Rice Cooker Chicken and Mushroom Rice

Name: Rice Cooker Chicken and Mushroom Rice
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1.25 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into bite-size pieces); 2 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp oyster sauce; 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine; 1 tsp dark soy sauce (for color); 1 tsp toasted sesame oil; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tbsp cornstarch; 1 tbsp fresh ginger (julienned); 2 cups jasmine rice (rinsed until the water runs mostly clear); 2 cups water (or per your rice cooker's 2-cup line); 6 dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked 30 min in hot water, sliced (or 5 oz fresh)); 2 scallions (thinly sliced, for finishing); 1 tsp toasted sesame oil (for finishing)

By The Chowmi Test KitchenUpdated June 11, 2026↓ Jump to Recipe

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Quick answer

Rice cooker chicken and mushroom rice is the one-pot weeknight version of Cantonese claypot chicken rice (and the home classic 香菇滑鸡): bite-size chicken thighs marinated in soy, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine and sesame oil are laid with shiitake mushrooms on top of the raw rice, and everything cooks together on the machine's normal white-rice cycle. As the rice steams, the chicken cooks gently in its marinade and the savory juices drip down to season every grain — no stirring, no second pan, no timing to manage. Prep is about 15 minutes; the rice cooker handles the rest. The two keys are cutting the chicken bite-size so it cooks through on one cycle, and resting the pot 10 minutes after it clicks so the rice finishes evenly. Finish with scallions, a drizzle of soy and sesame oil, and dinner for four is done in one pot.

Rice cooker pot of fluffy rice topped with glossy soy-marinated chicken, shiitake mushrooms and scallions

Why you'll love this rice cooker chicken and mushroom rice

True one-pot dinner — chicken, mushrooms and rice cook together on a normal rice cycle.
The chicken's marinade drips down and seasons every grain as it steams.
15 minutes of actual work; the machine handles all the timing.
Claypot-style flavor on a weeknight, with substitutes for anything hard to find.

Ingredients

Chicken & marinade

1.25 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tbsp light soy saucesubstitutes →
1 tbsp oyster saucesubstitutes →
1 tbsp Shaoxing winesubstitutes →
1 tsp dark soy sauce, for colorsubstitutes →
1 tsp toasted sesame oilsubstitutes →
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp fresh ginger, julienned

Rice & mushrooms

2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed until the water runs mostly clear
2 cups water, or per your rice cooker's 2-cup line
6 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked 30 min in hot water, sliced (or 5 oz fresh)
2 scallions, thinly sliced, for finishing
1 tsp toasted sesame oil, for finishing

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Equipment

Rice cooker — Any model with a standard white-rice cycle — nothing fancy needed.(shop →)

Instructions

Soak & marinate
Soak the dried shiitakes in hot water for 30 minutes, then squeeze and slice. (Save the soaking liquid.) Meanwhile, toss the chicken with all the marinade ingredients and the ginger; let it sit while the mushrooms soak.
💡 Dried shiitakes bring far more aroma than fresh — and their soaking liquid is free flavor for the rice.
Set up the rice
Rinse the rice until the water runs mostly clear and drain well. Add it to the rice cooker with 2 cups of liquid — use the mushroom soaking water as part of it for deeper flavor.
Layer chicken on top
Scatter the sliced mushrooms over the rice, then arrange the marinated chicken (and every drop of marinade) in a single layer on top. Don't stir — the layers matter.
💡 Keeping the chicken on top lets it steam gently while its juices season the rice below — stirring it in makes gummy rice.
Cook & rest
Close the lid and run a normal white-rice cycle. When it switches to 'keep warm', leave it closed for 10 more minutes to finish steaming.
Finish & fluff
Check that the chicken is cooked through (it will be opaque and firm; cut a piece to confirm). Drizzle with the sesame oil, scatter the scallions, fluff gently to mix the chicken juices through the rice, and serve from the pot.

