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!
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Why This Chicken and Rice 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 Chicken and Rice in the Instant Pot
- 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.
Top Tips For Making Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- 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
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast
- Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Thighs
- Instant Pot Chicken and “Rice” Soup (Whole30, Low Carb)
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla-Less Soup (Paleo)
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Black Beans
- Frozen Chicken Breasts
- Baby Back Ribs
- BBQ Chicken
- Chicken and “Rice” Soup (Whole30, Low Carb)
- Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Dal
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Dreamy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
This creamy chicken and rice is a real one-pot meal! With Parmesan cheese and a splash of lemon, it's an easy and delicious dinner.
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Equipment
- Instant Pot
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 3 cups for a firmer rice, 4 cups for a more risotto-inspired, soupier version. We personally prefer 4 cups.
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice from one lemon
- 1 ½ cups white rice rinsed, see Notes
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt plus more or less to taste
- ¼ teaspoons black pepper plus more or less to taste
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.
- Close lid and set valve to Sealing. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
- When cooking is completed, let naturally release for 2 minutes, then Quick Release rest of 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.
Video
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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 673kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 52gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 156mgSodium: 2435mgPotassium: 969mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 596IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 352mgIron: 2mgNet Carbs: 60g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She’s been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.
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Emily says
I made this with arborio rice, because I like risotto. Made it exactly as described. We all loved it! Super easy and delicious. I will definitely add this to our regular meal rotation. thank you!
Cheryl Malik says
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Chris says
It was delicious. Was it really supposed to cook on brown/saute setting? I switched to poultry. Loved the rice. Chicken nice and tender.
Cheryl Malik says
So glad you liked it. The poultry setting works well too!
Shanna Gant says
My go to chicken and rice meal!! it is incredible.
Cheryl Malik says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Karen says
Absolutely delicious! I added some peas and carrots and it was to die for! Thank you.
Cheryl Malik says
Thanks for the great review!
Kim says
Can you use risotto? It has same cook time as white rice. Thanks!
Cheryl Malik says
Sure!
Katy says
I’m a busy mom and my kid is anti-vegetable. I made this the other night and dumped in a bunch of frozen veggies before cooking. It was a SMASHING SUCCESS. Oh, and for cheese we did part parm and part Mexican cheese. It was delish. Don’t leave out the lemon—it made such a difference!
Cheryl Malik says
Happy that worked for you! Thank you for the great review 🙂
Chelsea Dennis says
I used jasmine rice (it was all I had) and added extra garlic, fresh parsley, white mushrooms, and crab boil seasoning…I know it sounds off the wall but it was AMAZING and paired well with the lemon!! Will definitely be making this again.
Cheryl Malik says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Sarita says
Made it today and it was amazing! Thank you
Dana Alterman says
Amazing.
Cheryl Malik says
Thank you!
Diane Ginsburg says
Easy directions, great notes, perfect outcome. Will be in heavy rotation.
Cheryl Malik says
Thank you for the great review!