Cajun Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is a flavorful one pot meal! It’s really hard to believe that it cooks in just about 30 minutes! Another great, easy weeknight dinner made with your pressure cooker and jasmine rice.
I’m constantly blown away by my pressure cooker and what it can do in such a short amount of time. It’s amazing! No wonder that my slow cooker is gathering dust in the corner. Because this instant pot chicken and rice recipe won’t disappoint! This pressure cooker recipe is one of my favorite one pot meals made in the Instant Pot. Everything for a hearty meal ready in less than 30 minutes.
I was sitting around reading the Instant Pot recipes and contemplating what to try next when my husband suggested Cajun chicken and rice. We gave it some thought. Should we try Cajun Instant Pot recipe? First of all, we love Cajun. We could eat it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. Not kidding. Secondly, we love spicy food. Better to overload on Cajun spice, than salt, right? At least that’s what my husband always says. Finally, spicy chicken and rice is a match made in heaven. Or, in the instant pot?
Prep Work before cooking Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Being prepared is as important as cooking process itself! We want to add everything into the pot as quickly as possible. Do you know why? Because we want to avoid any liquid from evaporating too fast. And too soon! This is what will help us avoid the dreaded BURN warning.
- First things first, I want to make sure that you have followed all of the steps below. Before you start making Instant Pot Chicken and Rice.
- You should take chicken stock out of the fridge ahead of time. This will bring it to room temperature. If cold liquid hits the hot pot, liquid will evaporate too quickly.
- Next, measure out tomato paste and chicken broth.
- Make sure to use either Jasmine or Basmati rice. While pressure cooker jasmine rice is very aromatic, basmati rice is no less flavorful. They won’t become mushy or burnt. Perfect instant pot rice choice!
- Also measure out the rice and rinse it. I usually rinse the rice 3-4 times to get rid of starch. Doing this will help prevent potential Burn notice.
- I like to have olive oil, spices, salt and pepper right in front of me.
- Chop the veggies. Garlic, bell peppers, and scallions.
- Finally, slice the chicken ahead of time.
Which buttons do I need to push?
- It’s time to put your Instant Pot into action to make Cajun Instant Pot Chicken and Rice! If you were wondering which Buttons to push on your Instant Pot, the detailed instructions are below:
- First things first, close that lid and lock it.
- Next, move valve on top of the lid to Sealing position. This will ensure pressure building up inside.
- Push Pressure Cook button on the front panel. This button is also called Manual on some models.
- Finally set to High Pressure for 8 minutes
At this time the pressure will start building. This is called preheat mode. Once the instant pot is getting close to reaching its optimal temperature, you will see steam coming out of the float valve. And very soon, the screen will show “On” for the duration of the preheat mode.
- You should remember that the time it takes to cook the recipe, is not the total cooking time. You need to give the pot some time to ‘come to pressure’, and the more water in the pot, the longer this will take. Don’t worry, just let it do it’s thing!
You will know when the preheat mode is over when the float valve pops up and seals itself. The steam will stop coming out. At this time you will hear the beep as well as the On on the screen will disappear. The digital display will start the countdown.
Now all you have to do is patiently wait for your Cajun Instant Pot Chicken and Rice to be done.
How do I know if Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is done?
- Once the countdown is over, the instant pot will beep several times. That means it’s time to use a 10 minute natural pressure release method.
- First, put the wet towel over the lid. Next, move your face and body away from the lid. Finally, move the valve from Sealing to Venting. If not using a towel, you will see a straight line of steam shooting vertically from the lid into the sealing, which perfectly normal.
- Please make sure to wait until all the steam is out. Once the red pin drops, open the lid.
- Take the chicken out and shred the chicken strips with the fork and stir to combine with the rice. Taste Instant Pot Chicken and Rice and adjust the seasoning at this point.
Pressure Cooking Instructions for Brown Rice
- I wrote this Cajun Instant Pot Chicken and Rice recipe for white rice. If you decide to make it with brown rice, the instructions are slightly different. You will need to add more time and more liquid.
- You should use 2 ¼ cups of ROOM TEMPERATURE BROTH for 1.5 cups of brown rice.
- Cook on Manual, set to High pressure for 15 minutes. When time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. After that release remaining pressure by turning the valve to ‘Venting’.
Instant Pot Tips
- If you are frequently using your Instant Pot for a variety of recipes, it’s a good idea to have 2 different rings. One for savory recipes, and the other – for sweet recipes. This will help in avoiding odor exchange.
- I use this Genuine Instant Pot Ring as my second ring. It has over 1,000 positive reviews on Amazon.
- Instant Pot Tempered Glass Lid is a good way to help keep the food warm. You don’t even have to put the heavy pressure lid on!
Can I double this recipe?
Yes, you can double Instant Pot Chicken and Rice. Doing so does not change the cooking time. One cup of rice will take same amount of time to pressure cook as will two cups of rice or three cups.
However, make sure to not fill the instant pot more than half full for rice. That is, NEVER bring food over the maximum full line. This is especially important when rice is concerned. ½ full is your maximum here.
Hungry for more instant pot recipes?
The recipes below are all delicious and very easy to make:
How about Cajun recipes?
Cajun Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 shallot (or small onion), diced
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into small chunks
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into small chunks
- 3 green scallions, cut into small chunks
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 cups chicken stock, (divided)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, (more to season chicken)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 1.5 cup jasmine or basmati white rice, (rinsed several times)
- 1 pound chicken breast, (cut in strips)
- Salt and pepper, (to season chicken)
- Dried Oregano Seasoning, (to season chicken)
Instructions
- Preheat Instant Pot by pressing the “sauté” button.
