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    Home » Recipe Index » Chicken Dishes

    Instant Pot Chicken and Yellow Rice

    August 26, 2020 Updated December 2, 2021 By Rebecca Chicken Dishes, Cooking for One, Easy Recipes, Entrees, Instant Pot Recipes, One Pot/One Pan Meals

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    hand holding spoon in chicken and yellow rice with text overlay
    chicken and yellow rice in a bowl with text overlay

    Need a super easy one pot meal for dinner tonight? Look no farther this this Instant Pot chicken and yellow rice. The chicken and rice are done at the same time, and are super tender and flavorful.

    hand holding a spoon in a bowl of chicken and yellow rice

    Table of contents

    • How will this chicken and rice make your life easier?
    • What makes this it good?
    • How do I make it?
    • Expert Tips
    • FAQ
    • How can I repurpose this dish?
    • What can I make with leftover ingredients?

    How will this chicken and rice make your life easier?

    This one pot Instant Pot chicken and yellow rice dish is so easy and perfect for the summer because it won't heat up your house. The chicken and rice cook up in the same amount of time and are both tender and flavorful afterward.

    Yellow rice is made in lots of different cuisines including Latin cuisines, African, and Mediterranean. Most use saffron or turmeric to flavor and color the rice yellow.

    Want other easy Instant Pot recipes? Try this Chicken Fried Rice, Instant Pot Lentil Stroganoff, Sweet Potato Soup, or 'steam' some potatoes in it to make the easiest No-Mayo Potato Salad.

    What makes this it good?

    instant pot chicken and yellow rice ingredients

    How do I make it?

    frozen chicken tenders on trivet in instant pot

    Start to make this Instant Pot chicken and yellow rice by pouring ½ cup of water into Instant Pot bowl. Place a 2-3 c volume glass bowl inside the Instant Pot bowl. Pour ½ c jasmine rice, ¾ cup water, ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon paste, ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder, and a pinch of garlic powder in the glass bowl. Next, you'll place a trivet on top of the glass bowl and lay 2-3 frozen chicken tenders on the trivet.

    Cover your Instant Pot chicken and yellow rice with the lid, turn the valve to SEALING. Click the MULTIGRAIN setting, and set for 15 minutes.

    Quick release steam when timer dings by flipping the valve to STEAMING when the timer hits zero. When the steam finishes releasing, open lid to reveal the Instant Pot chicken and yellow rice. Remove trivet and stir rice. If all the water is absorbed and rice is tender, it's done. If it's hard or not all water has been absorbed, replace lid and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Check temperature of chicken, it's done when it reaches 165 degrees.

    green beans over yellow rice with steam

    When rice and chicken are cooked, add ½ frozen vegetables to rice. Replace lid and let sit for about 5 minutes. Steam in the pot will cook the vegetables. When vegetables are warmed, your Instant Pot chicken and yellow rice is ready to serve.

    Expert Tips

    • Love turmeric? add ¼ teaspoon instead of ⅛ teaspoon to your Instant Pot chicken and yellow rice.
    • If you need to cook the rice a bit longer, and are short on time, add the frozen vegetables to cook for another couple minutes. Taste rice, add more turmeric if desired.
    • Be careful with the turmeric powder, it stains everything!

    FAQ

    Can you cook rice and meat at the same time in Instant Pot?

    Yes, you can cook some. I've found that frozen chicken tenders take the same amount of time to cook as white rice. I'll need to test other meats. That's part of what makes this Instant Pot chicken and yellow rice so great.

    Can you cook frozen chicken in Instant Pot?

    Yes, I used frozen chicken in this Instant Pot chicken and yellow rice recipe. Cooking frozen chicken in the Instant Pot is easy- it maintains the great chicken flavor and tenderness because of the additional water from it being frozen. Plus it saves effort and you don't have to defrost the chicken ahead of time.

    Why did my rice burn in the Instant Pot?

    Rice burns when there isn't enough cooking liquid. Usually, you add about 1 ¼ parts liquid for one part white rice when cooking it in the Instant Pot. I also add some water to the pot just in case.

    chicken and yellow rice in glass bowl

    How can I repurpose this dish?

    • The rice in your Instant Pot chicken and yellow rice dish would be good in a Greek style bowl. You can add lemon chicken, crispy chickpeas, cucumber, yogurt, and other similar flavors to switch it up. I'd recommend using less turmeric if making this recipe because less turmeric will go better with these Greek flavors.
    • Add other types of meat to this dish if the rice outlasts the chicken. It'd be good with pork chops or shrimp.

