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.
Table of contents
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?
How do I make it?
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 tsp chicken bouillon paste, ⅛ tsp 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.
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 tsp instead of ⅛ tsp 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
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.
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.
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.
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!
Instant Pot Chicken and Yellow Rice
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 tsp chicken bouillon paste, ⅛ tsp 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
Notes
- Love turmeric? add ¼ tsp 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.
Pris says
Cooking both at the same time?? YOU ARE A GENIUS! Thanks for the great idea... I'm on to try it!
Rebecca says
oh it's a game changer!
Dionne says
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!
Rebecca says
it totally is! enjoy
Suzy says
We love making rice in the instant pot! So easy! Love the flavor of this chicken and rice dish!
Rebecca says
yes! it's so good & easy!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
Sounds like such a flavourful dish! Will be popping up this on my meal plan for the week!
Rebecca says
do it, it's so good!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
You're right about turmeric staining everything but it makes the rice look so pretty.
Rebecca says
and yummy!