Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Rice Dinner—a simple chicken and rice dinner with carrots and spinach. It’s creamy but doesn’t have any “cream of” soups in it and takes just a few minutes to dump everything in and go.
Get the SLOW COOKER Creamy Chicken Rice Dinner recipe here
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Rice Dinner
Greg was working late the other night and we had dinner without him. When he got home he microwaved himself a plate of this chicken rice dinner. I asked him what he thought of it and he said, “It’s a quintessential Karen Petersen dinner.” So I guess that’s a good thing?! Haha! He did say it was “delicious.” So that’s definitely a good thing.
I liked this meal because it was an all in one pot meal. You got some rice, chicken and veggies all in one pot and you don’t feel like you’re needing to make a side of broccoli or something else to go with it. These are personally my favorite types of dinners because who’s got time for that?
Related: 25 One Pot Dinners for the Instant Pot
I used boneless chicken thighs, brown rice, baby carrots and chopped spinach. But I bet there will be some of you that want chicken breasts, white rice, no carrots and broccoli instead. Or some other combination. I’ll try to pre-answer your questions here:
Rice: I used uncooked, long grain brown rice. I believe that you could use white rice for this recipe. This is how I would do it. I would cut my chicken into bite size pieces (either breasts or thighs) so that they cook at the same rate as the rice. I would use 1 ½ cups of broth and 1 cup of long grain white rice. Then I would pressure cook for 5 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release.
Chicken: I used frozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs from Costco. You can also use thawed thighs with the same cooking time mentioned below. Another option is to use bone-in chicken thighs or legs. Same cooking time. If you use chicken breasts they won’t be as tender. And I would use fairly large chicken breasts because with a 22 minute cooking time they’ll get overdone.
What if I want to use white rice and chicken breasts? You can. Use 1 ½ cups of broth and 1 cup of long grain white rice. Then cut the chicken breasts into bite size pieces so that they cook at the same rate as the rice. Another option would be to use fresh chicken tenders instead of cutting up the chicken. For this option use a 5 minute cook time with a 10 minute natural pressure release.
Carrots: I used the thicker type of baby carrots. They held up fairly well with the 22 minute cooking time. But if you’re not a fan of soft cooked carrots you may want to leave them out. They are pretty soft. If you use white rice, as mentioned above, then the carrots won’t be nearly as soft.
Half and half: This is just a product sold in U.S. grocery stores that contains half cream and half whole milk. Alternatively you can use heavy cream.
Can I use a different vegetable besides spinach? Sure! Get creative. Broccoli would be tasty. Another idea is green beans, cauliflower, kale, mushrooms or peppers. I would add any of these other vegetables after the rice has pressure cooked because they are likely to get too soft.
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Instant Pot White Chicken Enchilada Bowls
Instant Pot Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Instant Pot Garlic Chicken and Rice
What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
To make Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Rice Dinner I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Rice Dinner
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 52 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
A simple chicken and rice dinner with carrots and spinach. It’s creamy but doesn’t have any cream of soups in it and takes just a few minutes to dump everything in and go.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup uncooked long grain brown rice
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 8 oz baby carrots (the thicker ones)
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 cups coarsely chopped spinach
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add broth to the Instant Pot. Sprinkle in the rice. Then lay the chicken on top. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Lay the carrots on top of the chicken.
- Cover the Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 22 minutes. When the time is up let the pot sit for 10 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Carefully stir in the half and half and the spinach. Break up the chicken into pieces. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
I made the following adjustments:
I used low fat coconut milk instead of half and half.
I used 2 cups of rice and 3 cups of broth.
Next time I will add mushrooms.
Was very good.
I love the idea of coconut milk!
I’m a new Instant Pot user, so I was very careful to follow the instructions exactly. When I opened the pot up after the times given, the carrots and chicken were lovely. But the rice was still crunchy. Worse yet, the bottom of my pot is all brown and burnt. I salvaged the chicken and carrots (saved the spinach) and am hoping to find another way to make a meal out of them. I used uncooked brown rice — all measurements exact. I hope my Instant Pot comes clean and can be used again.
★★★
haven’t made yet but could this be made with Farro or another small grain? or with cauliflower rice? looks really good!
Farro would probably work! I would cook for 10 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release.
thank you so much!
Hi Karen:
I’d like to try the farro. If I’m going to use the 10/10 as you suggest, should I cut the chicken breast in pieces? Thanks.
I think it would be fine to keep them whole or maybe halved. 10 minutes with 10 minute natural pressure release is enough to cook chicken.
Made this for supper tonite! Came out great! Did not use carrots as we did not have any. Used brown rice, cooked 22 mins. I am white meat person,my hubby eats dark so cooked a thigh and a breast. Cooked broccoli separately then added with the half and half. Was delicious! Thanks Karen.
★★★★★
So great that you could both get what you want from one meal!
I kept getting the burn message as well.
★
The recipe is a great idea. 22 minutes high pressure sounds unnecessary. I did almost the same thing without the carrots and it was good with 10 & 10. Going to try this with a much shorter cook time.
★★★★
Did you use brown rice?
Great point! I used white rice. I guess brown rice would need longer. I got the burn notice, but I didn’t hear it. It still turned out just fine.
★★★★
It’s a delicious recipe if you can make it without a burn notice. I’ve tried it a few times and unfortunately I’ve gotten burn notices about half of the time. I even tried adding quite a bit of extra broth tonight and it still didn’t work.
★★
Dang! Sorry to hear. Perhaps make it pot in pot next time?
I got a burn notice. Are you sure that the liquid ingredients work?
★
Sorry you got the burn notice. They worked for me! Were you using a 6 quart pot?
