Copycat Panda Express fried rice in the Instant Pot! Quick and easy to make, and packed with chicken, peas, carrots, eggs, and green onions.
Ingredients
2cupslong-grain white ricerinsed
2 ½cupswater
2Tablespoonsvegetable oilor canola oil
110-ounce package frozen peas and carrots
4large eggswhisked
1cupcooked chickenshredded or cubed
2Tablespoonssoy sauce
1Tablespoongarlicminced
1Tablespoonginger paste
¼cupgreen onionschopped
2Tablespoonssesame seedsoptional
Instructions
Add rice and water to your Instant Pot and stir. Secure the lid and set the valve to the sealing position. Select Pressure Cook and set to 3 minutes. When done, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes. Then quick-release any remaining pressure. Fluff rice with a fork, then transfer to a large bowl and set aside. Rinse the pot liner out to remove any stuck-on rice.
Select Cancel followed by Sauté. Add oil and garlic. Saute garlic until fragrant (about 1 minute), stirring often. Add frozen peas and carrots and cook until thawed and warmed (about 1 minute). Push the cooked vegetables to the side of the pot, creating an empty space. Pour whisked eggs into the empty side of the pot and scramble them, stirring constantly and breaking them up into small pieces. When eggs are almost cooked stir together with the vegetables until cooked through.
Return the rice to the pot and add chicken, soy sauce, and ginger. Stir and cook until everything is heated through (about 1-2 minutes).
Turn off by selecting Cancel. Stir in green onions. Serve warm, topped with additional green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
Notes
If making as a side dish the recipe will yield more like 6 servings. To make vegetarian fried rice, or a more exact Panda Express copycat, leave out the chicken. You can also swap the chicken for another protein such as pork, steak, or shrimp.If you aren’t as much of an egg-fanatic as we are you can cut down on the number of eggs.Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a frying pan with some oil.