Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice is a complete meal with creamy chicken, rice, peas and cheese. A one-pot meal the whole family loves! This easy chicken dinner is perfect for busy weeknights!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• How to Make Cheesy Chicken and Rice in the Instant Pot
• Cooking Time
• How to Store and Reheat
• Variations
• Cooking Tips
• Recipe
• Reviews

Easy chicken and rice is classic comfort food made even easier in the electric pressure cooker. This is one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes to make on busy days because it comes together fast.

It's such an easy weeknight meal! Plus, even my picky eaters love it!

We love my grandma's old fashioned chicken and rice recipe, but this easy Instant Pot chicken recipe is much faster. You can dig into this delicious chicken dinner in about 30 minutes!

The first time I made chicken and rice in the Instant Pot, I kept it super plain. I just added Parmesan cheese.

But the next time I made this easy Instant Pot recipe, I added cheddar cheese and cheddar blend. I also used cream of chicken soup to make super creamy chicken and rice. This is a very versatile recipe, and you can make Instant Pot chicken and rice without cream of chicken soup or with soup!

Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients for cheesy chicken and rice. You can find them in your grocery store if you don't have what you need at home.

• Olive oil -- for sauteeing the chicken
• Boneless skinless chicken breasts 
• Seasoning -- Dried minced onions, garlic powder, sea salt, ground black pepper, herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning mix
• Chicken broth -- I use low sodium chicken broth, or water
• Jasmine rice -- white rice, either Basmati or long grain rice, not Minute rice or brown rice. Make sure it is uncooked rice.
• Frozen peas -- or mixed vegetables
• Shredded cheddar cheese or cheese blend
• Cream of chicken soup-- optional

How to Make Cheesy Chicken and Rice in the Instant Pot

First, cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, about 1 inch thick or so. Then, turn the Instant Pot to sauté mode.

When the pot reads Hot, add the oil. Then, add the chicken pieces and seasonings, and cook on the sauté setting until no longer pink.

You don't have to worry about cooking the chicken all the way through here since it will finish cooking under pressure.

Be sure to deglaze the bottom of the pot with some chicken broth so that there are no bits of chicken stuck on the bottom.

Add the rice over the chicken, and pour in your remaining cups chicken broth or water. Press the rice down so that it's covered with broth, but don't stir everything together.

If you want to add cream of chicken soup or another cream soup, you can add it now. Just don't stir everything together.

Place the lid on the pressure cooker, and make sure the valve is on sealing position. This will vary with different Instant Pot models.

Cooking Time

Pressure cook the chicken and rice for 4 minutes on high pressure with a 10 minute natural release. The natural pressure release is super important.

If you skip this part, the rice will not be cooked.

This is the same method I use for jasmine rice in the Instant Pot. It makes perfect rice every time!

After 10 minutes is up, do a quick release to release the remaining pressure.

Now, stir in the shredded cheese and some frozen peas or mixed veggies.

You can also use thawed veggies, but the heat from the Instant Pot is enough to cook them right from frozen.

As you stir the cheesy chicken and rice mixture, it will become thick, creamy and very cheesy. You can add more cheese on the side for the extreme cheese lovers!

How to Store and Reheat

Store any leftover Instant Pot chicken and rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it'll last for 3 to 4 days.

For longer storage, store leftovers in a freezer safe container in the freezer.

Reheat your chicken and rice in the microwave.

Variations

There are a few easy ways to customize this cheesy chicken and rice Instant Pot recipe to your liking!

First, as you might have guessed, is to switch up what type of cheese you add! Cheddar cheese is usually my go-to, but parmesan cheese, a Mexican shredded cheese blend, or sharp cheddar cheese will also go great with this.

If you want super creamy chicken and rice, add 2 cups chicken broth. You can also add heavy cream or half and half instead of the cream soup.

You can make Instant Pot chicken and rice with or without cream of chicken soup. With the cream soup, you'll get a far more creamy sauce. It's really just a matter of personal taste!

If you do choose to add cream soup, you could also use cream of onion soup, cream of celery soup or cream of mushroom soup, instead of cream of chicken.

Add your favorite veggies for a pop of green. Using frozen peas keeps this simple chicken and rice meal super easy, but fresh vegetables work just as well. When I have the time, I love adding in some fresh broccoli florets-- the combination of creamy rice and cheesy chicken broccoli is peak comfort food!

Love Asian flavors? You might also like Instant Pot teriyaki chicken and rice. Or, try my Instant Pot Kielbasa and Rice!

Cooking Tips

Deglaze the bottom of the pot to remove any browned bits after cooking chicken. This helps prevent the burn notice.

Remember to allow a 10 minute natural pressure release after 4 minutes cook time.

Always rinse rice before cooking.

Don't mix everything together until after pressure cooking.

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Recipe

This flavorful cheesy chicken dinner is the ultimate comfort food, and truly one of my favorite recipes! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do in my home!

Be sure to comment and leave a star rating if you try this Instant Pot cheesy chicken and rice dinner!

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Post first published in 2019 and updated in 2023