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Instant Pot Chicken and Pea Risotto

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This Instant Pot Chicken and Pea Risotto is basically a hug in a bowl. There’s something about this warm, creamy dish that makes it the perfect comfort food. If you’re looking for an Instant Pot chicken recipe that will bring a satisfied smile to your face.

a collage of chicken and pea risotto in bowls with title text reading Instant Pot Chicken and Pea Risotto

This Instant Pot Chicken and Pea Risotto has simple ingredients and flavors so even picky eaters love it too. My veggie-hating child loves when I make this since it’s one of the rare times I count peas as a vegetable serving.

This is the perfect dinner for nights after you’ve had a rough day, need a hug, and don’t want to hear any complaints about dinner. If you want to try another comfort-filled bowl of risotto, try this Easy Pumpkin Risotto.

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How to Make Instant Pot Chicken and Pea Risotto

As a general rule, my dinner recipes are very easy and require minimal steps. Sometimes a little extra effort nets you big flavor rewards though and this recipe is one of those times. I love a dump meal as much as the next person and you can make this dish that way.

Like my other recipes, there are no rare or expensive ingredients in this dish. For Instant Pot Chicken and Pea Risotto, you just need these simple ingredients:

chicken, cheese, broth, risotto, and peas in bowls next to an onion and garlic on a brown table

Step 1 – Prepare the Chicken

First, you’ll hammer the chicken to 3/4 inch thick. Then, season both sides with thyme, basil, and salt.

chicken seasoned with thyme, basil, and salt in an instant pot

Next, you need to brown the chicken in butter. It should only take about one minute per side. Then, remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.

chicken being browned in butter in an instant pot

Step 2 – Sauté the Rice

The key to a good risotto is to sauté it before cooking it to draw out the starches and enrich the flavor. So, after you’ve browned the chicken, remove it and add more butter to your Instant Pot.

Add some diced white onion and sauté it, stirring frequently, until it is translucent. Then, add minced garlic and continue cooking for another 30 seconds.

risotto, onion, garlic and butter cooking in an instant pot with a wooden spoon

Now it’s time to add the rice. Make sure you use arborio rice since this is the short-grained, high starch rice that will provide you with a creamy risotto.

Stir the rice constantly with a wooden spoon until the edges of the grains start to turn translucent.

a wooden spoon holding risotto above an instant pot

Step 3 – Add the Liquid and Chicken

You’ll need some liquid to bring the pot to pressure and to cook the rice. Pour in the chicken broth and scrape down the sides to make sure all of the ingredients are below the liquid.

Next, lay the chicken on top of the broth and secure the lid.

chicken and broth in an instant pot

Step 4 – Cook and Finish

You’ll cook on manual for 5 minutes then do a quick release so the rice doesn’t overcook and become too glutinous. Remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board.

Stir in the peas and cheese. You can turn on the sauté function again if the dish is too runny for your taste.

risotto and peas in an instant pot

While you wait for the cheese to melt, dice the chicken then return to the pot to stir in with the rice.

risotto, peas and cheese being stirred with a wooden spoon in an instant pot

Your Instant Pot Chicken and Pea Risotto is ready to serve!

Instant pot chicken and pea risotto in two black bowls on a wood table

Here’s the recipe card with the exact measurements.

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📋 Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken and Pea Risotto

Corinne Schmitt
You have to try this recipe!
4.48 from 34 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
3 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 2
Calories 729 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tablespoons Butter divide into 1 T Portions
  • 1 Chicken Breast
  • 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
  • 1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
  • 1/2 Cup White Onion about ½ med onion, Diced
  • 1 Cup Arborio Rice
  • 2 Cups Chicken Broth
  • 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
  • ¼ Cup Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
  • 1 Cup Frozen Peas Thawed
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste

Instructions
 

  • Set Instant Pot to sauté for 10 minutes and allow to preheat.
  • Hammer chicken to ¾ inch thickness with a meat mallet and season both sides with thyme, basil, and salt.
  • Place 1 Tablespoon Butter in Pot and add chicken. Cook on each side until browned, or about 1 minute on each side. Remove chicken and set aside.
  • Melt another tablespoon of butter in Pot and add onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to turn translucent, around 3-5 minutes.
  • Add garlic and stir for another 30 seconds.
  • Add rice and sauté until edges begin to turn translucent (center will still be white).
  • Pour chicken broth over the rice, onion and garlic, and scrape down the sides of the pot to ensure no food is above the liquid level. Stir pot and set chicken on top of liquid before sealing the lid.
  • Cook for 5 minutes on manual setting, then manually release steam.
  • Carefully remove lid and set aside the chicken breast.
  • Stir in peas and cheese. At this point, if your risotto is too liquid for your tastes, you can continue to cook on sauté until it is fully absorbed.
  • Add diced chicken to pot, and serve risotto immediately.

