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Instant Pot Soy Sauce Chicken and Rice

White bowl filled with Instant Pot cooked brown rice, sliced chicken thigh with kale and green onion

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5 from 1 review

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

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 1/4 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

  1. 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. 
  2. Set the chicken thighs in the Instant Pot, spread out evenly in one layer or only slightly overlapping. Lightly season with salt. 
  3. Sprinkle rice over the chicken in an even layer. 
  4.  Pour water over the rice. Push down gently on the rice so that it's covered with water as much as possible.
  5. Drizzle the soy sauce, sesame oil and maple syrup over the rice. 
  6. Lock the lid in place. Make sure the steam valve is in the sealed position.
  7. Press the Rice button to program the Instant Pot to cook on low pressure for 12 minutes.
  8.  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. 
  9. 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.