Instant Pot Chicken Risotto
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Instant pot chicken risotto is a hassle-free alternative to the original Italian stove-top version. No need to be standing by the pot, stirring constantly!
All you have to do is saute the veggies, brown the chicken quickly, add the rest of the ingredients and let the Instant Pot do its magic. It’s that easy!
Now I am not sure whether you have noticed but I do cook with chicken a lot which means that I make a lot of pressure cooker chicken recipes as well. Here are some of them in case you are interested:
Did you know?
Risotto is a northern Italian rice dish that is cooked to a creamy consistency. It does not really matter what kind of broth you use (chicken, vegetable, fish) but you have to use it to make it the Italian way. The key is adding it at stages, ladle by ladle while stirring constantly.
Well, this is not your traditional Italian risotto so there won’t be any stirring and broth adding happening. Just to clarify things.
How to make instant pot chicken risotto
As I’ve already mentioned, the process is simpler than when making traditional Italian risotto but the result is pretty close to the original if not the same!
Start with sautéing the onions and mushrooms in your Instant Pot. Then quickly brown the diced and seasoned chicken.
You can leave the onions and mushrooms in just push them to the side/edge of the pot while browning the chicken. Or you can take them out so you have more space for the chicken pieces.
Just so you know, this can be done in reversed order too – brown the meat first, take it out, saute the onion and mushrooms), etc…
When done, turn off the saute function. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well.
Lock the lid into its position and cook under pressure on manual mode for 3 minutes. When finished, wait 7 minutes before manually releasing the pressure.
To make this pressure cooker chicken risotto as close to the Italian version, I stirred in butter and grated Parmesan cheese. Those two ingredients should not be omitted as they give this risotto a ton of flavor.
Finally, I sprinkled some chopped chives over it because I had some leftovers in the fridge. This is however, completely optional so if you don’t have it, don’t worry about it!
Which rice is good for risotto?
Now the Italian short-grain rice (such as Arborio) is the best option obviously. However, I made this chicken risotto with paella rice (the same type I used to make paella valenciana) and I find this type of rice suitable for risotto as well. I also tried using sushi rice which turned out great as well.
All in all, try to look for short-grain rice in case you can’t find any of the ones I mentioned above.
Tips for making chicken risotto
You can use store-bought or homemade stock/broth (I have a recipe for chicken stock on the blog, if interested. Just note that it has almost no salt in it so the risotto will definitely need more seasoning). Bouillon cubes are also an alternative.
Note that every broth/stock (bouillon…) product is different and also has a different amount of salt added. For this reason, it’s best to season this risotto after it is cooked and after the butter and Parmesan has been added. It’s better to add more salt at the very end rather than end up with a dish that is way too salty. I also noticed that bouillon cubes make saltier stock than ready-made stock.
Don’t overcook the meat when browning it. If you do, it will turn dry after you finish the whole cooking process.
You can use diced pork or turkey as well. Both needed 6 minutes to be cooked (and pressure released after 7 minutes).
This instant pot chicken risotto tastes best when eaten right away.
Guys, this is a very easy risotto recipe.
I have quite a few easy instant pot recipes on the blog so if you need some inspiration, have a look. They are all tried and tested!
Watch how to make instant pot risotto
Instant Pot Chicken Risotto
Ingredients
Risotto:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion (medium)
- 7 ounces button mushrooms (200 grams)
- 1 pound chicken breast , diced (440 grams)
- 2 cups risotto rice (400 grams), see note 1 & 2
- 4 cups chicken broth , see note 3
Seasoning:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Other:
- 1.5 ounces unsalted butter (45 grams)
- 3 ounces parmesan cheese (90 grams), see note 6
Optional:
- fresh chives
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion. Turn on the pressure cooker and press the SAUTE function. Adjust to high. Pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the chopped onion. Saute until translucent. Add cleaned and sliced mushrooms. Saute for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, dice the chicken. Combine all the seasoning ingredients and season the chicken pieces.
- Take out the sautéed vegetables, pour in the remaining olive oil and add the chicken pieces.
- Quickly brown the meat. Turn OFF the saute function and deglaze the pot with some of the chicken stock. Throw the onions and mushrooms back in, as well as the chicken. Add the rice and chicken stock/broth and give everything a good stir.
- Cover with the lid and lock it into its position. Turn the vent to the SEALING position. Press the MANUAL button (pressure cooking) and adjust the time to 3 minutes. When the cooking is finished, wait 7 minutes before releasing the pressure manually.
- Stir in the butter and grated Parmesan. Taste it and add more seasoning if needed. Sprinkle with finely chopped chives (optional) and serve.
Video
Notes
- This recipe works also with sushi or paella rice. Each had a slightly different texture by the end of cooking. However, they all were cooked through so if you don’t have risotto rice, they would both be a great substitution.
- Two cups of risotto rice weighs about 14 ounces/395 grams.
- Chicken Stock or broth (any will work just fine) might have different amounts of salt added so I recommend seasoning the risotto at the very end, after you have already stirred in the butter and Parmesan. It might or might not need more salt.
- This recipe was developed for a 6-quart/6-liter Instant Pot pressure cooker.
- The amount of time needed for the pot to come to the pressure and time needed to release its pressure is not included in the overall cooking time. Count with an extra 20 minutes.
