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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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This chicken and rice dish was so great! This recipe is going in my arsenal for when I’m tired and want to cook something delicious that doesn’t require a lot time and effort. I think the lemon juice really made this dish extra awesome. Can’t wait to try it with different cheeses and spice combos. Thank you!
We’re thrilled you enjoyed this creamy Chicken and Rice, JP! This is definitely the perfect meal to have at the ready when you want a satisfying meal without all the fuss. And we agree about the lemon juice! It helps cut the richness and packs a punch of bright flavor in every bite. 🙂
I am in the process of making it right now. It is pressure cooking, on high got 8 mins. per directions, but I had a “Food Burn” message pop up before it even started the count down..Nothing burned or had to be deglazed…but I did add the salt by accident..could that be why I am getting a burn notice?
The burn message typically means that the Instant Pot has detected that the inner pot has gotten too hot, so it stops heating to prevent your food from burning. Press Cancel to turn the pot off. … Stir to check if there is food stuck to the bottom of the inner pot. Scrape up and remove any burnt food from the pot.
If you continue to get this “FOOD BURN” message, it may be worth contacting the manufacturer and requesting a refund or replacement, as there could be something wrong with your Instant Pot. Hope this helps!
Really nice creamy chicken and rice. I used cheddar cheese as I didn’t have parmigiana. I think it would also work well adding broccoli. I used 4 cups of broth and would recommend cutting it back maybe 1/2 cup. I will make this again. Yummy!
I meant to add broccoli too! Instead after I took the lid off I threw frozen peas in. Perfection!
This recipe was delicious! I made it for dinner tonight. I can’t wait to cook it again since the flavors were fantastic.
Love to hear that, Imsen! Thanks so much!
I made this recipe tonight for dinner and it was great! The flavors were wonderful and I can’t wait to make it again. Thank you for the post and being so thorough in your directions! I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!
Thank you!
Our pleasure! Thank you for your kind review!
Seriously the comfort food I was needing. It was soooo good, my entire family loved it. Followed instructions to a T and it came out terrific. I did use cbicken bone broth, which has like zero salt/lack of bright flavor so I added “better than bouillon” and again this was terrific. Definitely on my monthly rotation. Next time I may try adding broccoli 🥦.
Great to hear. Thank you for leaving a review! Hope you enjoy the broccoli next time 🙂
I do my broccoli on the stove & it really blends so perfectly. I’ve never tried cooking it w it.
This was delicious, made it last night. Due to some of the “mushy” comments, I used 13/4 cups broth and 1/4 cup white wine, I also added 8oz uncooked button mushrooms that have a lot of water in them. I didn’t measure the seasonings, but I seasoned with”what looks right” after adding the chicken and when I added the mushrooms and rice I seasoned again. The texture was perfect. I used long grain rice. I think if I had added any more liquid with the mushrooms, it would have been too much.
Yum, your version sounds great, Bruce! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This was great! Best way to reheat?
I reheat mine in microwave (covered). Tastes just the same. Even after I freeze it!
It’s hard to please the whole family in one recipe, but this one did it! We rinsed the rice well and used 4 cups of broth.
We’re so glad this was a hit with the whole fam!
The rice was not gluey because I rinsed it really well but it was esentially mush. No texture at all. More like over cooked rice soup. The flavor was ok but would not make again.
We’re sorry you had this experience, Jeannette. We strive to create recipes that are tested and perfected to be easy to follow while our readers make them in their home kitchens. Regardless, we’re sorry you had this experience and appreciate your honest review.