Notes

Weight Watchers Freestyle = 15 Points per serving for 2 servings, points could possibly be lower with a different rice

Nutrition

Calories: 729kcalCarbohydrates: 96gProtein: 40gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 1249mgPotassium: 917mgFiber: 8gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 990IUVitamin C: 51mgCalcium: 206mgIron: 7mg
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13 thoughts on “Instant Pot Chicken and Pea Risotto”

  1. 5 stars
    Fantastic recipe but my “boy logic” gave me a hard time. I followed all the instructions with the pretty pictures guessing at how much of each ingredient to put in. You have a spot that says “you just need these simple ingredients:” and there is a picture. It turned out wonderful even though I used a cup extra of broth and cheddar rather than parmesan cheese. Of course, when my wife got home, she flipped to the bottom of it all and saw the ingredients with the amounts very nicely presented. It’s a wonderful recipe, even with my mix up. But, for us beings of lesser kitchen wisdom, sure would have been nice to have the full recipe up by the picture. Thanks for sharing. Looks to me like you are doing good things.

    Reply
    • LOL. Thank you for the feedback. You aren’t the first person to not know the recipe card is at the bottom. I’ll definitely take your suggestion into consideration.

      Reply
  2. 2 stars
    Not whelmed by either this recipe or the Istant Pot. Granted, I am a newbie, but I think it’s easier to cook on a stove where you can control the heat and taste as you go along. Re this recipe, the onions started to burn when I was sautéing them. At the end of the cooking time, the rice was underdone and I had to add ALOT of water to get it to cook further. In the end, the flavors were ok, but the risotto totally lacked any creaminess.

    Reply
    • Hi Deb, I’m sorry one of your early experiences with the Instant Pot was disappointing. This is definitely not a good recipe for beginners since it does require familiarity with several aspects of the appliance such as the saute function and post-pressure cooking. I recommend sticking with recipes that are dump and press start dishes to get acquainted with how long it takes your pot to come to and release pressure, as well as a feel for how pressure cooking affects the taste and texture of different foods. Then, move onto recipes that have an initial saute step to get comfortable with how the Instant Pot performs this task. For some dishes, I reduce the heat for the saute mode because it cooks too quickly on the default setting for my preference.

      Reply
  3. 5 stars
    We loved this recipe. I used chopped baby carrots instead of peas. Also used chicken thighs. Needed to microwave chicken a little. Next time I will use boneless thighs.

    Reply
  4. 5 stars
    I rarely leave comments on food blogs, but this recipe was just too good not to. My daughter introduced me to risotto a couple of months ago. I had heard the term but it was not something I had ever looked in to or made. She cooked it for us and it was good!
    When I told her I found an instant pot risotto recipe she sounded doubtful. She thought it would be mushy and gross since to make risotto you add the broth a ladleful at a time so the rice can slowly absorb the liquid.
    I was willing to give it a shot though because it seems so much quicker. To my delight it came out absolutely perfect!!
    It was so absolutely delicious!! Thank you so much for this recipe, I will be cooking it often!!

    Reply
  5. 5 stars
    This was very good! Even my husband, who doesn’t really care about food, commented that we should have this again. I did use two very small chicken thighs, and didn’t dice them, but served them alongside the risotto. I made it in my 3-quart IP. Very handy. Pinned.

    Reply
    • Hi Pam, thanks for your comment! I’m glad you and your husband enjoyed the recipe. Love your variation too. I’m sure other readers will appreciate it.

      Reply
  6. 5 stars
    When I was in college, I studied in Italy for 4 months. My host mother made a pasta and pea dish weekly and it was my favorite! This dish reminds me of that – I can’t wait to make this tonight instead of my other chicken dish I was planning on.

    Reply

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