This Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice uses ingredients like cream of chicken soup and cheddar cheese to make a simple, crowd-pleasing weeknight dinner that even kids love!
Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces. Set the Instant Pot on the sauté setting and add 2 tablespoon butter; melt. Add chicken and brown for 5-8 minutes, seasoning liberally with salt and pepper.
Once chicken is browned, add onion and cook until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for about a minute, until fragrant.
Add rice and stir until coated in butter. Cook rice for 1-2 minutes, until it starts to turn golden and smell fragrant. Add chicken broth and scrape browned bits from bottom of Instant Pot liner.
Seal lid onto the Instant Pot and set for manual cooking, high pressure, for 8 minutes. Once cook cycle is over, quick release the remaining pressure.
Once cook cycle is over and lid is released, stir in cream of chicken soup and cheese until melted and creamy.
Notes
I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you could also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for more flavor. You could even use sliced beef or sausage as your protein.
While I use white rice, you could also use brown rice. If you're cooking in the Instant Pot, simply adjust your pressure cooking time from 8 minutes to 15 minutes for brown rice.
Not a fan of cream of chicken soup? No problem! Use an 8oz block of cream cheese instead.
If you have access to chicken stock, use it instead of chicken broth for extra flavor.
Don't think you have to stick to just cheddar cheese! You can use gruyere, gouda, colby jack, pepper jack, or parmesan cheese instead.
This recipe is perfect for adding in veggies. You can add steamed broccoli, frozen peas & carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms, or corn to the mixture after cooking.
This dish freezes very well! Make as directed, cool and transfer to an airtight freezer dish. When you're ready to serve, thaw in the refrigerator for at least a few hours (preferably overnight) and bake, covered, at 350 degrees for around 60 minutes, uncovering for the last 10 minutes or so.