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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)
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- Japanese Curry in the Instant Pot
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- 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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I was hoping to make this today but only have white Minute rice on hand- any idea how many minutes I should put this in the pressure cooker when using quick-cooking rice? Thanks!
You might want to add it towards the end and simply just saute´ until the rice is cooked.
I made this recipe tonight and it was quick and delicious! Will definitely make again.
I just made this tonight with only 2 diviations. I used a full 2 cups of rice (b/c thats all that was left), and added some sharp cheddar with the parmesan at the end, (approx 1 cup- again, all that was left). It turned out perfect! Thick, creamy and delicious. I work 2nd shift, so Im all about quick and easy. This recipe just made my list.
I don’t normally leave reviews, but I always love to read through for anything eye-catching before I attempt a first. This was amazing!!!
I did make some alterations to the method because I used FROZEN chicken, and I didn’t have fresh onion on hand.
I added butter, garlic, minced onion, rice, lemon juice and 3 cups broth to the IP. I gave that a good stir and gently placed four FROZEN chicken breasts on top. I set IP to Manual | 11 minutes, then did 5 minute NR. After releasing remaining pressure, I removed chicken, set aside on a plate to rest while adding seasoning and cheese to rice. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and added back in.
Easy peasy. My kids (16,10,4) loved it! We all had seconds!!
Thank you for a classic, ready in no time recipe!!!
Thanks for the awesome review!
Hi! Read your response earlier to someone who was asking about freezing and that it’s better to cook everything but the rice and freeze instead – how much broth should I add if I’m not cooking the rice with the chicken?
Start off with a cup and increase from there!
Love this recipe! Do you think it would work to freeze it? My sister just had a baby and I’m trying to find delicious recipes (like this one) that would freeze and reheat easily. Thanks!
Hi Sarah! I’m so glad you love the recipe 🙂 Reheating rice often overcooks the rice and it becomes mushy. If you want to freeze/reheat, I’d suggest cooking everything BUT the rice to freeze/reheat and then using an instant rice when you’re ready to eat the meal!
I stress made this while waiting for the election results and it was THE PERFECT comfort meal. I had to make a few adjustments using what i had. 1:1 Parmesan and sharp cheddar. I only had 3cups of broth so i added a cup of water…. it still was perfecccccccct!
5⭐️
Thanks for the awesome review. We are so glad this recipe gave you some comfort!
Followed the recipe exactly as written, including a natural release for 2 minutes followed by a quick release, and it ended up very gluey and mushy. Other people commented the same thing and your reply was that it was overcooked – but I followed the recipe to a tee. What gives?
We are so sorry to hear you had a negative experience. We hope you will give it another try. We are sorry for the misunderstanding in our previous instructions- it’s high pressure for 8 mins and then a natural release for 2 minutes. Hope this helps!
Same happened here. Maybe adding 3 cups of broth instead of 4 would do the trick? Still tasted delicious!
There are 2 different cook times 10 minutes and below 8 minutes??
Sorry about that! It’s 8 minutes high pressure, 2 minutes natural release 🙂 We’ve updated the other sections of the post to reflect that change!
Is high pressure mean pressure cook button?
What kind of Instant Pot do you have?
How do I double this is the cooking time different if I do?
You shouldn’t need to adjust the cooking time – the volume will just make it take longer to come to pressure is all!