Tips & notes

Cut the chicken truly bite-size (about 1 inch) — large chunks may not cook through on a single cycle. If your cooker runs a very fast cycle (under 25 minutes), use the 'mixed' or 'congee-adjacent slower' setting if it has one, or cut the chicken smaller.
A Chinese sausage (lap cheong), sliced and scattered with the mushrooms, takes this all the way to claypot-shop flavor.
Want the claypot crust? After the cycle, run a second short cook (or 'reheat') without opening — many machines build a light golden crust on the bottom rice.
Add quick greens: lay baby bok choy on top for the last 10 resting minutes; the residual steam cooks them perfectly.
Gluten-free: use tamari for both soy sauces and a certified GF oyster sauce.

Recipe wording too vague?

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Recipe

Rice Cooker Chicken and Mushroom Rice

New recipe

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 45 min
Total: 1 hr
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner

Ingredients

Chicken & marinade

1.25 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tsp dark soy sauce, for color
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp fresh ginger, julienned

Rice & mushrooms

2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed until the water runs mostly clear
2 cups water, or per your rice cooker's 2-cup line
6 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked 30 min in hot water, sliced (or 5 oz fresh)
2 scallions, thinly sliced, for finishing
1 tsp toasted sesame oil, for finishing

Instructions

Soak the dried shiitakes in hot water for 30 minutes, then squeeze and slice. (Save the soaking liquid.) Meanwhile, toss the chicken with all the marinade ingredients and the ginger; let it sit while the mushrooms soak.
Rinse the rice until the water runs mostly clear and drain well. Add it to the rice cooker with 2 cups of liquid — use the mushroom soaking water as part of it for deeper flavor.
Scatter the sliced mushrooms over the rice, then arrange the marinated chicken (and every drop of marinade) in a single layer on top. Don't stir — the layers matter.
Close the lid and run a normal white-rice cycle. When it switches to 'keep warm', leave it closed for 10 more minutes to finish steaming.
Check that the chicken is cooked through (it will be opaque and firm; cut a piece to confirm). Drizzle with the sesame oil, scatter the scallions, fluff gently to mix the chicken juices through the rice, and serve from the pot.

Nutrition (est., per serving): 520 cal · 34 g protein · 68 g carbs · 12 g fat

Rice Cooker Chicken and Mushroom Rice FAQ

Can you cook raw chicken in a rice cooker with the rice?

Yes, safely — as long as the chicken is cut bite-size and laid on top of the rice so it steams through the full cycle. Thighs in roughly 1-inch pieces cook well within a standard white-rice cycle; always check a piece is opaque and cooked through before serving, and rest the closed pot 10 minutes after the cycle ends.

Is this the same as claypot chicken rice?

It's the weeknight cousin. Claypot chicken rice (煲仔饭) is cooked in a clay pot over flame, prized for its crusty bottom rice and smoky edge. The rice cooker version trades the crust for total convenience — same marinade, same chicken-juices-into-rice magic, no pot-watching. Some rice cookers can even fake a light crust with a second short cycle.

Do I need dried shiitake mushrooms, or can I use fresh?

Fresh shiitake (about 5 oz) works, but dried brings noticeably more aroma — rehydrating concentrates that deep, meaty fragrance, and the soaking liquid doubles as flavorful cooking water for the rice. If you cook Chinese food even occasionally, a bag of dried shiitakes is one of the best pantry investments.

Why is my rice mushy when I cook chicken on top?

Usually extra liquid: marinade counts as liquid, so don't add more water than your normal 1:1-ish ratio, and drain the rinsed rice well. Also keep the chicken in a single layer on top rather than stirred in — mixing raw chicken through the rice releases juices unevenly and turns the texture gummy.

What else can I make in a rice cooker?

More than rice: congee is the classic (our recipe includes a rice-cooker method), steamed dishes set over the rice, and one-pot meals like this where a marinated protein cooks on top. The machine's gentle, even steam is genuinely good at hands-off Chinese home cooking.