- Sautéing Veggies: Once IP is hot, add olive oil and then add chopped shallot, red and green bell peppers, scallions, garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Deglaze: MANDATORY STEP! Next add ¼ cup of chicken stock to deglaze the bottom of the Instant Pot, making sure no bits and pieces are stuck to the bottom. This will ensure that nothing is stuck on the bottom to prevent BURN Warning. DO IT VERY WELL – BE GENEROUS WHEN DEGLAZING.
- Next add remaining chicken stock, tomato paste, Cajun seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder and sea salt. Mix and stir to combine and to make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom.
- Now add rinsed rice and make sure it’s submerged into the liquid.
- Add sliced chicken and season it generously with salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and Oregano (or Italian Seasoning) right in the pot.
- Then IMMEDIATELY close lid (IMPORTANT!) to avoid water from evaporating. Lock the lid and put valve to Sealing position.
- Push Pressure Cook (this button is also called Manual on some models), set to High Pressure and set the time on the digital display for 8 minutes.
- Pressure Release Method: When the time is up, use 10 minutes of natural pressure release: put the wet towel over the lid, move your face and body away from the lid and move the valve from Sealing to Venting.
- If not using a towel, you will see a straight line of steam shooting vertically from the lid into the sealing, which perfectly normal. Wait until all the steam is out and until the red pin drops, then open the lid.
- Shred the chicken strips with the fork and stir to combine with the rice. Taste an adjust the seasoning at this point.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Video
Notes
Try our new favorite Instant Pot recipe Instant Pot Pork Chops:
Heather says
I absolutely love the recipe itself and my husband isn’t a rice person but he even loved it with that being said I would recommend whoever makes it to follow the directions on their rice package for how much liquid it recommends and that’s how much you use broth wise. I followed this recipe word for word not thinking and I wound up with the burn notice and couldn’t understand why but then when I looked at my rice bag it said 1/2 cup of rice would require 1 1/3 cup of water so I should have did the math on it all but luckily it wasn’t ruined it was taking a while to come to pressure and for the most part it fully cooked it so I just tossed it in the oven to make sure the meat was done. Next go round I will follow the recipe but add the liquid according to the packaging and I think I’m also going to remove the peppers/onions put the stock, rice, chicken, then peppers/onions to avoid the burn. I also I topped it off with cheese. ❤❤❤ Delish recipe I definitely enjoyed it.
Olga says
That’s such a good tip Heather! I think I will add it to the body of the recipe as well. Thank you so much for taking time to share this.
Michnative says
I cook in my instant pot a lot, and I have never had an issue with the burn message. I’ve never seen it. I read about all the people online having this happen, but sorry, not to me. If I were new to instant pot, this would really worry me.
Olga says
I did some research on this and found out that newer models (2017 and later) are built differently than older versions and therefore the issue with the Burn message.
Christy Cruz says
Made this for dinner tonight, and WOW! So tasty.
The only problem was that there simply wasn’t enough for my family of teenagers. Can this recipe be doubled easily?
Olga says
Definitely not enough! Fortunately, doubling does not require change in time.
Alton says
Can the recipe be done in a crock pot,and what’s the time for cooking
Olga says
Cook on HIGH for 2.5 to 3 hours. Check on the rice after 2.5 hours, and if it needs more time, stir and continue to cook.
Jean says
I followed your instructions for brown rice. The rice was great, but the chicken was really tough. I looked at other recipes that said to cook chicken breasts for 8 minutes or less. Should I cook the breasts separately for a shorter amount of time? I do like cooking everything in one step, and when shredded, the tough chicken was not so noticeable. Thanks for a great recipe for the Instant Pot. I am an Instant Pot newbie.
Olga says
Thank you Jean, I’m so glad you enjoyed the rice! Chicken wise – how about boneless and skinless chicken thighs? They are juicer and fattier and won’t dry out as much.
Alyssa says
Does the size of instant pot make a difference? I have 6Q and mine burnt and wasn’t finished I had to cook It in a pan it was a disaster. It’s my first try making something with rice in it.
Olga says
I don’t think so. But I’ve heard from other websites that older instant pots (2016 and earlier) are less sensitive than newer ones and do not burn as easily.
Tigerfamily says
You mention using NPR. Natural pressure release means that you leave it alone and let the pin drop on its own. Do we do that or open the valve to venting like you described?
Olga says
Once you hit 10 minutes, open the valve and vent. Sorry if it was confusing.
Tigerfamily says
Thank you! I made it and it was wonderful. So much flavor infused into the dish.
Olga says
So happy it turned out well!
Kristina says
The blog post with step by side directions and tips were so helpful, along with the video! Did not get a burn notice and wow – the basmati rice was so delicious and fluffy! Definitely appreciate the guidance in making this dish. One of the most helpful recipe blog post I have came across! This dish is definitely oneI will repeat again!
Olga says
Kristina, thank you so much for such kind words!
Stephanie says
Followed the instructions, except using chicken thighs instead of breasts. It was perfect! Basmati rice was delicious. Cool time was perfect.
Olga says
Thank you Stephanie for sharing your results! I’m glad it didn’t burn.
Jlpv says
I just made this tonight. I saw the previous comments about the rice turning out hard. So I googled how long rice takes in the IP and changed the cook time.
I followed the directions exactly EXCEPT, instead of 8 minutes, I put mine on for 12. Still did the 10 minutes NR at the end. It turned out wonderful. Very delicious.