If you’re paying close attention, you’ll notice that this is the third Instant Pot recipe I’ve posted in about a month. There’s a reason for that; I’ve made fast friends with this miraculous, life-enhancing invention. Anything that allows me to put a healthy dinner on the table for my family in well under an hour is worth its weight in gold. Normally I would shy away from quick meals because all too often they’re cooked with food products instead of food ingredients. The Instant Pot changes that dynamic and — at least in my house — it’s here to stay. This recipe, too, is a keeper. Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli Quinoa has the same qualities of a casserole but gets it to the table with convenience and speed.
One of the best parts about Instant Pot cooking is that you can use the sauté feature before switching over to the pressure cooking mode. I love that feature because it allows me to brown meat or saute onions in the same pot that I cook in. Anything that makes for easier cleanup is a win in my book. For this Chicken Broccoli Quinoa recipe, I use the sauté feature to cook the chicken and bacon before adding the rest of the ingredients.
It’s tough to go wrong anytime bacon is a factor, but there’s a secret weapon in this recipe that amps the flavor up: gruyere cheese. It’s adds a creamy layer of flavor and pairs perfectly with the salty bacon and nutty quinoa.
When first I tested out this recipe, I used Parmesan instead of Gruyere. The second time I tested it, I switched to Gruyere and reduced the cooking time a bit. The third time, I added bacon and got the cooking time just right. The version of the recipe I’m sharing today lends credence to the adage, “third time’s a charm.”
If you’ve got a busy week coming up, go ahead and pencil in this Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli Quinoa. It combines wholesome with quick and easy for the win. Enjoy!
Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli Quinoa
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4 slices raw bacon
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup quinoa
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and run cold water over it, rinsing it very well. Set aside.
- Rinse the broccoli florets and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
- Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
- Use kitchen shears or a sharp knife to chop the raw bacon. Set aside.
- Plug in your Instant Pot and activate the sauté feature. When it is hot, add the oil and allow it to coat the bottom of the pot. Place the chicken and bacon into the pot. Cook the meat, stirring frequently, until the chicken is no longer pink and the bacon is cooked through. Push the chicken and bacon to the outer edges of the pot and add the minced garlic in the cleared space. Allow the garlic to cook for just about one minute, until it's just fragrant.
- Add the chicken stock, quinoa, broccoli, 1 1/2 cups of the Gruyere, and salt to the Instant Pot. Place lid on the Instant Pot and lock it into place. With the nozzle set to "sealing", program the manual mode with a cooking time of 8 minutes.
- When the Instant Pot beeps to indicate the eight minutes of cooking time is complete, immediately release the pressure by moving the nozzle to "venting".
- When depressurization is complete and the pin drops, remove the lid. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Gruyere on top and serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 743Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 163mgSodium: 903mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 55g
You might also enjoy:
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Sweet Potato Casserole
Instant Pot Chicken Tamale Chowder
Darcie, do you think I could successfully sauté chicken etc a little longer then pressure cook a min or 2 less and get greener broccoli? Thanks for posting your recipe!
Absolutely, Susan. If you *really* want green broccoli, you could also blanche it separately and then add it at the end.
This was a HUGE hit with my family! Everyone loved it, ranging from 4 to 70-something. Definitely a keeper.
I am fairly new to the world of Instapot and not totally familiar with all of the settings, so I may not have done this correctly. I used the button labeled ‘steam’. I believe I followed everything else as written but I wasn’t sure about that part. I doubled the recipe for our large family and I think that became a little too much meat to saute at once in the pot. It worked fine but it took quite a while. I believe next time I will cook just the bacon first, then remove it and cook the chicken, then add it back in and proceed. I think that might help the bacon to crisp up a little better without the moisture from the chicken.
We’ve been trying to sneak healthier foods in this year and your recipe allowed me to do that. My family loved it.
What does “set the nozzle to steam” mean? Thanks!
This was delicious! I subbed turkey bacon and it still turned out excellent.