- Parmesan can be substituted with Grana Padano or Pecorino. The amount you add is simply up to you but I don’t recommend omitting it – add at least 2 ounces/60 grams.
- This recipe can be easily halved.
- I used dry-ingredient measuring cups for all cup measurements in this recipe.
- Make sure to cut the chicken breasts into same-size pieces. This will cook all of them equally without some being undercooked or overcooked.
I was hesitant to try this quick easy recipe. I couldn’t believe it would work. It was great. Family loved it and its the easiest Instant Pot recipe I’ve tried. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Thanks so much for your comment and rating, Joan!
I roughly followed this recipe and made 8 serves of risotto. I quickly made my own chicken stock with a leftover roast chicken carcass, 1 large carrot, half brown onion and 1/3 red capsicum as that’s what I had in the fridge. Plus about 1tbsp of sea salt. Add 2lt water. 30min on high pressure then strained. This produced 9 cups of stock. I followed your 2 cups of risotto rice, but then also added 1/2 cup white wine, 1 packed cup shredded roast chicken and 1 cup of home-made mirepoix (leftover from a previous cook). So I skipped all your veggie steps. Biggest change I think is that I used 8 cups of stock, not 4. And set the timer to 6 mins on high instead of 3mins with risotto mode. Stirred the Parmesan at the end and VOILA, perfect creamy texture risotto *drool* thank you!
Hi Amy. Thanks so much for your feedback!
Yum and amazing! It was a bit salty though. Next time i won’t add the salt to the chicken and spices
Thank you for your feedback, Jem!
Wow, this recipe looks absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try it out this weekend.
I hope you enjoyed it, Caroline!
I usually don’t leave comments but just had to say this was delicious. So comforting and savory.
The ease of preparation is a bonus. Will definitely make again.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Tina. Happy Instant Pot Cooking!
Excellent!!! I added a large amount of chopped kale on top of the chicken and risotto and added an extra cup of broth. I will absolutely make this again!
Thanks a lot for your feedback, Kelly! Happy Instant Pot Cooking! :)
This is very tasty, however next time I will cut back just a little bit on the rosemary and oregano. Also it makes enough to feed 6 to 8, and I’m not a small eater.
Lots of leftovers!
Thanks for your feedback, Margy!
Great recipe
The only drawback, 3 teaspoons dried rosemary is way too much. Overpowers all the other flavors. I used 1 tsp and it evened everything out.
Thanks
Hi Marc. Thanks so much for your feedback. I have been cooking this often and don’t have this problem. However, as with many ingredients, even herbs can vary from brand to brand. Some might be fresher than others. Some might be finer so perhaps that would also contribute to a stronger flavor as you might get more in a teaspoon.
Oh my goodness this was delicious. It tasted like something from an a la carte restaurant! I didn’t change the recipe in anyway except with my specific brand of instant pot I added a few minutes to the cooking time. This will definitely be made again. Thank you
Thank you for your feedback, Nic!
This recipe is sooo much easier than traditional risotto. It works perfectly every time and super fast. What’s not to like?
Thanks a lot for the feedback, Bev! Happy Instant Pot Cooking! :)
I have made this several times and it’s so good! Recently, though, every time I make it, I keep getting the “food burn” warning, and the risotto burns on the bottom of the pot. Any idea what I could be doing wrong or differently that’s causing this all of a sudden? Or just tips on how to prevent it? Thanks so much! It’s my daughters favorite.
Didn’t you buy a new instant pot by any chance? I know that a few recipes I developed with my old version often show a burn notice on the newer models. Other than that I am not sure what the problem could be. All I can suggest is deglaze the pot thoroughly to avoid it. If you added more liquid (which is the obvious way to sort this issue), the risotto might turn out way too runny. Hope this helps a bit.
Thank you! I actually had that same thought after I posted the comment yesterday. I did get a new instant pot not too long ago, and that is the one I’ve had issues with using this recipe. I used my old instant pot last night to make it this, and it turned out just fine. Note to self. :)
That’s good to hear. It really is annoying though! Wish it wasn’t the issue. Happy Instant Pot Cooking!
The burn notice often shows when you don’t deglaze the pot well enough, It should be a clear bottom.
Yes, this is also one of the reasons.
I tried this dish tonight and it was fantastic! Some minor alterations: I didn’t have any mushrooms, so left that ingredient out; I switched the amounts of rosemary and oregano since our family prefers the flavor of oregano, and added about 1/4 c more chicken broth for a creamier result. I also added several dashes of garlic salt since I had unsalted butter on hand, and tossed in about 2 tsp minced garlic. I accidentally skipped the step to deglaze the pot, oops! But it turned out just fine anyway. Wonderfully easy, filling and delicious dinner!
Hi Christy. Thank you so much for your feedback and rating! I am happy to hear you enjoyed this meal as much as we do. Happy Instant Pot Cooking!
You’re welcome! Our family’s teens really enjoyed the dish. In fact, our almost seventeen yr old will have a birthday this next week and requested it for her birthday dinner. I can’t thank you enough for sharing an easy, hassle-free method of cooking risotto!
