Instant Pot chicken broccoli rice is an amazingly cheesy pressure cooker casserole! This one pot meal works with ham or sausage too. I made Instant Pot chicken and rice dish one night but decided to use ham.
This one pot meal is so versatile! Use ham or turkey too if you’d rather, and you can omit the veggies if you want. I use whatever I have left over in the fridge and the grains cook to tender with everything else. This is a great example of why I love Instant Pot recipes.
If you’ve been following The Typical Mom blog at all you know about my love for Instant Pot casseroles. You know, the throw what you have in the fridge in the pot and let it all cook together kinda’ meals? Yeah, those.
You can make this in any brand of machine you might have at home too. I have a Crockpot Express and Ninja Foodi as well (using the lid that isn’t attached) and they work just the same for this one. As long as your brand has the saute or brown as well as high pressure it will work great.
Once again this came about kinda’ by accident. The same thing kinda’ happened with Instant Pot enchilada rice. Next week I had rotisserie leftover chicken breasts, and swapped those out instead. They both came out great so I thought I’d share it with y’all.
As long as your meat is precooked you can use what you have on hand. If you want to use fresh meat then just saute it at the start with your onions until it’s no longer pink and voila!!
Ingredient Notes
For the meat we like to use diced chicken or other precooked meat. Typically I will use leftovers or will buy a rotisserie chicken to shred or cut into bite size pieces. You will need a bit of olive oil to saute with some onions in the first step.
For the grains we are going to share the cook time using White rice that is uncooked. Do not use Minute instant rice for this as the timing for that is minimal and using the cook time below that would become mushy.
Adding Chicken broth for the necessary liquid is better than water which would lend no flavor to the dish.
I like to buy a fresh head of fresh broccoli and cut into really small pieces. If you wanted it to get really soft and integrate into the dish instead of being chunky you could chop really small.
We like to add a lot of cheddar Cheese shredded, into the mix and to melt on the top once the pressure cook session is over. You can find a good dairy free alternative from Daiya.
To add seasonings to add flavor we just go with Salt and pepper, use a little at a time, and minced garlic we love.
Made with Frozen Chicken
If you only had frozen thighs in Instant Pot you’d need to use these directions to precook them beforehand. Then dice or shred and you could skip the first saute step in that case.
Variations and Substitutions
Like I said, adding leftover ham would totally work instead of chicken too as you see here. Casseroles in general for me are throw together use what you have on hand so it doesn’t get wasted meals. I mean that is what my Grandma was all about so maybe it is just in my DNA here.
Ham diced up is another option to use. If you have leftover turkey after the holidays you could add that instead Diced sausage links work great too. If you like a little heat then choose andouille, less would be kielbasa. It is already cooked with a lot of flavor mixed in there which means less work for y’all. I would highly recommend trying a batch with this instead too and see which you prefer.
Also, the seasonings are up to you. If you like a kit of it you could add garlic powder and/or salt with the salt and pepper. That is always subjective and personal preference so I tend to under-season at the beginning. Keep in mind that your meat may already have a lot of sodium in it so you don’t want to overdo it and make it inedible.
Cheese is of course an option and could be left out if you needed it to be dairy free. We are all about ALL the cheeses around here and like sharp cheddar personally. I think a mixture of cheddar and spicy jack might be a good option too.
Tips for Success
Tips regarding the Instant Pot steamed vegetables. We used the one you see here but you could add others if you really wanted to pack them in there. You could easily cut kernels off fresh corn on the cob and add that instead! Chicken broth is better than just water to add a bunch more flavor.
Can you use frozen broccoli?
I haven’t tried frozen vegetables for this. I think if you allowed it to defrost, then drain the liquid out of the bowl or bag it would work. If not you’d be adding additional liquid to the pot and would make it too moist.
Another choice you have is the type of chicken you are going to add. I have used it all especially if I have leftovers I need to use up. I have also used a can of drained diced and already cooked chicken. Skinless, boneless, diced chicken breasts or chicken thighs are best. These would have to be cooked before you added the broth and rice, using the saute function.
Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli Rice Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cup chicken, or ham, precooked and diced
- 1.5 cup rice, white
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 4 cup chicken broth
- 4 cup broccoli, florets
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 pinch salt and pepper , to taste
- 2 1/4 cup cheese, shredded cheddar
Instructions
- Set pressure cooker to saute mode, add the butter and onions. Cook until the onion is softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic for last minute. Cancel the saute mode.
- Add the chicken broth and salt, stir. Then sprinkle rice into the pot, but do not stir.
- Place the lid on the electric pressure cooker and set the valve to sealing. Set the pressure cooker to “manual” or “pressure cook” high for 10 minutes. Quick release the pressure when the cook cycle is complete.
- Fluff the rice, and then gently stir in the broccoli florets + precooked diced chicken or ham. (if you want broccoli really tender, I'd recommend to boil for 1 minute and add already tender) Place the lid back on and allow the Instant Pot to “keep warm” until the broccoli has softened to your desired tenderness. (typically 10 to 15 minutes)
- Once broccoli is tender, stir in the sour cream and 1 ¾ cups cheddar cheese into the rice. Top with remaining cheddar cheese and place the lid over the pressure cooker just until the cheese melts and the remaining water is absorbed. (about 5 minutes)
- Fluff and serve
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQ
Yes! We will show you how we do this all the time. Just like our Instant Pot sausage and rice recipe this cooks everything together like a casserole.
If you’re making an Instant Pot whole chicken all you need is broth and a trivet. To cook starch with your meat you’ll need to dice, saute, and brown the outsides first.
Yes! If this is all you have you can start with our frozen chicken in Instant Pot instructions. Then drain the liquid and add it into this broccoli rice dish.
Other Instant Pot Dinners You’ll Love
If you’re looking for other family friendly recipes we have a ton!! A few similar dishes that have been a hit with families is this Instant Pot chili mac, or our 5 ingredient Instant Pot chili
Delicious as is however, the second time I made this recipe, I added a can of Campbell’s cheddar cheese soup when I was adding the broth. It really bumped up the flavor to a whole new level
I made this yesterday for dinner. It’s sooo delicious! I will definitely put this in my recipe rotation! Thank you!!
So glad
What kind of rice is best for this recipe?
Just white long grain is what I use, Jasmine occasionally
This sounds great, but I’m confused about the amount of cheese, which isn’t listed in the ingredients list in the printable version, just mentioned in the instructions. In your description earlier it said half a cup; the printable recipe says 1.75 cups gets added along with the sour cream, and then add “the remaining” cheese—so 2 cups altogether? 2.5?
Sorry, had a mommy moment there. Fixed with correct cheese amount.
Ok, I have seen the Instant pot everywhere. Now I need one!