If you like Thai food, you’ll love these Instant Pot Thai Chicken Rice Bowls. The best thing about them is that since they’re made in the Instant Pot
I love Thai food and I’m a big fan of one-pot meals so these Instant Pot Thai Chicken Rice Bowls are one of my favorite recipes. My kids love it too, but I have to keep the spices down when I make it for the family.
When I make a batch for my own lunches (this reheats great!), I kick up the hot sauce and spices a few notches. Feel free to adjust the seasonings to suit your own preferences.
How to Make Instant Pot Thai Chicken Rice Bowls
One of the best features of the Instant Pot
Step One – Brown the Chicken
Choose the saute function on your Instant Pot. Once the pot is hot, add the oil and then the chicken. (Note: I buy a 4-pack of chicken from the meat section at the store and it’s usually about 2 pounds.)
Sear it on both sides to seal in the moisture and give the breasts a nice brown coat.
Step Two – Prepare the Sauce
Next, you’ll create the secret sauce that makes this dish amazing. Combine all the ingredients in a liquid measuring cup.
Then, place the chicken in a glass pan and pour the sauce over the top.
Step Three – Pressure Cook
Add the rice to the Instant Pot (I use a long-grain rice like jasmine or basmati). If you use a different type of rice, refer to this guide to adjust the liquid and cooking time. Overall cooking time will be similar so chicken will be fully cooked with any of the rice methods.
Then add the chicken, including the marinade (just dump it out of the glass pan into the pot). Next, pour in the broth.
Set your Instant Pot to “Manual” (high pressure) and the time for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. Dinner’s ready! When you open the lid to your Instant Pot, you should see something like this:
But spooned into a bowl and topped with some shredded carrots, zucchini and peanuts, it’s transformed into this:
FREE Instant Pot Cheat Sheet
Instant Pot Thai Chicken Rice Bowls Recipe
Ready to make these amazing Instant Pot Thai Chicken Rice Bowls? Here’s the recipe!
IMPORTANT NOTE: The original recipe (and the way I make it in my own home) called for 3 cups of broth. After MANY comments from people who have tried the recipe reporting that the consistency was too mushy, I’ve reduced the amount to 2 cups.
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- 2 cups broth
- 1 Tablespoon peanut butter optional
- 1/2 cup sweet chili Thai sauce
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce - to taste
- 1/2 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 Tablespoon ginger minced
- 1/2 Tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha or hot sauce
- Cilantro optional garnish
- Shredded zucchini optional garnish
- Shredded carrots optional garnish
- Bean sprouts optional garnish
- Peanuts optional garnish
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Select the saute setting on your instant pot and add the olive oil.
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Sear the chicken breasts for 2-3 minutes on either side to seal in their juices. Remove to a glass baking dish (and turn off the instant pot).
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Mix the sweet chili Thai sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, lime juice, sriracha (and peanut butter if you want to include it) together.
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Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts and stir to combine.
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Place the rice in your Instant Pot and add the chicken and sauce over top.
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Add the broth and secure the lid.
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Select the manual pressure setting (high) and set the timer to 10 minutes. Natural release.
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Shred the chicken with two forks and then mix with the rice before serving.
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Garnish with cilantro, shredded veggies and peanuts. Serve with extra soy sauce to taste.
Weight Watchers Freestyle = 7 Points Per Serving with 4 Servings, Skipping Peanut Butter
More Instant Pot Rice Bowl Recipes
If you liked these Instant Pot Thai Chicken Rice Bowls, you might enjoy some of these other all-in-one Instant Pot rice bowl recipes.
Instant Pot Chicken Taco Bowls
Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Bowls
Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli and Rice (a great recipe from my friend Ashley at I Don’t Have Time for That!)
More Instant Pot Resources
Love your Instant Pot? Find more Instant Pot Recipes here. And check out my favorite Instant Pot Hacks.