Fantastic recipe. I love risotto, but I don’t always have time to stand and stir. We are still experimenting with our Foodi, so trying out new recipes. This was wonderful. Even without the butter and cheese, we loved it. It is now on our favourite list. Thank you for sharing.
I am so happy to hear that, Christine. Thanks so much for finding time to leave the feedback and rating!
Can you use chicken thigh instead of breast?
Yes, you can!
Can this recipe be made with boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts? It’s all I have on hand
Yes, it can!
Can you make this recipe with barley instead of rice?
Hi Natalie. Barley takes longer to cook so the chicken would be way over-cooked. I have a separate recipe for Instant Pot Barley Risotto if you would like to try it. Hope this helps.
This has become one of our “regular rotation” meals that I make almost weekly. My family loves it! I one-and-a-half this recipe in my 8qt Instantpot for my family of 7 (so 3 cups of risotto) and keep the liquid to rice ratio very close to 2:1 (slightly less liquid, about 5.5 cups instead of 6) and it comes out very nicely. I find this to be an incredibly versatile recipe also – I omit the mushrooms but add a couple cups of chopped veggies when I add the chicken, and sometimes stir in chopped spinach with the butter and cheese. I often forget to pull the chicken out of the freezer ahead of time so I just put it straight in frozen and add an extra 2 minutes to the pressure time. It’s trickier to season the chicken but it still comes out great, and I just pull the chicken out, shred it and mix it back in. A perfect quick meal when you don’t have a plan and it’s suddenly 5pm.
Thanks so much for finding time to leave such a detailed comment, Erin. Hope you try some other recipes from our blog! Happy Cooking! :)
I added Mascarpone cheese instead of butter and Parmesan cheese. It was wonderful.
Thank you for your feedback, Rose. Happy Instant Pot Cooking!
Just made this risotto recipe omg it’s a winner here
Hi Donna. I am glad to hear you loved it! Happy Instant Pot Cooking!
Looking forward to trying this. In your notes you mentioned halving this recipe, but how much do you increase the liquid if doubling this recipe? I have an 8qt and a big family. Still trying to figure out how to best increase recipes for the instant pot to feed my family.
Hi Erin. With doubling the recipe I found that the liquid is a bit off and sometimes it was a bit liquid-y while other times it was not. I would double everything and if it turns out too liquidy, you can just leave it on SAUTE for longer (you will probably have to stir it a lot). It will get creamy once you add butter and parmesan so it will help it kind of thicken as well. I hope this helps.
Any thoughts on using cauliflower rice instead of actual rice? How do you think it would change the cooking times? Thanks!
Hi Lindsay. I am afraid I have no idea. Never tried cooking cauliflower rice in an instant pot. Sorry!
Any suggestions on making it less dry? I looooved the flavors but it just came out really dry.
Hi Courtney. This instant pot chicken risotto should definitely not turn out dry. Did you change something in the recipe? If you didn’t it should actually turn out pretty moist. You can add more stock to make it moister but don’t add too much. Try with an extra 1/4 or 1/3 cup to see if it helps.
I really enjoyed this dish! A few things I did differently just based on availability of produce, I used whole mushrooms instead of button. My only complaint about the recipe would be the serving size. I’m always cooking for 1, and 2 cups of risotto for me makes way more than 4 servings, I’d say it’s closer to 6-8! So I’ll be eating risotto all week haha, not a bad thing but I should have maybe only used 1-1.5 cups and then less broth, maybe only 3 cups. I’ll definitely make again, though!
Thanks for your feedback, Jenna C. Sorry about the portion size. When I developed it I felt like 1 cup of rice would not feed 4 people as a main (we love risotto). I guess when you serve it with some side dishes it surely is a lot :). Have you tried freezing some of it? It is worth giving a shot.
it was 116° here yesterday and there was no way my husband was going outside to BBQ and I was not about to turn on the oven. I came across your recipe and it is the quickest and easiest chicken risotto I’ve ever made and the DH raved about it. I didn’t have mushrooms so eliminated them and added some frozen peas at the end and left them for a few minutes to thaw in the hot risotto. Thank you for this easy, delicious meal.
Thanks so much for finding time to leave the feedback, Kathy! It’s great to hear you enjoyed this recipe.
After cooking for 3 minutes, you mention waiting 7 minutes before releasing. My IP only has a dial for cooktime. Would i just let it continue cooking or set it to warm before manually releasing?
Hi Megan. You set timer to 3 minutes. When the time is up, IP beeps and if you don’t release the pressure manually right away, it starts counting time until you press cancel. So you just wait to see nr. 7 on the dial and then release the pressure. You won’t be setting anything to warm. Hope this helps.
Delicious!! Chicken ended up overcooked for me at the end, but I think I just don’t really know how to “brown” chicken correctly so my fault.
I added broccoli just to get more vegetables in there.
This was popular, will definitely have it again!
Served it with a side dish of roasted tomatoes, and it went really well together.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Lauren! Hope you try some other instant pot recipes from our blog! Happy Instant Pot Cooking! :)
I’m new to instant pot and never made risotto on a stove top so I can’t compare but this recipe was so easy and so good. Used 1 chicken breast and pressure cooked 5min, chicken was a little overcooked so next time I’ll shorten a cook time a bit. Thank you for sharing. oh green onion instead of chives works just fine.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Aya!
