot. Once hot, add in the diced onion, minced garlic and minced ginger. Sauté until the onion has softened but is not quite translucent, about 2 minutes
- Turn off sauté mode and pour in the broth. Use the spatula to scrape up any of the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Then add in the diced chicken, diced carrots and rice. Do not stir, but push the rice down to submerge in the liquid and flatten out into an even layer in the broth
- Place the lid on the instant pot and set the valve to “sealing”. Cook on manual high pressure for 3 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, use a fork to roughly break up the scrambled egg. Don’t break it up into too small of pieces or it will disappear into the rice
- When the cook time is up, allow the steam to naturally release for 10 minutes and then flip the valve to release the rest manually
- Open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Add in the coconut aminos or soy sauce, pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Stir into the rice, and then stir in the peas and scrambled eggs. Taste and add more coconut aminos or pepper as desired
- Let sit for 3-4 minutes to allow the eggs and peas to heat through.
- Mix in green onions at the end, or serve garnished on top
Notes
For Vegetarian Instant Pot Fried Rice
- Swap chicken broth for vegetable broth
- Omit chicken
- Add veggies as desired (bean sprouts, green beans, sweet corn, broccoli, cauliflower, thinly sliced white onion, etc) **Add them in at step 7, place the lid on the instant pot to retain more heat and let it sit for a few minutes longer to warm the frozen vegetables
Substitutions
- You can substitute a 12-ounce bag of frozen mixed vegetables for the carrots and peas. (Add them in at step 7, place the lid on the instant pot to retain more heat and let it sit for a few minutes longer to warm the frozen vegetables)
- Add veggies as desired (bean sprouts, green beans, sweet corn, broccoli, cauliflower, thinly sliced white onion, etc) **Add them in at step 7, place the lid on the instant pot to retain more heat and let it sit for a few minutes longer to warm the frozen vegetables
- If using basmati rice, cook on manual high pressure for 4 minutes instead of 3.
- Do not use brown rice
Keywords: chicken fried rice, instant pot rice, 30 minute meals, instant pot chicken, fried rice, healthy instant pot recipes
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