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    Home » Recipe Index » One Pot/One Pan Meals

    Chicken Fried Rice in the Instant Pot

    August 12, 2020 Updated December 2, 2021 By Rebecca Cooking for One, Easy Recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, One Pot/One Pan Meals

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print 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, one pot chicken fried rice in the Instant Pot. It just takes about 30 minutes, and is great for leftovers.

    close up of a bowl of chicken fried rice

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

    How will this dish make your life easier?

    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 is a great recipe.

    Check out these other super easy one pot dinners: Black Bean Taco Pasta, Huevos Rancheros, and Baked Salmon 'in a bag'.

    What makes it so good?

    ingredients for chicken fried rice

    How do I make it?

    frozen chicken tenders on a trivet in Instant Pot

    Start your chicken fried rice Instant Pot by cooking your chicken and rice. Pour ¼-1/2 c water in Instant Pot bowl. Place a small-medium glass bowl in the Instant Pot bowl, then pour ½ c rinsed Jasmine rice and ¾ c MINUS 1 T water into glass bowl. 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.

    While the chicken and rice for your chicken fried rice Instant Pot are cooking, prep fried rice by chopping 1 c vegetables.

    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. Remove chicken, which is done when middle is opaque and white or 165 degrees. Fluff rice. Rice is done when all water is absorbed and rice is soft and tender. Carefully remove rice with hot pads and transfer to sheet pan, spreading it out so it's not clumped together. Leave it out to dry out while cooking the vegetables.

    chopped vegetables in Instant Pot bowl

    Prepare fried rice by pouring out excess water from Instant Pot bowl, then return and turn on to SAUTEE. Add 1 T oil, 1 c 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 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 chicken fried rice Instant Pot.

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

    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. Add sauce ingredients: 1 T soy sauce and ½ teaspoon sesame oil. Taste and add more soy sauce if needed. Transfer your chicken fried rice Instant Pot to a bowl and eat your chicken fried rice Instant Pot immediately.

    Expert Tips

    • 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 chicken fried rice Instant Pot 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.

    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. Essentially, you cook the chicken and rice using the pressure cooker function, then remove those 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, and is also used in the recipe for chicken fried rice Instant Pot.

    What is the secret to good fried rice?

    Day or two day old rice is the secret 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. That's what we're using in this chicken fried rice Instant Pot recipe. Also using enough oil is important to get crispy parts if you like crispy rice & vegetables in your fried rice.

    bowl of chicken fried rice with gold fork in it

    What can I make with leftover ingredients?

    • This chicken fried rice Instant Pot 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: Instant Pot Chicken and Yellow Rice, 15 Minute Chicken Noodle Stir-Fry, and Grilled Chicken Burgers
    • Vegetables: Veggie Quesadilla, Vegetarian Hash, & Steak Fajitas
    • Rice: Vegetarian Burrito Bowl, (add to) Veggie Tacos, and Chicken & Broccoli over Rice.

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

    bowl of chicken fried rice with gold fork in it
    Print Pin
    5 from 3 votes

    Chicken Fried Rice in the Instant Pot

    Never have day old rice to make fried rice with? Make this super easy, one pot chicken fried rice in the Instant Pot. It just takes about 30 minutes, and is great for leftovers.
    Course dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine American, Asian, Chinese
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 35 minutes
    Servings 1 person
    Author Rebecca

    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 c water in Instant Pot bowl. Place small-medium glass bowl in Instant Pot bowl, pour ½ c rinsed Jasmine rice and ¾ c MINUS 1 T 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 c vegetables. The best vegetables to include are onions, bell peppers, celery, carrots, and frozen peas. 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. Remove chicken, which is done when middle is opaque and white or 165 degrees. Fluff rice. Rice is done when all water is absorbed and rice is soft and tender. Carefully remove rice with hot pads and transfer to sheet pan, spreading it out so it's not clumped together. Leave it out to dry 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 T oil, 1 c 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 T soy sauce and ½ teaspoon sesame oil. Taste and add more soy sauce if needed. Transfer to bowl and eat immediately.

    Video

    CHICKEN FRIED RICE

    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.

    Want to get more single serving recipes like this chicken fried rice Instant Pot delivered to your inbox? Click here to download my Single Serving Cookbook.

    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 One Pot/One Pan Meals

    • sliced panko crusted chicken, side dishes, ranch on yellow plate
      Baked Panko Chicken for One
    • chili with toppings and slices of bread on side
      Chili Without Tomatoes
    • plate full of salmon, roasted broccoli, fries, bbq sauce
      Air Fryer Frozen Salmon for One
    • ramekin with brownie and chocolate ice cream
      Single Serving Brownie

    About Rebecca

    Welcome! I’m Rebecca, a food loving dietitian. 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. 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
    2. 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
    3. 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
    4. 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
    5. 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
    6. 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

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    Rebecca, MS, RDN
    of Nourish Nutrition

    At Nourish Nutrition, you'll find bold, flavorful recipes for one. Most are single serving, and all have suggestions to use up the leftover ingredients so you can stop throwing away unused ingredients & leftovers!

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