Instant Pot Melt in your Mouth Chicken–tender chicken in a creamy sauce served over rice. All made together in your pressure cooker.
Instant Pot Melt in your Mouth Chicken
This chicken is so flavorful and so tender. The sauce is so good you’ll want to lick it off your plate. And if you’d like, you can cook rice at the same time and in the same pot. This is a winning recipe that I will repeat over and over.
Why you should make this recipe…
- It’s a creamy chicken recipe without using a cream of soup
- It’s a dump and go recipe…no browning or sautéing
- You can use frozen chicken or fresh chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs–this was 4 good sized thighs for me. I trimmed them of fat with my kitchen shears*. You can also use chicken breasts although they won’t be as tender and moist.
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning–you can make your own poultry seasoning from scratch
- 1 tsp garlic salt–if you don’t have garlic salt you can use three parts salt to one part garlic powder.
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning–you can make your own Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika–this seasoning adds so much flavor! I buy mine in the bulk section at Winco.
- 1 cup chicken broth–or 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon Chicken Base.
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch + 1 Tbsp cold water–for thickening the sauce. You can also use arrowroot or flour to thicken.
- 1/2 cup heavy cream–adds so much flavor. You can also use evaporated milk or half and half.
- Salt and pepper–I like kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
For pot-in-pot rice (optional):
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice–or jasmine rice
- 1 3/4 cups water
Equipment
- I used a 6 quart Instant Pot*. But you can also make this in an 8 quart pot or a 3 quart pot (no pot-in-pot rice for 3 quart).
- Tall trivet*–if making the rice
- Pot-in-pot dish*–if making the rice
Instructions
- Coat chicken in seasonings: Trim chicken thighs of excess fat. Add the chicken into the Instant Pot. Sprinkle the chicken with the poultry seasoning, garlic salt, Italian seasoning and smoked paprika. Stir so that the chicken is coated in the seasonings.
- Pour in the broth.
- For pot-in-pot rice: Place a tall trivet into the Instant Pot. In a pot-in-pot dish add the rice and water. Place the dish on top of the trivet.
- Pressure cook: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes (fresh chicken) or 15 minutes (frozen chicken). When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Thicken: In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. Add the cornstarch slurry into the pot. Add in the heavy cream. Stir until sauce has thickened a bit. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Serve: Taste test and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken and sauce over rice. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Serve this chicken, sauce and rice alongside a side of steamed broccoli or roasted brussels sprouts
- Double or halve this recipe by adjusting the ingredients accordingly and keeping the same amount of cooking time stated in the recipe card.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes…
Instant Pot Amish Chicken Noodle Casserole
Instant Pot Crack Chicken and Dumplings
Instant Pot Whatever You Want Soup
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
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Instant Pot Melt in your Mouth Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Tender chicken in a creamy sauce served over rice. All made together in your pressure cooker.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch + 1 Tbsp cold water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper
For pot-in-pot rice (optional):
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
- 1 3/4 cups water
Instructions
- Trim chicken thighs of excess fat. Add the chicken into the Instant Pot. Sprinkle the chicken with the poultry seasoning, garlic salt, Italian seasoning and smoked paprika. Stir so that the chicken is coated in the seasonings.
- Pour in the broth.
- For pot-in-pot rice: Place a tall trivet into the Instant Pot. In a pot-in-pot dish add the rice and water. Place the dish on top of the trivet.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes (fresh chicken) or 15 minutes (frozen chicken). When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. Add the cornstarch slurry into the pot. Add in the heavy cream. Stir until sauce has thickened a bit. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Taste test and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken and sauce over rice.
- 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.
It was tasty. May use garlic power in place of garlic salt next time. Made it with the pot in pot rice and served it with glazed carrots.
★★★★★
Thanks for the review and 5 stars!
Hi can I substitute 2 lbs of chicken tenders in this recipe? How would I adjust the time? I wouldn’t be cooking the rice in the instant pot with the chicken.
Thanks!
I cook fresh tenders for 3 minutes with a 5 minute natural pressure release and then turn out well.
Yummy. I used garlic powder instead of garlic salt, as that is all I had. Added 1/8 teaspoon of salt. (Used 1/2 recipe)
Good idea!
Looks great! I don’t have a tall trivet, can I use the stacking pot and pot pans? Chicken in one, rice in one? If so more time?
Do you have a section of pot and pot recipes. Bought them and never use
You are my #1 go to. Thx Karen
★★★★★
Hi Diane,
Do you have a regular trivet? Just use that. The bottom of the rice dish will get dirty but that’s okay!
Here are my pot in pot recipes: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/tag/pot-in-pot/
This really does melt in your mouth! Big success even with my husband Mr. Fussy! Your recipes have helped de-mystify my instant pot and have given confidence to continue using it. Thanks so much!
