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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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So delicious !! Finally found a chicken and rice recipe I love ! Boyfriend has requested it to be part of our weekly dinners. I add carrots celery and tonight some broccoli. I added poultry flavored knorr seasoning , a few bay leaves and some thyme. Tonight I didn’t realize til I went to cut up my chicken thighs that I didn’t get boneless .. do you think it’ll be fine with the 8 min cook time ? I still cooked them til they were no longer pink on the outside.
Hi, Emma! Sorry for the delayed response. Bone-in chicken typically takes a little bit longer than boneless. The most important thing to check is that your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160° Fahrenheit.
Hope everything went well!
I have no words. This was absolutely amazing; the taste was off the charts. Everyone licked their lips and asked where I found the recipe.
So glad this was a crowd-pleaser! Thanks for sharing, Anne! 😊
I like it but really doesn’t have much flavor so husband doesn’t like it. Definitely add some seasonings and veggies for next time
Let us know what tweaks you make!
I never cook, like pretty much ever. I’m a man, 50, live by myself, and usually eat very simply: salads,wraps. My girlfriend bought me an instapot and I’ve tried it out a few times with marginally edible success. Good enough to eat, but no real pleasure in doing so. I tried this recipe out tonight with a few changes: ginger teriyaki rub on the chicken, sub chopped ginger for the garlic, and threw in a bunch of baby carrots. It was utterly delicious! The texture was something I never thought I could achieve. And there is plenty left over for the next few days! I’ll definitely be making this again. Thank you for helping to broaden my horizons!
So glad this recipe worked out for you- your changes sound delicious! Be sure to check out our other Instant Pot recipes- there’s so many delicious options! 😊
Everyone in our family enjoyed this new dish. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Sharon! So happy you all enjoyed it!
Love, love, love this recipe! The only change I made was to add some dried tarragon before the 8 min cook time. Delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it, NK!
I made it exactly as presented; it was just sublime. It definitely will go into the family cookbook. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe.
Love to hear that! Thank you, Anne!
Quick question – salted butter or non-salted butter? Looking forward to trying!
Either works fine! If you use salted butter, you may want to add less salt than the ingredients calls for. Just depends on how salty you like things!
Has anyone ever tried to freeze this recipe?
It can be frozen, but just note that the rice may have an unpleasant texture after cooking it, cooling it, freezing it, thawing it, and reheating it!
So delicious! I’ve made it three times, it’s a favorite now. Even my picky one year old loves this! I do add 1/2 teaspoon of poultry seasoning, and carrots and broccoli for some added veggies, which are perfect because they get super soft and I can sneak them in so that my toddler doesn’t throw them off of her plate. I am wondering, once she’s not so picky, would I be able to put them in with only a few mins left so they don’t get so soft, I’m worried that would mess up the texture of the rice. Has anyone tried adding something part way through?
So happy you enjoyed it, Kara!
We haven’t tested adding vegetables part-way through the cook time, so I can’t say how that might affect the texture of the rice… Hopefully one of our readers has tried it and can weigh in!
Can this be made with frozen chicken?
We haven’t tried this with frozen chicken, so we can’t say for sure. If you’re able to thaw it first, that would be best!
I have another instant pot risotto recipe that has me add in frozen peas after cooking and letting it sit on keep warm to cook them. You could try that with some frozen veggies but if you’re using fresh id suggest cooking them first and adding after cooking is complete or you’ll probably just have mush.
Hi Cheryl! I’m looking forward to making this recipe for the first time this evening. Do you know if it would work to substitute white jasmine rice for long-grain white rice and whether the cooking time would change? Thanks for your help!
Kindly,
Linda
Hi, Linda! Sorry for the delayed response- that substitution should work fine, but we have not tried it ourselves. Let us know if it worked out for you!