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    Home » Recipe Index » Chicken Dishes

    Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice (single serving)

    August 12, 2020 Updated April 15, 2024 By Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD Chicken Dishes, Cooking for One, Easy Recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, One Pot/One Pan Meals

    Jump to Recipe
    bowl of chicken fried rice with text overlay
    close up of chicken fried rice with text overlay

    Never have day old rice to make fried rice with? Make this super easy, single serving, one pot Instant Pot chicken fried rice. It just takes about 30 minutes. Make 2+ servings for leftovers.

    close up of a bowl of chicken fried rice

    [This Instant Pot chicken fried rice recipe was originally posted in August 2020. It has been updated with cooking instructions, expert tips, FAQ, related recipes and ways to repurpose/use up ingredients]

    Table of contents

    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Storage/Reheating Tips
    • Substitutions/Tips
    • FAQ
    • Other easy chicken recipes
    • What to do with leftover ingredients

    Traditional Chinese fried rice is made in a wok, it's often seasoned with some salt and maybe a bit of soy sauce. Eggs, vegetables, and small chunks of meat are common additions.

    Traditional fried rice recipes use dried cooked rice so the grains of rice aren't sticky or gummy. Here's a recipe to try from Serious Eats. J Kenji Lopez-Alt experimented with all the different methods to get the recipe right.

    The Instant Pot chicken fried rice recipe I share today isn't a traditional fried rice recipe, I mean it's cooked in an Instant Pot.

    Cook rice and chicken together to prep for this super easy one pot fried rice. This chicken fried rice Instant Pot is a great recipe that's done in about 30 minutes, and is the perfect recipe to use up leftover vegetables in your fridge.

    Note, the rice may be a bit sticky if you don't have time to cool it down completely, so the texture may not be perfect, but the great flavor & ease compensates for the rice texture.

    If you're short on time and don't have leftover rice, this Instant Pot chicken fried rice is a great recipe.

    Ingredients

    Scroll down to the recipe card for Instant Pot chicken fried rice for the amounts of each ingredient, but here's a quick visual + description of what's in this recipe.

    ingredients for chicken fried rice
    • Jasmin rice
    • Frozen chicken tenders: These frozen chicken tenders will cook at the same rate as the rice, and quicker than a frozen chicken breast. You can use raw chicken, but it will cook more quickly.
    • Oil
    • Vegetables: Onion, bell pepper, carrots, celery, peas, are great options for vegetables. You can add whatever you prefer. Just know that some will cook quickly in the Instant Pot, and can become soggy (broccoli, zucchini, etc)
    • Egg
    • Soy sauce
    • Sesame oil
    • Garlic

    Instructions

    Scroll down to the recipe card for more detailed instructions. Here's a quick overview + photos to see how to make this recipe in general.

    frozen chicken tenders on a trivet in Instant Pot

    1. Start your Instant Pot chicken fried rice by cooking your chicken and rice. Pour water in Instant Pot bowl. Place a small-medium glass bowl in the Instant Pot bowl, then pour rinsed Jasmine rice and water into glass bowl.

    2. Place trivet on top of the bowl, then place 2-3 frozen chicken tenders on the trivet. Close lid, set vent to SEALING and press MULTIGRAIN and set for 15 minutes.

    3. While the chicken and rice for your chicken fried rice Instant Pot are cooking, prep fried rice by chopping vegetables.

    4. When the timer hits zero, flip vent to STEAMING, once steam is released open lid. Check chicken temperature by using an instant read thermometer or by cutting it open.

    5. Carefully remove rice with hot pads and transfer to sheet pan, spreading it out so it's not clumped together. Leave it out while cooking the vegetables.

    chopped vegetables in Instant Pot bowl

    6. Prepare fried rice by pouring out excess water from Instant Pot bowl, then return and turn on to SAUTEE. Add oil, vegetables, and minced garlic.

    7. Cook and stir until onions are translucent, and other vegetables are soft. Chop chicken and return to bowl. Add rice. Stir together until vegetables are distributed evenly and rice starts to brown.

    You may need to add a bit more oil so it browns, you definitely want browned rice in your Instant Pot chicken fried rice.

    instant pot bowl with chicken fried rice and a cracked egg in the middle

    8. Move the fried rice out of center of bowl to make a circle to cook the egg. Crack egg into center of bowl. Stir it with a rubber spatula until egg is cooked through. Then mix together all ingredients.

