Main dish

Instant Pot Chicken, Mushroom and Kale Risotto recipe

Name: Instant Pot Chicken, Mushroom and Kale Risotto
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 large leeks; 5 cloves of garlic; 400g mushrooms (I use chestnut and button); 200g cavolo nero (or kale, stalks removed); 700g skinless, boneless chicken thighs (or breasts, see intro); 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves; 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped; black pepper; 175ml white wine; 300g risotto rice; 600ml chicken stock; 150g frozen peas; 50g Parmesan cheese, grated; salt

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My favourite risotto recipe made in an Instant Pot - no stirring needed. Based on an old M&S recipe, this risotto has chicken, mushrooms, peas and kale. You can use chicken breasts but thighs are better.

Prep20m
Cook20m
Total40m

chicken instant-pot risotto

Instant Pot chicken, mushrooms, pea and kale risotto

Reddit recently reminded me that risotto can be made in an Instant Pot and I thought, “Ah, that would be useful, cutting down on all the stirring”. Sorry in advance for being hyperbolic but it’s life-changing. The Damn Delicious recipe in the post comes highly recommended but I went straight in with my favourite risotto recipe and honestly I’ll probably make every risotto in my Instant Pot from now on.

This isn’t like the time I made salsa from scratch and proclaimed that I’d never buy store-bought again. I really believe that I won’t make risotto in a pan again (update: of course I did but this is still a great way to cook risotto). At a rough guess I reckon the Instant Pot cuts out around 50% of the cooking time (most of the stirring) and both Col and I agree that the end result is great.

I use kale in this recipe (cavolo nero is my favourite) because vegetables like asparagus and broccoli become soggy after a five minute pressure cook. If you want to include less robust vegetables then stir them in at the end rather than pressure cooking them.

I like this risotto to contain a decent amount of protein and veg so there’s quite a bit of chopping involved; sometimes I swap the leeks for pre-chopped soffrito if I’m feeling lazy. I’m currently favouring chicken breasts but thighs are a better choice. I was concerned that breasts would dry out after being pressure cooked and they do a bit, especially if the risotto is reheated the next day, but it’s not the end of the world.

I flavour this risotto with white wine and Parmesan but by all means add butter if you’d prefer a richer taste and especially if you’re using chicken breasts.

Notes

I’ve specified 300g of rice but you could use more or less - amend the stock accordingly, i.e. 300g of rice needs 600ml of stock. It’s the same with cooking pasta in the Instant Pot - I use double the amount of water and I don’t get a burn warning. The cooking time remains the same regardless of the quantity of rice/stock used.

Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken, Mushroom and Kale Risotto

Prep20m
Cook20m
Total40m

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
2 large leeks
5 cloves of garlic
400g mushrooms (I use chestnut and button)
200g cavolo nero (or kale, stalks removed)
700g skinless, boneless chicken thighs (or breasts, see intro)
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
black pepper
175ml white wine
300g risotto rice
600ml chicken stock
150g frozen peas
50g Parmesan cheese, grated
salt

Method

Set the Instant Pot to Sauté (level 2 on my Instant Pot, which is a low to medium heat) and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the inner pot.
Slice 2 large leeks and add them to the Instant Pot, stirring occasionally. While the leeks soften, slice 5 cloves of garlic, 400g of mushrooms and 200g of cavolo nero (or kale). Slice 700g of chicken thighs (or breasts) into large pieces, roughly 5cm wide.
Add the sliced garlic to the Instant Pot and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the sliced chicken, along with 2 teaspoons of thyme leaves, 1 teaspoon of chopped rosemary leaves and some black pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the sliced mushrooms and 175ml of white wine to the Instant Pot then once the wine starts to bubble, add 300g of risotto rice. Stir for a few minutes to toast the dry rice then add 600ml of hot chicken stock and the sliced cavolo nero then cancel the sauté function.
Put the lid on the Instant Pot and select Pressure Cook, High for 5 minutes. Once the pressure cooking has completed, Quick Release the pressure and open the lid. Select Sauté, level 1, and stir in 150g of peas, 50g of grated Parmesan cheese and a splash of white wine. Once the peas have warmed through, turn off the Instant Pot and taste the risotto to check the seasoning. Add salt if needed then divide the risotto into bowls and serve immediately.