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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.
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, along the lines of my best ever risotto 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
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 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
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.
Video
- 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.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 676calProtein: 54gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 156mgSodium: 1957mgPotassium: 912mgTotal Carbs: 61gFiber: 1gNet Carbs: 60gVitamin A: 598IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 347mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
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.
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can you use leftover chicken ?
You can, but I would likely add it at the end to avoid overcooking it IF it was already cooked.
Looking so forward to making this recipe. Can I use frozen chicken breast instead? How would I change the time? I’m assuming I could then shred it at the end?
Thank you!!
This recipe was AMAZING. Definitely going to be a staple in my house! Also for anyone who wants to keep it dairy free, I used Miyoko’s Kitchen vegan butter and Violife Foods vegan Parmesan cheese, and it turned out absolutely delicious. Thank you for this recipe!
We love a vegan substitution!
This was amazing, Cheryl
I am excited to try out other instant pot recipes you may have. Thank you!!
There’s plenty throughout the site!
amazing! can’t believe how easy this was to make. and it tasted so good. this blog is really such a great resource! all the recipes i’ve tried are perfect.
Thank you so much!!
Hi!…I only have instant white rice on hand, will this be okay to use?…I really want to make this today and don’t want to go to the store….
Hi! We have not tried this recipe but Instant Rice, but we think the rice should not be cooked until you are about to enjoy it with the chicken. Does that make sense? 🙂
This recipe is absolutely amazing!!! My daughter and husband both lost their minds over it! Not to mention, me and my pregnant self 🙂 The perfect comforting recipe and so easy to make.
I’m so glad you loved it, Christina!
Made this for dinner tonight. AMAZING! I didn’t have Parmesan cheese, but had Cheddar. This was so easy and had fantastic flavor! I doubled the recipe and I’m so glad I did! I have 2 teenage boys in the house and this was a hit! I will definitely add this to my regular recipe rotation.
Glad you loved it, Nicole!
If you make this for 6 instead of 4 servings (so 1 1/2 times the amount) do you need to increase cooking time?
Thanks!
The cooking time should remain the same for the recipe. 🙂
Made this today with leftover homemade black beans. It was AMAZING!!!!
Sorry – that was meant for your refried black beans recipe. 🙂 🙂 🙂 Can’t wait to make this one!