Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Risotto

Fall in love with this instant pot lemon chicken risotto; it’s become a favorite easy family meal, and is surprisingly simple to make an Instant Pot/pressure cooker.  And because it’s made in an Instant Pot/pressure cooker, it’s a no stir risotto recipe!

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I love risotto, but I know it can seem intimidating.  Have you ever heard/seen the risotto curse on cooking shows? Any time someone tries to make a risotto they end up getting sent home.  (I’m talking to you Gordon Ramsey, ha)

What ingredients do I need for lemon chicken risotto?

• Butter
• Chicken
• Onion
• Garlic
• Dry white wine
• Lemon
• Arborio rice
• Sea salt
• Stock – chicken or vegetable
• Parmesan cheese

Traditional risotto recipes take time and patience, not to mention constant attention; certainly not an ideal recipe for an easy weeknight meal.  And since all I want to do is help make easy recipes for you, I’ve been so excited to share this one.

The last time I made risotto was…well it was long enough ago that I don’t even remember…perhaps 9-10 years ago?

So when I came across the recipe in a book I’ve been loving (The Big Book of Instant Pot Recipes: 240 Must-Try Dishes for Your Multi-Function Cooker) , and then found myself making it again…and again (in the span of a week) I knew I had to share the recipe with you!

The best part about this Instant Pot lemon chicken risotto is that all of the challenges with risotto are taken away because this is made in an Instant Pot!  You can have a cheesy, tasty risotto on your table any day of the week.

How do you make Instant Pot lemon chicken risotto?

1. Place 2 tablespoons of butter in a pressure cooker and press sauté.  Once butter is melted, add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until caramelized.
2. Add garlic cloves and chicken.  Sauté for 2 minutes.
3. Add white wine and lemon juice to deglaze the pot, scraping any brown bits with a wooden spoon.  Add rice and stir to combine.
4. Add salt and stock.  Stir.
5. Secure the lid with the steam vent in the sealed position.  Press manual and set on high pressure for 6 minutes.
6. Once the timer sounds, press keep warm/cancel.  Allow the pressure cooker to naturally pressure release for 10 minutes.  Using an oven mitt, do a quick release.  When the steam venting stops and the silver dial drops, carefully open the lid.
7. Add the remaining butter and parmesan, parsley and lemon zest, then quickly stir until the butter and parmesan are fully mixed in.  Allow the mixture to rest for 10 minutes.
8. Serve, garnished with shredded parmesan and chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley.

The cookbook I mentioned above – The Big Book of Instant Pot Recipes: 240 Must-Try Dishes for Your Multi-Function Cooker – has 240 Instant Pot recipes put together by a compilation of four food bloggers:

• Kristy Bernardo of The Wicked Noodle
• Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri of Recipes to Nourish
• Amy Rains of Wholesomelicious
• Stephanie Bundalo of Sarcastic Cooking

The book is so amazing and has so many great recipes and is broken down into categories by meal type and even a category for condiments and sauces.

Using the Instant Pot has made my life so much easier.  When I have next to no time on weeknights to cook, I’m still able to pull together an amazing meal because of it.  If you’re debating getting one or not, do it now!

Besides this recipe, a few of my other favorite things to cook in my Instant Pot are listed below:

• Healthy Instant Pot baked potato soup
• Instant Pot spaghetti and meat sauce
• Instant Pot Asian shredded beef bowls
• Instant Pot chicken spaghetti casserole

If you love lemon like I do, this risotto is a great recipe for you.  Even in this rich dish, the fresh zest of lemon really does come through.  I opted not to add heavy cream in the dish, but you can certainly choose to add that back in for an even richer, creamier risotto.

In addition, you can absolutely make this a vegetarian-friendly dish by simply skipping the chicken and opting for vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.

If you’re looking for an easy hands-free no stir risotto, this instant pot lemon chicken risotto is perfect for you!  Have you ever made risotto? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Other recipes you might enjoy:

• 5 Ingredient Baked Chicken Parmesan Pasta
• Hot Honey Baked Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
• Pressure Cooker Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Risotto

Instant pot lemon chicken risotto is going to become a family favorite easy meal, and this traditionally labor intensive dish becomes a no-stir risotto by making it in an instant pot!

4.10 from 21 votes

Print Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

• Instant Pot
• Wooden spoon

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter 1/2 stick, salted or unsalted
• 1 lb. chicken breast boneless, skinless , cut into 1" cubes
• 1 yellow onion medium, diced
• 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 lemon juice of 1
• 1 cup arborio rice uncooked (or other short grain rice)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese shredded, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup parsley finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
• Zest of 1 medium lemon

Instructions

• Place 2 tablespoons of butter in your Instant Pot and press saute. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and saute, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until caramelized.
• Add garlic cloves and chicken and saute for 2 minutes.
  
• Add white wine and lemon juice to deglaze the pot, scraping any brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add rice and stir to combine.
  
• Add the salt and stock. Stir.
• Secure the lid with the steam vent in the sealed position. Press manual and set on high pressure for 6 minutes.
• Once the timer sounds, press keep warm/cancel. Allow the Instant Pot to naturally pressure release for 10 minutes. Using an oven mitt, do a quick release. When the steam venting stops and the silver dial drops, carefully open the lid.
• Add the remaining butter and the parmesan, parsley and lemon zest, then quickly stir until the butter and parmesan are fully mixed in. Allow the mixture to rest for 10 minutes.
  
• Serve, garnished with shredded parmesan and chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley.
  

Notes

You could add 1/4 cup heavy cream if you want an even richer risotto. You would add this in step 7.

Nutrition information disclaimer: the nutrition information presented on this site should be considered an estimate as the calculations will change based on the exact products you use in your own kitchen.  

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 399kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 855mg | Potassium: 503mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 571IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 176mg | Iron: 2mg