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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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Ok… this was absolutely amazing. Seriously. This will 100 percent stay in rotation. Thank you so much!!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Followed almost to a T. Used almost 2lbs. Chicken, 3.5 broth. Didn’t have parmesan but didnt need it. Used a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese and a squirt of lemon on top of each serving. Paired with steamed broccoli. Everyone loved it. 👍🏼
So glad y’all enjoyed it!
Hello and thanks for posting the recipe. I’m cooking this tonight, but can boneless skinless thighs be used instead?
Sure thing!
If I were to add mushrooms when should I add them? Going to try out this recipe out on the family tonight.
We’d add them with the onions! A delicious addition, for sure.
Rated 5 stars with some modifications. I have a bigger family, so I used 5 chicken breasts. I marinated them with a little lemon juice, garlic, and weber kicking chicken seasoning ahead of time and cut them up.
I 1/2 onion and a little extra garlic.
Put 3 cups of rice in, approximately 3 cups of chicken broth to mostly cover chicken, a 1 tsp of better than bouillon roasted garlic. Closed it up for 8 minutes and a Npr after 2-3 min. I only had just a bit of parmesan/Romano left so put that in along with some shredded cheese. Full of flavor and delish.
Great tips for cooking for a crowd! Thanks for sharing!
I was looking to make something new but also had limited groceries. After reading such mixed reviews “amazing” “lacks taste/bland” I decided to give a try. So happy I did!!!! The whole family (hubby,10 yr picky eater,15 yr eat anything, 17 yr healthy food only as well as their friend) LOVED it! Asked if i would make again soon. I even forgot to release the pressure 7 extra MINUTES! I added Lawery’s seasoning salt, reg. salt and pepper to the chicken before cooking which is what I’d suggest to other’s who thought it was missing flavor. And pan fried fresh broccoli w/garlic for a veg side. Next time, I am going to try using frozen chicken in hopes it’ll allow extra cooking time to be able to use brown rice. What do you think?
It’s worth a try! Check out this post on cooking frozen chicken thighs in the Instant Pot: https://40aprons.com/instant-pot-frozen-chicken-thighs/.
Followed this to a t…and the chicken is awful. What can we do for a more flavorful juicy chicken. Because this came out tasting like dry chicken breast with soft rice.
Were so sorry this didn’t work out for you, Jane. While we didn’t have this experience and many readers have enjoyed this recipe, we appreciate you sharing your honest feedback.
Hi! Excited to make this but sadly don’t have an instant pot. Would a dutch oven work (obviously adjusting cooking times as appropriate)?
Yes!
Wow – amazing! Just like creamy risotto. Mmm! I added ground poultry seasoning and green beans for a complete meal.
Perfect – thank you!!
Thank you for sharing your experience! So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Do you use long grain white rice and if so what is the cooking time
We include specific instructions in the recipe card, but yes, and you’ll cook it on Manual High Pressure for 8 minutes.