This has become a family favorite recipe. Fun to make and delicious.
Thanks for your feedback, David!
I usually cook my risotto on the stove top well not anymore , this was the best risotto i had ever tasted. Thank you for sharing your recipes
Thank you so much for your feedback, Millie! I am so happy you enjoyed it. It’s such a tasty dinner with minimal effort when done in instant pot :)
Woooow!! What a great recipe!!! So delicious, thank you
This was SO FABULOUS!
I use a container of mirepoix instead of onions. Saves me from smelling like an onion for hours, nothing to cut up, just dump it in, (plus the carrot and celery bits just add flavor).
And i used Italian seasoning, rather than separate rosemary etc. That might work better for those who have cut out the rosemary, easier.
I also used a hunk (I have no idea what it’s called) of black oyster mushrooms from my farm share, just the caps, not the stems or base (whatever that’s called).
THIS WILL BE A REPEAT RECIPE FOR ME!
AND EASY TO REHEAT IN MICROWAVE WITH A BIT OF WATER ADDED. LOVED LOVED LOVED IT!
Hi Mary. Thank you so much for finding time to write feedback and also letting our readers know about your substitutions! Happy Instant Pot Cooking :)
Delicious! I halved the recipe for just my husband and I and it was the perfect amount for us. I used arborio rice and it cooked perfectly in the time guidelines given. Creamy and comforting!
Thanks so much for your feedback and rating, Jaime! Hope you try some more recipes from our blog :)
Oh. My. Goodness. This is my favorite full meal made in the 🥷 so far.. I used to make a lot in my old multi cooker and I thought that was easy but oh my days! This was so quick! I used this recipe …. but I added garlic , spinach, sweet corn and peas and omitted the mushrooms (because they’re vile) and I didn’t have any rosemary 😉😋 my toddler first reaction was “mmm soooo yummy! Deeeeelicious!
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your feedback, Nicole! I am so happy to hear that. Thanks for letting our readers know that it also works with substitutions.
Can this recipe be frozen? My kids loved it
Hi Jolene. I am happy to hear you kids enjoyed this risotto! I have never tried freezing it but I would not recommend doing so. Its texture will change and might not be to everyone’s liking. It can be refrigerated for up to 2 days though (just note it will become drier). This can be fixed by heating it on a stove with a splash of stock/broth and constant stirring until warmed up. Hope this helps.
Great dish! I’ve been making it for a couple years now!
Wonderful recipe!
Can I double it, if so, do the times stays the same?
Thanks!
Hi Sergio. Yes, you can double it, but note that the consistency may change slightly – mine was too liquidy when I tried, but this can also depend on how well the rice absorbs liquids. As for the time, it stays the same. Please do let me know, you give it a go!
Just tried this and it was so super easy and so incredibly yummy! I added peas at the end and the family loved it! Thanks so much for sharing it. It will become a regular for us!
Thanks so much for finding time to leave feedback, Bridgette! I am glad to hear you and your family enjoyed this and hope you try more recipes from our blog. Happy pressure cooking! :)
I have made this several times, using various meats and flavors. I have the 3qrt so cut the risotto and broth in half. It turns out excellent every time!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Helen! I hope find more recipes on our blog that you might like to try. Happy instant pot cooking! :)
LOVED IT!!! Thank you so much! My chicken bone broth came out to only 3 3/4 cups, so I added 1/4 cup of cream. Also I always swap out shallots in the place of onions, they practically disintegrated and left all that heavenly flavor. Everyone I made it for loved it, definitely going to become a regular recipe.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Lux. Hope you try some more recipes from our blog! Happy cooking!
We love this recipe! It is so easy and delicious. This was the third recipe we tried using the instant pot. It came out perfect. It has given me alot of confidence experimenting with our instant pot. Thank you.
You are welcome, Robert. Thanks for finding time to write the feedback! Happy instant pot cooking :)
We substituted frozen mixed vegetables for the mushrooms since we didn’t have any mushrooms on hand. Turned out delicious!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Martin!
I am an Indian and trying to move away from the over complicated and spicy Indian cooking, I never leave reviews because most times the recipe I tried never turned out good. But this was exceptional! Loved it. My risotto had a little bit of liquid floating on top once done – is that supposed to happen. Anyways mixing it up and adding butter, cheese and spinach and some frozen veggies soaked it all up and I was left with a creamy consistency of risotto. I have risotto only twice and do not even remember how it looked but remember it being super yummy. This was super yummy! Cant wait to try out other instant pot recipes that you post! Thanks a ton. Can I reduce the butter and cheese next time?
Hi Ekta. Thanks so much for finding time to leave the feedback! I hope you enjoy some more recipes from my blog. Sometimes you can experience some liquid on the surface (I’d say it’s the rice – some might absorb more water while others), but you just stir the risotto and it should be fine. It should not be dry. Happy instant pot cooking! :)
Hey Julia my insta pot doesn’t have the manual setting it does have the risotto setting should I use the risotto setting if so at what temperature?Thank you,
Renee
Hi Renee, please use the PREASURE COOKING setting with same time. I haven’t tested it with risotto setting. Hope this helps.
