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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 dish has been my lifesaving meal during sophomore year in college. Here’s to another year of delicious chicken and rice on the daily!
You’re eating better than most of us did in college! So glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe, Charles!
Best recipe I have tried in a while! Thank you so much for sharing.
What a compliment! Thank you, Miranda!
Made this for dinner tonight. It turned out perfectly, surprisingly because my instant pot kept going off, finally noticed it wasn’t plugged in good in the back. I used thighs, removed the bones and 4 cups broth. It was perfect, not dry. I will make this recipe again. My husband and I both went back for seconds and there is plenty for leftovers
So glad y’all loved it, Marilyn! I think most Instant Pot users have been guilty of that exact thing happening a time or two, lol.
I’m new to the Instanpot so followed the recipe exactly (well, I added 3/4 cup of frozen peas with the broth and rice) using 4 cups of broth and it was excellent. I hope it wasn’t beginners luck ;)! Will make this often! Thank you for a great recipe!
This is a great recipe to make when breaking in your Instant Pot! Glad it worked out for you so well. 🙂
Super yummy and easy! We seasoned the chicken before cooking and then added some extra rosemary and Italian seasoning once it was finished.
YUM! Sounds delicious!
Fairly new to instant pot and this recipe was super easy! I didn’t have onions, so I used some onion powder. Still super tasty!! Definitely keeping this recipe!
Glad you enjoyed this recipe and found it easy to follow as an Instant Pot newbie! 🙂
Made this tonight, followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect. We will be having this again. Very good 😊
It really is SO good! Glad you enjoyed it as much as we do. 🙂
This was absolutely delicious and I was thrilled to find a chicken and rice one pot meal that did not call for some type of cream soup! I try not to utilize processed prepared ingredients when I cook. Thanks for the great (and simple) recipe!
We’re thrilled you enjoyed this recipe as much as we do, Gretchen! Thanks for sharing your feedback. 🙂
Is this a good meal to freeze?
Absolutely!
So good! One of my fave recipes! I make it a lot but I usually use chicken thighs because they’re better with the creamy nature of the rice I reckon.
We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Lowrie!
Hello! I made this for dinner tonight and it’s cooling off right now to eat, but I tried a bite and it’s fantastic! I have a question about your estimated serving size?? I doubled the batch. Reason I ask is my daughter is Type1 diabetic so we use the carb count given but not sure how much to give since I doubled it?! Whoops, didn’t think that through. Maybe if you have a rough estimate? I didnt want to add everything up and figure it out the long way of I didn’t have to…
Hi Tracy, glad you enjoyed this recipe! Since the nutrition info is broken down by serving, as long as the serving size remains the same, the carb count should not change. (I.e., now there are 8 servings instead of 4, but each serving size is still the same as when only one batch is made.) However, if anyone has a larger serving or goes back for seconds, you’ll need to adjust the carbs as needed. But, with your daughter being diabetic, if there’s any concern it is probably best to double-check and add it up accordingly, just to be safe. Hope this helps!