I’m so happy to hear that Barbara!! Thanks for the nice compliment 🙂
AMAZING!!!
I don’t normally like to change recipes but I didn’t want to go to the store tonight. I didn’t have chicken thighs or heavy cream and this looked tasty so I used chicken breasts (cut in half so they’d be close to the size of thighs) and a can of cream of chicken soup. We wanted to lick our plates!!! I’ll be keeping this on my list of regulars!
★★★★★
YAY! I love not having to go to the store! And good to know about the chicken breasts working well!
So good, easy to make and comforting! I made the chicken with mashed potatoes instead of rice, and cornbread and green beans as sides. This recipe is a keeper!
★★★★★
Wow that sounds like an amazing supper!
Very delicious! I should have kept it clean like your recipe, but I had a half can of chicken mushroom soup that I spooned on top of the chicken so as not to waste it, and it was very tasty! Next time just the cream.
★★★★★
Sounds like a good version to me!
Made this tonight! My husband and I loved it!
★★★★★
Thanks for the 5 stars Susan!
Incredible dish! My whole family’s favourite new meal!♥️
★★★★★
We love this one too! Thanks for the 5 stars Leslie!
My husband and I always grade a new recipe when we try it the first time. This was an instant A! Looking forward to making it for guests next week. I was glad to read that others had successfully doubled it; I will just double the chicken but not the rest, since there was plenty of sauce. Also, I didn’t add any extra salt and pepper and found it was plenty spicy without it.
★★★★★
Yay for an A!!! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Excellent, everyone loved it. One question though, where can I buy a pot in pot to cook the rice?
★★★★★
Mary, I used the smaller one from this set (without the lid):
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NVYCF3V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
★★★★★
I always buy mine on amazon* https://amzn.to/2AAH5at
Would you use half cup of evap milk/half and half?
yes that’s right 🙂
Do you cover the pot in the pot (the one with the rice) or leave it uncovered? Thanks! Can’t wait to try this.
I leave it uncovered.
My partner and I love this recipe! The first time we made it, it was too good not to eat it all. And then we wanted it again the next day, so we made it two days in a row. We don’t have all the seasonings listed in the ingredients but we make do with what we have and it still comes out amazing. I am wondering if it’s possible to double the recipe in a 6qt pot so there are leftovers. We cook the rice separately so vertical space shouldn’t be an issue. Thanks!
★★★★★
Yes you could for sure double it
Question about the pot in pot cooking of the rice. I usually cook my rice for 3 minutes and then let it sit for 10 before opening. With this recipe cooking for 12-15 minutes and then sitting for 10, does the rice still come out perfectly and not overcooked? I’m just more curious about how that works.
Mine came out great. I think with pot in pot it’s just really hard to mess up.
How would I substitute pasta for the rice in this recipe, and if I put mushrooms and/or peas in when should I do that? I’d love to try this tonight since I have thighs thawing in the fridge since yesterday. Thank you. Love your recipes.
★★★★★
I would add mushrooms on top of the chicken. I would stir in peas after the pressure cooking time is up. I would pot in pot cook the pasta. With 8 ounces of pasta and enough water to cover it.
Thank you, Karen! Looking forward to supper tonight!
This sounds great with lots of 5 star reviews. I’m a brown rice fan which takes longer to cook. Can I modify the recipe or am I better off cooking the brown rice on the stove. I love how the long grain rice comes out in the IP. Thanks!
Yes, since it takes 22 minutes plus npr you’ll need to cook in separate IP or on the stove.
I did the pot in pot. Top of my rice didnt get done but the bottom was nearly done. What do you think could of went wrong? I did know a minute off of cook time because I had cut my chicken breasts in smaller strips
Interesting! I’m not sure. Maybe add more water?
Can you use bone in chicken thighs?
Yes you could do that. Use the same cooking time.
Hi Karen, I want to make this recipe tonight but I want to make the rice on the stove. Should I adjust the cooking time for the chicken? Thank you!
No changes are necessary!
We made this as written except for the sauce. We added 16 oz. Fresh mushrooms and I want sure it would be enough sauce so I doubled the sauce. You know what? It wasn’t necessary. However, next time I will remove the chicken before adding the cream and cornstarch because even though I compensated for the extra sauce, it still took additional cornstarch and the stirring shredded the chicken. Although it was still tasty, I wants chunks of meat. Hubby might have over stirred it but still next time I’ll remove the meat first. Also, I didn’t know the cover wasn’t needed for the rice and it wasn’t as flaky as I thought it would be BUT, IT WAS VERY TASTY. Hubby was very happy with it. He said “we can make this again”!
Great recipe! Thank you.
★★★★★
I failed to mention that I doubled the recipe and then 50% the sauce. We wanted leftovers. It wasn’t necessary to 50% the sauce for the mushrooms. It’s a learning curve. I’m a long time cook but haven’t used my Instant Pot but a few times since we purchased it 4 years ago. I’m committed to using it more. So I’m looking forward to cooking more recipes from this site. I love my 4’n one Cuisinart slow cooker so this is a great site.
