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Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole is a delicious one-pot comfort food meal. This is an easy and flavorful casserole to make in the Instant Pot. It’s easy to make this yummy pressure cooker Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole with simple ingredients.
Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
A casserole is a great choice for a weeknight meal. They are easy to make, don’t take much more than an hour, and are delicious and filling. Even kids like this recipe!
This is a delicious casserole that you can make in your Instant Pot® pressure cooker. I created this chicken broccoli rice casserole to be healthier than the one made with the canned soup (I have nothing against canned soup, I just don’t want to use it too often).
What is the best chicken to make this recipe with?
You can use dark or white meat. Boneless/skinless is what I use. If you use bone-in, take the temperature of the meat before serving (you want 165°).
Can I use quick cooking rice?
The parboiled, or fast cooking rices don’t do as well in this recipe. They overcook and get mushy. I haven’t tried it, but a quick cooking brown rice might work.
Can I use Brown Rice?
Brown rice needs a much longer cook time than white rice, so I wouldn’t. As mentioned above, I haven’t tried it, but a few of my readers have had success with quick cooking brown rice.
Can I just throw the broccoli in with the chicken and rice?
- Broccoli cooks very quickly in a pressure cooker. It will be super mushy if you add it in the beginning.
- Frozen broccoli, ran under hot water, works the best in this recipe. Add it at the end and close the lid. It will heat through.
- If you are using fresh broccoli, you will want to microwave it a few minutes with some water before adding it at the end. It won’t cook much from just the residual heat.
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Pin This Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole Recipe
If you make this tasty pressure cooker chicken broccoli rice casserole, please leave a comment and a star rating below. I’d really like to know how you liked this recipe!
Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 med Onion, chopped
- 1 ½ lbs Chicken Breast, cubed
- 1 ¼ tsp Kosher Salt (or 3/4 tsp table salt)
- ½ tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Onion Powder
- ¼ tsp Thyme Leaves (dried, not ground)
- 3 cloves Garlic, finely minced
- 1 ½ cups Long Grain White Rice, well rinsed
- 2 ½ cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
- 2 ½ cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese, (I like sharp)
- 2 lbs Frozen Broccoli Florets
Instructions
- Turn on the Sauté setting. When it is hot, add the olive oil and butter.
- Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to turn translucent.
- Add the chicken. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and thyme over it. Stir. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just the outside of the chicken turns white.
- Add the garlic and stir.
- Add the rice and the broth. Do not stir. Gently press the rice and chicken into the broth, then put the lid on the pressure cooker and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
- Turn off the Sauté setting.
- Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 3 minutes. High Pressure. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
- While the chicken and rice is cooking, run the frozen broccoli florets under hot water and drain. Set aside. If you are using fresh broccoli, you may need to microwave it with a little water for a few minutes to soften it, as it won't cook in the pot with the residual heat. If the florets are large, cut them in half.
- When the cook cycle has finished, turn off the pot and let it sit undisturbed for 10 minutes (10 minute natural release). Then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to release the remaining steam/pressure.
- When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid.
- Stir in the cheese.
- Add the broccoli florets, stir, and close the lid so it cooks in the residual heat of the rice/chicken.
- Take the lid off and stir. Serve immediately. Makes good leftovers.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This was a yummy quick dinner. Little salt and pepper at the end and the kids ate it all. Thank you for this recipe
Can this be made without the cheese?
Sure!
I was a little concerned with the 3 minute cook time for the rice and my frozen chicken breasts so I cooked mine for 10 minutes, which I got from some googling and it turned out great! Frozen broccoli didn’t cook enough for me so had to separately cook that more. Just wanted to leave this comment in case anyone else has these concerns! Still turned out great.
2 lbs of broccoli sounds like an awful lot. Is that accurate?
I think so! I tested this recipe multiple times, so I trust what I wrote. That would be a 32 oz bag of frozen, or florets to equal the size of a head of cauliflower, which typically weigh 2 lbs (the ones I buy).
Could this work with regular (Not quick cook) brown rice, or would that change the cook time?
It would change the cook time as brown rice needs about 22 minutes to cook. The chicken would be overcooked.
This sounds great! Wanna make it tonight but don’t have rice. Could you use quinoa instead of rice?
Yes!
Haven’t made this yet but going to try it — After you put the broccoli in and close the lid, how long do you let it sit for before you open and serve?
It depends on the broccoli you are using. If it was frozen, rinse it in very hot water before adding. I would stir it in and let it sit for 5 minutes at least. If you steam the broccoli a little in the microwave before adding, you may not need to let it sit, unless it is not quite soft enough. The only thing I wouldn’t do is use straight up raw broccoli, unless you like it very crunchy. Hope that helps.
I made it tonight for my family and we all loved it! My husband and adult kids all had seconds! My husband couldn’t stop saying how much he liked it and the “we need to have this again!!”
P.S
We have. Pug named Gizmo too!
Can I use Lundberg Wild Blend Rice instead of Long Grain white rice?
That sounds good, though I haven’t tried it. I wonder if the wild rice will cook in the amount of time it takes to cook the rice? If you try it, please let me know how it works!
First time using my instant pot and this recipe was perfect and the directions were so easy to follow. Will definitely make again!!