Instant Pot soy sauce chicken and rice is an easy dinner with just 5 minutes of prep. The rice is lightly flavored with soy sauce, sesame oil and just a drizzle of maple syrup.
This is a chicken and rice medley that's so easy to make but so darn good. It's comfort food, with mild, pleasing flavors.
The chicken is tender, the rice has an addictive sweet & salty flavor and the combination of the two makes for a really satisfying meal.
This dinner truly only takes 5 minutes of prep work, and you can throw it together while feeling completely harried and having to step over a child who's having a meltdown on the kitchen floor (ask me how I know).
Looking for more Instant Pot chicken and rice recipes? Try Instant Pot chicken thighs and white rice, or Instant Pot turmeric chicken and rice or Instant Pot chicken and rice soup.
5-Minute Prep
- Place boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the Instant Pot
- Rinse white rice
- Sprinkle white rice on top of the chicken
- Add water, soy sauce, sesame oil and maple syrup
- Press the Rice button on the Instant Pot (12 minutes, low pressure)
Vegetable Sides
To make a full meal, serve an easy veggie on the side
- Frozen peas
- Steamed Broccoli
- Green beans
- Sauteed spinach or kale
- Raw carrot and cucumber sticks
More Simple and Fast Dinner Recipes
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Soy Sauce Chicken and Rice
Instant Pot soy sauce chicken and rice is an easy dinner with just 5 minutes of prep.
Note: This recipe was re-tested and updated 3/19/21 to insure that the rice is perfectly cooked and more flavorful
Total Instant Pot Cooking Time: 10 minutes to reach pressure + 12 minute cook time + natural release
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 12
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Asian American
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 ½ cups long grain white rice
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Optional Toppings
- Soy sauce
- Sesame seeds
- Green onions
- Furikake (seasoning made from dried seaweed, sesame seeds, salt and sugar)
Instructions
- First, rinse the rice. Rinsing helps the rice cook into fluffy, individual grains instead of ending up with a softer texture that mushes together. To rinse rice, put it in a fine mesh strainer and run water over the rice for about a minute. Or, swish the rice around in a bowl of water with several changes of water, until the water becomes more clear and less milky.
- Set the chicken thighs in the Instant Pot, spread out evenly in one layer or only slightly overlapping. Lightly season with salt.
- Sprinkle rice over the chicken in an even layer.
- Pour water over the rice. Push down gently on the rice so that it's covered with water as much as possible.
- Drizzle the soy sauce, sesame oil and maple syrup over the rice.
- Lock the lid in place. Make sure the steam valve is in the sealed position.
- Press the Rice button to program the Instant Pot to cook on low pressure for 12 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally until all the pressure releases on its own, or for at least 10 minutes, after the cooking time is done.
- Stir really well before serving, breaking up/shredding the chicken so it mixes into the rice.
Notes
Although white rice is usually cooked with a 1:1 ratio of rice and water, this recipe needs slightly less water. This is because the chicken thighs will release moisture as they cook, and you're also adding liquid in the form of soy sauce.
Rinsing the rice is necessary for this recipe, so that the rice has a fluffy, not mushy, texture.
Jen
Satisfies a craving for chicken and rice with the flavor of soy sauce and a bit of sweetness.