This Instant Pot Chicken Breast and Rice recipe features tender, juicy chunks of chicken breast with rice, topped off with parmesan cheese and peas, for a tasty one-pot meal in under 30 minutes!
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Why this Recipe Works
Cooking chicken and rice in a pressure cooker is perfect for a weeknight dinner. It's a hearty meal with classic flavors that even picky kids will love. And this one-pot chicken dinner requires just 10 minutes of hands on time and just under 30 minutes total!
While it's short on time and effort, this chicken and rice is still packed with flavor. The tender juicy bites of chicken breast are seasoned and browned. The salty parmesan cheese that melts into the rice for a creamy, risotto like consistency, and the green peas to top it off and add color and sweetness to the dish.
If all of that wasn't enough to sell you, there's just one pot to clean up at the end, and if you're like me, it doesn't get much better than that!
For another tasty chicken and rice dinner checkout my Chicken and Rice Casserole without Soup. It's one of the most popular recipes on my site!
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken - For this recipe I use chicken breast cut into bite sized chunks. You can also substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins if you prefer.
- Parmesan Cheese - The cheese adds a saltiness to the dish and it also melts into the rice to give it a creamier texture. If you're not a fan of Parmesan, sharp cheddar will also work, with a little different flavor.
- Peas - The peas add color and some sweetness to the dish but these can be substituted with other veggies if you prefer. Depending on what you use you may need to cook them separately. I've done this with broccoli as well and just steamed it before adding it to the finished chicken and rice.
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to saute mode and preheat. While it heats, season the chicken with salt and pepper and rinse your rice under cold water in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear.
- Add olive oil to the pot , then add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally until lightly browned on all sides. Turn off the pot then add ½ cup of chicken broth and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add in the remaining chicken broth, rice, garlic powder, and onion powder, then stir. The chicken should rise to the top and the rice will sink to the bottom of the pot.
- Secure the lid and set to Manual High Pressure for 8 minutes.
- After cooking, allow pressure to release naturally for 2-3 minutes, then vent the remaining pressure until the pin drops.
- Remove the lid and stir in the parmesan cheese and peas. Let sit for a few minutes until the peas are warmed through, then serve. Note, for a creamier texture you can stir in around ¼ to ½ cup of additional chicken broth prior to serving.
What to Serve with Chicken and Rice
This is a complete one-pot chicken and rice dinner and doesn't need much else in terms of side dishes. But you can never go wrong with side salad to get some more greens into your life! Here are a few of my favorites:
- Chick-fil-a Kale Salad (Copycat Recipe)
- Fall Apple Walnut Salad with Cider Vinaigrette
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad
Recipe Variations
- Dairy Free - You can simply omit the Parmesan cheese to make this dish dairy free
- Brown Rice - For added nutrition you can swap the white rice for brown rice. Increase the cook time to 10 minutes and allow an extra two minutes of natural release if using brown rice. The texture will be firmer and not as creamy as white rice.
- Veggies - Broccoli, carrots, corn, and other vegetables can be added in as well. For larger, firmer vegetables like carrots and broccoli, you will want to cook them separately before adding to the dish. Steam in the bag veggies work great for this!
Recipe Tips and FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days
To reheat, add leftovers to a square baking dish and stir in a splash of water or chicken broth to add a little moisture and loosen up the rice. Then heat in a 325°F oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
I don't reccomend using frozen chicken in this recipe. You would need to increase the cook time too much and the rice would be overcooked and mushy.
Rinsing the rice before cooking removes some of the starch and helps avoid a burn warning from sticking rice. I've made this successfully both with and without rinsing the rice, but rinsing it is more reliable.
To keep this recipe quick and easy I used onion powder and garlic powder for a bit of extra flavor, but you can totally use fresh if you prefer.
If using fresh, add a ½ cup of diced onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic and saute in a tablespoon of olive oil for a few minutes after browning the chicken. Then proceed as directed by deglazing the pot with chicken broth.
More Instant Pot Recipes to try
- Easy Instant Pot Chicken Stew
- Instant Pot London Broil
- Instant Pot Pork Roast and Potatoes
- Instant Pot Pork Chops and Gravy
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Breast and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3½ cups chicken broth
- 1½ cups white rice, rinsed to remove excess starch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to saute mode and preheat. While it heats, season the chicken with salt and pepper and rinse your rice in a mesh strainer under cold water until the water runs clear.
- Add olive oil to the pot , then add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally until lightly browned on all sides. Turn off the pot then add ½ cup of chicken broth and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add in the remaining chicken broth, rice, garlic powder, and onion powder, then stir. The chicken should rise to the top and the rice will sink to the bottom of the pot.
- Secure the lid and set to Manual High Pressure for 8 minutes.
- After cooking, allow pressure to release naturally for 2-3 minutes, then vent the remaining pressure until the pin drops.
- Remove the lid and stir in the parmesan cheese and peas. Let sit for a few minutes until the peas are warmed through, then serve.
Nutrition Facts
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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