My Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is creamy and cheesy with tender morsels of juicy chicken in less time than the classic dish. You will fall in love with the flavors, especially with my secret tip for adding garlic. This is a fan-favorite recipe, so watch the video tutorial below to see how easy this is.
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Helpful Reader Review
“Follow the recipe exactly and Comes out perfect every time! Amazing flavor.” – Amber ★★★★★
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Video
This Instant Pot chicken and rice recipe will transform dinner for you. It’s one of the easiest and tastiest dinners you’ll make, and there’s minimal cleanup because it all comes together in the Instant Pot!
Easy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
The texture of this Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is almost like a Risotto, but it doesn’t require the tedious stirring for 30 minutes. The flavor is truly memorable, and yet this recipe calls for simple ingredients.
The secret to great Chicken and Rice in the Instant Pot is in infusing the rice with an entire head of garlic. I add the whole head while cooking, so then the garlic will melt in your mouth. (We used the same trick to make Instant Pot Beef and Rice (Plov).)
We love our Instant Pot because it produces the same great results in a fraction of the time, so you can enjoy dinner fast! Some of our favorites include Instant Pot White Chicken Chili, Bone Broth, Corn on the Cob, and Tender Ribs.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Simple ingredients really shine in this Instant Pot Chicken and Rice recipe! Grab a pack of chicken and a few pantry staples.
- Vegetables – onion, grated/julienned carrots, and parsley
- Garlic – I use a whole head of garlic, halved lengthwise and leave this unpeeled.
- Chicken – boneless breasts, thighs, or tenders cut into bite-sized pieces (1″). *We prefer chicken tenders because they require less prep and reheat well. They are also the most tender.
- Chicken broth – use Homemade Chicken Stock or a low-sodium version from the grocery store
- Jasmine rice – unrinsed. You could also use Basmati or Texmati without adjusting the cooking time. Brown rice would require a longer cooking time.
- Parmesan cheese – Salty and nutty flavor that permeates the whole dish
How to Make Chicken and Rice in the Instant Pot
We used a 6 Quart Instant Pot to make chicken and rice. This recipe moves fast, so have all of your ingredients prepped and ready before you turn on your Instant Pot.
- Set your Instant Pot to sautee on high heat, add oil, butter, onion, carrots, and 1 tsp salt, cooking for 5 minutes.
- Add chicken and salt, and saute for another 5 min.
- Add in broth and rice and stir. Place the halved garlic head cut-side-down on top. Cook for 1 minute on manual high pressure, and then quick release.
- Open the lid to add the Parmesan cheese and parsley. Stir and serve with more cheese to sprinkle over the top.
Tips for Using an Instant Pot to Make Chicken and Rice
Always read the user’s manual for your specific machine because it may operate differently.
- Make sure the rim and rubber seal on your Instant Pot are clean for the seal to form properly.
- Stir the rice together before turning on the heat to avoid the burn notice.
- For safety, wear an oven mitt when manually releasing pressure, and keep your face away from the hot steam vent. Also, keep a paper towel ready to shield the vent while venting/releasing pressure.
- Check the pressure indicator to ensure that the pressure has fully released prior to opening the lid.
- Follow timing instructions precisely and set timers. With pressure cooking, it’s easy to overcook something if you forget about your pot.
Helpful Reader Review
“Delicious and so easy. I used long-grain white rice and added about a cup of frozen spinach. Came out like a risotto and everyone loved it!” – Snk ★★★★★
Easy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice makes for the perfect go-to or first Instant Pot recipe! It’s simple and will impress you right out of the pot! It’s freezer-friendly and keeps in the fridge, so you can easily use this recipe for meal planning for the week. Let me know how you love it in the comments!
PS. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can still enjoy this recipe, because it is the quicker and easier version of our wildly popular Stovetop Chicken and Rice Recipe.
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, thickly grated or julienned
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, or thighs, or tenders (trimmed and cut into 1" pieces)
- 2 tsp sea salt, divided
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, ground
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups Jasmine rice, un-rinsed
- 1 head garlic, unpeeled, cut in half crosswise
- 1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped, plus more to garnish
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
Instructions
- Set a 6 Qt Instant Pot to saute on high heat and add butter, oil, chopped onion, grated or julienned carrots, and 1 tsp salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until soft and golden.
- Add trimmed, chopped chicken, another 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
- Add 4 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of rice and stir to combine. Cut the whole garlic head in half through the cloves and parallel to the base. Place garlic halves on top, cut-side down. Cover and cook on manual high pressure for 10 minutes, then quick-release remaining pressure.
- Open the lid and stir in 1/2 cup parmesan with 1/3 cup chopped parsley. Serve with more cheese and garnish with parsley if desired.
Notes
- To refrigerate – pack in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To freeze – place airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- To reheat – place leftovers in a casserole dish covered in a 350°F oven or in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally until heated through to 165°F.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Easy 30-Minute Meals You Will Love
Just like Instant Pot Chicken and Rice, these are go-to 30-minute meals that our family loves (our kids go back for seconds), and they require minimal prep. Perfect for a weeknight!
- Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Beef and Broccoli
- Baked Chicken Tacos
- Philly Cheesesteak
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Zuppa Toscana
- Lettuce Wraps
Another great meal. Doubled the pepper to our taste. My wife stopped cooking so I’ve followed your site on a few recipes. She says “thank you”. Survived another day!
Thank you, Jim!
How could I make this with frozen tenderloins if I forgot to defrost the chicken?
I haven’t tested this with frozen chicken, but you would be missing some flavor by not doing the sauteeing part of the recipe. I recommend thawing and proceeding as instructed above. I hope you love the recipe.
We liked it. I mashed the garlic and stirred it in with some frozen peas and let it sit for a couple of minutes. I also added extra broth to thin it a little. We’ll have it again. Thanks.
I feel like it’s obvious but you should specify to remove the garlic (unless you don’t which would be a bit weird since it’s un-peeled)
Hi Natasha
I love this recipe but I find sometimes the chicken is a little tough, I use chicken breast as my kid does not eat chicken thighs. Is there anything I can do to make the chicken a little more juicy and tender
Hi Chris, this truly is best with chicken thighs, make sure you’re also not cutting the breast too small so its not over cooking and getting tough.
This was good…very good flavor and the texture is like risotto. I did want more vegetables so I added broccoli and cauliflower after adding the cheese.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
This was the first recipe cooked in my new instant pot rio and it was great! And so easy! Made some adjustments to the seasoning and didn’t have carrots but I’m making it again within the same week! Your meatloaf recipe is our favorite so I figured I couldn’t go wrong with any other recipe of yours! Thank you!
Hi Sheila! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you so much for sharing.
I just made this. I did not use carrots, but used the onion and garlic. I used the same ration of rice and liquid. I put a half jar of hot salsa in and cooked per directions. I did a hard release and added some sour cream, cheddar cheese, and a splash of milk to loosen thing up. Was delish.
Thanks for shairng, Margaret. We’re glad that you loved it!
Thank you for the information
It is true that the recipe used is very delicious because it has very delicious spices
that’s why I was addicted and made it again
Great to hear that you enjoyed it!
I made this recipe many times and it never fails. The entire family loves it. It’s quick and very easy to put together during work days!
That’s great to hear, Ana!
I want to make this for a crowd. If I double the recipe do I still keep the same cooking time?
Hi Loretta, I haven’t doubled it, but my readers have, here’s what they had to say: “my kids love it and it doubles easily if you have the bigger cooker. If you don’t have the cheese it still makes a tasty dish. It can also be easily modified. I substituted diced chuck roast, beef broth and upped the cooking time to 15 min. It came out tender and perfect, it is like a quick version of your beef plav.” I hope that helps.
No where in the recipe directions (between step 3 and 4) does it say to take the garlic out of the pot. It just says to open the lid and stir! This reminds me of rice-a-roni style rice and if people think this rice will be Chewy, they might consider it over cooked. Just FYI. THE FLAVOR IS DELICIOUS!
Hi Rhea, we like to leave it in, but we have this note in the recipe “The flavor infuses the rice and then you can remove the head of garlic if you want to, or squeeze the cloves into the rice” I hope that helps.
could i use an 8 qt. instantpot,and would i need to adjust anything
Hi Barbara, I haven’t tested this in an 8 quart, but I assume they would be the same. If you try it out in your 8 qt pot, I would love to hear how it goes.
This recipe is a wonderfully simple yet delicious comfort meal that is perfect for a cool fall day 😊
My one question is can beef be used in place of chicken for this recipe?
Hi Carl, I recommend trying our Instant Pot Beef and Rice (Plov).
Looks good, can’t wait to try this recipe, wonder if I can make it with my ninja foodi. Anywho I will give it a try.
I didn’t have fresh parsley so added small pieces of broccoli (with the carrots) for some green color and the entire dish came out delicious!! Also omitted the cheese since we’re dairy free but it was still scrumptious.
Thanks for sharing, Emily! I’m glad you loved the recipe.
Very disappointed, got a burn notice with this even though I deglazed the pan after sauteing the veg and chicken. Instant Pot doesn’t do well with creamy sauces for me.
Hi Sylvia, as mentioned in the post above, I highly recommend you stir the rice together before turning on to avoid the “burn” notice. If you prefer, this recipe also works great as a stovetop Creamy Chicken and Rice.
Love this dish, Natasha. I made today exactly as written and it’s wonderful. Question for you, my son and his wife are vegetarian. Do you have suggestions for this recipe to be converted to a meatless dish that would be (almost) as flavorful? Thank you.
Hi Angela! I’m so glad you enjoy that recipe. I have not tested a chicken substitute to advise. I haven’t tested it without the chicken but it can probably be adjusted easily with some experimentation.
Also- you may want to check out the Classic Risotto Recipe. It’s creamy and delicious without the meat.
You can even try to substitute with vegan Parmesan cheese.
Can I use a crockpot to make this recipe? Would I have to change the directions to make it in a crockpot because I don’t have an InstaPot.
Hi Pam! I don’t have instructions for that but you can use the stovetop version of Creamy chicken and rice recipe.
Hi, I’m not sure what an Instant Pot is?
Could I use a slow cooker, or regular saucepan?
Thanks!
Hi Karen! I have the creamy chicken and rice stovetop version recipe.
Instant Pot is the brand name. It is a pressure cooker. 😊