Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
If you need a quick and easy dinner the whole family will enjoy look no further than this Instant Pot Chicken and Rice! It’s creamy and cheesy with pieces of tender chicken, carrots and rice. A one-pot meal that will quickly become a staple dinner recipe at your house.
This Instant Pot chicken and rice is the ultimate one-pot dinner! It’s a cozy, comforting dinner that is perfect for weeknights.
I love easy pressure cooker recipes, and this one is a favorite – you can cook the chicken and rice at the same time. No extra pots and pans required! Add a vegetable like roasted veggies or glazed carrots on the side for a dinner your family will love.
Why This Recipe Works
- I’m showing you how to make chicken and rice from scratch with simple ingredients.
- You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. The choice is yours!
- You can cook everything in the Instant Pot – you can sauté the veggies and chicken, and then pressure cook them with the rice. Add some grated Parmesan at the end to make it a cheesy, comforting meal!
This recipe is so easy and so good you’ll want to add it to your dinner rotation. My family loves it!
Ingredients You Need to Prep
Chicken: You will need to cut the boneless chicken breasts (or thighs) into 1” pieces
Vegetables: Onions, carrots, and garlic add so much flavor – just finely dice them!
The rest of the ingredients are simple pantry and fridge ingredients that only need to be measured.
Make in Four Easy Steps!
Saute: Turn on the saute setting to high heat. Melt the butter with olive oil in the pot and then add the onion, carrots, and garlic. Cook them for about five minutes. Add the meat, salt, and pepper and cook it with the veggies for another five minutes. The chicken won’t be cooked through at this point.
Deglaze: Add some of the broth. It will simmer, making it easy to scrape up the browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the rest of the broth and the rice. Stir to combine and then secure the lid.
Pressure Cook: Once the lid is secured, close the steam vent. Turn off the saute feature and set the manual button for 10 minutes on high pressure. Once the time is up, do a quick release, so all of the steam is released.
Garnish and Serve! Open the lid and add the Parmesan cheese. Stir until it’s combined and then garnish with chopped parsley.
Tips for Leftovers
I think it tastes best served right away, but the leftovers will keep for a few days in the fridge. If it’s thickened or dry, just add a splash of broth when yo warm it up and it will be delicious!
Make It a Complete Meal!
This is a hearty meal on it’s on, but sometimes I add a side dish! Here are some ideas:
- Add some soft dinner rolls or a batch of my easy Breadsticks!
- Air Fryer Asparagus or Broccoli is a healthy and easy side dish that goes great with it.
- Use your crockpot to make Ranch Carrots!
- Don’t forget dessert – we love some Blonde Brownies or Monster Cookies for a special treat!
This is a creamy, cheesy, and satisfying dinner! It’s great for busy nights when you need something to fill up your hungry family! It’s just another reason to love your pressure cooker – want some more ideas? Be sure to check out some more favorite recipes!
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
Here are more chicken recipes you can make in your IP!
- Chicken Alfredo is another comforting dinner that is so easy to make!
- For taco Tuesday, you have to try my easy pressure cooker Chicken Tacos.
- Crack Chicken Sandwiches get their name for a reason – they are so good! Make the chicken in your IP for a quick and easy dinner.
Looking for even more ideas? Be sure to check out all of my Instant Pot Recipes!
Have you tried this chicken and rice recipe? I’d love if you would rate it!! A five-star rating will make my day!
Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats that way I’m sure to see your pictures!!
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 2 large carrots finely diced
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 ½ boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs trimmed and cut into 1’’ pieces
- 2 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 4 c. low sodium chicken broth
- 2 c. white rice
- ½ c. shredded parmesan cheese plus more to serve if desired
- Finely chopped parsley for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Set a 6 quart Instant Pot to saute on high heat. Add the butter and oil and let the butter melt. Then add the chopped onion, carrots and garlic. Saute, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and golden.
- Add the trimmed and cut chicken, salt and pepper to Instant Pot. Saute, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes (chicken will not be cooked through).
- Add ¼ c. chicken broth and deglaze but scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any burnt pieces.
- Add the rest of the chicken broth (3 ½ c.) to the pan along with rice and stir to combine.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot making sure the steam release knob is in the sealing position. Cancel the saute setting and then press the Manual button setting it to 10 minutes on high pressure.
- When the cooking cycle is finished do a quick release of the pressure.
- Open the lid and stir in ½ c. grated Parmesan cheese.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley and more Parmesan cheese if desired.
One of my favorite recipes. So delicious!
I’m so happy to hear you love this recipe Ashley!
This was delicious!! I love bringing out my instant pot to try new recipes. Loved it
Way to go Sam! Glad you found a recipe to try and that you loved it!
I made this last night and it was DELICIOUS! My hubby isn’t usually a big fan of chicken/rice dishes but he loved this so much we’re having the leftovers for dinner tonight! I didn’t change anything but made a half recipe. I also used my own homemade chicken stock which was full of flavor. Was a little concerned about using parmesan (instead of typical cheddar) but it was perfect! I did all my prep earlier in the day and then just threw it together. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
You’re welcome Karen! I’m so glad that you loved this recipe!
hi. could you tell me what a instant pot is. i dont have on or can a person use a regular pot. my email address is;hbanman @yahoo.ca. thank you very much. helen banman.
Hi Helen – the best way I could describe an instant pot is that it is a pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow-cooker, rice cooker…..all in one package. Hope this helps!