Chicken on Wednesday — Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Rice

Fast, heartwarming, and ready in 30 minutes—creamy chicken and rice with mushrooms, thyme, and Parmesan from the pressure cooker.

This recipe was made in my favorite Instant Pot — the one I use every week. If you want yours to turn out just as good, you can grab the same one here.

All nutrition facts are AI generated and approximate.

Ingredients

Pressure cook

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 3–5 sprigs thyme
• 1½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 cups long grain rice
• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper

After cook

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 (5 oz) container grated Parmesan
• 2 Tbs lemon juice

Directions

1. Add olive oil to the Instant Pot and set to Sauté.
2. Add thyme to the oil and cook until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Remove thyme sprigs and add chicken. Cook on Sauté until opaque, about 10 minutes.
4. Add rice, mushrooms, broth, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir.
5. Pressure cook on high for 3 minutes, then quick release.
6. Stir in heavy cream, Parmesan, and lemon juice.
7. It is ready to serve. Enjoy your evening.

Notes

• Bloom then remove the thyme: Cook the sprigs in the oil until fragrant, then pull them out—the flavor stays behind in the fat.
• Save the dairy for the end: Stir in the cream and Parmesan after pressure cooking so they don’t scorch or trigger a burn warning.
• Thighs stay juicy: Boneless thighs hold up to pressure cooking better than breasts and won’t dry out.
• Finish with lemon: The lemon juice at the end brightens all that richness—add it to taste.
• Leftovers thicken: The rice keeps absorbing liquid; loosen reheated portions with a splash of broth.

Why This Works

• Blooming aromatics: Warming thyme in oil pulls its fat-soluble flavor into the dish before anything else goes in.
• Dairy after pressure: Adding cream and Parmesan once cooking is done prevents curdling and keeps the sauce silky.
• One-pot starch: The rice cooks right in the seasoned broth, absorbing flavor and releasing starch that thickens everything into a creamy base.
• Acid balances fat: A hit of lemon juice cuts the cream and Parmesan so the dish tastes rich but not heavy.