This is a keeper! It was very delicious. I had chicken on bone, so I’ve cut them as small as possible and cooked under pressure for 7min. Also added a splash of white wine together with chicken stock :) Kids absolutely loved it.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Martina! I am glad you and your family loved this recipe.
Made the instant pot chicken and rice risotto recipe this evening for my bf and I. Devoured it!! Very 😋 thank you for the delicious recipe!! Can’t wait to make your instant pot Guinness chicken thigh recipe. 🤤🤤
That’s so good to hear, Summer! Thanks so much for finding time to leave feedback :)
Delicious and a new fam favourite. I too added minced garlic, red and green diced capsicum with the red onion and mushrooms. Frozen peas and frozen corn too. Wow! Colourful and tasty
Sounds amazing! I am so in love with my instapot. So not a mushroom household, if subbing with red peppers as I’ve seen some others have done, would I sautés these with the onion or would that make them too mushy and I should just add them in freshly chopped with the rest of the ingredients to cook?
Hi Anna, try adding them with the rest of the ingredients to avoid overcooking. But this will also depend on their size so you might need to test is once or twice to see what works best for you. Please do let us know how it turned out for you, if you get a chance.
We are not fans of mushrooms in my house – is there another vegetable that will work? Should I alter anything if I leave the mushrooms out? I’m not a confident cook – any help is very appreciated!!
Yes, you can use frozen green peas or fresh spinach. One of our readers just stirred the frozen peas at the very end with the butter. I believe they did not change anything else in the recipe. You can do that or you can boil the peas first. Fresh spinach would also go in at the very end. Hope this helps!
So we are renting a house for a short getaway and they have an instant pot. This recipe was my first attempt at an instant pot. This recipe was so good, I now need to go buy one. Wow. So so so delicious. My family LOVED it!! Thank you so much for sharing. Everyone should make this one!
Thank you so much for your feedback and rating, Sara! Hope you enjoy cooking in IP as much as I do :)
We’re in the early stages of figuring out our instant pot, I would like to double this recipe, do you know if that changes the cook time?
Hi Amy. The pressure cooking time should stay the same.
Made this tonight and it was fantastic!! Only change was I used 2 1/2 teaspoon’s of basil and half teaspoon of rosemary!! My wife and I like rosemary, but to us can be overpowering!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for this wonderful recipe!!
You are welcome, Randy! And thank you for finding time to write the feedback!
So so good and easy! I only added more chicken and followed the rest to a T. So good! Can’t wait to make it again.
Yay! :) Thanks so much for your feedback, Tressa! Hope you try some other instant pot recipes from my blog.
I made a double batch in an 8 quart instant pot. It took a long time to get to pressure with that much liquid. The resulting risotto was a bit too thick, but that was fixed by adding a bit of water after cooking. I used smoked paprika, which worked really well.
Hi Mark. Thanks for your feedback! Yes, the more liquid in the pot the longer it takes to come to pressure, so when doubling recipes you should always count with extra time.
This looks so good! What an awesome one pot meal for a weeknight!
Hope you give it a go! It’s one of readers’ most favorite recipes.
Good recipe! I accidently cooked for 7min and let it rest for 3min so i flipped it and the chicken was over cooked but the flavors and rice came out well. Will try again with the right times.
Oh, I added 3 cloves of garlic
Wow….the whole family loves this risotto! My hubby doesn’t like mushrooms, so I omitted them and instead blanched a bunch of cut asparagus and added at the end with the butter and parmesan. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Risotto has always been a daunting idea, but I figured I’d give the Instant Pot a chance…..so glad I did. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes, Julia. We are 2 for 2 (the coconut rice was the other day…yum).
Hi Sue! Thanks so much for finding time to write all that feedback! I really appreciate it and our readers will definitely find your substitutions helpful. Please do not hesitate to leave a comment when you do try other recipes. It helps us improve and also helps other readers. :)
I made this recipe tonight. I added garlic and cut the rosemary in about half as I don’t like rosemary too much. It was good!
Thank you!
You are welcome! :)
Delicious and easy! Used chicken thighs and added 3 cloves garlic. Can’t wait to try another one of your recipes.
That’s so good to hear, Joanne! Thanks so much for your feedback and happy cooking! :)
I cook this with or without chicken and add peas at the end. Great for meal prep. Just add extra broth at the end.
Made this last week with sushi rice, turned out great and it was easy and quick! Great with a side of steamed peas :)
Thanks for your feedback, Ivy!
Loved this recipe! I added minced garlic and diced acorn squash; and substituted all the seasonings (except salt abs pepper) with fresh sage. I used Arborio rice, per the instructions. I will definitely make it again. It was a hit with the whole family!
This was amazing! So easy and delicious. Deboned and diced ~6 chicken thighs for this recipe and it turned out absolutely perfect! Thank you for sharing this recipe :)
Thanks so much for finding time to leave feedback and rating, Annie! We love this recipe and it always makes me happy to see that our readers love it too!
So good. You could seriously serve this on your Thanksgiving table. Everyone loved it. I made it exactly as it’s written. I did have to turn the sauté down, because it was trying to burn my onions, but otherwise. It was total comfort food.
This was SO delicious! We used a little fontina and a little parmesan. The rosemary really added a fantastic flavor to it. Thank you so much for the recipe!
