This restaurant style Instant pot Thai chicken fried rice recipe is the absolute best. It's quick and easily made in instant pot when you don't have any leftover rice and delicious plain with wedges of tomato and cucumber slices.

I'm brining another Instant pot fried rice recipe. This one has got to be my favorite of all.
This instant pot Thai chicken fried rice is
- So delicious
- Succulent, tender chicken
- One pot
- Easy clean up
- Kid-friendly
- Perfect for meal prep
- Yummy leftovers for days
Thai fried rice ingredients:
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
White Basmati rice as in all instant pot rice recipes.
Eggs
Onion, garlic, scallion
Chicken stock
Seasonings - Black pepper, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar
All pantry ingredients (may be except oyster sauce, but is available in major US grocery stores, Asian markets or conveniently in Amazon)
How to make Thai fried rice?
- Heat vegetable oil in instant pot and add 2 eggs.
2. Scramble them. You don't have to continuously stir eggs. Stir 'em every 20 seconds or so, until slightly under cooked. This will yield larger pieces of very soft scrambled eggs.
3. Remove eggs to a bowl, heat a bit more oil and saute chopped onion for couple of minutes.
4. Add chopped chicken and let cook for a minute.
5. Add washed and drained rice.
6. Saute for about 20 seconds.
7. Add chicken stock and ground black pepper.
8. Stir well. and let cook according to instructions.
9. Finally finish with cooked eggs, scallions, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar.
Done and DONE.
So easy to make restaurant style Thai chicken fried rice at home.
Want To Save This Recipe?
This Thai fried rice recipe makes a great school lunch box. It's easy to be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator like these other meal prep recipe ideas.

Few notes to make delicious Thai fried rice recipe:
Rinse rice in a strainer and let it hang out for couple of minutes to drain as much water as possible. This step is important to not only wash the rice, as well as remove excess starch <— less mushier rice
Do not double the recipe. It’s just too much to work with and makes the rice overcooked in the process.
I used 1 cup of 33% less sodium chicken stock and the salt was perfect along with oyster sauce and soy sauce. But, if you have NO sodium chicken stock, then I’d suggest adding a touch of salt. DO NOT USE REGULAR SODIUM CHICKEN STOCK, it might make the dish salty.
How to make non-mushy fried rice in Instant pot?
It totally depends on your rice, yes! Many, many readers have had huge success with this recipe and there are a few who have had mushy rice. Reason? it depends on the basmati rice you are using. Not all brands, packages of rice are the same though they all say basmati rice in the package —> Some need more water and some less. Some need more cooking time and some less.
How do we solve this? I came up with two different cooking methods for you (you are welcome!). So, which method is right for you?
Cooking method-1
- If you have tried this recipe already and you have had great success. Just stick to this.
- If you cook different rice recipes in your Instant pot and use the rice setting and love the way the rice gets cooked , then this is right for you.
Cooking method-2
- If you have tried this recipe before and had a mushy outcome, then go for this.
- If you are not sure about your rice or cooking method.
Another important note for cooking rice in instant pot —–> It depends on the size of your Instant pot.
I tried making this recipe in a 3-quart Instant pot and a 8-quart Instant Pot. Result? Fried rice in 8-quart was much more firmer that the 3-quart. So, if you a own a larger Instant Pot, then use that for firmer rice.
What is Thai chicken fried rice called?
Thai fried rice with chicken is called KAO PAD GAI. Kao means rice, Pad means stir fry and Gai is for chicken.
In Thailand, fried rice is often made with some type of protein, with shrimp or crab being more popular.
I'm certainly not of Thai origin, but thanks to these sources that helped me in learning and creating a more restaurant style Thai chicken fried rice recipe : Hot Thai kitchen / Eating Thai food / Curiouscuisiniere
What is the difference between Thai fried rice and Chinese fried rice?
Though both fried rice recipes include some protein, eggs and sauces,. Vegetables are not included in Thai rice (the only ones being onion, garlic, spicy chilies and sometimes sliced tomato towards the end) whereas Chinese fried rice is loaded with an assortment of different veggies.
Also, in authentic Thai fried rice, eggs are scrambled (almost under cooked) in the same pan with sautéed veggies being pushed to one side and stirred with rice which gives a more creamier finished dish.
A Chinese fried rice is made with soy sauce and sesame oil, whereas Thai rice includes fish sauce or a combination of both.
You might notice that the recipe below does not use fish sauce 😱. However, we have used oyster sauce which is more thick, sweet, salty and deeper fish notes. I did try this instant pot Thai rice with both sauces and the one made with oyster sauce got a unanimous thumbs up.
What to serve with Thai fried rice?
It is usually served with sliced cucumbers, lime wedge and tomato slices.
Although I added a lot more cucumber slices (more than you what you see in these pictures) when served to my family and called it a good dinner! You can find more dinner recipes here.
Instant Pot Thai Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size chunks
- 1 cup white basmati rice, rinsed and drained well
- 1 cup (33% less sodium) chicken stock refer notes
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 scallions, chopped
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Set instant pot in saute mode. When hot, add 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add eggs and scramble, remove on to a plate when very soft. (You don't have to continuously stir eggs. Stir 'em every 20 seconds or so, until no longer liquidy. This will yield larger pieces of very soft scrambled eggs).
- Add 1-2 tablespoons oil to the now empty instant pot. Add chopped onion and garlic, saute for 2-3 minutes and then stir in chicken and spread into a single layer. Cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add rinsed and drained rice and saute for about 20 seconds and then stir in chicken stock and ground black pepper. Scrape sides, close Instant pot, lock lid, set valve to sealing, press cancel. (Refer notes below to see which method is right for you).
- Cooking Method-1 : Select rice mode. (This is an automatic setting and mine took 12 minutes). When cook time is done, let the Instant pot be in warm mode for 3 minutes. When 3 minutes is done, turn valve to vent and let pressure release. Press cancel and open lid. Gently stir in cooked eggs, chopped scallion, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar.
- Cooking Method-2 : Cook for 3 minutes on manual mode. When cook time is done, let it be in warm mode for 10 minutes (for al dente rice) and 15 minutes (for more softer rice) When cooking time is done, turn valve to vent and let pressure release.Press cancel and open lid. Gently stir in cooked eggs, chopped scallion, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar.
- Remove pot insert from the instant pot base and place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving. This helps the rice to firm up and sauce to be absorbed. Note that this recipe makes a more perfectly cooked rice when compared to the firmer (or aldente ) style like the ones used for Chinese fried rice recipes. Enjoy hot Instant pot chicken fried rice for lunch/dinner with sliced cucumber, tomatoes and a lime wedge or cool and pack into meal prep containers for the week.
Notes
- If you have tried this recipe already and you have had great success. Just stick to this.
- If you cook different rice recipes in your Instant pot and use the rice setting and love the way the rice gets cooked , then this is right for you.
- If you have tried this recipe before and had a mushy outcome, then go for this.
- If you are not sure about your rice or cooking method.
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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Nick
This recipe is great. Everyone loved it. To quote my daughter, this tastes just like a restaurant. We have the 8 qt instapot and used the rice setting method with low pressure and it came out perfect. Thanks for the great recipe.
Maria Doss
That sounds wonderful, happy holidays:)