Do more with your Instant Pot with these helpful Instant Pot Accessories:
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Corinne Schmitt
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Katlyn says
May 13, 2019 at 11:29 amJust curious how you would modify this recipe if using brown rice instead of white?
Thanks!
Corinne Schmitt says
May 13, 2019 at 2:42 pmI would cook the rice separate. Brown rice takes longer to cook so in order to cook the rice through, the chicken will end up overcooked.
Diane says
March 30, 2019 at 10:54 pmThis looked so good and I followed your recipe exactly. No where in the recipe did it say to clean the pot after sauteeing the chicken. I would have sauteed the chicken in my cast iron. I also got the burn message. This has never happened to me. And I have been cooking in my instant pot for a while now. Guess it has to happen at least once. I am so disappointed. The sauce is delicious. But had to order in. I did some research and I guess things burn when there is high sugar in the recipe. Other than that I have no idea what I did wrong.
Vanessa says
March 21, 2019 at 3:05 pmThanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Corinne Schmitt says
March 21, 2019 at 3:23 pmIt’s actually really good the next day since the flavors settle in even more. Like most leftovers, these will last 3-4 days in the fridge. A lot of readers use this as a meal prep idea for lunch. They make it according to the directions in the post then package in individual portions that they store in the freezer. Just move it from the freezer to the fridge the night before you plan to bring it for lunch. 🙂
Suzanne says
March 21, 2019 at 3:03 pmThis looks so good! This would be a good lunch meal prep!
Kailee says
March 10, 2019 at 8:50 amI love this recipe! I have made it probably 5 times now and every time it is great! So simple and yummy! Thanks!
Diane says
April 5, 2019 at 6:55 pmThe sauce is delicious but only made it once because I got the burn message and had to finish it in the oven. How did you keep it from burning since you have made it 5 times????
Jen Carlile says
May 26, 2019 at 3:49 pmI’ve made this quite a few times too but…
1) I don’t brown the chicken first since I normally use frozen chicken breasts (it is a little longer cook time because they are frozen).
2) I don’t put the rice in the pot (I make instant rice on the stove) simply because I prefer to eat the dish without rice, but my family eats the chicken and rice together.
I just put the chicken and sauce in the instapot along with the broth. Turns out great. I’m actually going to serve this with lettuce (for lettuce wraps) next time. I love eating this chicken as a ‘tacoish’ salad/bowl too…with shredded cheese, sour cream and sometimes avocado.
Chelsea says
February 23, 2019 at 5:33 pmSoooo good!
Soumya says
February 20, 2019 at 8:37 pmFollowed the recipe exactly for dinner tonight and it was soupy and ended up being too much liquid. It was a Thai rice soup. I tried hitting sauté to evaporate some of the liquid but the rice still ended up being coated in the thick sauce and it wasn’t tender as rice should be. It was not eatable. I would halve the chilli sauce. Maybe that could make a difference!
TP says
February 17, 2019 at 10:24 pmTotal mush. Followed recipe with 2 cups broth. Good flavor, rice was a disaster.
Monique Landon says
February 17, 2019 at 9:48 pmGreetings!
I am making this recipe a second time because my husband and I liked it so much! Last time we steamed broccoli separately on the stovetop to incorporate as well. Is there a way I can cook the broccoli in the instant pot with the rest of the meal?
Corinne Schmitt says
February 19, 2019 at 7:26 amBroccoli will be way overcooked if you add it with the other ingredients, but you can add it at the end and then return the lid to let it steam inside the pot on top of the other ingredients for a few minutes.
Cam says
February 2, 2019 at 4:37 pmI want to serve this with Coconut Rice….how much liquid should I leave out if that’s my plan?
Corinne Schmitt says
February 4, 2019 at 8:36 amHi Cam, I have never cooked coconut rice before so I hate to even guess. I’m sorry I don’t have a better answer for you!
