15 Minute Instant Pot Ginger Chicken Rice Bowls
These 15 Minute Ginger Chicken Rice Bowls are easily made in the Instant Pot. Gingery garlic shredded chicken is served with garlicky kale over rice.
With so many businesses closed for the last few months, everyone has been forced to do things they wouldn’t otherwise do. Whether it has been cooking from home all the time, creating a home gym or cutting their own hair, people have needed to step out of their comfort zones.
Well, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and into the world of cutting hair. The boys in our house desperately needed haircuts. With nice weather and no plans for the day, we decided it was haircut day!
I told Matt that he should go first to show the boys that it was great when Mom cut their hair but he decided that he wanted Jack to go first so he could see what his potential haircut might look like – real nice, Matt!!
Let’s just say cutting hair is a lot more difficult than it looks. My boys’ hair grows sooo fast, so they have had their fair share of haircuts over the years. I am always standing right next to them when it is cut, so I figured I had observed enough that it would be a cinch.
Love Rice? Try Some of these Recipes!
- Crockpot Beef Bowls with Carrot Ginger Slaw
- Easy Fried Rice
- Crockpot Mongolian Beef
- Easy Red Curry with Turkey Meatballs
I was going to cut everyone’s hair, but Matt thought it might be more fun for us to both cut and then we can compare and decide who is the better “hairdresser”. Sorry Jack and Will, Mom can’t ever turn down a friendly competition with Dad!
Their haircuts didn’t turn out half bad but it took me waaaaaay too long! And, as you can guess, squirmy little boys do NOT have the patience for that! I was responsible for Jack’s haircut and Matt for Will’s – what do you think?!
Matt approved of Jack’s haircut, so he let me cut his. Turns out, Matt liked his haircut so much (he even told me it was his favorite to date – WHAT?! -), that he now wants me to always cut his hair. I told him I would have to get back to him on that one!
Speaking of needing to cook from home alllll the time, I have been especially loving meals that I can make once and eat all week. These Ginger Chicken & Kale Rice Bowls are healthy, quick, easy and perfect for meal prep.
Instant Pot Cooking
Should I really buy an Instant Pot? I asked myself this question about 20 times before I finally decided to buy one. And, guess what? I LOVE it! While I can appreciate that some people may be limited on space, I love having both an instant pot and a crockpot.
When I want to make dinner fast, instant pot to the rescue. When I want to prep dinner in the morning and let it cook low and slow, my crockpot is the perfect choice.
15 Minute Instant Pot Ginger Chicken Rice Bowls
Rice bowls are such a great meal to make for kids (or a crowd)! The nice thing with rice bowls is that they are super easy to customize. You can just set out all the ingredients and toppings and let everyone choose their own combination. I often find that my boys are more willing to try new things when they are given the option to choose what they would like.
Rice bowls are also really nice for a crowd because you can make a lot of the different components ahead of time. Then, once dinner time comes around, everything is ready to go!
I didn’t think my boys would like the kale (especially Jack), but they did!! You give it a quick sauté in olive oil and garlic – my favorite preparation for kale. Although the ginger chicken and the rice keep really well for the week, the kale is best served hot and fresh (it gets a little bit crispy)!!
Tips for Involving Kids
- Let your kids tear the kale off the stems. This can be rather time consuming and it will definitely go faster with a an extra set of little hands!
- Have your kiddo be in charge of the buttons on the Instant Pot – this is always the most coveted position in our household.
- Let your kids make their own plate. I often find that kids are much more willing to try new things when they help make the meal and can serve themselves.
- Have fun cooking!
Instant Pot Ginger Chicken Rice Bowls
Ingredients
Ginger Chicken
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 Tbsp ginger minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup chicken stock
- rice for serving
Garlic Kale
- 4 cups kale chopped
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp salt
- sesame seeds for serving
Instructions
- Combine ginger, garlic, sesame oil, rice vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce and chicken stock in the Instant Pot.2 Tbsp ginger, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, ¼ cup soy sauce, ½ cup chicken stock
- Add the chicken.2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Lock the lid in place and turn the steam release valve to “Sealing” position.
- For RAW chicken: select “Pressure Cook” and set to “High” for 13 minutes.
- For FROZEN chicken: select “Pressure Cook” and set to “High” for 16 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, cook the rice according to the package directions.rice
- In a pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and sauté the kale, garlic and salt until tender.4 cups kale, 4 cloves garlic, ½ tsp salt, 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Once the chicken has cooked for the amount of time (listed above), let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, manually release any remaining pressure.
- Shred the chicken in the Instant Pot.
- Assemble the bowls with the cooked rice, shredded chicken and kale.sesame seeds
