This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This dairy free 15-minute Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli & Rice Casserole is the perfect quick, family-friendly weeknight meal! It reminds me a lot of the cream of mushroom soup version my mom used to make when I was growing up. I have included a cauliflower rice version, as well as a regular long-grain white rice version. I honestly enjoy both – just depends on whether you do grains/carbs or not!
The creamy factor comes from adding some Kite Hill Foods almond milk cream cheese at the end. I recently found this at both Safeway and Giant, so it’s becoming more easily accessible! I know Wegmans, Whole Foods, and Mom’s Organic Market sell it, as well. In terms of whether or not it’s Whole30 compliant, I will leave that decision up to you! The only ingredients are almond milk, salt, enzymes, xanthan gum, guar gum, lactic acid, and cultures.
My Instant Pot was one of the best purchases I ever made for my kitchen. Once I actually figured out how to use it and started experimenting, I realized there is an entire world of easy recipes to be made! I’ve been on a big rice kick lately – I try to avoid grains for the most part, but white rice tends to be ok. Plus I need lots of carbs for running! However, I am including a cauliflower rice option below for anyone who is doing a Whole30 or avoiding carbs.
I like my broccoli to be slightly crunchy, and roasting it is the only way I enjoy it. So this is why I decided to quickly roast the broccoli and mushrooms on the side while the rice and chicken are cooking. If mushrooms aren’t your thing, you can totally omit them!
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Mary’s Whole Life!
Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli & Rice Casserole
Ingredients
Paleo/Caulirice Version
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1 16 oz package frozen cauliflower rice , I prefer the texture of frozen vs fresh. I get mine from Costco or Trader Joe's.
- 12 oz broccoli florets
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 8 oz package Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese, or regular, if not dairy free
White Rice Version
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1 cup long grain white rice, I like Jasmine rice the best!
- 12 oz broccoli florets
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 8 oz package Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese , or regular if not dairy free
Instructions
Paleo/Caulirice version
- Preheat your oven to 415. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Spread the broccoli florets (and mushrooms if using) out evenly on the pan and drizzle/toss with 1 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- While the oven comes to temperature, make the caulirice. Select the "saute" function on your Instant Pot. Add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and let it heat for a minute or two. Add the frozen cauliflower rice with a pinch of salt and pepper, and saute for 5-7 minutes until cooked through. Hit "cancel". Remove the caulirice, place it in a bowl and set aside.
- At this point, you can put the broccoli in the oven. Set a timer for 12 minutes.
- Add the chicken breasts to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add the sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Pour the chicken broth over top of the chicken and seasonings. Lock the lid, turn the vent to "sealing", and select "manual" high pressure for 10 minutes.
- When the chicken is done, manually release the pressure. Shred the chicken with 2 forks. There will be some extra liquid, but that is a good thing! You don't want your "casserole" to be too dry. Add in the cooked caulirice, cooked broccoli, and stir to combine. Select the "saute" function again. Add the cream cheese and stir well while everything heats together for 2-3 minutes. Hit "cancel". Add salt and pepper to taste, serve, and enjoy!
White Rice Version
- Preheat oven to 415. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Spread broccoli florets (and sliced mushrooms if using) out evenly on the pan and toss with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add chicken breasts to the bottom of your Instant Pot. Add rice, seasonings, and chicken broth. Lock the lid, turn the vent to sealing, and set to "manual" high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Let it slow release for 5 minutes, then manually release the pressure. Shred the chicken using two forks and fluff the rice. Add the roasted broccoli and the cream cheese and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition facts are an estimate and automatically calculated. While I fact check them using My Fitness Pal, please note that they may not always be 100% accurate and depend on ingredients used. Weigh your total and divide by the number of servings for the most accurate grams per serving size.
YUM. This is sooo good and easy! I also love that the steps are in the most efficient, multi-tasking way for mom life đ
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it! I try to make it easy on us moms đ
Mary!!!!! You’ve done it again! This is delicious and my entire family (husband, 14 year old, and 11 year old twins) all immediately said “this is really good!” I doubled the amount of chicken. I ended up having to cook it longer. I would say for 2 lbs of chicken, it’s better to go closer to 20 minutes. I will definitely be adding this to our regular rotation. Love recipes that incorporate veggies in a way that kids won’t complain about eating them.
Hi Darra! I am so glad you liked it!! Great to know about the chicken. Thanks!
All three of my teenagers loved it!! The only problem I had while making it was keeping them out of the roasted broccoli! So delish đ
Yay! So glad to hear that!!
So delicious and light! I will 100% be making this again! Thank you!!!!
Can I use brown rice? Also what can I substitute for the cream cheese
Yes brown rice should be fine – and unfortunately I don’t have a substitute for the cream cheese! Either the almond milk kind (Kite Hill) or regular cream cheese works.
Sooooooo good even my 3 year old nephew gobbled it up! I doubled the recipe with the same time and it was perfect. Definitely a keeper!
Iâm going to make this on Monday đ if I wanted to double the recipe would that impact the cook time?
This is a good question! I have never personally doubled it, but I found this really good blog post about how to double IP recipes. It will depend on the thickness of the chicken! https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-double-instant-pot-recipes/
The best Whole30 meal Iâve ever made. My Whole30 ended a few weeks ago but Iâve made it so many time since.
Oh my goodness, I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you Mackenzie!! and congrats on your Whole30 đ
O.M.G was this good! Instead of using all the spices suggested I opted to use the âeverythingâ flavored kite hill cream cheeseâ and boy was it tasty! I also found cooking everything at the end for an additional 5 minutes was helpful. Thx!!!
I’m so glad you liked it! And the everything cream cheese is a fantastic idea!
This was so good! I used Kite Hill chive almond milk cream cheese and everyone loved it.
Yay! I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks for letting me know!