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This Instant Pot chicken and rice is just absolutely dreamy. It’s rich and creamy but SO quick and easy to make. The whole family will love it, and it’s a true one-pot meal! With Parmesan cheese and a splash of lemon, this weeknight family dinner recipe is inspired by my favorite risotto recipe but with none of the hard work required!
Why This Recipe Is So Good
- Thick and creamy with melty Parmesan, a tang of lemon juice, and perfectly cooked chicken and rice, this recipe is the ultimate comfort food.
- This chicken and rice is so rich and delicious, but so easy to make! With just a few steps in the Instant Pot, this is the perfect easy but filling meal. It’s absolutely one of my favorite Instant Pot chicken recipes!
- This recipe only takes a handful of ingredients that you may already have in your house! We love how simple the ingredients are but how amazingly rich and cheesy this chicken and rice is.
How To Make It
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode. Add the butter and let it melt before adding onion and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the chicken and stir. Cook until the chicken is no longer translucent. Add in the rice, broth, and lemon juice and stir well. Make sure nothing is sticking to the sides, and scoop the chicken pieces to the top.
- Close the lid and set valve to Sealing. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
- After 8 minutes, let naturally release for 2 minutes, then Quick Release the rest of the pressure. Stir everything well and season with Parmesan, salt, and pepper to taste.
Chef’s Tips
- Parmesan cheese is optional for this recipe, but we definitely recommend it! Fresh Parm will make this taste more like risotto, but if you are out, you can use a shredded cheese, like cheddar.
- We used plain white rice for this recipe. Brown rice is not recommended since it would take about 10 minutes longer, which would overcook the chicken.
- You must follow the directions exactly for releasing the pressure. Leaving it too long will result in overcooked rice and a potentially gluey texture. Make sure you manually release pressure after 2 minutes of natural pressure release!
- This recipe does not make a soupy or stewy chicken and rice, but a thick and creamy risotto-like recipe. If you’re looking for something that isn’t thick and creamy, this isn’t the recipe for you!
You’ll Love These Other Instant Pot Chicken Recipes, Too
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast
- The Best Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
- Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Burrito Bowls in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Chicken and “Rice” Soup (Whole30, Low Carb)
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla-Less Soup (Paleo)
- Easy Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup (Gluten Free Option)
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken
More Instant Pot Recipes You Have to Try
- Instant Pot Black Beans
- Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
- The Best EVER Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
- Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Dal
- 50 Low Carb Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Whole30 Chili with Butternut Squash (Paleo, Low Carb)
- Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers
- Japanese Curry in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- Instant Pot Applesauce
- 45 Incredible Vegan Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Jambalaya
- Instant Pot Chicken Wings
Dreamy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Inspired by risotto (but without all the hard work), this rich, creamy, and totally dreamy chicken and rice one-pot meal is sure to be a family favorite.
servings
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts about 2-3 breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3-4 cups chicken broth see Notes
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice juice from approximately 1 lemon
- 1 ½ cups long-grain white rice rinsed, see Notes
- 1 cup fresh parmesan cheese shredded or grated
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt more or less to taste
- ¼ teaspoons black pepper more or less to taste
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to sauté mode. Add butter and let melt, then add garlic and onion. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.
- Add chicken and stir. Cook until no longer translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in rice, broth, and lemon juice. Stir well, bringing chicken pieces to top.
- Secure lid on pot and set valve to Sealing. Set to Manual High Pressure for 8 minutes.
- When cook time is completed, let naturally release for 2 minutes, then carefully Quick Release remaining pressure. Stir well and season with parmesan, salt, and pepper to taste. Add a little more chicken broth, if desired, to reach desired consistency – optional.
- If you find liquid still remaining on the top of your Instant Pot chicken and rice after cooking, stir well and turn on Sauté mode to fully incorporate.
Notes
- Chicken broth: Use 3 cups of chicken broth if you prefer a firmer rice with a more separate grain. Use 4 cups for a more risotto-inspired chicken and rice, with a soupier, more stew-like texture. The rice will still have a clear grain but will be nice and soft. My family and I prefer 4 cups; we like the risotto texture more than when made with 3 cups. However, if you want your version to have clear grains of rice and be less creamy, use 3 cups.
