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!

Two bowls of creamy instant pot risotto garnished with chives and grated cheese, with a spoon in each bowl.

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.

Seasoned chicken pieces on a cutting board with risotto rice, oil, broth, mushrooms and chopped onions nearby.

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!

Cooking stages: sautéed mushrooms and onions, then added seasoned chicken and risotto rice.

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.

Julia stirs chicken and risotto rice in a pressure cooker with a wooden spoon.

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!

Julia stirs chicken risotto with butter, cheese and herbs in an instant pot.

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.

Julia sprinkles parmesan cheese over a bowl of chicken risotto with mushrooms and chives.

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.

A spoonful of creamy chicken risotto with herbs and parmesan cheese held above a bowl of the dish.

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

Homemade Instant Pot Chicken Risotto
Print Pin Rate
4.89 from 138 votes

Instant Pot Chicken Risotto

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!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Servings: 4 portions (served as a main)
Author: Julia

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:

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

  1. 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.
  2. Two cups of risotto rice weighs about 14 ounces/395 grams.
  3. 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.
  4. This recipe was developed for a 6-quart/6-liter Instant Pot pressure cooker.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. This recipe can be easily halved.
  8. I used dry-ingredient measuring cups for all cup measurements in this recipe.
  9. Make sure to cut the chicken breasts into same-size pieces. This will cook all of them equally without some being undercooked or overcooked.

Nutrition

Calories: 688 kcal (34%), Carbohydrates: 86 g (29%), Protein: 41 g (82%), Fat: 18 g (28%), Saturated Fat: 9 g (56%), Cholesterol: 109 mg (36%), Fiber: 4 g (17%), Sugar: 2 g (2%), Vitamin A: 1060 IU (21%), Vitamin C: 21.5 mg (26%), Calcium: 306 mg (31%), Iron: 6.3 mg (35%)
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment and rating below or tag me on Instagram @happyfoodstube.
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224 Comments

  1. 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.5 stars

  2. 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).5 stars

    1. 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. :)

  3. 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!

  4. Delicious and easy! Used chicken thighs and added 3 cloves garlic. Can’t wait to try another one of your recipes.

    1. That’s so good to hear, Joanne! Thanks so much for your feedback and happy cooking! :)

  5. I cook this with or without chicken and add peas at the end. Great for meal prep. Just add extra broth at the end.5 stars

  6. Made this last week with sushi rice, turned out great and it was easy and quick! Great with a side of steamed peas :)5 stars

  7. 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!5 stars

  8. 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 :)5 stars

    1. 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!

  9. 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.5 stars

  10. 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!5 stars

    1. You are welcome and thanks so much for finding time to write the feedback, Julie.

  11. 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 !5 stars

    1. 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!

  12. 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!5 stars

    1. You are welcome, Stephanie. Thanks so much for finding time to write this feedback. It’ a very versatile recipe and I like your substitutions!

  13. 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!5 stars

    1. 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.

  14. 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.

    1. 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.

  15. 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?5 stars

    1. 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).

  16. 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.