You are welcome and thanks so much for finding time to write the feedback, Julie.
Wow, this is so good!!!
This is pretty damn good! I used a largish shallot (did not have an onion) and added 1/4 red pepper. Made half the recipe with 14 med shrimp for me and 1 chicken thigh (left over) for my wife. Used the recommended spices but did not need to cook the chicken as already done. Just nuked it in the microwave then spooned the risotto on top of it on the plate.
I have ALWAYS used the classical method that takes an hour (with1/4 C white wine, which I forgot this time).
This takes 1/2 the time and is, in my opinion, as good as the traditional method.
Love it !
Hi Len, thanks so much for finding time to leave the feedback and rating! Hope you find more recipes on our blog that you and your family enjoy!
This was fabulous!
That’s good to hear!
Yummy recipe! I used a regular short grain rice and the texture was still great. I also added a little wine in place of chicken stock and used Italian sausage in place of chicken because that’s what I had on hand. Great instant pot recipe, easy and timing was perfect! Thanks for making an easy delicious weeknite dinner that isn’t boring!
You are welcome, Stephanie. Thanks so much for finding time to write this feedback. It’ a very versatile recipe and I like your substitutions!
This recipe is amazing – a very hard to please toddler had second helpings!
Can you freeze this recipe as it makes quite a large amount? Plenty for us to have on another night!
Hi Alex. Thanks so much for your feedback and rating. I have to say I’ve never tried freezing it as we (the 2 of us) have it the following day for lunch but I would not recommend it.
This is my second time making this. Love it!! Just wondering can you add spinach to this at the end? I’m new to risotto period so not sure the different ways it’s made.
Hi Sandie! Glad to hear that! :) Yes, you can just stir in fresh spinach at the very end (altogether with cheese and butter). Hope this helps.
Oh…my…goodness, I just made it….quickly (my favorite part) and it was delicious! Took absolutley no time at all. And don’t skip on the green onions . I’ve learned with making risotto the sprinkle of greens on top is my favorite part. I live alone and halved this recipe and it was perfect using the times for the original recipe. So easy and so delicious! Who could ask for anything more?
So happy to hear you loved this recipe! Regarding your previous comment – Sorry about the confusion with the cooking time – the pot should be programmed to 3 minutes. The extra 20 minutes is just a waiting time (like when waiting for the oven to be preheated).
This was so easy to halve, yay! I’ve had this recipe pinned for months since getting my IP and it is in the IP right now (just starting the keep warm countdown) and hope that picky hubby loves it. I adjusted the herbs a bit to suit him and did saute the arborio in some of the olive oil like a traditional risotto recipe has you do. Thank you for taking the time to make, photograph and post this recipe. Just from smelling the ingredients before I sealed the pot I know I’ll find it delicious. (Famously picky hubby…who knows but my fingers are crossed.) I’ll try to get a picture posted to your pin.
Hi Molly. Thanks so much for your feedback. Hope you both enjoyed it!
This is amazing! Your recipes are the very best. Your helpful hints are are awesome. I always check to see if you have new instant pot recipes. Would love some easy vegetarian recipes. Thank you!
Hey Lori! Thanks for your comment. I will try including more meat-free recipes for instant pot!
I have a question. Do I have to fully cook the chicken or just brown it?
Browning is enough. It will cook under pressure.
All I have is long grain rice……can that be used instead of me having buy Arborio rice?
Hi Megan. I tried it with long grain rice and it did not turned out well for me so I would not suggest it. The arborio rice makes a huge difference here.
I want to make this next week and don’t have dried rosemary. I could buy some but always have fresh on hand. Could I use fresh or do you recommend the dried for this? Thanks!
Hi Kate. I’d say you could try using the fresh one but not sure how much though (Try increasing it to 2 tbsp). Also, chop it finely, if you do. Or you could try using dried thyme if you have it on hand. Hope this helps.
Hi, I’ve only used my IP a couple of times so I was a little confused where you say to “count 20 minutes” or something like that. So after I saute and turn it to high pressure, approximately how many minutes do I set the timer to? The recipe has fantastic reviews and I’m making half a recipe tonight. Love finding your site. You have so many amazing sounding recipes!
This recipe is fantastic! I use boneless chicken thighs and don’t season them and instead of mushrooms I use chopped broccoli. This turns out delicious every time and has become a frequent meal!
Happy to hear that, Susan! Thank you so much for the feedback!
This is now one of my favorites!!! Due to some dietary restrictions in our household I only used about 1/2 the mushrooms and chopped them up VERY tiny and only used 2 tsps of Rosemary. The flavor was so and it couldn’t have been any easier to make. Thank you so much for my new favorite risotto recipe!!
You are welcome, Brittany! Hope you will find here more recipes that you like :)
I’ve got to say, I was sceptical. I lived in Italy for 3 years and ate plenty of delicious risotto dishes. Could this classic Italian dish really be so easy? Worth a shot! I was absolutely blown away! A fantastic recipe. Beautiful risotto. My only adjustments, having read the comments were to add about 2/3 of a large red pepper and a Tbsp of minced garlic. Delicious!!!!
