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This chicken and rice Instant Pot recipe is 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!
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Cheryl’s Note
I’ve made this recipe numerous times and have tried it with brown rice, instant rice, and minute rice, and each time it turned into a burned rice disaster or was completely overcooked with the brown rice.
This recipe requires long-grain white rice. Chicken and rice in the Instant Pot will not have the texture or consistency of fried rice or rice pilaf. It’s more similar to a risotto – but it’s not quite a risotto, either. It’s thick and creamy, so if that’s not what you’re looking for, I’d recommend a different recipe.
Why This Recipe is So Good
- This hits that creamy, comforting sweet spot that makes weeknight dinners feel special. The rice gets all tender and luxurious with melty Parmesan and bright lemon—it’s like risotto without any of the babysitting or arm workout.
- One pot, minimal cleanup, maximum flavor. Everything cooks together in your Instant Pot, which means you’re not juggling multiple pans or watching a pot on the stove. Just set it and walk away!
- It’s ridiculously adaptable to what you’ve got on hand. Want it firmer? Use less broth. Craving something soupier? Add more. Throw in some frozen veggies at the end or swap chicken thighs for breasts—this recipe rolls with whatever you need.
- My kids devour this (hello, cheese and butter!), but it looks and tastes like you put in way more effort than you actually did. When it comes to Instant Pot chicken and rice recipes, this one is uber delicious, melt-in-your-mouth, and a weeknight hero!
What You Need to Know Before You Start
- Don’t skip the 2-minute natural release timing. If you let the pressure release naturally for more than 2 minutes, your rice will turn into a gluey, sticky mess. Set a timer on your phone the second that cook time ends.
- A pro tip is to rinse your rice before adding it to the pot. This removes excess starch and helps prevent that gummy texture no one wants. Just a quick rinse under cold water in a fine-mesh strainer does the trick.
- To adjust the broth, use 3 cups if you want firmer rice with more distinct grains (though it still won’t be like fried rice). Use 4 cups if you want it creamier and more risotto-like. I typically go with 4 cups because I love that dreamy Instant Pot chicken-and-rice consistency.
- When you add the broth and rice, make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot really well with your spoon. Those golden bits of onion and garlic are pure gold, and you don’t want a “burn” warning from your Instant Pot.
Not Wanting a Chicken and Rice Instant Pot Recipe?
If you’re looking for a risotto instead, try my Instant Pot Risotto or my Best EVER Stovetop Risotto.) I typically use 4 cups of broth when I make this recipe, and the photos in this post show the Instant Pot recipe for chicken and rice made with 4 cups of broth.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, unfortunately, brown rice requires a much longer cooking time (around 20 minutes at pressure), which would completely overcook your chicken. Stick with long-grain white rice for this recipe.
This usually happens when the pressure is allowed to natural release for more than 2 minutes. The residual heat continues cooking the rice, which makes it overcooked and gummy. Time that release carefully!
You can, but make sure you’re using at least an 8-quart Instant Pot. The 6-quart size works perfectly for the recipe as written, but doubling it will require more space.
Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of chicken broth to restore the creamy texture. You can also microwave it in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each burst, until heated through.
While you can technically freeze it, the rice texture changes quite a bit after freezing and thawing. I’d recommend making this fresh and storing leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days instead.
Fresh is really best here for that bright, tangy flavor, but if you’re in a pinch, you can use 1 ½ tablespoons of bottled lemon juice. Just be aware it won’t have quite the same pop.
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken Risotto
- Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
- Instant Pot Bourbon Chicken
- Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Teriyaki
- Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
- Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas
- Instant Pot Chicken Adobo
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Wings
- Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot
- Large wooden spoon or silicone spatula
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 2–3 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup chopped white onion approximately 1 medium onion
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic approximately 4 large cloves
- 1 ½ cups long-grain white rice rinsed, see Notes
- 3-4 cups chicken broth see Notes
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice juice from approximately 1 large lemon
- 1 cup shredded fresh parmesan or grated, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt more or less to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper more or less to taste
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add 4 tablespoons unsalted butter to Instant Pot insert and let butter melt completely.
- When butter has melted, add 1 cup chopped white onion and 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic to insert. Stir to incorporate, then sauté aromatics approximately 5 minutes or until onions are soft and translucent.
- Add 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts to insert. Sauté chicken pieces, stirring occasionally, approximately 5 minutes or until chicken pieces are opaque on all sides.
- Add 1 ½ cups long-grain white rice, 3-4 cups chicken broth (3 cups for firmer rice; 4 cups for softer, soupier rice), and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice to Instant Pot insert. Stir to fully incorporate ingredients, making sure to scrape bottom of insert to loosen any stuck bits of onion or garlic.
- Secure lid on Instant Pot with valve in Sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure mode and set cook time to 8 minutes. Instant Pot will pressurize and then 8-minute cook time will begin.
- When 8-minute cook time ends, Natural Release internal pressure 2 minutes. Note: Do not release pressure longer than 2 minutes or rice can overcook.
- After 2-minute Natural Release, carefully Quick Release any remaining pressure and remove lid. Use caution as any escaping steam will be incredibly hot.
- Stir chicken and rice mixture well. Note: If mixture contains excess standing liquid after pressure cooking, set Instant Pot to Sauté mode and stir mixture until excess liquid has fully incorporated into rice.
- Taste mixture and add 1 cup shredded fresh parmesan, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Stir until additions are well incorporated, then taste mixture again and add more parmesan, salt, pepper, or lemon juice if desired.
- When satisfied with flavor of chicken and rice mixture, portion mixture into preferred servings. Garnish with additional parmesan cheese if desired and serve warm.