Kyra says
January 29, 2019 at 8:28 pmTurned out amazing!!! Just would have doubled the rice and I only used 2 chicken breasts -a new family favourite ❤️
Melissa says
January 24, 2019 at 5:42 pmI see onions in one of the pictures, but see nothing about onions in the ingredient list. So when would you add those I ? Thanks 🙂
Corinne Schmitt says
January 28, 2019 at 11:55 amYou have a good eye! My original version included a step where I sauteed onions after the chicken and before adding the rice to the pot, but based on the number of people who had burn issues, I deleted the step. There’s so much flavor from the other ingredients, I never missed the sauteed onions, plus the dish is easier to prepare. To answer your question though, if you want to add them, sautee them until translucent after you’ve browned the chicken and before adding the rice and other ingredients.
Ann marie says
January 24, 2019 at 10:16 amHis recipe was delicious! I did not get the bURN warning. After browning chicken, you must clean out the bottom of pot thoroughly. If there is even a little bit of stuff in bottom of pot left from sautéing it browning, then you will get the burn warning. The only modification I made was using low sodium soy sauce and only using 2tbsp instead of 3.
Christina Benz says
January 21, 2019 at 8:41 pmThis was excellent and really fast. My rice came out a bit gloppy but I think it was one off two things. My sweet chili sauce was a bit watery so it could have been that or that I forgot to move the valve to pressure for several minutes so it may have been over cooked. Regardless, I will make it again. The crispy veggies add a great crunch. May try adding crunchy won ton’s as a topping too.
Carey says
January 18, 2019 at 12:22 pmMy family LOVES the taste of this recipe. I wanted to add a couple notes on our experiences.
-Remember that if you measure your rice with the measuring “cup” that comes with rice cookers (and I think even my instant pot came with one…I don’t know, somehow I have 3 of those clear plastic rice cups in my home..) make sure you measure your liquid/broth with those cups as well…because they are significantly smaller than standard size cups! Or use regular measuring cups for both the rice & liquid!
-My family likes a higher rice to chicken ratio. (In my 8 qt instant pot), We double the rice, liquid, & sauce ingredients, but keep the chicken amounts the same. However, this makes it so it gets the burn code. I let it keep cooking, and usually by the time the Instant Pot actually turns off because of the burn code, everything is cooked through (though I usually use chicken thighs, so it may cook quicker than with breasts. If I do breasts, I will probably cut them so they aren’t very thick)…and we get a burned layer of rice at the bottom that we avoid until it’s time to wash the pot…lol. The recipe tastes SO GOOD, and we really want that extra rice, so I put up with this!
– I borrowed the suggestion from another commenter about sautéing some stir-fry veggies in the pot, setting them aside, and adding them at the end. This is delicious & makes the meal feel healthier & more balanced to my family’s preferences.
-The cole-slaw (shredded cabbage & carrot) bagged mixes make a great easy crunchy topping. We also like any other greens we have on hand…a bit of arugula or spinach. And we spice our individual servings up with Thai dry spice mix we keep on hand.
Rachel says
January 6, 2019 at 9:37 pmThis recipe sounds great but comes out as a flop! It burnt the bottom of the pot! It was a soupy mess too! Had to order in as everything was ruined! Something is definitely missing in this recipe!
Corinne Schmitt says
January 7, 2019 at 9:10 amHi Rachel, I’m sorry yours didn’t turn out. This is my most popular recipe and is many people’s favorite. I’m not sure went wrong with your batch, but I hate that your dinner was ruined. If you can give me more details (e.g. brands of the ingredients you used), it can guide me to add details to the recipe to help others avoid the same outcome.
Lara says
January 5, 2019 at 7:00 pmBurn burn burn! Followed the recipe exactly using 2 cups of broth in 8qt pot. When set to high pressure it started to burn the rice within minutes. We turned it off, moved the food, cleaned the pot of burnt stuff, added a lot more broth, and restarted. Another burn. We baked it in the end. Great flavors but something amiss.