    9. Add sauce ingredients: soy sauce and sesame oil. Taste and add more soy sauce if needed. Transfer your chicken fried rice Instant Pot to a bowl and eat your Instant Pot chicken fried rice immediately.

    Storage/Reheating Tips

    Store leftover Instant Pot chicken fried rice in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week. It should freeze well too, just store in single serving containers for ease.

    To reheat, pan fry in some oil or microwave, covered until warmed through.

    Substitutions/Tips

    • Use your favorite type of rice. Just know that brown rice will take longer to cook than white rice, and cooking times may vary between varieties too.
    • Don't skip rinsing the rice before cooking it. It'll remove excess starch and help your rice not get sticky or gooey. This is a must for this Instant Pot chicken fried rice recipe.
    • The best vegetables to include in your chicken fried rice Instant Pot are onions, bell peppers, celery, carrots, and frozen peas. Set aside until rice and chicken are done cooking.
    • Cook an 2-5 additional minutes on MANUAL if some water remains unabsorbed by rice, or if chicken isn't cooked through.
    • Swap chicken for another egg or another type of meat.

    FAQ

    How do you make chicken fried rice from scratch?

    Dried out rice is best for fried rice, but if you're having a fried rice craving and don't have any, you can make this one pot Instant Pot chicken fried rice.

    Cook the chicken and rice using the pressure cooker function, then remove and lay flat on a sheet pan to let it dry out while you cook veggies in oil and add back the rice and chicken, then add your sauce, and you're good to go.

    What are the ingredients for fried rice?

    You use rice, some kind of meat, chopped vegetables, egg, soy sauce, and sesame oil to make fried rice. There are lots of ingredients you can use in your fried rice recipe, but this list is the general ingredient list.

    What is the secret to good fried rice?

    Day or two day old rice and using enough oil are secrets to good fried rice. That helps you get non-gooey fried rice. But if you're short on time and don't have leftover rice, fresh rice still tastes great, it just might be gooey.

    bowl of chicken fried rice with gold fork in it

    Other easy chicken recipes

    • Chicken Bacon Mushroom Pasta for One
    • Watermelon Chicken Salad for One
    • Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich
    • Baked Panko Chicken for One
    • Chicken Soup for One
    • One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta

    What to do with leftover ingredients

    When you're cooking for one, you often have leftover produce, cans of whatever ingredient, etc. Here are a couple ideas on how to use up the leftover ingredients. It'll help you save money by wasting fewer ingredients.

    • This Instant Pot chicken fried rice recipe is great because it tastes good with lots of different ingredients, that means it's the perfect recipe to use up what you already have.
    • Chicken: Grilled Chicken Burgers, Buffalo Chicken Flatbread, Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken.
    • Vegetables: Veggie Quesadilla, Steak Fajitas
    • Rice: Vegetarian Burrito Bowl, (add to) Veggie Tacos, and Chicken & Broccoli over Rice.

    Did you make this Instant Pot chicken fried rice? Leave me a comment & rating to share how it turned out!

    bowl of chicken fried rice with gold fork in it

    Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice (single serving)

    Never have day old rice to make fried rice with? Make this super easy, single serving, one pot Instant Pot chicken fried rice. It just takes about 30 minutes. Make 2+ servings for leftovers.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Asian, Chinese
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Servings: 1 person
    Author: Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot
    • Trivet
    • cutting board
    • knife
    • Small-medium glass bowl
    • rubber spatula
    • Measuring Spoons
    • Measuring Cups

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup Jasmine rice
    • 1 cup water divided
    • 2-3 frozen chicken tenders
    • 1 tablespoon neutral oil like canola, grapeseed, vegetable
    • 1 cup chopped vegetables like onions, bell peppers, celery, carrots, peas, etc.
    • egg

    Sauce

    • 1-3 tablespoons soy sauce
    • ½ teaspoon sesame oil
    • ½ teaspoon minced garlic

