Instant Pot Chinese Sticky Rice is made with short grain sweet rice and features Chinese sausage, chicken and shitake mushrooms. This sticky rice dish is one of the fond food memories I have from my childhood. My mom used to make something similar for our potluck lunches after church.
Every Sunday, we met at my namesake, Auntie Jeannette’s home for church. After service was over, we would enjoy a buffet potluck lunch in Auntie Jeannette’s dining room. I loved the intimacy of the home church.
One family always brought Shepherd’s pie, and my mom would make Chinese sticky rice often. She made it in a rice cooker, which is another no-fuss way to make this dish, and keeps it warm.
The rice used in this dish is called short grain sweet rice. Sometimes called “glutinous rice,” this rice does not contain gluten. When cooked, this variety of rice has a sticky quality which most Chinese people love. Sticky rice dishes are often eaten during the Chinese New Year because it’s symbolic for family cohesiveness (we want our family relationships to be “sticky”). You can buy short grain sweet rice at most Asian grocery stores.
This recipe features Chinese sausage, marinated boneless chicken, dried shitake mushrooms and dried shrimp (you can find this in the refrigerated section of the Asian grocery store).
I sauteed the aromatics (ginger and scallion) briefly, then added the marinated chicken and cooked just until browned.
Then, I added the sticky rice. Usually, this variety of rice needs to be soaked first before cooking, but using the Instant Pot eliminates this step – a huge time saver.
Instead of just plain water, I used the soaking liquid from the dried shitake mushrooms, a little chicken broth, and dried shrimp to cook the sticky rice.
This dish is pure comfort food and keeps well.
Instant Pot Chinese Sticky Rice
Ingredients
Marinated Chicken
- 10 ounces skinless boneless chicken thighs ~ 2 chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice wine
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- dash salt
- dash black pepper
Sticky Rice
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 scallion chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 1 1/2 cups short grain sweet rice rinsed 4-5 times, drained
- 2 links Chinese sausage chopped
- 5 dried shitake mushrooms soaked in hot water for 30 minutes (reserve soaking liquid), chopped
- 2 tablespoons dried shrimp soaked in hot water for 30 minutes (reserve soaking liquid), chopped
- 1 1/2 cups reserved soaking liquid from shitake mushrooms and dried shrimp, plus some low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- pepper to taste
Instructions
Marinated Chicken
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Cut chicken into 3/4" pieces and mix with soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Let sit while preparing rest of ingredients.
Sticky Rice
-
Turn Instant Pot to "Saute" mode. Add oil and once Instant Pot reads "Hot," add scallion and ginger. Saute a few minutes until fragrant. Add marinated chicken and saute until lightly browned. Add drained sweet rice, sausage, mushrooms, and shrimp. Saute a few minutes to release a little oil from sausage. Add reserved mushroom soaking liquid (strained) and enough chicken broth to total 1 1/2 cups of liquid, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil and pepper.
Hit "Cancel" button and then select "Rice" mode (12 minutes). Natural release for 5 minutes, then quick release.
If you like this Chinese Sticky Rice recipe, you might like to try this sweet sticky rice treat:
Mom’s Coconut Sticky Rice Cake
So delicious! I must cook a batch for Chinese New Year!
I have many childhood memories of this type of sticky rice dish 🙂
This is such an amazing tasting and easy recipe! Super comfort food here. Never thought I could make such a traditional dish. Thank you so much for sharing this and your detailed info on where to find these Chinese ingredients have been especially helpful for this 2nd gen Chinese here! Will definately be making this on a regular!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe – so easy in the Instant Pot!
how do I adjust the recipe for the 8-quart IP? I’ve tried this 3 times and it burnt every single time :(.
Hi – I use a 6-quart IP. I found this article that explains some of the adjustments you might have to make with a 8-quart IP https://mycrazygoodlife.com/instant-pot-cooking-differences/. The wattage is higher for the 8-quart which may explain the burning you’re getting. Make sure you cook on the low pressure setting, and perhaps add more liquid? You might also reduce cooking time to 10 minutes, and just let it natural release to absorb any extra liquid.
