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?
According to Wikipedia 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 give everything a good stir.
Lock the lid into its position and cook under pressure on manual mode for 3 minutes. When finished, wait 7 minutes before releasing the pressure manually.
To make this pressure cooker chicken risotto as close to the Italian version, I stirred in butter and grated Parmesan cheese. Guys, those two ingredients should not be omitted as they give this risotto a ton of flavor.
At last, I also sprinkled some chopped chives over 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 Instant Pot 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 Instant Pot chicken risotto:
You can use store-bought or homemade stock/broth (I have a recipe for instant pot 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!
Want to see how to make instant pot chicken risotto? Watch the video!
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 in.
- 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.
Erin says
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.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks so much for finding time to leave such a detailed comment, Erin. Hope you try some other recipes from our blog! Happy Cooking! :)
Nat says
Can you make this recipe with barley instead of rice?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
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.
Carley says
Can this recipe be made with boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts? It’s all I have on hand
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Yes, it can!
Kim says
Can you use chicken thigh instead of breast?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Yes, you can!
Christine Murdoch says
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.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
I am so happy to hear that, Christine. Thanks so much for finding time to leave the feedback and rating!
Christy Jolly says
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!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
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!
Christy Jolly says
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!
Meg says
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.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
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.
Meg says
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. :)
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
That’s good to hear. It really is annoying though! Wish it wasn’t the issue. Happy Instant Pot Cooking!
lainie says
The burn notice often shows when you don’t deglaze the pot well enough, It should be a clear bottom.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Yes, this is also one of the reasons.
Bev Scowen says
This recipe is sooo much easier than traditional risotto. It works perfectly every time and super fast. What’s not to like?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks a lot for the feedback, Bev! Happy Instant Pot Cooking! :)
Nic says
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
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thank you for your feedback, Nic!
Marc says
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
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
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.