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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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Hi there!
Your recipes look amazing! I am looking for recipes that can be made ahead then froze for later use. Are your recipes adaptable for that? I will need to know asap as have purchased ingredients to make many different meals. Thank you
Some of them are! We try to mention when a recipe would make a great freezer meal. Be sure to read the blog posts!
I have made this twice, my husband loves it. It’s a perfect cold day meal.
It really is! So glad you both enjoy. Thanks so much for the review, Diane!
Followed recipe. After 3 burn notices I gave up on it…the chicken was cooked to safe temp and the rice had soaked up all the broth. It tastes ok but recipe might want to address how to best avoid burn notices. I did lift the chicken to the top.
So sorry to hear that was your experience, Lauren! You definitely shouldn’t get a burn notice with the recipe as-written. Just to make sure I follow, you got 3 burn notices after the chicken and rice were already cooked?
If you’re getting the burn notice before everything’s cooked, you’ll want to make sure none of the rice or onions are stuck to the bottom of the pot, and you might double check the sealing ring on your Instant Pot to make sure it’s not dirty, damaged, or placed incorrectly.
I’ve made this recipe a dozen times and it never fails. I add fresh carrots and peas. Sometimes
Broccoli too. A big family favorite and makes for great leftovers
Love the additions! Thanks so much for the review, Jennifer. So glad it’s a family favorite!
Hi! I want to try this recipe but I would like to double the protein. What adjustments do you think I need to make on cooking time/broth addition? Any guesses would be appreciated! TIA
You should be fine to keep everything else as-is! Your Instant Pot will likely take longer to pressurize but everything else should stay the same.
Delicious! I added a bit of red pepper powder for our spicy taste and used four cups of stock vs broth made it more soupy. Definitely give it a try.
Thanks for your review, Brandy! Glad you were able to make a few adjustments to better fit your preferences.
Awesome recipe. Someone in the family suggested adding peas… what do you think? And any ideas on how and when we would we do it??
Peas would be a super yummy addition! You could try frozen steam-in-bag peas, microwave them while the Instant Pot is doing it’s thing, then add them at the very end. Or you could try canned peas and I would suggest adding them before Step 3 of the recipe. We haven’t tested those options out yet, so let us know if you try it! Thanks so much for the review!
Kept giving me burn food, rice kept burning
Just to clarify – your Instant Pot kept giving you a burnt food warning, or your rice actually burned? You added 3-4 cups of chicken broth? That should be enough liquid that the rice doesn’t burn, unless maybe if you’re using a very large Instant Pot… If the rice didn’t actually burn but you kept getting a burn notice after adding the rice, you’ll want to check the sealing ring on your Instant Pot lid. Your seal might be going out, or the ring may not have been positioned correctly, or the lid may not have been sealed completely, or you may have had the vent in the wrong position during cooking.
I hope you’ll give this one another try!
How does one classify a recipe as healthy when it has almost 2000 mg of sodium per serving.
“Healthy” looks different to everyone, so what one person considers to be “healthy”, another person may not. That being said, we don’t claim this creamy chicken & rice to be a “healthy” recipe. It’s absolutely satisfying, filling, comforting, and delicious, though.
This is such a lovely recipe!! It is so delicious! It has become a staple in our home. My toddlers love it too! Thank you so much!!!
Thanks so much for your review, Sarah! That is great! It’s so nice when you can find those staple recipes the whole family loves—happy to hear this one makes the list!!