INSTANT POT CHICKEN RISOTTO

Like 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.

Instant Pot Chicken Risotto
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
25 mins

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!
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Instant Pot Recipes, Pressure Cooking
Servings: 4 Portions (served as a main)
Calories: 688 kcal

Ingredients

Risotto:
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion
7 ounces Button Mushrooms (200g)
1 pound Chicken Breast , diced (440g)
2 cups Risotto Rice (400g). See note 1 & 2
4 cups Chicken Broth See note 3
Seasoning:
1 tsp Salt
3 tsp Dried Rosemary
2 tsp Dried Oregano
2 tsp Paprika
¼ tsp Black Pepper
Other:
1.5 ounces Unsalted Butter (45g)
3 ounces Parmesan Cheese (90g). 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 tbps 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.

Recipe 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 a risotto rice, they would both be a great substitution.
2 cups risotto rice weighs about 14 ounces/395 g.
Chicken Stock or broth (any will work just fine) might have different amount 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 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 oz/60 g.
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 under-cooked or over-cooked.

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