Instant Pot Chicken and Rice comes out perfect every time! So easy to make in 20 minutes and packed full of juicy chicken, creamy parmesan, and garlic flavor!
This recipe was way overdue here as our readers have been asking me for an Instant Pot version of our super popular One Pot Creamy Parmesan Chicken and Rice for quite a while now! This one is tried, tested, and super fast to make. The chicken is really flavor packed and tender. The rice is perfectly cooked which is one of my favorite perks of using the instant pot, rice just right every time! One bonus of this too is that it’s a little healthier because there’s no heavy cream! It doesn’t need it either, it comes out somewhat creamy on its own, and the parmesan does a great job of getting the cheesy goodness we love in there! And, if you’re new here, definitely try out our Instant Pot Mac & Cheese it’s a reader favorite!
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken and Rice:
- We start with butter, which I love because it adds great flavor when searing the chicken and onions! You’ll cook the onions first, just until starting to soften, and keep an eye on them, and stir, so that they don’t burn. Then we add in our cubed chicken breasts that have been well seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt & pepper. All you need to do here is stir occasionally for a few minutes until the chicken is golden.
- Now, the most important part which I harp on A LOT when making IP recipes. You’ve gotta deglaze that pot! Pour just 1/4 cup or so of your broth into the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits. This step ensures that you won’t get that dreaded “burn’ notice.
- Turn the pot off at this point and stir in the rice, then pour over the remaining broth. There’s no need to stir a second time. Place the lid on your pot and make sure you set the valve to the sealing position. You will cook on manual/high pressure for 5 minutes. Then, once the cooking time is up do a natural pressure release (don’t do anything) for 5 minutes. Then, you can release the remaining pressure which only takes about a minute for this recipe.
- Remove the lid carefully and stir in your fresh broccoli florets. Then, do nothing at all for about 3-5 minutes. The steam from the chicken and rice will cook the broccoli just until it’s tender. Now, stir in your cheese and serve!
Recipe Notes and Tips:
- This recipe can be made as is in a 6 quart or 8 quart Instant Pot. I have not tried it in a smaller pot, because I don’t own one at this time so I am unable to make recommendations for that and suggest using your Instant Pot manual, as well as your best judgement.
- You must use white, long grain rice for this recipe. Brown rice cooks differently, so it cannot be substituted equally. Minute or quick cooking rice will not work here either, it will cook too fast.
- I love adding broccoli to this to make it a well rounded dinner. But, if you hate broccoli, please feel free to leave it out. It won’t change the recipe at all.
- If you’re looking for side dishes to go along with this meal, we love these skillet Green Beans and our quick and easy Drop Biscuits!
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion Diced
- 1 1/2 Pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts Cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 3 Cups Chicken Broth
- 1 1/2 Cups Long Grain White Rice
- 3 Cups Fresh Broccoli Florets
- 1 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on to saute mode and add the butter.
- Once the butter is melted, add in the onion and cook stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes until beginning to soften.
- Season the chicken with the garlic powder, salt, onion powder, oregano, and pepper.
- Add the chicken to the pot with the onion and cook, stirring occasionally just until the chicken is golden, about 3-4 minutes.
- Pour about 1/4 cup of the chicken broth into the pot and use a wooden spoon to deglaze any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Turn the pot off and stir in the rice, and the remaining broth. Place the lid on the pot and set the valve to sealing.
- Place the instant pot on manual, high pressure for 5 minutes cook time.
- Once the cook time is up, allow the pot to come to pressure naturally for 5 minutes.
- Do a quick release and stir in the broccoli. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Turn the pot off and stir in the parmesan cheese.
- Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve been using chicken noodle soup in place of chicken broth. I add an extra cup to offset the additional ingredients in the soup.
Making this for dinner tonight and have a question…is it grated parmesan like what comes in a can OR is it shredded parmesan? The picture makes it look like shredded so just want to make sure!
SOrry for the late reply, yes it’s shredded 🙂
Great recipe and the cook time was perfect. I subbed baby Bella mushrooms for the broccoli because I didn’t have any, came out great! Thank you