Thank you for sharing ihis recipe Jeanette. Nice homemade flavours and not too salty. I will make this again. But I did end up with quite a thick burnt crust at the bottom of the pot even though I reduced the time to 10 mins. I have a 3Q pot. Will keep adjusting the time/liquid till I get it right. Until then, I really don’t mind chomping on the crispy bits as a snack so it’s all good. Thanks again!
I have a 6 quart Instant Pot – there is some browning at the bottom, but like you, I enjoy the crispy bits 😉
Hello- can you double this recipe? What changes need to be made in order to double it? Thanks!
Hi Dana,
I have not tried doubling this recipe, but it should work. Perhaps use a little more oil to start to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan? Let me know if you try doubling and how it turns out. Thank you!
Hi Jeanette- thanks for replying! Does the time need to change in terms of 12 min on rice mode?
Excellent. Just like what my mom makes.
Anyone tried doubling it?
Jean – so glad you enjoyed this recipe! I have not tried doubling this yet
Great recipe! Texture & taste of the rice were perfect. I more than doubled the recipe using 3-1/4 cups of rice & same amount of liquid. Doubled all the other ingredients & also added some dried scallops, it was delish! It did stick to the bottom of the pot though but it wasn’t burnt. I would make it again regardless of the cleanup after. Thanks for the recipe Jeanette!
So glad you enjoyed this sticky rice recipe Susy – thanks especially for sharing that you doubled the recipe successfully!
Hi, thanks so much for this recipe! My family loves it. I doubled the rice amount, but I did need to increase the cooking liquid. I kept adding shrimp/mushroom liquid and broth until the rice was completely covered (I didn’t add extra liquid the first time I doubled it and it burnt a little on the bottom).
Hi Cindy – thanks so much for sharing how you doubled this recipe – I’m sure the shrimp/mushroom liquid added great flavor!
I just made this recipe today. It was very good but I ran into a few ptonblems: the grains that are above the liquid are partally cooked + burnt at the bottom. I used Rice function 12 min but I think I was busy doing other things snd it swoirched to Low pressure for 16 min counting down to zero. My 1st time using Rice button.
It may be that you have a different Instant Pot than the one I used as well.
My mother would like to try your recipe, but the only glutinous rice she can find locally is sushi rice. Will that work with your recipe?
Sushi rice will have a different consistency. I haven’t tried this recipe using it, but it should work.
I’m using the 8-Qt IP, I doubled the recipe because my kids love it ! just doubled the liquid to 3 cups. used the same cooking time of 12mins on rice mode. the bottom did burn, so there was a layer of rice and some meat stuck. I will try the suggestion of others to add more liquid and maybe lessen cook time to 10mins. Other than that, recipe is awesome ! By the way, what is the best way to scrape off the burnt layer? I don’t want to scratch the bottom of the pan. Thank you for this recipe !
I usually just soak the pot in hot water, or simmer hot water in the pan, using a wooden spoon to gently scrape off.
Could I add cooked rice later after cooking the other ingredients under pressure and sautee it all together?
If you use regular rice in place of sticky rice, it will be more like fried rice, which would still be delicious I’m sure. However, no need to cook under pressure then. I would just saute ingredients (don’t add water) and add cooked rice.
If you use regular rice in place of sticky rice, it will be more like fried rice, which would still be delicious I’m sure. However, no need to cook under pressure then. I would just saute ingredients and add cooked rice.
I have made this a few times now, playing around w the recipe and the settings. I have an 8 qt instant pot. My Mom always made sticky rice with a mix of sweet glutinous rice and long grain white rice. I tripled the amounts, using 2 cups of sweet glutinous rice and 1 cup of jasmine rice. I increased the liquid to 3 and 1/2 cups total and cooked it on the rice setting (low pressure) on “auto”. It cooked for 13 min and then I let pressure release naturally for 15 min. No burn signal! It’s sticky but not soggy, worked great.
Thanks so much for sharing your method Melanie!