Rich and Creamy Pot Chicken And Rice

This chicken and rice in the Instant Pot is simply divine. It’s rich and creamy, but it’s also incredibly quick and simple to prepare.

It’ll please the whole family, and it’s a true one-pot supper! This midweek family supper recipe, with Parmesan cheese and a touch of lemon, is inspired by my favorite risotto recipe, but without the work!

Why Is This Recipe So Delicious?

• This recipe is the ultimate comfort food, thick and creamy with melty Parmesan, a tang of lemon juice, and properly cooked chicken and rice.
• This chicken and rice dish is rich and flavorful, yet simple to prepare. This is a quick but hearty supper that only requires a few steps in the Instant Pot. One of my all-time favorite Instant Pot chicken recipes!
• This recipe simply requires a few simple items that you may already have on hand. We love how few ingredients there are, but how rich and creamy this chicken and rice is.

How Do You Make Pot Chicken And Rice?

1. Put the Instant Pot on the sauté setting. Before you add the onion and garlic, melt the butter. 3–4 minutes of sautéing
2. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Cook until the chicken is completely opaque. Stir in the rice, broth, and lemon juice until thoroughly combined. Scoop the chicken pieces to the top, making sure nothing sticks to the sides.
3. Set the valve to Seal and close the lid. Cook for 8 minutes on high pressure.
4. Allow for a 2-minute natural release after 8 minutes, then Quick Release the remaining pressure. Season to taste with Parmesan, salt, and pepper after thoroughly mixing everything together.

Chef’s Advice

• This recipe does not require parmesan cheese, but it is highly recommended! Fresh Parm will make this taste more like risotto, but if you don’t have any, grated cheddar would suffice.
• This dish called for simple white rice. Brown rice is not advised because it will take an additional 10 minutes to prepare, overcooking the chicken.
• To relieve the pressure, you must strictly adhere to the instructions. Allowing it to sit for too long can result in overdone rice with a sticky texture. After 2 minutes of natural pressure release, manually release the pressure!
• This is a thick and creamy risotto-style chicken and rice recipe, not a soupy or stewy chicken and rice meal. This isn’t the recipe for you if you’re hoping for something light and fluffy.

Chicken with Rice in an Instant Pot

This chicken and rice in the Instant Pot is simply divine. It’s rich and creamy, but it’s also incredibly quick and simple to prepare. It’ll please the whole family, and it’s a true one-pot supper!

This midweek family supper recipe, with Parmesan cheese and a touch of lemon, is inspired by my favorite risotto recipe, but without the work!

Ingredients For Pot Chicken And Rice

• 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts about 2-3 breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3-4 cups chicken broth 3 cups for firmer rice, and 4 cups for a more risotto-inspired, soupier version. We personally prefer 4 cups.
• 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice from one lemon
• 1 ½ cups white rice rinsed
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt plus more or less to taste
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper plus more or less to taste

Equipment

Instant Pot

Instructions

1. Set the Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Allow butter to soften before adding garlic and onion. 3–4 minutes of sautéing
2. Stir in the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion is no longer translucent. Combine the rice, broth, and lemon juice in a bowl. Stir thoroughly, then add the chicken pieces on top.
3. In the Instant Pot, combine the chicken broth and liquid ingredients.
4. Set the valve to Sealing and secure the lid on the pot. Set the timer for 8 minutes on Manual High Pressure.
5. Allow 2 minutes for natural release when the cooking time is over, then carefully Quick Release any remaining pressure. Season to taste with Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Optionally, add a bit of extra chicken broth to achieve the required consistency.
6. If there is still liquid on the top of your Instant Pot chicken and rice after cooking, swirl thoroughly and switch on Sauté mode to properly incorporate.

Notes

Broth of chicken: If you prefer a bowl of firmer rice with more distinct grains, use 3 cups of chicken broth. For a more risotto-inspired chicken and rice with a soupier, stew-like texture, use 4 cups.

The grain will be transparent, yet the rice will be pleasant and soft. My family and I prefer 4 cups since the texture of the risotto are better than 3 cups. Use 3 cups of rice if you want your version to have clear rice grains and be less creamy.

Rice: For this recipe, make sure you use white rice. Brown rice is not advised because it will take an additional 10 minutes to prepare, overcooking the chicken.

Use regular rice instead of instant or minute rice.

Fresh Parmesan is best, although shredded cheese can be substituted.

If your chicken and rice have a “gluey” texture, you probably overcooked the meal by allowing it to naturally release pressure for too long. This section is crucial! After the Instant Pot beeps, wait 2 minutes before manually releasing pressure.

This recipe will be more risotto-like in texture than fried rice or rice pilaf.

Cleaning the Instant Pot: Use my simple way to clean your Instant Pot if any rice sticks to it. Fill the Instant Pot with water and dish soap up to 14-13% of the way.

Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode on High/Extra High and allow the liquid to simmer. The rice will release and clean up easily after a few minutes.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 676kcal, Carbohydrates: 61g, Protein: 54g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 156mg, Sodium: 1957mg, Potassium: 912mg, Fiber: 1g, Vitamin A: 598IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 347mg, Iron: 2mg, Net Carbs: 60g