Hi Karen, I have a 8 Qt. Instant Pot and the minimum amount of liquid required is 2 cups, how does the liquid to rice ratio work when your recipe calls for ( 1 ¼ cups chicken broth and
1 cup uncooked long grain brown rice) as in your( instant pot creamy chicken rice dinner).
If I use 2 cups liquid to 1 cup rice, how will the rice turn out…watery?
Respectfully, Tom
Hi Tom you will also want to increase the rice a bit so it’s not too watery. I would use 1 1/2 cups rice.
Nevermind, I found the answer at the top. 😉
Do you use frozen or raw chicken breast?
Is this cooked on high or low pressure? Thank you
Cooking it now.
high pressure!
How do I double the recipe?
Hi Stacy, here is an article that discusses the subject of doubling IP recipes! Enjoy! https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-double-instant-pot-recipes/
Excellent and easy.
★★★★★
Glad you liked it Tom!
Karen, there was a mistake! I did NOT give your recipe a one star rating! I gave it a five star rating. I don’t know what happened. I’m so very sorry.
I want to thank you for the time you take to provide all of us with such delicious instant pot meals!!! I am truly grateful.
Thank you again,
Michelle
Hi Michelle! Thanks for letting me know. I’ll delete your first comment so it doesn’t lower the overall average of the recipe ranking. Thanks!
My family loved all of the ingredients but everyone said it had no flavor. Any ideas what to add besides salt and pepper for more tast?
It seems that I need to revisit this recipe and try it again with more spices. I will have to think on it and let you know.
This has become a go-to, quick crowd pleaser in our house. Making it again tonight because my daughter has just enough time to do homework and eat before her audition. 🙂 In regards to seasoning, what does your family like? It’s really open to any seasoning your family likes! If I’m uninspired, I’ll add some parsley. Other times, I’ll add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning or Cajun seasoning. Sometimes, I just cook it as is and add hot sauce or crushed peppers if I want a little kick. Just add a teaspoon of whatever seasoning you guys like, and adjust from there.
Also, are you adjusting the seasoning to taste after you add the cream (or whole milk, in my case – still creamy and delicious!)? It dilutes the seasoning, but adds that yummy creaminess. It definitely can be bland if you forget to add more seasoning then!
★★★★★
Thanks Laura, good suggestions.
I made this following the white rice and cut up chicken breast substitution instructions and it needed WAY more time than the 5 min w 10 min natural release time indicated. After the 5/10 the chicken was cooked but tough, carrots crunchy, and the rice not even close to done. I added a bit more broth and repeated the 5/10 and the rice still wasn’t done . Then added more broth and baked in the oven for 20 min to get the rice cooked. It ended up pretty tasty and I will probably try to make again, but will add more broth, keep the chicken breasts whole and do 20 min w natural pressure release.
Ours came out too liquidy… any ideas?
Was it liquidy before you added the dairy or just after?
So if I cut the chicken breast up into cubes I cook it for five minutes instead of 22? In the instant pot.
yes
This is probably a dumb question that I’m overthinking but did you use a regular 1 cup measuring cup or the rice cup (that is actually 3/4 cup) that comes with the instant-pot?
Thanks!
Hi Linda, I never use the rice cup. If I ever say rice it’s an actual measuring cup! hope this helps!
Loved this! Easy and delicious! Great comfort food!
★★★★★
Glad you liked it Debby!
What do you mean by ‘I would add any of these other vegetables after the rice has pressure cooked because they are likely to get too soft.’
Just how would I add say broccoli to the dish or should I just cook on the side?
I would steam it on the side and stir it in. That’s probably your best best 🙂
I made this today..it’s delicious..did change a thing..thanks Karen for sharing!
Glad you liked it Judith!
We can’t use dairy, but I find cashew milk is fairly neutral tasting and works well in my other bechamel recipes. Anyone have any success with a non-dairy version of this? It sounds wonderful…
Can I use heavy cream or milk in place of the half and half and if so how much would I use? Thanks!
Yes you can. I’d use about 1/2 cup heavy cream or 3/4 cup of milk.
H Karen
I love your recipes but I’m doing Weight Watchers so your delicious recipes don’t usually work. I have purchased a few Instant Pot cook books for Weight Watchers but they are awful. Any interest in putting some of your recipes together and converting them to the Weight Watchers program? That would be awesome! I trust your recipes as I have yet to cook one that wasn’t delicious. Thanks for maybe thinking about this. Take care.
If you use chicken breasts and use fat free half and half there is only 11 weight watchers points in the whole pot!
★★★★★
Sorry Karen it’s 25 points for the whole recipe with breasts and fat free half and half. You have to put the rice in as uncooked. So 7 points per serving (WW always rounds up)! That’s very good for dinner though.
Hi Denise I have been making Karen’s recipes for over a year or so and they’re my favorites! I just started WW in June and you’d be surprised how many of her recipes are adaptable! They are very wholesome recipes that usually just need some tweaking in the fat department. Like I cut the butter way back in many recipes, replace half and half with 2% milk, use lite cheese, always use chicken breasts instead of thighs, use ground turkey instead of beef, etc. I just put them in the recipe calculator until I get the points that I like. I still love her pasta recipes too, but I use the Barilla Protein pasta now and make sure I’m strict with my portion size. Chicken Tinga Tacos are zero points if you use all breasts (not counting the tortilla or toppings)!
Do you know if there is a tool I could use for free that I could plug my recipes into and it would convert to ww points? Or do I have to be a member of WW?
How long would I cook this in a crock pot? Sounds delicious !
Hi Erika, here is the slow cooker version: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/slow-cooker-creamy-chicken-rice-dinner/
As a current member myself I hate to tell you yes you have to be a member to access the points calculator. It cost 19.95 per month for membership
Maybe some mozzarella cheese added at the end with spinach would be good…i didn’t say healthy, i said good…lol.
★★★★
Oh yes that would taste good!