These Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts are so moist and flavourful! They cook in just minutes and are coated in a creamy sauce of Italian herbs, chicken broth, cream, and roasted red peppers. Perfect over pasta, rice or potatoes!
Ever since I first made these frozen chicken breasts in the instant pot, I’ve been hooked. Instant Pot chicken breasts are so much better than out of the slow cooker, and so much easier than anything on the stove top or oven. Especially from frozen!
Find more Instant Pot Chicken Recipes here!
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I’m still sharing plenty of basic Instant Pot recipes (like this Instant Pot Shredded Chicken, Instant Pot Pulled Pork and this Instant Pot Whole Chicken from a couple weeks back!), but every now and then I like to branch out and add in some big flavour.
Can you blame me??
Ever since Stella was born in November, I’ve been trying to get back to healthier eating (but, as you know, it’s all about balance!), and cooking real dinners, and keeping my freezer well-stocked.
This Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts do have a bit of cream in them, but a little goes a long way and I like to tell myself a little fat is part of a healthy diet 😉
The herbs and roasted red peppers in here add so much flavour, that you really don’t need much cream at all, and I didn’t even add any cheese. As hard as that is to believe!
It’s been a struggle to get our 5 year old to eat (and not complain about!) any kind of chicken for dinner for the last 2 or 3 years, but in spite of her skepticism she loved these chicken breasts over egg noodles. Even the 3 year old ate her dinner! I’m counting that a win 🙂
How to cook frozen chicken in the Instant Pot:
If you have frozen chicken breasts and you want to use those to make this in your Instant Pot, follow the directions here, and add in your sauce ingredients after cooking.
Keep in mind that frozen chicken breasts will release significantly more liquid during cooking, so you’ll want to drain some out before adding in the cream and all of that delicious flavour, otherwise it will be diluted significantly.
Tips and Tricks for Making these Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts:
- Feel free to add in additional vegetables to make this a one pot meal — mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli would be great in here! Or serve it with a side salad to round things out.
- We love this over egg noodles, but the options for serving are endless! You could serve it over rice, potatoes, or use it to make quesadillas, pizza or sandwiches!
- You can use a lighter cream or even evaporated milk in this recipe, but it’s a small amount so I usually use 30% or heavy cream if I have it.
- You can easily freeze any leftovers you have for another day, so go ahead and double the recipe if you like! The higher the fat content of your cream, the better it will freeze and thaw, so keep that in mind as you’re cooking if you’re planning to freeze.
Make these Creamy Italian Chicken Breasts in the Slow Cooker:
To make these chicken breasts in the slow cooker, add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker.
Whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken, then cook for approximately 2 hours on high or 3-4 hours on low, until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Make these Creamy Italian Chicken Breasts on the Stove Top:
To make this chicken breast recipe on the stove top, add the chicken breasts, broth, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to a large, deep pan. Cover and simmer over medium heat until chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
Whisk together the cream, red peppers, corn starch and pesto and gradually stir into the broth in the pan. Stir continuously until thickened.
Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup heavy cream (see notes above)
- 1/3 cup roasted red peppers
- 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 tablespoon basil pesto
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add broth and sprinkle with garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Place lid on the Instant Pot and turn valve to sealing. Select Manual, high pressure (the default), and set the timer to 8 minutes. The pressure cooker will take about 10 minutes to build pressure and begin counting down.
- Once the cook time is over, turn the Instant Pot off and let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then do a quick release and open the lid.
- Remove the chicken breasts and place on a cutting board or serving platter. Turn the Instant Pot to saute. (OPTIONAL: strain the broth if there is fat or unappetizing chunks left over)
- Stir together cream, red peppers, corn starch and pesto and add to the pot. Whisk and cook for 3-4 minutes, until thickened. Add chicken back to the sauce or serve with the sauce over top if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition (this is an estimate)
Tina says
Could I use thin cut chicken breasts and would I adjust the cooking time?