Thank you so much Kathleen for your feedback and rating! This is my absolutely favorite rice dish to make in IP and everyone loves it. Your adjustments sound good! :)
I love this recipe! I can’t have onions or garlic but it is still good. I chop up carrots and add them in. So very good!
Thanks so much for finding time to leave feedback, JT!
This was my very first recipe using the Instant Pot. It was delicious! I was a bit nervous, but the instructions were so clear that I pushed through the fear. My boyfriend said this was in his top 5 of all the meals I’ve ever made for him. I would agree. It was excellent and I will definitely make this again! Thanks for helping me break in the Instant Pot.
It’s so good to read comments like this! Thank you for finding time to write your experience, Liz. I have more instant pot recipes in the blog so hopefully you will find more inspiration here. :)
Hi! This looks delicious and I’m looking to make this recipe for 4 adults…however, my husband and dad can sure eat a lot. Is it possible to double this recipe? If so, does it change any of the cooking directions? Thanks! :)
Hi Becca. I have to say that I have not doubled the recipe but I’d give it a go. What I can advise you is keep the cooking time the same, there should not be any need for increasing the time. Try to follow the cooking instructions – I don’t see a reason why it shouldn’t work. And if you find time, please let us know how it worked out for you.
I doubled it in a 8qt IP and kept the cooking time the same, it turned out perfect! It was plenty of food for 12 of us.
Excellent! Thanks for letting us know, Stacy.
I’ve got an old-school pressure cooker so not completely clear on the cooking time. Would it be correct to read this as 3 minutes on high pressure, once it has been attained?
Hi Dean. Yes, it is 3 minutes on high pressure (after the pot is pressurized). Hope this helps.
This is delicious! We love Risotto but were not sure if the Instant pot recipe would taste a creamy. It does.
This recipe keeps the flavor, the creaminess, and the rice remains fluffy. It is not crunchy or overcooked at all. Perfect.
Thank you for finding time to write a feedback. I am really happy you like it!
This was DELICIOUS and so easy. My hubby loved it too. Got an instant Pot mini for Christmas and am trying a new recipe each night. This one is a keeper. 😊 I halved the recipe since cooking for two in the mini. It was still perfect. I think the whole recipe would have fit in the mini Pot.
That’s great to hear it works for the mini as well. Thanks for your comment, Kristin!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was phenomenal. My granddaughters were here and one ate 3 servings and the other ate 2. They must have told me 4 times after dinner just how good it was. The only thing I did different was I added about 2 teaspoons of Better Than Bullion, roasted chicken flavor into the broth before I added it to the other ingredients. Everything was perfect.
Cheryl, that’s so good to hear! Thanks so much for finding time to leave comment and rating.
Excellent recipe! I actually had to make this the night before as we have too many activities tonight and needed to feed kids before practices. Absolutely delicious, even heated up!! Thank you :)
Can you add white wine to this? If so, would you just reduce the amount of chicken stock?
Yes, I would do it that way, Leah. Just bear in mind that the wine will not evaporate if you do it that way so add only a little amount. You could also use it to deglaze the pot. Hope this helps.
Made this tonight as my first instant pot meal. So tasty! I will definitely make this again.
I am happy to hear that, Elizabeth :)
Think I could add sliced carrots (cooking them with the onions until soft) instead of mushrooms? We have a ton of carrots I’d like to start using tonight and no other veggies.
We just got an Instant Pot and so now we’re trolling for great recipes. Your Chicken Risotto is spectacular! The entire family loved it and it took no time at all. Great flavors and definitely easy to make. Thanks so much Julia! Can’t wait to make another one of your recipes!
That’s so great to hear, Mark! Please do let me know when you try other recipe as well! Thanks for finding time to leave feedback.
I have never ever made risotto cause it’s so time consuming BUT I just got the Ninja Foodi and made this and OMG!!!! THE BEST EVER! Followed the recipe exact and yes i will be making this often! Thank you for this recipe!
You are welcome, Lori! I am so delighted to hear that. Thanks for letting us know that this recipe also works well with other pressure cooker brands.
Hi Julia—I’ve had my Instant Pot for about a week (living in London, UK, I think we’re a bit late to the Instant Pot craze that seems to have taken off in North America), and have used it about twice a day to try all sorts of things. I love it already. What I hadn’t tried was risotto—partly because we really love a traditional risotto, and I was worried it would be mushy and flavourless in the Instant Pot. How wrong I was! I stumbled upon your recipe this evening, and thought I’d give it a go. I used some left-over chicken from yesterday’s roast, and throw in some pancetta to brown at the start; also added a stick of finely chopped celery with the onion. I’ve never added dry herbs or paprika to a risotto before, but followed your recipe—it was lovely! I used the chicken stock my husband made yesterday (in the Instant Pot!) and the whole dish was utterly delicious—each grain of rice seemed suffused with flavour. Just beautiful. I will make it for the kids next :). thank you so much for posting such a great recipe with such clear instructions for an Instant Pot neophyte!
Hi Julia. Thanks so much for finding time to write a feedback! I am so happy you loved it and I also like your version with pancetta and left-over chicken. Hope you will try more IP recipes from my blog! :)
Made this last night and it was divine! I did substitute cremini mushrooms for the button mushrooms and added a large clove of garlic. I could see using this as a basic risotto recipe but making it Mexican or Greek by changing the spices. Thanks so much for sharing with the IP community!!
