Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken and Rice

Our Instant Pot teriyaki chicken and rice recipe is a one pot meal we love. Like our fluffy pressure cooker chicken and rice but healthier with a homemade sweet and savory sauce.

I know, a complete meal in less than 20 minutes doesn’t see possible right? Well it is when you pressure cook everything together. It’s just one of many easy and quick Instant Pot recipes we make weekly.

Yes you can use any brand of pot you have. I make a lot of Ninja Foodi recipes like this in it with the pressure cooker function and lid that is not attached. They all work the same except the first adds the air fryer function which is handy.

Years ago we shared how to make chicken and rice in a pressure cooker. Just like the Campbell’s version you had growing up, it is still a go to for dinner. BUT this gives it more of an Instant Pot teriyaki chicken feel with your side dish mixed together.

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time you know how much I love veri veri or our homemade teriyaki sauce. I mean I was born and spent my childhood in Hawaii so it was just something you put on everything. That got me thinking that it would be great as another version of our favorite meal.

When I can throw in protein, a starch, sauce, and sometimes I even include 1/2 c. frozen corn in this…it’s a fast meal. Everyone always cleans their plate so it’s always a win too so there are rarely leftovers or wasted food.

Can you cook rice and meat at the same time?

You sure can, we do it all the time. Use kielbasa for Instant Pot sausage and rice that is cheesy, or try Instant Pot ground beef and rice. The trick is to not stir in the long grain pieces. Rather you gently submerge into the liquid and start the cook time.

Can you cook raw chicken with rice?

Yep! I typically do brown the outsides first but really it is not a real must. You could throw it in as is, in small pieces and just add an additional minute to the posted time below. You could also alternatively use leftover chicken breasts.

Cooking Tips

First you will want to cut your meat into bite size pieces though. Saute them with a bit of olive oil until the outsides are no longer pink. This will make them as tender as possible locking in the juices, and cook faster with that smaller size.

Once that is done be sure to deglaze pressure cooker properly so the burn notice doesn’t show up and stop the process. Now remember that when cooking with rice and meat together you do not want to stir in the grains, DON’T stir. Just gently press on the top until submerged into the liquid to cook but not hit the bottom.

When done, before serving, fluff rice with a fork and we like to sprinkle some diced green onions on top before serving. For heat you could add a bit of red pepper flakes too.

I personally prefer to use diced boneless skinless chicken thighs because this is one of our fave quick chicken thigh recipes but if you chose white meat with breasts the cook time would be the same (as long as they were diced too).

Long grain white rice is what we used here, Jasmine rice in Instant Pot requires an 8 min natural release at the end to get fluffy.

Substitutions

Alternatively you could use 1/2 cup teriyaki marinade instead of making your own sauce with the last 3 ingredients up on this list. Bottled is easy of course but these items will give you a very similar flavor for this dish so just as simple if you ask me.

I will say I have not made this with Instant Pot brown rice and time would take much longer with that. Cauliflower rice would turn to mush so that isn’t a good alternative either. Frozen chicken pieces aren’t recommended either. Those would release moisture and wouldn’t be able to be sautéed in the beginning either.

Why is my Instant Pot chicken rubbery?

If you ever find that this is the case it actually means you haven’t cooked it long enough! That is right, the high pressure will break down the meat well so much so that if it isn’t so tender you can pull it apart with 2 forks you should cook it longer. If you use the timing below and cut your pieces into small bite size pieces you shouldn’t have this issue here.

How long does chicken and rice last in the fridge?

Ok so I am picky when it comes to leftover rice. Pretty much no matter what you do to it it will never be as moist as the first hour it’s made. Integrating a sauce into it though, like this, will definitely help it not to dry out as fast. Allow it to completely cool to room temperature. Then spoon into a portioned out freezer bag and suck ALL of the air out, then seal it shut. Store in fridge for 2 days ideally and enjoy it during that time.

How to reheat leftovers

Rewarming To reheat, pour a bit of teriyaki sauce, soy sauce or water on top, toss it with the grains and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir it and warm again for another 30 sec. until it is as warm as you want.

I know right?? Doesn’t that spoonful just make your mouth water? They are both fabulous and really you could make both in one week and not really think about the fact that the main ingredients are essentially the same.

More easy chicken recipes you’ll love

We have a lot of other Instant Pot chicken recipes for sure. Want to make something similar in your slow cooker? Try our Crockpot chicken and rice recipe too. I mean when I bring this to a potluck people are always asking me for the recipe.

• Rather keep with your quick meals? We posted this Instant Pot Mexican chicken and rice recipe recently
• Instant Pot cheesy chicken rice is great too. It is super cheesy with bold flavors like this one but less Asian with a more Spanish flare to it.