    Instructions

    • Cook chicken and rice. Pour ¼-1/2 cup water in Instant Pot bowl. Place small-medium glass bowl in Instant Pot bowl, pour ½ cup rinsed Jasmine rice and ¾ cup MINUS 1 Tablespoon water into glass bowl.
    • Place trivet on top of bowl, then place 2-3 frozen chicken tenders on trivet. Close lid, set vent to SEALING and press MULTIGRAIN and set for 15 minutes.
    • While chicken and rice are cooking, prep fried rice by chopping 1 cup vegetables. Set aside until rice and chicken are done cooking.
    • When cooking time is done, flip vent to STEAMING, once steam is released open lid. Check chicken temperature by using an instant read thermometer or by cutting it open. Fluff rice.
    • Carefully remove rice with hot pads and transfer to sheet pan, spreading it out so it's not clumped together. Leave it out while cooking the vegetables.
    • Prepare fried rice by pouring out excess water from Instant Pot bowl, then return and turn on to SAUTEE. Add 1 Tablespoon oil, 1 cup vegetables, and ½ teaspoon minced garlic. Cook and stir until onions are translucent, and other vegetables are soft.
    • Chop chicken and return to bowl. Add in rice. Stir together until vegetables are distributed evenly and rice starts to brown. You may need to add a bit more oil so it browns.
    • Move fried rice out of center of bowl to make a circle to cook the egg. Crack egg into center of bowl. Stir it with a rubber spatula until egg is cooked through. Then mix together all ingredients.
    • Add sauce ingredients: 1 Tablespoon soy sauce and ½ teaspoon sesame oil. Taste and add more soy sauce if needed. Transfer to bowl and eat immediately.

    Notes

    • Don't skip rinsing the rice before cooking it. It'll remove excess starch and help your rice not get sticky or gooey.
    • The best vegetables to include are onions, bell peppers, celery, carrots, and frozen peas. Set aside until rice and chicken are done cooking.
    • Cook 2-5 additional minutes on MANUAL if some water remains unabsorbed by rice, or if chicken isn't cooked through.
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it Today!Mention @NourishNutriCo or tag #NourishNutriCo!

    Want time saving tips to make recipes like this Instant Pot chicken fried rice delivered to your inbox? Click here to download my Cooking for One Time Saving Tips.

    Recipes are great, but you’ll need a simple 3 step process to create a meal plan that make cooking easy & helps you stop wasting food. Check out this expertly developed meal planning guide to get started. 

    More Chicken Dishes

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      Chicken Bacon and Mushroom Pasta for One
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      Watermelon Chicken Salad for One
    • chicken sandwich slices, stacked
      Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich
    • ravioli with mushrooms and chicken in a white bowl
      Mushroom Ravioli Sauce (no cream) for Two

    About Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD

    Welcome! I’m Rebecca, a food loving dietitian who has been cooking for one for over 10 years. On Nourish Nutrition, you’ll find real, quick, and nourishing recipes for one that'll get you to want to cook for yourself, because you deserve it.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. nancy says

      September 16, 2020 at 3:55 am

      I loved one pot instant fried rice.

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        September 16, 2020 at 9:02 am

        great to hear! thanks

        Reply
    2. Sue says

      August 13, 2020 at 11:21 am

      5 stars
      Awesome, I love using my Instant Pot and this looks like just what I needed!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        August 16, 2020 at 4:37 pm

        exactly!

        Reply
    3. Julie says

      August 13, 2020 at 10:40 am

      What a fun way to make fried rice. Will have to try it this way.

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        August 16, 2020 at 4:37 pm

        yes, it's so easy too!

        Reply
    4. Katherine says

      August 13, 2020 at 10:28 am

      I love how quick and easy this is in the Instant Pot!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        August 16, 2020 at 4:38 pm

        it's so easy!!!

        Reply
    5. Shanna says

      August 13, 2020 at 10:26 am

      5 stars
      I love how easy the Instant Pot makes recipes. I can't wait to try this one because it looks amazing.

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        August 16, 2020 at 4:38 pm

        right?! isn't it awesome!

        Reply
    6. Tracy says

      August 13, 2020 at 9:43 am

      5 stars
      Another Instant pot winner! This is SO good and our family LOVES it.

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        August 16, 2020 at 4:39 pm

        great to hear! IP recipes are the best

        Reply
    5 from 3 votes

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