Creamy Instant Pot Italian Chicken Breasts are juicy, moist and so easy to make! Tender chicken coated in flavorful creamy sauce with tomato, fresh basil and then served over your favorite pasta. To-die-for!
You will also love this Marry me cauliflower!
Table of Contents
This Instant Pot Italian chicken ended up being out of this world!
I use my electric pressure cooker to make more plain Instant Pot chicken breast and Instant Pot shredded chicken on a regular basis. However, a restaurant-quality meal with tender chicken breasts swimming in outrageously delicious sauce is my new favorite Instant Pot chicken breast recipe!
And there is a lot of creamy sauce to spoon over a bowl of spaghetti. Good news, it’s also lighter but so flavorful! This Italian chicken recipe is one of those meals when a pound of spaghetti and entire dish is gone in one evening between all my boys. Your whole family will love it just like mine did!
Ingredients and Notes
To make creamy Italian chicken in Instant Pot you will need a few simple ingredients. A list might seem long but in reality they all are fridge and pantry staples.
- Chicken breasts: 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2 pounds.
- Italian seasoning: Store-bought spice blend or here is my homemade Italian seasoning recipe that I use.
- Milk: Whole milk for most creamy results. 2% milk is OK too but sauce will be less creamy.
- Chicken broth: Low sodium chicken stock. I like to use chicken base diluted with water.
- Cornstarch: To thicken the sauce. Arrowroot powder or tapioca will work as well.
- Tomato: Diced tomato added at the end for color and extra flavor. Roasted red peppers would work great too.
- Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan and not from a shaker for more authentic Italian flavor.
- Fresh herbs: I used fresh basil but fresh parsley is a great addition too.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil to saute chicken breasts.
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Instant Pot Italian Chicken Breasts
Here is a quick overview how to make Instant Pot Italian chicken in a few simple steps.
All you have to do is sear the chicken breasts, pressure cook them and then thicken the sauce. It is such easy Instant Pot recipe and one of our favorites!
I use 6 quart or 8 quart Instant Pot.
- Preheat Instant Pot: Press Saute on your pressure cooker and let it preheat until display says Hot. In the meantime, let’s season the chicken.
- Season the chicken: Season chicken breasts evenly on both sides with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
- Sear chicken breasts: Add olive oil to the bottom of the pot and place as many chicken breasts as you can fit in a single layer and flip easily. Cook each chicken breast until golden brown on each side, 2 minutes per side. Work in batches. Transfer to a plate.
- Deglaze the pot: Add chicken broth and whisk it until all browned bits and spices are not sticking to the bottom of the pot. Press Cancel.
- Pressure cook chicken breasts: Place seared chicken breasts back in Instant Pot, close the lid and set valve to Sealing. Cook chicken for 8 minutes on high pressure, followed by 10 minutes natural release. After turn pressure valve to Venting to release remaining pressure.
- Thicken the sauce: Remove cooked chicken onto a plate and Press Saute setting again. Whisk in a cornstarch slurry followed by Parmesan cheese. Keep cooking until sauce has thickened. Turn off the heat.
- Season and garnish: Slice your juicy chicken breasts against the grain and return them to the pot. Top with diced tomato and fresh basil. There will be enough sauce to cover it all, so no need to spoon it on top of the chicken.
Tips for Best Results
- Frozen chicken breasts: You can use frozen chicken breasts, just make sure they are separated and add 5 minutes to cook time. Also note that you won’t be able to sear them which might result in a little bit less flavor but still good. Just add them seasoned on both sides to Instant Pot and cook.
- Bone-in chicken breasts: Add 3 minutes to cooking time.
- Chicken thighs: Instant Pot creamy chicken can be made with boneless skinless chicken thighs. Same cook time. For bone-in chicken thighs, add extra 3 minutes of pressure cooking.
- Dairy-free: You can use almond milk or any of your favorite dairy-free milk. Keep in mind the sauce will be less creamy and also you will have to find dairy-free Parmesan cheese at the grocery store.
- Heavy cream: If you would like more creamy Instant Pot Italian chicken, use 1/2 cup heavy cream instead of milk.
Serving Instant Pot Italian Chicken
We enjoy these Instant Pot Italian Chicken breasts over spaghetti. I cook a pound of pasta and everything is gone in half an hour. Tubular pasta with crevices like penne or rigatoni is even better. This dish has so much flavorful creamy sauce, it’s pure joy to cook and eat it!
Try them over mashed potatoes with a simple side salad. Or with a quick side dish like this easy roasted broccoli or garlic green beans for easy weeknight dinner.
How to Store It
Store leftover chicken in cream sauce in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months the thaw in the fridge overnight.
To reheat, add desired amount of chicken and the sauce to a small pot and simmer on low heat while covered. You can also use a microwave.
FAQs
If you seared them, then pressure cook for 8 minutes. If you skipped browning, add 2-3 minutes. Frozen chicken requires extra 5 minutes or so. Keep in mind chicken breasts are already cooking while Instant Pot is coming to pressure.
From my experience, usually it is because you either used quick release or quality of chicken you buy. Also they could have been extra thick and need a few extra minutes to cook. Otherwise, 8 minutes listed in the recipe is enough.
Yes. Sear chicken breasts in a skillet, add broth, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 F internal temperature. Then follow the recipe and thicken the sauce.
Yes, you can slow cook chicken breasts. Sear the chicken and add to the slow cooker along with chicken broth. Cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or on high for 2 hours. After remove chicken, add in slurry and thicken the sauce on high heat for 15 minutes.
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
- Instant Pot chicken pasta
- Instant Pot frozen chicken breasts
- Instant Pot chicken alfredo
- Instant Pot buffalo chicken dip
- Instant Pot chicken stew
Also be sure to browse more of our favorite Instant Pot recipes.
Creamy Instant Pot Italian Chicken Breasts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts 2 pounds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth low sodium
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 large tomato chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil finely chopped
Instructions
- Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning on both sides.
- Press Saute on Instant Pot and wait until display says Hot. Add olive oil and saute chicken breasts on both sides until browned, in batches if necessary. Transfer chicken onto a plate, add chicken broth and deglaze the pot. Press Cancel.
- Return seared chicken breasts to the Instant Pot, close the lid, set valve to Sealing and pressure cook chicken for 8 minutes. After wait 10 minutes and then release remaining pressure by turning pressure valve to Venting.
- Remove chicken onto a plate and press Saute. In a small bowl, whisk milk and cornstarch, then pour into the Instant Pot and whisk. Add parmesan cheese, whisk again and let sauce cook for a few minutes until it thickens.
- Slice chicken breasts against the grain, return to the pot and top with tomatoes and basil.
- Serve hot over any pasta.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in a fridge overnight.
- Frozen chicken breasts: You can use frozen chicken breasts, just make sure they are separated and add 5 minutes to cook time. Also note that you won’t be able to sear them which might result in a little bit less flavor but still good. Just add them seasoned on both sides to Instant Pot and cook.
Made this yesterday, loved it!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Verna!