    What can I make with leftover ingredients?

    • Rice: Beef & Broccoli, Beef & Wild Rice Stuffed Squash
    • Chicken: Easy Chicken Salad Pita, Chicken & Broccoli Casserole, or Chicken & Bacon Sheetpan Dinner
    • Turmeric: I don't have any recipes with turmeric other than this Instant Pot chicken and yellow rice on Nourish Nutrition Blog, but check out these 37 recipes from Bon Appetit.

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

    chicken and yellow rice in glass bowl
    Print Pin
    5 from 5 votes

    Instant Pot Chicken and Yellow Rice

    Need a super easy one pot meal for dinner tonight? Look no farther this this Instant Pot chicken and yellow rice. The chicken and rice are done at the same time, and are super tender and flavorful.
    Course dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine African, American, Mediterranean
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 25 minutes
    Servings 1 person
    Author Rebecca

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
    • Measuring Spoons
    • Measuring Cups
    • Trivet
    • Small-medium glass bowl
    • Rubber/plastic serving spoon

    Ingredients

    • 2-3 frozen chicken tenders
    • ½ cup jasmine rice
    • 1 cup water divided
    • ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon paste or use ¾ c chicken broth instead of water + bouillon paste
    • ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder
    • pinch garlic powder
    • ½ cup frozen vegetables like broccoli, green beans, or cauliflower

    Instructions

    • Pour ½ cup of water into Instant Pot bowl. Place 2-3 c volume glass bowl inside Instant Pot bowl. Pour ½ c jasmine rice, ¾ cup water, ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon paste, ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder, and a pinch of garlic powder in glass bowl. Place trivet on top of glass bowl, place 2-3 frozen chicken tenders on trivet.
    • Cover with lid, close valve to SEALING. Use MULTIGRAIN setting, and set for 15 minutes.
    • Quick release steam when timer dings by flipping the valve to STEAMING. When steam finishes releasing, open lid. Remove trivet and stir rice. If all the water is absorbed and rice is tender, it's done. If it's hard or not all water has been absorbed, replace lid and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Check temperature of chicken, it's done when it reaches 165 degrees. When rice and chicken are cooked, add ½ frozen vegetables to rice. Replace lid and let sit for about 5 minutes. Steam in the pot will cook the vegetables. When vegetables are warmed, it's ready to serve.

    Video

    Chicken & Yellow Rice

    Notes

    • Love turmeric? add ¼ teaspoon instead of ⅛ tsp.
    • If you need to cook the rice a bit longer, and are short on time, add the frozen vegetables to cook for another couple minutes. Taste rice, add more turmeric if desired.
    • Be careful with the turmeric powder, it stains everything!

    Want to get more single serving recipes like this Instant Pot chicken and yellow rice 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 Chicken Dishes

    • Chicken Soup for One
    • Chicken Bacon Ranch Flatbread
    • Chicken Pecan Salad with Apples
    • Creamy Mushroom Chicken with Rice

    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. Pris says

      August 26, 2020 at 3:01 pm

      5 stars
      Cooking both at the same time?? YOU ARE A GENIUS! Thanks for the great idea... I'm on to try it!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        August 27, 2020 at 4:25 pm

        oh it's a game changer!

        Reply
    2. Dionne says

      August 26, 2020 at 3:44 pm

      5 stars
      I am always on a lookout for a quick and meal to keep handy for those nights when there is just not enough time for everything. This recipe looks perfect!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        August 27, 2020 at 4:25 pm

        it totally is! enjoy

        Reply
    3. Suzy says

      August 26, 2020 at 4:27 pm

      5 stars
      We love making rice in the instant pot! So easy! Love the flavor of this chicken and rice dish!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        August 27, 2020 at 4:25 pm

        yes! it's so good & easy!

        Reply
    4. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says

      August 26, 2020 at 4:40 pm

      5 stars
      Sounds like such a flavourful dish! Will be popping up this on my meal plan for the week!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        August 27, 2020 at 4:25 pm

        do it, it's so good!

        Reply
    5. Jacqueline Meldrum says

      August 26, 2020 at 4:54 pm

      5 stars
      You're right about turmeric staining everything but it makes the rice look so pretty.

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        August 27, 2020 at 4:24 pm

        and yummy!

        Reply

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    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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