Instant pot chicken and rice with broccoli, lemon zest and rosemary comes together quickly and makes for a nourishing, satisfying meal! Serve it up for family dinner, or make it for meal prep!
Chicken and rice, or what my partner refers to as the body builders diet is on constant rotation in my household.
It really does have everything you need for a strong body: lean protein, and easy to digest carbohydrate to give your system the fuel it needs to thrive.
Oh, and don’t forget the broccoli! Fiber, vitamins, done!
That may be an overly simplistic way of looking at food, But haste: This instant pot chicken and rice recipe is anything but dull. It’s full of herby, zesty flavor with bold onion and garlic overtones for a super flavorful approach to putting fuel in the tank.
Plus, using your pressure cooker makes this a one-pot meal for ease of prep and cleanup. AND it comes together quickly with the most mouth-watering, tender chicken. If you’re a meal prepper, this recipe is Magic for your arsenal!
Let’s make it!
Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken and Rice:
Chicken: This recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken breasts for a mega protein boost with not much fat. You can easily use boneless skinless chicken thighs or bone-in pieces.
Brown Rice: Complex carbohydrate with a bit of a fiber boost, brown rice works with the chicken to bring protein and glucose to your muscles – the two work in cahoots! I love the nutty flavor of brown rice – you can use short grain or long grain.
Note that the cook time for this recipe is designed to cook both the chicken and the rice through so using white rice isn’t a great option as it will end up over-cooked and mushy.
Broccoli: Of course we need a vegetable here, of course! And broccoli somehow works magically with chicken and rice. Note that the broccoli will become mushy. If you prefer your broccoli snappy, simply saute it separately from the chicken and rice and add it in after the Instant Pot has run through its full course.
Onion and garlic: Big flavor infusers here! They add a boldness, a richness and enhance the palatability of the meal. If you follow a Low-FODMAP diet, you can skip them.
Lemon zest and juice: Brings tang and spunk to the recipe
Rosemary: Herbs and chicken are a lovely combination, and rosemary is particularly lovely with the onion, garlic, lemon trifecta.
Pure maple syrup: The purpose here is to offset some of the acidity. You can use can sugar if you don’t have pure maple, or you can skip it altogether if you avoid added sugars.
Sea salt: So important to round out the meal! I feel the recipe is perfectly salted, but adjust up or down according to your personal taste.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken and Rice:
Place the rice in a large bowl and cover with 2 inches of water. Soak at least 15 minutes, ideally for 1 hour (note, you can begin preparing the remainder of the recipe while the rice is soaking). When you’re ready to add the rice to the Instant Pot (in a few steps), drain the water (no need to rinse it again unless you want to).
Plug in your Instant Pot and press Saute.
Add the avocado oil and chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, rice, rosemary, black pepper, sea salt, pure maple syrup, lemon zest and lemon juice and stir well. Continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in the broccoli and the broth.
Place the chicken breasts on top of everything.
Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, leaving the vet sealed.
Allow Instant Pot to naturally release for 15 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and chop into bite sizes. Stir chicken back into the rice mixture.
Serve and enjoy!
Can I Chop the Chicken Breasts Instead of Leaving Them Whole?
You can, but you’ll want to brown the chicken to lock in some moisture so your chicken doesn’t turn out dry.
To do so, add the chopped raw chicken a few minutes into sautéing the onion. Brown for just a couple of minutes, as you don’t want to cook the chicken all the way through…just give it a little sear before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Can I Use Bone-in Chicken?
You sure can! You don’t need to change the cook time – you’ll still pressure cook for 20 minutes and naturally release for 15. You can either enjoy the chicken whole or still chop it to mix it back in with the rice once everything has finished cooking.
More Healthy Chicken Recipes:
- Aromatic Saffron Chicken with Coconut Rice
- 30-Minute Thai Basil Chicken
- Instant Pot Garlic Herb Rotisserie Chicken
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Casserole
Enjoy!
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If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice, soaked
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup, optional
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 crowns broccoli, chopped into large chunks
- 1 1/3 cups chicken broth, or water
- 2 large chicken breasts, (1.5 lbs)
Instructions
- Place the rice in a large bowl and cover with 2 inches of water. Soak at least 15 minutes, ideally for 1 hour (note, you can begin preparing the remainder of the recipe while the rice is soaking). Drain water and set rice aside until ready to use.
- Plug in your Instant Pot and press Saute.
- Add the avocado oil and chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, rice, rosemary, black pepper, sea salt, lemon zest and lemon juice and stir well. Continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in the pure maple syrup, broccoli and the broth.
- Place the chicken breasts on top of everything.
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, leaving the vet sealed.
- Allow Instant Pot to naturally release for 15 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and chop into bite sizes. Stir chicken back into the rice mixture. Serve and enjoy!
Ashanti
Tuesday 3rd of November 2020
I made this exactly and I’m pretty disappointed with the results. I had to throw it all out. The flavors were there, but the rice was unevenly cooked and mostly just raw. I rinsed and soaked the rice for 50 minutes and then cooked the recipe exactly. Once I noticed the rice was still hard, I added a little more broth and put it back ok for 3 minutes and it really didn’t help. Could it be because I used an 8qt instant pot? Is there a way to fix this?
Erica
Thursday 25th of May 2023
@Ashanti, I had the exact same problem!
Kayla
Friday 2nd of October 2020
I made this last night and it turned out even better than I thought it would! It was really delicious, thank you! I am already dreaming about the leftovers. :)
Julia
Friday 2nd of October 2020
I'm so happy you like it, Kayla! I find it so simple and satisfying :D Thank you for your sweet note! xoxo
Hillary
Monday 29th of June 2020
How would i apply this to cauliflower rice?