Video
Approximate Information for One Serving
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 I use the Arborio rice that is used for risotto?
You should be able to use Arborio rice, but to be fair we haven’t tried that with this recipe. Just make sure nothing sticks or burns to the bottom of your Instant Pot. If you do make this with Arborio rice, let us know how it turns out!
4 cups made mine too mushy followed the recipe to the tea. Next time I’ll reduce it to 3 1/2 cupsOtherwise it was very yummy
How would you need to modify the recipe if using frozen chicken breasts?
You can absolutely use frozen chicken breasts in this recipe! Here’s our post on how to cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot: https://40aprons.com/instant-pot-frozen-chicken-breast/#How_To_Make_Instant_Pot_Frozen_Chicken_Breasts. To apply that to this recipe, you’ll need to cook them first before you sauté your veggies, then dice before adding back to the veggies, rice, and liquid. You don’t want to risk overcooking the rice or undercooking the chicken.
Followed the directions exactly. Half the rice grains were still crunchy, and there was a bunch of rice burt on the bottom of my pot…
We’re so sorry you had this experience, Philip. We strive to create recipes that are tested and perfected to be easy to follow while our readers make them in their home kitchens. What you described with the rice burning on the bottom and not cooking properly can happen if the Instant Pot is left on the SAUTE setting and not switched to HIGH PRESSURE, or if the rice isn’t stirred with the liquid and other ingredients before sealing. Regardless, we’re sorry you had this experience and appreciate your honest review.
What if instant rice is the only thing I have at the moment?
Hi Whitney, you can certainly try this recipe with instant rice. You’ll need to make sure the chicken is cooked through completely before adding the dry rice, since it won’t have to cook for nearly as long. For white rice, make sure to use equal amounts of rice and liquid. Give it a good stir, then set your Instant Pot to “Manual.” with HIGH Pressure. Set the timer for 1 minute, then use the Quick Release function to release the steam. Remove the lid, give it a good stir, and proceed from there. You’ll do the same for instant brown rice, but cook it for 5 minutes instead of 1 minute. Hope this helps!
This was absolutely delicious! And came together very quickly, great weeknight dinner. Thank you
So glad you enjoyed it, Greg!
I tried this tonight and it was incredibly delicious. As I was pulling all my ingredients together, I realized I only had 2 cups of chicken broth. So, in addition to the two cups of chicken broth, I used a can of cream of chicken condensed soup, and 1.5 cans of water, whisked until smooth. Was creamy and delicious. I’ll definitely try this again!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe and were able to make it work with what you had on hand!
Hey there! Recipe looks amazing and I’m excited to try it out! A couple of questions:
1) When you say 8 minutes does that mean 8 minutes from the time that the Instant Pot is fully pressurized or 8 minutes from the time the “On” button has been pressed (which includes the time it takes to pressurize.) I’m sorry if this is a silly question but I’m brand new to the Instant Pot world.
2) I have two non-cheese eaters (not lactose intolerant, but non-cheese eaters) in the house so I will have to omit the cheese. Will that make negatively impact the consistency of the finished product? Should I compensate with a can of cream of mushroom/chicken soup?
Thank you in advance for your help!
Not a silly question at all! After you set your Instant Pot to HIGH PRESSURE for 8 minutes and seal it, it will count down the cooking time from the time it is fully pressurized. There’s nothing you have to do here; just let your device do the work for you! And you can definitely omit the cheese. It is a good idea to substitute something like cream of mushroom, chicken, or celery in its place, but regardless it may not be as thick as it would with the cheese. However, the starch from the rice is what primarily contributes to this recipe’s thickness; so, it should still turn out well! Hope this helps!
I have a few tips and additions for this recipe.
One: Add more seasoning to the butter before sautéing the chicken. I added paprika, cayenne, and parsley. An absolute must in my opinion.
Two: Add heavy cream to the liquid for the rice for a much richer and creamy flavor. You can reduce the amount of broth if you’re worried about the rice to liquid ratio.
Three: Add more rice than it calls for if you opt to go for 4 cups of liquid. It turned out more like a soup for me and the rice exploded. I thought it was okay, but my husband wasn’t a fan.
Four: Add seasoned corn and peas to the finished product! (carrots also sound delicious, but i didn’t have any.) I boiled some peas and corn, drained them, and sauted them in a separate pot with butter, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. It was absolutely delicious! I love the way it adds new flavors and textures to the original dish. I don’t even normally like peas, either.
Five: Use chicken thighs. Thighs are much more forgiving when it comes to not over cooking them, and it has a better flavor – that might just be my imagination… but chicken fat is yummy!
Thanks for the tips! Glad you could adjust this recipe to best fit your and your family’s taste. 🙂
Will this recipe work with jasmine rice?
We haven’t tested this recipe with Jasmine rice, but it should work since it’s still a white rice. The main concern with straying from regular white rice is risking overcooking the chicken, so just be mindful of that. Also, it may not be as creamy as this original recipe, but the flavor should still be there!
I used jasmine rice tonight and it turned out really well! I rinsed it for about 3 or 4 minutes before prepping everything else and the consistency is very much like a risotto.
That’s great! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
Thank you! Loved this! So happy I found your site and this recipe. I used 4 cups…3 cups of homemade bone broth and 1 of regular broth. This is a definite keeper!
Thank you, JT! We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe (and our site)!
DOubled the recipe (I have 5 kids) and followed instructions to a T. It was SOOOO good! And SOOOOO easy! And most of the kids liked it too! Was like a perfect risotto. It’s a keeper.
Kid-approved is the best kind of compliment! So glad you and your family enjoyed this dish, Jamie!
Did you do 16 mins when doubling instead of 8?