Name: Instant Pot Copycat Panda Express Chicken Fried Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
Ingredients: Rice paddle; Silicone whisk; Small mixing bowl; Chopsticks; Garlic press; 2 cups long-grain white rice; 2 ½ cups water; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 10 ounces frozen mixed vegetables (carrots and peas); 4 large eggs; 1 tablespoon minced garlic; 1 tablespoon ginger paste; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 6 ounces cooked chicken, shredded; ¼ cup chopped green onions; 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Panda Express fried rice is the ultimate Instant Pot fried rice recipe. Tender white rice, vegetables, and even chicken in each bite. Skip ordering carry out and stay home. This Panda Express chicken fried rice will be a huge hit.

Have you made rice in your Instant Pot yet? It is so easy to do and you end up with light and fluffy rice every single time!

This simple fried rice can be made as a side dish to compliment your meal or make it the main dish! I like to serve it with Instant Pot Chicken and Green Beans.

Ingredients Needed For Panda Express Chicken Fried Rice
How To Make Panda Express Fried Rice in Instant Pot
Why You Will Love This Chicken Fried Rice
What Is Panda Express
What Makes A Good Panda Express Fried Rice
Best Rice To Use For Panda Express Rice
Storage For Leftover Fried Rice
Best Way To Reheat Fried Rice
Is There An Alternative to Soy Sauce
More Recipes To Try Out

ingredients for fried rice in ingredient bowls

Ingredients Needed For Panda Express Chicken Fried Rice

Rice
Mixed Veggies
Oil
Eggs
Garlic
Ginger
Soy Sauce
Chicken
Green Onions
Sesame Seeds

Supplies Used to Make Panda Express Fried Rice

peas and carrots sautéing in instant pot

How To Make Panda Express Fried Rice in Instant Pot

Start by cooking your rice in the Instant Pot with water. Once the rice is done fluff and then remove the rice from the Instant Pot and set aside.

In the empty Instant Pot, you will add in your oil and saute the frozen veggies. You want to cook until they are warmed and thawed.

Now in a small bowl scramble your eggs. Create a hole in center of veggies and pour in your eggs and scramble.

Stir in the remaining ingredients and once mixed serve up. Top with sesame seeds and green onions.

Why You Will Love This Chicken Fried Rice

Same flavor as Panda Express fried rice
Perfectly cooked rice
Vegetables and egg in every bite
Add or leave out the chicken if you want
Easy side dish or main entree
Kid friendly
Easy
Quick
Delicious

What Is Panda Express

Panda Express is an Asian fast food chain. You will find they serve typically non-traditional Chinese recipes.

Peppered chicken, orange chicken, and much more. One popular dish is their fried rice. If you have never ate there, you should try it sometime if you ever get a chance.

What Makes A Good Panda Express Fried Rice

Fried rice needs to be kept simple. No out of the box ingredients. Simple, easy, and it will always win over a crowd.

You will find all the ingredients complement each other nicely. So you get a tasty dish almost no one can resist.

Best Rice To Use For Panda Express Rice

You can use any variety of rice you would like. This recipe features white rice as that is what the restaurant used.

But if you want to use brown rice or Jasmine or Basmati go right ahead. Depending on the rice you choose cook time in the pressure cooker may vary.

Storage For Leftover Fried Rice

If you have any leftovers simply store the rice in the fridge. With chicken it will store for 3-4 days.

If you did a vegetarian take on the rice and skipped the meat the rice will store for 4-5 days.

Best Way To Reheat Fried Rice

Rice is tricky to reheat. You will find it can fry out rather fast. I recommend adding in a teaspoon or so of broth or water.

Then place a lid on top of the rice, without sealing it tight. You want the rice to have a vent. Reheat in microwave till warm.

Reheating this well helps to steam the rice and helps it to not fry out as much.

Is There An Alternative to Soy Sauce

If you can’t have soy sauce, I recommend using coconut aminos. It offers a very similar flavor to the sauce. You will notice a slight difference in flavor, but it is minimal!

More Recipes To Try Out

Yield: 6 servings

Instant Pot Copycat Panda Express Chicken Fried Rice

This copycat Instant Pot Panda Express Chicken Fried Rice is a tasty one-pot recipe that is easy and delicious. You'll love how quickly this recipe comes together.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Supplies

Fried Rice Ingredients

Instructions

In your Instant Pot, add in your rice and water. Choose the “Rice” setting on your Instant Pot pressure cooker. Close your lid and close the valve.
Once done cooking, do a manual release. Once pressure is completely released, take your lid off. Fluff your rice with a fork. Transfer your rice to a large bowl. Set aside.
Press the cancel button on your Instant Pot, and then select the saute function.
Add to your pot your oil, and frozen peas and carrots. Cook until thawed and warmed.
In a separate small bowl, whisk your eggs together.
Move your vegetables to the side of the pot creating a hole in the middle. Add the whisked eggs. Sauté until fully cooked.
Add in the rice, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and chicken. Mix together.
Add in the green onions.
Transfer the fried rice to bowls. Top with more green onions and sesame seeds.

Notes

Meal Prep

Make chicken in your Instant Pot ahead of time to shred for this recipe. See our post on how to cook chicken in the Instant Pot.

Panda Express Fried Rice - Instant Pot Copycat Recipe

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