- Rice: Be sure to use white rice for this recipe! Brown rice is not recommended since it would take about 10 minutes longer, which would overcook the chicken. Do not use instant or minute rice.
- Cheese: Fresh Parmesan is ideal, but can sub shredded cheese.
- If you end up with a “gluey” texture to your chicken and rice, it’s likely you’ve overcooked the recipe by leaving it to release pressure naturally for too long. This part is important! Give it just 2 minutes after the Instant pot beeps, then manually release pressure.
- This recipe will be more like a risotto than a fried rice texture or rice pilaf.
- To Clean Instant Pot: If any rice sticks to your Instant Pot, use my easy trick to clean it. Fill the Instant Pot up ¼-⅓ of the way with water and dish soap. Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode on High/Extra High heat and let liquid simmer. After a few minutes, the rice will loosen and clean up easily.
Video
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 676kcal, Carbohydrates: 61g, Protein: 54g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 156mg, Sodium: 1957mg, Potassium: 912mg, Fiber: 1g, Vitamin A: 598IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 347mg, Iron: 2mg, Net Carbs: 60g
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Made this tonight. Used four cups of broth and Arborio rice. Bit soupy, but I just let it cook down a bit. I will cut the amount of broth next time. Overall, yummy! Served it with a Caprese salad and some bread hot from the oven. Hug hit!!
YUM, caprese salad and fresh, warm bread with a helping of chicken and rice?? Let me know when to be over for dinner! 🤣 Sounds delicious, Donna! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Really easy and delicious! I followed the recipe exactly but added some extra veggies. I used 4 cups of broth and also added 1 chopped broccoli crown and 2 large diced white mushrooms before closing the instant pot. When it was done cooking I also mixed in 3 large handfuls of fresh spinach. This will definitely be added to the easy meal rotation!
That sounds delicious!! I’ll have to try that next time I make this recipe. Thank you for sharing, Kelsey!
My husband always says that he doesn’t care for risotto but enjoyed this dish! The directions are easy to follow and I added mushrooms. Very tasty.
So happy to hear that! This is a favorite of mine. Thanks for sharing, Melanie!
Can you do this with frozen chicken?
We haven’t tested it with frozen chicken so I can’t say for sure. The chicken might not be fully cooked by the time the rice is ready. If you’re able to defrost it first, I recommend that!
My family is hooked on this recipe! I sauté mushrooms with the onions and skip the parm to keep it dairy free. Easy and always delicious!
Kirby, I’m so happy to hear that! We’re always thrilled when we can make everyone at the table happy. 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your review with us!
It was really good. I’m a beginner and I feel fancy for making this. lol.
Haha, we love to hear that! Thanks for leaving a review, Jen!
This looks delicious! Would jasmine rice work in this recipe?
We haven’t tried it with jasmine rice specifically, so we can’t say for sure. In theory, white jasmine rice should work, but I’d avoid whole-grain jasmine rice. Make sure to rinse it well before cooking, too. Jasmine rice is pretty sticky so if it’s not rinsed well, you’ll likely end up with a thick layer of starch on the bottom of the Instant Pot and the dish may not cook like it should. Jasmine rice may also cook faster, so that’s something to keep in mind. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
I used Basmati rice with 4 cups of broth. Adding chopped green onions with the cheese. Delicious and very “risotto” in texture.
That sounds delicious! Next time I’ll have to try that. Thanks for sharing!
Love this recipe, but we’ve made one addition, after the cooking is over and we’re stirring in the parm cheese, we also add 3 cups of baby spinach as well. It wilts pretty quickly, expands both the flavor and the color palette of the dish, and gives you a veggie as well
That’s a great addition, Dean. Thanks for sharing!
But far my families favorite meal! Love every single part. We opt for the 4 cups of broth.
Thank you so much for your feedback, Cieanna! I’m so happy you all enjoy this one so much!
I didn’t see anything about rinsing the rice in the notes. Is it necessary?
We mention it in the in-line notes in the ingredients section! “1 ½ cups white rice rinsed”
You’ll definitely want to rinse the rice first for the best consistency.