These Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice Meal Prep Bowls come together in one pot – all you need is rice, chicken and frozen veggies!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Butter – butter keeps the rice fluffy, but is optional to the dish. If you want the same effect but would rather not use butter, then you can use olive oil.
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic can also be used.
- Chicken breast – chicken thighs will also work in place of chicken breast and will probably be a juicier cut of meat.
- Chicken broth – use a vegetable broth in place of chicken if you’re in a pinch.
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari are great substitutes for soy sauce.
- Jasmine rice – use any rice that you prefer like basmati or brown rice, just keep in mind that using a different kind of rice will alter the cooking times.
- Frozen vegetables – use any frozen vegetable blend that you prefer. I typically use a blend of frozen peas, corn and green beans.
- Green onions – to garnish.
How to make chicken fried rice in the Instant Pot
Step 1: Add ingredients to the pot.
Add the butter, garlic, chicken, chicken broth, soy sauce and rice to the pressure cooker in order.
Step 2: Cook on high pressure.
Cook on manual high pressure for 3 minutes, then do a quick release of the pressure.
Step 3: Microwave the veggies.
While the rice is cooking, defrost the frozen veggies in the microwave.
Step 4: Add the veggies and serve.
Stir in the veggies and green onions, then serve and enjoy!
Instant Pot fried rice variations
There are a few different ways you can switch up this Instant Pot chicken fried rice recipe:
- Veggies: Add in more veggies like bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, bok choy, corn, green beans, peas and more.
- Rice: You can try out different kinds of rice like brown, long grain or basmati rice, but you'll need to alter the cooking time. Brown rice will need to pressure cook for 25 minutes, so I'd suggest cooking the chicken separately as it'll overcook if you cook it along with the rice.
- Protein: Instead of chicken, you can make this recipe with shrimp. For a vegetarian option, use tofu or edamame.
- Dairy-free: To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for olive oil. You could also use sesame oil for added flavor!
Frequently Asked Questions
I like using jasmine rice for this Instant Pot fried rice because I find that it cooks the best. That being said, you can use another white or brown rice variety of your choice. Remember that using another kind of rice like brown rice will change the cooking time. You can refer to my Instant Pot rice guide for more info.
If you like adding scrambled eggs to your fried rice, scramble one on the side then serve it with your cooked fried rice. You won't be able to cook the egg in the Instant Pot with the rest of the ingredients.
The great thing about this Instant Pot fried rice is that you have all the components of a meal in one bowl with grains, veggies and protein. I typically like to eat these bowls on your own, but feel free to serve them with a side dish of your choosing. Egg rolls, dumplings or steamed broccoli would all be great with this recipe.
You can double this recipe as long as you don't go over the maximum line on your Instant Pot. Just double all the ingredients and keep the cooking time at 3 minutes.
Storing and reheating
This Instant Pot fried rice will last in the fridge for up to 5 days, making it the perfect meal prep recipe! All you have to do is transfer the rice from the Instant Pot to airtight containers once the rice has cooled down. I recommend storing the dish in individual servings in the fridge because it makes heating up your lunch that much easier!
To reheat this chicken fried rice, take your serving out of the fridge and heat it up straight from the container in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Make sure to sprinkle some water over the rice to ensure that it doesn't dry out when reheating.
Freezing this recipe
You can also freeze the Instant Pot chicken fried rice for a quick meal later in the month. The dish will last in the freezer for up to 3 months to ensure freshness. After the rice has cooled down completely, transfer it into airtight containers in individual portions.
Meal Prep Tools
- The Instant Pot DUO Plus is the version I use in this recipe.
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls for your leftovers.
- And of course I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box!
Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice Meal Prep Bowls
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 chicken breasts, diced
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 cup dry jasmine rice
- 1 bag mixed frozen vegetables (I used the Green Giant blend of carrots, corn and peas)
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Add butter, garlic, chicken, chicken broth, soy sauce and rice to Instant Pot in that order. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Do a quick release of the pressure and open lid when it is safe to do so.
- Meanwhile, microwave frozen vegetables in a large bowl for 5 minutes until de-frosted.
- Add veggies and green onions to rice in Instant Pot, stirring well to combine. Serve and enjoy – will last in the fridge up to 5 days.
Video
Comments & Reviews
Rach says
Looks good but I’m confused by the calorie rating on this. It says 325kcal but kcal means kilocalorie which would mean that 325kcal would be 325,000 calories, which can’t be right…
Taylor Stinson says
It is just 325 calories per serving. For whatever reason, this is what our recipe plugin displays (kcal) When I Google the difference between calories and kcal, some websites say the two terms are used interchangeably but other websites say what you’re saying (kcal=1000 calories) so sorry for any confusion. It’s just what our recipe card plugin displays as so I’m guessing they have taken the route of the two terms being used interchangeably.
Carly says
Hello! Any recommendations for those of us that might like eggs in fried rice?
Taylor Stinson says
You can saute them and then add them in separately 🙂
Ramon says
Hey, how much of the frozen vegetables did you use?
I googled and the Green Giant frozen vegetables bag has 750 grams, did you use all of it?
Taylor Stinson says
Yes I did, that’s the one!
Gabe says
Can I make this in a crock pot? if so how long would I cook it for?
Taylor Stinson says
I don’t think this can be done in the crockpot unfortunately.
Jessicah says
Hello, I want to try this for my meal prep next week! Just curious, do you know approximately how many ounces of chicken you use? Chicken breasts I buy vary so much. Thanks!
Taylor Stinson says
It works out to be 1 lb of chicken so 8oz per breast or 16oz total will work 🙂
Erick says
I used sesame oil instead of butter, basmati instead of jasmine rice and added chopped red and green chilis, Extended the cooking time ti 4 minutes to compensate for the rice change. Turned out great.
Catherine Gayle Parker says
I want to make your recipe. I noticed that you sprinkled sesame seed over each serving and also a black seed. What is the black seed. Neither of the seeds are mentioned in your recipe.
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Catherine – I just used a mix of black and white sesame seeds! You can use white sesame seeds only if you’d like, it won’t change the taste.
Ayanna says
Hi! How much is one serving, based off of the nutrition info you posted?
Thanks!
Taylor Stinson says
I don’t provide servings by weight/cup unfortunately! You will need to take the number of servings listed (6 servings) and divide into portions. Each portion is a serving.