Thanks
★★★★★
Awesome Gwyn! Keep it up! you will love it the more you use it.
Delicious! Next time I’ll use a bit less poultry season but it was awesome anyways. I love how the rice cooks perfectly in the instapot because I can never get it right.
★★★★★
Yes it really is a game changer for cooking rice!
If I increase the broth as required by my 8 quart duo, , do I have to adjust anything else?
This sounds delish and I look forward to trying this recipe.
You may just need a little extra cornstarch.
I have a question I have high cholesterol so I’m staying away from the heavy whipping cream. How do you think it would be with Silk half and half (it has 0 cholesterol) in place of the heavy whipping cream?
I gave it 5 stars, because I have never made any of your recipes that were bad. I miss your youtube videos. I go back and watch the old one.
★★★★★
Yes I think that will work great. I need to get back to Youtube! So much to do and so little time 🙂
Can frozen vegetables be used in this recipe i.e., (cauliflower, broccoli, corn etc.) with the cook time being the same, or can you suggest a something different if not?
If you were do try that I would put the frozen vegetables in a foil packet on top of the rice. Otherwise they will over cook.
Very good. Used Kroger rotisserie chicken. Made as directed. Definitely needs salt and pepper to taste. Whole family enjoyed and will be making again. Loved the simplicity of it. Thank you!
★★★★★
So glad you liked it. Thanks for the 5 stars Melissa!
Made this a couple weeks ago & forgot to come here & do rating. So, you can add ANOTHER satisfied customer for January. My hubby really loved this one, so full of flavor & tender. I did add mushrooms, bc we love them so much. Only bummer was, he had 2 helpings, so only one helping was leftover & dang if he didn’t beat me to that as well. Was a real winner of a dinner!!
★★★★★
Haha! That’s fun. I’m so glad you both enjoyed! Thanks for the 5 stars!
Everyone loved it definitely on the do it again list. Thinking that adding mushrooms say baby bellas would be good
★★★★★
yes to the mushrooms! That sounds amazing!
This was fantastic! I doubled the broth & heavy cream to make more gravy in the 3 qt. Sauteed onions & bell pepper in a little butter, then threw in the chicken, recipe seasonings & broth, same cook time. Served over pasta so I didn’t cook the rice. OMGosh, so delicious! This one has so many alternatives to change it up too. Adding spinach or broccoli at the end & even substituting shrimp at the end. Possibilities are endless. Can’t wait to try with pot-in -pot rice. 10 stars for this one Karen!
★★★★★
So glad to hear you enjoyed it Jan! Love those alternative ideas!
What id the time difference for bone in thighs? I’ll just pull off the skin. Thanks!
★★★★★
I would do a 15 minute cooking time for bone-in
OMG, this was good. I had a minor (kinda) disaster cooking it – all my doing. To make a long story short, the broth evaporated because the lid couldn’t seal correctly (combo of tall of a trivet and too tall of a pan by a smidge to cook the rice). Caught it before it went too far downhill. Added more liquid to the chicken, removed the trivet and just dumped the nearly cooked rice in with the chicken. Once it was done and pressure was released, I just added the heavy cream and stirred it all together. It was AMAZING!! I hope making it correctly will be just as good!! LOL!
★★★★★
Oh man! A cooking adventure for sure!
Made this last weekend for the great grand nephews and niece where here . They absolutely loved it and wanted the recipe to take home to their mother. I used cubed chicken, then shredded it and served the chicken and gravy over noodles.
★★★★★
Oh how sweet. I love hearing this Lois!
Do you cover the rice when coking pot-in-pot?
No, I did not cover.
Karen
Recipe sounded awesome when I read it. Doubled it since my wife and I love leftovers. It was delicious. I made chicken broth with Better than Bullion. Used brown rice noodles instead of rice. My wife said this is a 5 stars meal and I totally agree. Good recipe for company dinners. Love the flavor of the gravy. Thanks
Gene
★★★★★
Wow! Thanks so much for the 5 stars Gene!
Delicious! I didn’t have the 15 or so spices called for so I did the best I could with what I have and it still turned out great. We shredded it and served with corkscrew pasta – plenty of sauce for a few servings with pasta. Home run!
★★★★★
Love the idea of pasta!
This was excellent. My husband isn’t crazy about chicken but loved this recipe.
Thank you for this keeper.
So glad to hear it! Thank you!
Pressure cook on high pressure for 12 minutes for thawed chicken breasts ?
Yes that’s what I would do
As usual, another home run from Karen. My family loved it. I took the chicken out and shredded it, then returned it to the pot after stirring in the cornstarch. The rice was perfect. Only mistake I made was not doubling the gravy/sauce..My family loves gravy.
