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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
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- The Best EVER Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
- Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
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- 50 Low Carb Instant Pot Recipes
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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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I make this at least once a week, it is a high demand family favorite. As far as a double batch, would that change the cook times? I haven’t played with it for fear of ruining such a great dish.
It shouldn’t affect the cooking time since we’re making this in a controlled environment (the IP), but just make sure all of the chicken is cooked through.
Love love love this recipe and have made it so many times! Do you think this would be possible to make and freeze for someone? How would you recommend going about that?
Absolutely! Just allow any leftovers to cool completely, and then freeze in an airtight, freezer-safe container or plastic bag for up to a month. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter, then reheat in the microwave or in the oven at 325 for 30-45 minutes, or until warmed through and bubbling.
I freeze my leftovers (if we have any) in just a bowl w a lid & also in a freezer bag. Both worked. Tastes just as good as when I made it
That’s great! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I made as directed, except using 3 cups broth and a 1/2 cup white wine. Rinsing the rice makes a big difference, and I usually don’t remember to do that. This was delicious, thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Peggy!
Going to make this tonight! My husband doesn’t love parm and we are all out, think I could use a nice sharp Irish cheddar?
That would work well!
Hello,
Can this be done in the oven?
We suppose so (in a Dutch oven), but you could also make it on the stovetop! Just watch it carefully so that it doesn’t burn.
Hello – Will this recipe work in a 3 quart Instant Pot or do I need to modify it? Thank you.
We imagine it would, but you may want to cut the recipe in half the first time to be sure it doesn’t overflow.
Hello! Made this recipe tonight and it turned out absolutely amazing. So happy it’s instant pot season. This will be a meal I come back to over and over. Thank you!
So happy to hear this! Thanks for sharing. Instant Pot season is one of our favorite seasons!
Could I use orzo in place of white rice?
we haven’t tried it, and it probably wouldn’t be as thick or creamy, but it’s worth a try! Let us know how it turns out if you do try it with orzo.
Love, love, love this recipe! After making it numerous times following the recipe exactly my husband asked my to add mushrooms… Just let me say DELICIOUS! Adding the 8oz of white mushrooms with the onion and garlic seemed to work the best.
Wonderful to hear! Thanks for sharing!
This may be a dumb question 🤦♀️ is the white rice cooked or raw when putting it in the IP?!
Not a dumb question! You leave it dry. The Instant Pot does it all!
Hi! With the fresh parmesan, do you use shredded or grated? I know I use fresh for an Alfredo recipe I made up and add it to the butter and garlic, cream etc. And it does okay on the stove top. Now, I added more chicken so increased liquid and onion/garlic etc. some…as my husband has diabetes and has to do low carb. I didn’t add more rice, so I think that is what caused the issue….but the parmesan stuck together a lot and was stringy. Any tips would be appreciated as the chicken and the sauce were an outstanding flavor!!
Freshly grated tends to melt better, but it also just depends on which brand you go with. For a recipe like this where the parmesan is a key player, I like to buy a higher-quality cheese than I may normally purchase and grate fresh. Hope this helps!
How can I add peas, carrots, and celery to this?
Sauté the carrots and celery before adding any liquids, and then stir in frozen peans at the end before serving.