Instant Pot Pork Chops and Rice

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Make tender, juicy, and flavorful pork chops with this Instant Pot Pork Chops and Rice recipe, a Cajun flavored Instant Pot recipe for busy weeknights on a budget.

Instant Pot Pork Chops and Rice Recipe

Pork chops in the pressure cooker are such a great value and can feed a lot of people, especially my hungry sons, who love meat.

They like it because every 3 ounces of pork is packed full of 22 – 24 grams of protein, depending on the cut. And eating 20 – 30 grams of protein per meal helps fuel us all.

For this Instant Pot recipe, you can purchase any type of pork chop that’s on sale. Just make sure they are on the thicker side instead of thin-cut.

We like purchasing pork because we know that when you buy pork at any grocery store across the United States, you support family farms in Utah and the United States.

Besides pork chops, pork ribeye roast is a favorite at our house. Because it’s boneless, we get to eat the entire hunk of pork, all sliced up in fat, juicy slices.

Ingredients

• Pork chops: You can use boneless or bone-in chops, just be sure they are one-inch thick. Bone-in chops do have more flavor, but boneless chops are easier to work with, in my opinion.
• Cajun seasoning: I like as Tony Chachere’s. Depending on the brand, some Cajun and Creole seasonings can be pretty spicy and also very salty, I’ve discovered, so do a taste test before adding the fully amount in the recipe.
• Chicken broth: Using broth instead of water in this pork chop recipe adds loads more flavor to the rice. If you don’t have chicken broth, you can use vegetable broth or even beef broth.
• Aromatics for adding loads of flavor to this dish: Onions, red and green bell peppers, celery, and garlic
• Oil for browning: Canola, vegetable, olive, coconut, or avocado – take your pick!
• Spices: Onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, black pepper

Recipe Tips

When you add the broth to the rice mixture in the Instant Pot in Step 5, resist the urge to stir everything together! This will be hard to do, I’m just warning you. Leave that broth alone in there and place the chops down into it, then lock the Instant Pot lid into place. The broth needs to stay on top (instead of being stirred into the rice mixture) so it can circulate and create the steam that will pressurize the Instant Pot to make everything cook.

How to Make Instant Pot Pork Chops and Rice

In a small bowl prepare the seasoning blend by combining 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.

Season each pork chop with the prepared seasoning blend, using your fingertips to work it into each side.

Add the oil to a 6-quart Instant Pot using the sauté setting. When the oil is nicely hot, add the seasoned pork chops. Sear the pork chops on each side until golden brown, 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from the Instant Pot and reserve on a platter.

Still using the sauté setting, add the butter to the Instant Pot. When the butter is sizzling, add the dry rice, diced onion, bell peppers, celery, minced garlic, remaining Cajun seasoning, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir and sauté all together for 1 minute.

Add the chicken broth to the pot on top of all the ingredients within. DO NOT STIR! Place the reserved pork chops into the broth on top of the rice mixture.

Lock the Instant Pot lid into place and choose the high pressure setting for 4 minutes of cooking time, bringing the Instant Pot to full pressure.

If it seems odd that pork chops can cook in just 4 minutes of pressurized time in an Instant Pot, do not worry. When the timer sounds, use a natural pressure release for 8 minutes. The pork chops will still continue to cook from residual heat during this time.

This is essential because here is where the chops rest and relax so they become tender and juicy.

Then, if any pressure remains in the Instant Pot, perform a quick release to release it. Carefully unlock the lid and remove it.

To serve, spoon some of the cooked rice onto a serving plate and top with a pork chop. Or, carve the pork chops into slices and enjoy with the rice that way.

Why to Sear Pork Chops

Yes, searing pork chops in hot oil before you cook them does require an extra step, but the browning it creates provides so much added flavor. This extra work is so worth it and it literally takes just a couple minutes.

When searing pork chops, you cook them quickly on each side in hot oil, just until the exterior is a nice deep golden brown. Next, the chops are ready to be cooked at a lower temperature in the oven or the Instant Pot until they become fully cooked at the center of the meat.

Instant Pot No Pr Error or Not Pressurizing

If you get this error message (No Pr) on the Instant Pot panel when you’re cooking a recipe, it means that the Instant Pot can’t come up to full pressure to cook what’s inside.

This can happen for a variety of reasons, but most often it’s because something inside is keeping the liquid from circulating properly (like if something happens to be stuck to the bottom of the pot) or there isn’t quite enough liquid in the pot to make it pressurize.

I usually try adding a bit more liquid (just one cup or two) to the Instant Pot, right on top of the ingredients that are inside, without stirring the liquid in. Try re-pressurizing once more and I bet you’ll find it works this time.

Tough Instant Pot Pork Chops

The number one reason that pork (of any kind) is tough and dry is because it’s overcooked. I cannot stress this enough.

The USDA has now said that it’s perfectly safe and fine to cook pork to just 145 degrees F. at the center, followed with a 3 minute rest. There is no need to cook pork to 160 degrees internally any longer – this is what makes it tough and dry.

What to Serve with Instant Pot Pork Chops and Rice

While the Instant Pot cooks your chops and rice, use your air fryer to make air fryer broccoli or air fryer brussels sprouts with maple bacon.

More Favorite Pork Recipes to Enjoy

Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Pork Over Rice is a fast and easy Instant Pot meal with cubed pork loin that can be on the table in minutes for your hungry family.

Try this Oven Baked Pork Chops and Potatoes bake for a family friendly, healthy meal any night of the week.

Did you know you can easily make Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin? Pork tenderloin is one of the leaner cuts of meat. You might be surprised to learn that pork tenderloin is as lean as boneless, skinless chicken breast.