Ranch Chicken and Rice
Creamy Instant Pot ranch chicken and rice with cheddar cheese. Course: Instant Pot. Cuisine: American. 4.75 from 4 votes. Author: Berly's Kitchen.
Nutrition
Ingredients
| 2 tablespoons | 30 ml | cooking oil |
| 1/2 teaspoon | 2.5 ml | salt |
| 1/2 teaspoon | 2.5 ml | black pepper |
| 1 lb | 455 g | chicken breast (boneless, skinless) |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | white onion (diced) |
| 1 ounce | 28 g | ranch seasoning mix (one packet) |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | white rice (uncooked, long grain, NOT minute rice) |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | chicken broth (or stock) |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | heavy cream (or half and half, or milk) |
| 1 1/2 cups | 360 ml | cheddar cheese (shredded) |
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot onto Saute, and allow to get hot. While the liner is heating, season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
- Add the oil and chicken to the hot liner. Brown chicken on both sides for about 3-5 minutes then remove from liner.
- Add the diced onions to Instant Pot, and cook until they are soft and translucent (approximately 3-5 minutes). Use the moisture from the onions to deglaze the liner and scrape any food bits from the chicken off the bottom. If needed, pour 1/4 cup water or broth to assist with deglazing.
- Turn off the Instant Pot, and place the chicken back in on top of the onions. Sprinkle the ranch seasoning over the chicken.
- Pour the rice in next, and add the broth last. If necessary, use a wooden spoon or spatula to press the rice into the broth. It's important that all the rice is submerged in liquid to reduce the chances of a burn notice and to ensure even cooking.
- Close the lid, and set the valve to sealing. Use the manual/pressure cook button and adjust the time to 8 minutes (6-8 minutes per pound of chicken according to the Instant Pot website). After the time is up, allow a 10 minute natural release before opening the valve to release any remaining pressure.
- Open the lid, and use two forks to shred the chicken. Pour in the heavy cream, half and half, or milk, and add cheese. Stir to combine and until cheese is melted. Serve hot, and top with additional shredded cheese if desired.
Ranch Chicken and Rice Tips: Don't care for ranch seasoning? That's okay, there are other seasoning blends you can try. For example, french onion soup (substituting provolone for cheddar) mix or taco seasoning should also work for this recipe. If your ranch chicken and rice is too thick then consider adding a little milk or extra heavy cream to thin it out. Just be aware that it will dull the ranch flavor. On the chance you decide to cook more than one (1) pound of chicken you will need to adjust the cook time accordingly. But, this can affect how the rice turns out. Try your best to keep the meat to around one (1) pound, if possible.