Hi Lynn. I am so happy to hear that :). Yes, this risotto is pretty versatile and changes can be made easily. Thanks so much for finding time to leave the feedback! Hope you will try make some more IP recipes from my blog :)
I’ve had my instant pot for about 4 months and I’ve tried many recipes online since then and this is the first time I’ve felt compelled to write a comment on how good it was.
WOW. This was full of flavor, it exceeded all expectations, it’d easy to pack for lunch and it’s my new favorite. Thanks for taking the time to share these online.
Hi Tim! Your comment means a lot! Thank you so much for the feedback and rating.
I was looking for a quick rissotto recipie and stumbled upon this one… and it was AMAZING! So easy!! I used chicken thigh (which was fiddly but worth it).
It just tasted amazing, I think we put a little more parmasen cheese and the rice was perfect! Thank you so much!
Give it a try, it is soo good!
Chicken thighs are an excellent substitution – so flavorful, aren’t they? Thanks so much for finding time to write the feedback, Krystal. I really appreciate it!
Made last night, thanks for the recipe! I did a few modifications – I used already cooked leftover chicken and just tossed it in with the spices after sauteeing the vegetables. I added a whole chopped red bell pepper as well, since I only had two mushrooms, ha ha! And I didn’t have rosemary and don’t like oregano, so I did 2 tsp of herbes de provence with the paprika and salt. My seven year old and husband each had two bowls.
Love your substitutions and changes! Some recipes are pretty versatile and this is definitely one of them. Thanks so much for finding time to write the feedback!
Can this be made without the chicken? I was thinking about making the mushroom onion risotto as a side but grilling chicken or steak to serve with while it cooks. Didn’t know if that impacted flavor/time.
Hi Sarah! Definitely! Now you will have to experiment a bit here. I would use the same seasoning except for paprika and maybe reduce the amount of rosemary to 2 tsp and oregano to 1 tsp. Active cooking time: 1 minute and wait max 5 mins before releasing the pressure manually. I would add a little less than 4 cups of stock (maybe 3 and 3/4). Hope this helps. Let me know how it turned out for you, if you get a chance.
I have a 3 quart Instant Pot. Should I adjust the cooking time?
Hi Leah, I have never used other than the 6 quart instant pot so can’t say for sure but once I read an article that said that the cooking time is the same no matter how large your pot is. It will just take a different time to come to pressure. I am guessing for the 3 quart IP it will be quicker. Hope this helps.
If I make 1 portion or 4 portions in one pot things change. 1 portion takes less time as it comes up to pressure much faster. 4 portions takes a bit to come up to pressure so things cooked a little already. So for example I need to cut about 10% of the cook time with 4 portions vs 1. I assume a smaller pot would come up to pressure a little faster so cooking time might need a slight adjustment.
Just tried this and it was absolutely delicious! Thanks for this great, easy recipe. It turned out absolutely perfect!
Hi Bonnie :). I am so happy you love this recipe as much as we do! Thanks so much for finding time to write this feedback!
This recipe was amazing!!! I made it exactly as written and it was amazing!! My husband I loved it and will make often!!
That’s so good to hear, Laura. Thanks so much for finding time to leave the feedback.
Can I omit the mushrooms when making this? Or will or mess up the ratio of ingredients and cook time?
If yes, is there a veggie you’d recommend subbing for the mushrooms?
Thanks!
Yes, you can omit the mushrooms. Cook time stays the same so no worries there! You could use frozen peas if you like (I would boil it according to package instructions and just throw it in the finished risotto). Hope this helps.
i did this with peas and no mushrooms, but i just threw the peas in (still frozen) when i was mixing in the butter and cheese. turned out beautifully.
We made this tonight, extended the cooking time a little, added garlic and wine for deglazing. Delicious!
Glad to hear you liked it, Jenny!
I’m here in Nebraska and use cups and teaspoons for measuring still… do you know approximately how many cups or teaspoons/tbsp for the butter and cheese?
Hi Mandy. It’s about 3 tablespoons of butter and about 2/3 cup of the cheese. Now you can adjust these to your liking :).
This looks amazing! However i dont own an instant pot. I do have a sow cooker, would it cook ok in there?
I’ve never tried it but I would say no. I think the rice would be way over-cooked by the end of the cooking time.
I made this for supper tonight, and it was delicious! Thanks!
Yay! I am super happy to hear that, Lynne :) Thank you for finding time to leave the feedback.
Needs garlic. But great technique.
We love instant pot recipes. They are our go to way to especially during school so we can focus on homework. This looks like a perfect meal to try.
Definitely! Hope you like it as much as we do!
I love my instant pot and thanks so much for showing me how to make risotto in it. Love the button mushrooms in there too!
You are welcome!
I love risotto. It’s so exciting to know that it can be made in the Instant Pot. I have to try it now!
Yes! And it’s so easy! :)
I love risotto! Looks so delicious and comforting – such a stunning dish. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Yay! :) Let me know how you like it!
Risotto is one of my favorite things to both eat and cook, but it does get tedious doing all that stirring! I am totally digging this instant pot recipe! It looks easy and amazing! Now I’m craving risotto! LOL :)
Sherri, you will love it! :)