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Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Rice is picky eaters favorite. You'll have extremely creamy non mushy rice & juicy chicken in every bite. Make this cheesy chicken and rice instant pot recipe under 20 mins. Don't miss the tips!
Check out our huge collection of easy Instant Pot Recipes!
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice with cream of chicken soup
You guys will love this instant pot cheesy chicken and rice! It's so simple and quick to whip up, stores well & freezes well too. The leftovers taste even more delicious.
You can make this Creamy chicken and rice pressure cooker recipe with frozen thawed chicken breasts or thighs and simple pantry staple ingredients you probably already have in your house.
The cream of chicken soup adds a whole new level of irresistible creaminess to this recipe. You'll love it! The secret is when you add it! This is one of our favorite instant pot chicken and rice recipes.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Find the Ingredients with actual measurements at the bottom of the post. The list below is just a reference.
- Chicken: I used thawed frozen chicken breasts. If you prefer dark meat use chicken thighs.
- Rice: I used regular store brand white long grain rice. You can sub it with basmati rice. In that case the cook time would be 5 mins followed by 10 mins natural pressure release. Rest of the recipe would remain the same.
- Aromatics: Yellow onion and minced garlic. Do not use red onion. It has a pungent flavor which won't go very well with this instant pot chicken and rice casserole.
- Seasonings: Nutmeg, Fresh cracked pepper and salt according to your own personal taste preference. You can use ground black pepper instead of fresh cracked pepper. Don't skip the nutmeg, it adds a great depth of flavor to this easy chicken and rice instant pot recipe.
- Cooking fat: Butter. You can sub it with extra light or light olive oil.
- Cheese: Extra sharp cheddar cheese grated from a block or pre-shredded. You can also use 1:1 sharp cheddar : Colby jack or Monterey Jack.
- Cream of chicken soup: This totally give the whole recipe a delicious facelift. If your worried about calories you can skip adding the cream of chicken soup and add the cheese instead. The cook time won't change. You can also sub it with cream of mushroom soup if you love mushrooms.
- Better than Bouillon: Better than bouillon chicken base is what I used. Stir it warm water to make an instant homemade flavorful stock. You won't need the store bought chicken stocks ever again. This stuff is really wonderful!
- Liquid: Water with better than bouillon stirred in.
- Garnish: Use dried or fresh chopped parsley and lemon wedges as a garnish.
Top Tips
- Non mushy Rice secret: Rinse the rice under running tap water several times until clear water runs through. This will help remove the surface starch from the rice and hence, prevent the rice from getting mushy.
- No BURN error: Rinse the rice very well as stated above and deglaze the pot very well by scraping the sides and the bottom of the pot with the help of a spatula. This will loosen any stuck food particles and prevent the BURN error.
- Extra creaminess: Use cream of chicken soup and sharp cheddar cheese (see subs above). Do add the cream of chicken soup before the pressure cooking cycle. This will create a velvety creaminess and make the recipe so rich & yummy! Add the cheese after the pressure cooking cycle is over. Mix until melted. This will prevent the cheese from curdling.
How to make instant pot creamy chicken and rice?
Find the detailed step by step recipe along with measurements + Video at the bottom of the post.
Step #1 Sauté Chicken
- Sauté chicken: Set the instant pot on SAUTE mode at NORMAL heat settings. Add butter, add the onion & garlic and sauté for 1 min. Add the diced chicken and sauté until the chicken begins to become opaque. Add the seasonings and sauté for a few mins. This will help build flavor and keep the chicken pieces nice and juicy.
Step #2 Deglaze pot
- Deglaze pot: Cancel the SAUTE function. Pour stock and deglaze the pot very well by scraping the sides and the bottom of the pot with the help of a spatula. This will help loosen any stuck food particles and help prevent the BURN error.
Step #4 Pressure Cook
- Dump ingredients: Add rinsed and drained white long grain rice. Spread the rice into a single layer with the help of a spatula. Do not mix or stir. Add the condensed cream of chicken soup on top of the rice. Do not stir or mix.
- Pressure Cook: Secure the lid, seal the valve and pressure cook on high for just 6 mins followed by a quick pressure release. Turn off the instant pot.
Step #4 Mix Cheese & serve
- Mix Cheese: Add the grated or pre-shredded cheddar cheese and gently fold it in the rice. Mix well until the cheese completely melts and incorporates into the rice to form a creamy consistency. You can also add a few splashes of warm water while mixing the cheese for an even more creamier consistency.
- Serve: Serve the creamy rice garnished with fresh or dried parsley and lemon slices. Enjoy!
Storage
Fridge: Creamy chicken and rice instant pot recipe will last for 5 days in the fridge. Store in air tight containers. The dish will thicken quite a bit. Do follow the reheating directions shared below.
Freezer: Store the instant pot chicken and rice in individual freezer safe containers or bags for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and follow the reheating directions shared below.
Reheating Directions
Microwave oven: This creamy chicken and rice dinner thickens further when stored in the fridge or freezer. Add a few splashes of warm water and than reheat the creamy chicken and rice in the microwave oven until warm or hot. Serve immediately.
