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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!

Instant pot chicken and rice in a bowl

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!
Two bowls of chicken and rice

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Instant pot chicken and rice in a bowl
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
4.90 from 754 votes

Dreamy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Total 40 minutes
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.
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4 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. 
    Add in chicken broth and liquid ingredients to Instant Pot
  • 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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Cheryl Malik

In addition to being a certified health coach, certified yoga instructor, and mom of 3, Cheryl is also the recipe developer, editor-in-chief, food photographer, and passionate foodie behind 40 Aprons. Having spent the last 10+ years as a food blogger, she's become known for her flavorful recipes, detailed instructions, gorgeous photography, and down-to-earth approach to food and cooking in general.

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1,352 Comments

    1. Hi Kyla! If it’s raw and frozen, then it would need to be thawed first. If it’s a pre-cooked frozen chicken, then I would not recommend using it. I hope this helps!

      Reply

      1. I used Jasmine. Followed the recipe to the letter, but it was the texture of mush. However, my husband said the taste was excellent, so overlooked the texture. I’m low carb eating right now, but was so tempted with this recipe. It smelled wonderful. Will make again for sure. Maybe do a 4 minute NR.

        Reply

      2. Am I able to keep all the ingredients for 4 servings but use 2.5 c rice, 2.5 lb chicken and 4 cups broth so it isn’t really soupy?

        Reply

    2. We used insta rice tonight and it got gummy but it still tasted good!! However next time I would not use Insta rice

      Reply

  3. This never came together for me. I strained 2 cups of liquid off to eat. Is the 4 cups of broth indicated in the recipe correct? The flavor was great but when I took off the lid of the Instant Pot it looked like soup!

    Reply

    1. It is correct! I just made this one a few nights ago and it turned out great! the rice should absorb most of the liquid.5 stars

      Reply

    1. Oh no! It sounds like it was overcooked! Try cooking it slightly less next time or ending the natural release a minute sooner.5 stars

      Reply

  5. I did make this with brown rice and set it for 13 min to cook. I thought it came out perfect! Tastes almost like the recipe my grandma made. My picky 6 yr old even ate it!5 stars

    Reply

  6. I like it, but it came out as soup. Followed the recipe to a T. Added some flour to thicken it up a bit. I’d make it again and just cook for maybe 10 minutes.4 stars

    Reply

    1. Oh, no! We hope you will give it another try. We do suggest cooking it in sauté mode until it thickens up a bit. 🙂5 stars

      Reply

  8. I made this using basamati rice and skinless chicken thighs and altered the cooking time as my instant pot on high setting / meats tends to overcook chicken. (I’m sure different brands of electric pressure cookers vary in regards to what temperature “high” is.) The first round was 8 minutes at medium and it was very soupy after venting. The second round was 5 minutes at high and it came out as a lovely risotto. The only changes I suggest would be to add some lemon zest with the lemon juice. A tiny bit of white truffle oil would elevate this recipe to a richer slightly decadent version of a humble simple recipe. Delicious!5 stars

    Reply

      1. This was excellent. Took others advice. Used chicken thighs, added lemon zest and Cooke on high for 5 minutes. My family loved it.5 stars

        Reply

  9. I never review or comment on recipes, but this was absolutely delicious. So easy and it tasted like something from a fancy restaurant. The chicken was incredibly tender. Thank you for posting this recipe!5 stars

    Reply

  10. Tastes great. Even the picky 2 year old ate it so I call that a win!
    I at least tripled the garlic because it didn’t sound like enough. Lol I’m glad I did.5 stars

    Reply

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