★★★★★
Thanks so much for the nice review and the 5 stars!
Made this tonight – turned out great! Doubled the recipe since it was only 4 servings and barely had enough chicken for 4 people (when doubled) so definitely recommend doubling or even tripling!! Used frozen chicken breasts and Made dairy free by using coconut cream from a can to mix in – don’t shake up the can, use only the cream that rises to the top. Removed the chicken while adding the cornstarch slurry and cream, then boiled a bit on the sauté setting and then added chicken back in for a bit to soak in the sauce. Both teens, hubby and I all loved it! Made rice on the side – love the freezer rice bags to steam quickly. Thank you!
★★★★★
Interesting about the coconut cream! That is a good tip to know for people eating dairy free.
Made this low sodium with a few simple swaps and it was delicious. Thanks@
★★★★★
You’re welcome! Thanks Laura for the 5 stars.
Can this be done without pot in pot!? I don’t know how to do that.
I would just make the chicken in the pot, don’t make the rice. You could cook rice separately on the stove.
Recipe sounds great, but I’m a bit confused. You put the chicken in the bottom of the instant pot-etc and THEN put in the trivet and the pot for the rice? So the trivet is stuck down in the chicken mixture? I’ve not used the pot in pot or trivets (I don’t own any and want to see if I NEED them). Also when you use the trivet do you also use the sling that comes with the pot in pots? (or would you use one of the pots for the chicken and the other for the rice?). Sorry, just a bit confused
Me too. I have no idea how to do that.
You got a trivet with your Instant Pot. Karen uses the stackable pans but you can use a different pan that fits in the IP. The trivet keeps the pan off the chicken. Rice turns out great this way.
Hi, I just added a picture that shows how to do this. This will be helpful to you I think!
Pot in pot is great and super easy.
Once you try it you’ll love it!
One pot meal.
Don’t have a sling? Make one with a thick doubled strip of foil 🙂
this looks and sounds amazing I’m going have to make it this week for dinner it sounds so good over chicken flavor rice I even thought maybe over mashed potatoes and peas on the side, I’ll sure will have to update about how it went with the potatoes
Yes that sounds amazing!
Great meal tonight!
I did use chicken breasts instead of thighs. I used 2 cups of broth to help the meat retain moisture.
My 6 year old ate the whole plate without talking much at dinner! He just kept eating and eating! Lol!
My husband said at least 2 times during the meal that the chicken had excellent flavor and the cream sauce was really good. He said we definitely need to make this again.
Thanks for helping us make a great meal!
★★★★★
Nice! I love hearing this! Thanks Nancy!
What could I use instead of the heavy cream?
I used a can of coconut cream – just open the top of can and scoop out the cream at the top. Great sub for cream in any recipe. Barely notice the coconut flavor. I also use it for soups like wild rice and white chicken chili.
You can also use evaporated milk or half and half.
Followed the recipe exactly. This was great! Thanks for sharing the recipe
★★★★★
Thanks Andrea! Glad to hear you liked it!
Same-can you make this in a slow cooker? Thanks!
Yes here’s how:
1. Trim chicken thighs of excess fat. Add the chicken into the slow cooker. Sprinkle the chicken with the poultry seasoning, garlic salt, Italian seasoning and smoked paprika. Stir so that the chicken is coated in the seasonings.
2. Pour in the broth.
3. Cover and cook on low 4 hours.
4. In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Turn slow cooker to high setting. Add the cornstarch slurry into the pot. Add in the heavy cream. Stir. Let cook for about 10-20 minutes without the lid until sauce has thickened a bit.
5. Taste test and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken and sauce over rice.
What would the cook time be for chicken breasts? I don’t do dark meat.
I’d use the same time as listed
I only had chicken breast that I had cut into strips and frozen. Didn’t change a thing with the cook time and it cooked perfectly!! Fell apart and tasted amazing. Added slightly different spices as I had run out of Italian seasoning. And I cooked my rice separately. I’ll definitely be making it again!!
★★★★★
Nice! So glad it worked well!
If you could substitute the cream for low fat cream cheese, and used brown rice, this would be very low calories. Zero points for many on WW. 🙂
Thanks for the ideas! I’m sure others will try it this way!
This looks delicious could you make in slow cooker ?
Yes here’s how:
1. Trim chicken thighs of excess fat. Add the chicken into the slow cooker. Sprinkle the chicken with the poultry seasoning, garlic salt, Italian seasoning and smoked paprika. Stir so that the chicken is coated in the seasonings.
2. Pour in the broth.
3. Cover and cook on low 4 hours.
4. In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Turn slow cooker to high setting. Add the cornstarch slurry into the pot. Add in the heavy cream. Stir. Let cook for about 10-20 minutes without the lid until sauce has thickened a bit.
5. Taste test and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken and sauce over rice.