Stove top: Reheat the dish with few splashes of warm water in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove top. Stir frequently to prevent it from burning.
Serving Ideas
You can serve this one pot creamy chicken and rice recipe with a simple vegetable side like:
- Instant pot steamed broccoli.
- Instant pot steamed carrots.
- Instant pot beets.
- Instant pot green beans no steamer basket.
More one pot instant pot dinners
- Instant pot chicken drumsticks and potatoes.
- Instant pot pesto chicken pasta.
- Instant pot chicken fajita rice.
- Instant pot chicken thighs and white rice.
- Instant pot chicken thighs and vegetables.
- Instant pot chicken mushroom stroganoff.
- Easy instant pot jambalaya.
- Instant pot black beans and rice.
- Sausage and rice instant pot.
- Instant pot mushroom rice.
- Instant pot chicken fried rice.
Recommended
I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU! If you try this Instant pot creamy chicken and rice recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I would love to hear how it turned out for you, or any changes you make. You can also follow me on Pinterest or subscribe our free NEWLETTER for new recipes every week!
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Rice
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Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds chicken (**boneless skinless chicken breasts diced into ½ inch cubes. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.)
- 2 cups long grain rice (**use any store brand regular long grain rice. Do not use minute rice! READ NOTES.)
- 1 cup onion (**roughly chopped.)
- ½ tbsp garlic (**minced.)
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2.5 cups cheddar cheese (**sharp cheddar cheese grated from a block or pre-shredded.)
- 10.5 ounce condensed cream of chicken soup (**from the can. )
Seasonings
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground black pepper (**or fresh cracked black pepper.)
- salt (**add according to your personal taste preference.)
Liquid
- 4.5 cups water (**warm water.)
- 1 tbsp better than bouillon (**chicken base stirred in the 4.5 cups warm water to form an instant homemade chicken stock.)
Equipment Used
Instructions
Saute chicken
- Set the instant pot on SAUTE mode on NORMAL heat settings (you can adjust the heat by pressing the SAUTE button more than once). Add butter, when the butter begins to melt throw in the onion & garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the diced chicken cubes and saute until the chicken pieces begin to turn opaque. Add all the seasonings mention above in the "Seasonings" section. Saute until the chicken begins to turn golden around the edges. Cancel the SAUTE mode.
Deglaze pot
- Add the chicken stock and deglaze the pot by scraping the sides and the bottom of the pot with the help of a spatula. This will help loosen any stuck food particles from the bottom of the pot and hence, prevent the BURN error. Do Not rush this step!
Pressure Cook
- Rinse the rice very well under running tap water multiple times until clear water runs through. Drain the rinsed long grain rice in a colander or a strainer. Add the drained rince into the instant pot and gently spread it into a single layer. DO NOT stir or mix. Transfer the condensed cream of chicken soup into the instant pot on top of the rice. DO NOT stir or mix.
- Secure the lid of the instant pot, seal the valve and PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for just 6 minutes. Once the pressure cooking cycle is over the instant pot will begin to beep. Immediately perform a quick pressure release by moving the valve from the sealing to the venting position. Once, the metal floating pin on top of the lid drops open the lid carefully. Turn off the instant pot.
Add cheese & serve
- Add the shredded or grated cheddar cheese and gently fold in with the cooked rice in the instant pot with the help of your spatula. Mix well until the cheese completely melts. If you prefer creamier rice do add spalshes of warm water and adjust the consistency of the chicken and rice according to your liking. Read NOTES below. Serve the creamy chicken and rice garnished with dried or fresh chopped parsley and lemon slices. Enjoy!
Notes
- Rice: Use any store brand regular white long grain rice. I used the Kroger's store brand long grain rice. If you want to use white Basmati rice add 4 cups liquid and pressure cook on high for 5 mins. Rest of the recipe would remain the same.
- Creamy chicken and rice consistency: We love a rich creamier consistency very similar to risotto I would say. If you prefer a much thicker and less creamy consistency do add 4 cups liquid instead of 4.5 cups and do not add any splashes of water while mixing in the cheese.
- Soupier consistency: If you love a soupier consistency add about 6 cups liquid instead of 4.5 cups mentioned in this recipe. You can also add extra splashes of warm water while mixing in the shredded cheese.
- Cream of chicken soup: If you love mushrooms you can sub the cream of chicken soup with condensed cream of mushroom soup.
- Avoid BURN: Rinse the rice well and deglaze the pot very well. These two steps will help prevent the BURN error.
- Garnish choices: You can garnish the creamy chicken and rice with lemon juice, fresh chopped parsley or dried parsley.
Stephanie says
This worked so well for my family! Tasted great. I used some celery in the onion portion of the recipe and only used 4c of water with my cream of celery. Great comfort food!
Foodies Terminal says
So glad you loved the recipe Stephanie 🙂 Thanks much for the wonderful feedback, appreciate it 🙂 Hope you'll try our other recipes from the blog and enjoy each one of them 🙂 - Meghna xoxo.