Swiss Chicken Casserole

Swiss Chicken Casserole–an Instant Pot chicken and rice dish with tender, seasoned chicken thighs, a creamy Swiss cheese sauce, and perfectly cooked rice—all made in one pot for an easy, comforting meal.

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Swiss Chicken Casserole

Yum! This was a perfect Sunday dinner at my house. The sauce is so flavorful you’ll want to lick it off your plate. The chicken is ultra tender and the swiss cheese is ultra melty. The rice is cooked at the same time in the same pot using the pot-in-pot method. You can also cook the rice separately (in a different pot, on the stove, etc.). If you’re a fan of rice you can increase the amount you cook. Just use a 1 cup rice to 1.5 cup water ratio.

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
• Dijon mustard–or spicy brown mustard
• Balsamic vinegar–or red wine vinegar
• Boneless skinless chicken thighs–frozen is okay
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Dried thyme
• Water
• Converted rice–or long grain white rice
• Cornstarch
• Evaporated milk–or half and half, cream
• Swiss cheese–or provolone, mozzarella

Steps

Pour broth, dijon and balsamic vinegar into Instant Pot and stir. Add in the chicken thighs. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and thyme. 

Place a tall trivet* into the pot on/around the chicken. In an oven safe dish (I used a stainless steel pan*) add the water and rice and place the pan 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. When time is up let pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Set aside the rice pan and the trivet.

In a small bowl stir together 2 Tbsp of cornstarch with 2 Tbsp of water until smooth. Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. Stir the slurry into the pot to thicken the sauce. 

Stir a cup of the sauce in with the milk to temper it. Stir milk into the pot. 

Place swiss cheese over the chicken and let melt. 

Serve chicken, sauce and cheese over the top of the rice. 

Notes/Tips

• Serve with steamed broccoli or green beans. A green salad with a splash of vinaigrette dressing would also be great.
• Can I substitute chicken breasts for the thighs? Yes you can, however the chicken won’t be as moist and tender.
• Try adding in sliced mushrooms when you add in the chicken.
• Why do I need a tall trivet*? Can I cook the rice directly in the Instant Pot? The tall trivet is used to keep the rice in a separate oven-safe dish above the chicken and sauce, allowing both to cook at the same time without the rice absorbing too much liquid or getting mushy from direct contact with the sauce. I prefer to keep the rice and chicken/sauce separate. However you can experiment with cooking it all together. It will definitely be a different vibe and you probably won’t need the cornstarch for thickening.
• I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Other recipes you can make with ground thyme are Warrior Soup and Man Cave Casserole.

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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*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.