Ashley Fehr says
You definitely can! I would adjust the cook time to 6-8 minutes, depending just how thin they are.
Jess says
Instead of noodle or rice you suggested to serv over potatoes. Serve over what type of cooked potatoes?
Fried?
Ashley Fehr says
I think any sort of potato would be delicious! Mashed with the sauce over top, or fried or roasted on the side.
Stephanie Seonbuchner says
Thank you! Made for dinner tonight. I always season the chicken and brown it first when I do chicken in IP and pressure cook/npr for less time. The sauce is soo good!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy you liked it!
Leslie says
Can you use non-frozen chicken breast?
Ashley Fehr says
The recipe does not call for frozen chicken, though it is an option 🙂
Andrea says
I’m going to use Frozen chicken breast and will follow the directions in your link.
To make the sauce, should I add discard the liquid from the frozen chicken and add new chicken broth or measure out broth from what the frozen chicken left in the instant pot, and then discard the remaining liquid?
Can’t wait to try this!
Andrea TC says
This was a great recipe! I used spinach instead of red peppers and it came out fantastic!
Jennifer Batina says
Ooh. Adding spinach sounds like a great idea! I made these for the first time tonight and they were delish! I used evaporated milk and didn’t have any pesto (but I’ve added that to my shopping list), and they were still great!
Ashley Fehr says
So glad to hear that!
Kathy Clesson says
I am so glad you made this post. I was considering the recipe, but do not have pesto on hand. I have the other things, and I may add spinach (based on another post).
Ashley Fehr says
The pesto just adds flavor 🙂 Feel free to add some Italian seasoning or other to substitute or try without!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it!
Danielle says
This recipe was so good, I didn’t have any basil pesto on hand but added fresh chopped basil leaves, and it was delicious!! Hubby approved! So easy! Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
That’s the perfect swap! So glad you liked it!
Nancy says
Loved this recipe. So easy and so delicious. I’m so happy it turned out great. I’m always looking for a different chicken recipe and unfortunately, not all of them are to my liking. But this one is definitely a keeper. Thank you so much.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Nancy! I’m happy to hear that!
Ashley Dennis says
I made this tonight for the first time and it was delicious. I did add more Italian seasoning and I made more sauce. My 4 children, my husband and I all loved it. This will become a staple in our family. Thank you.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Ashley! I’m so happy to hear you liked it!
Kelly says
My family loved this! A great recipe to use while trying my new instapot for the firat time. My picky teens immediately asked me to make this again and soon. Thanks!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that Kelly! I’m glad they liked it 🙂
Brett H says
On to my second time making this recipe. So good!! This will become a regular meal for us, served over noodles and the sauce doubled. THANK YOU FOR UPLOADING THIS!!!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Yay! I’m so glad!
Sanchez says
so yummy! can’t wait for enjoying it
Robert Derby says
That’s awesome to enjoy the chicken breasts with another way.
JoAnn Ryan says
I made this tonight. I’m still learning how to use my Instant Pot. It was so delicious! I added sautéed portobello mushrooms and doubled the sauce recipe. Served it over brown rice. So good!! Thanks for the recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that!
Phil says
I’m sorry. This was incredibly bland. We had one serving apiece and tossed the rest. The chicken had no flavor whatsoever. The sauce wouldn’t thicken and adding more cornstarch only led to clumps. I’m sure there’s a way to do it better. But we followed the recipe the the letter, and it just didn’t work
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry to hear that Phil! The recipe has been a favorite for many readers so far and I’m sad to hear you did not enjoy it. Adding corn starch without making a slurry will create clumps, and it’s pretty easy to adjust the seasonings to your tastes without tossing.
Stephanie Seonbuchner says
I always do the corn starch immediately before I need it. It needs to be mixed with cold liquid in this case, cold whipping cream from the fridge. I also season and brown the chicken before I pressure cook it.