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!
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)
Lavinia says
Just made this and the flavors were phenomenal but the sauce was more watery and not so creamy… and I used heavy cream like the recipe called for. Any suggestions?
Jackie says
I don’t have cream can I use milk or ?
Ashley Fehr says
You can use milk! Higher fat is better for adding to heat, and it will be a little thinner but will still work fine.
Ali says
My husband and I love this recipe! We love the sauce, so we’ve doubled the ingredients, except the broth, and it makes a really delicious thick sauce. We’re getting through all of your instant pot recipes; neither of us is a particularly good cook, but your recipes are easy and delish. Thanks for all the great content!! <3
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you so much Ali! That means the world to me!
Kelly Ienna says
I love this recipe, it has become a staple in my house because it is so easy, fast and delicious! I do always make double the sauce as the recipe suggests to serve over pasta. It’s always a winner with my husband, 4 year old and 1.5 year old!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Kelly! It is one of our staples too!
Maggie says
Is it possible to cook 6 breasts in the same amount of time? How would I adjust the recipe? Thank you!
Kelly Ienna says
Yes you can make 6, you don’t need to adjust the recipe at all, but I do always make double the sauce to serve with rice or pasta 🙂
Hope says
This was the first recipe I tried in my Instant Pot. It turned out perfectly and the extra sauce was great over pasta!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that Hope!
habitat says
Instant Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts is great! It’s easy to do it, something I never thought about before. I was always attracted to chicken dishes, added to the menu this weekend. Thank you for sharing the recipe, it’s great for me
Mary Wood says
I want to make this with thighs that are not frozen. What would the suggested cook time be?
Ashley Fehr says
I generally cook thighs about the same amount of time, maybe a couple minutes less.
Edwin Pylant says
Is chicken sitting in the liquid? Or on the trivet/rack thingy?
Ashley Fehr says
Sitting in the liquid
Oldina says
I put too much pesto otherwise it was good
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Oldina!
eatfrysmith says
Can I use green peppers, does it affect the food?
Ashley Fehr says
Green peppers have a different flavor than red, and I personally would not swap them, especially since the recipe calls for roasted red peppers which are sweet and mild in flavor.
Stephanie Gibson says
I do not have pesto… what could I add spice -wise to compensate?
Ashley Fehr says
Pesto is basically just basil and Parmesan (and a couple other things that don’t contribute much flavor-wise), so you could add a bit more seasoning and sprinkle with cheese at the end.
Julie says
This looks lovely but could you clarify something for me please.
When you say *Please Note: if you want a lot of extra sauce to serve over pasta, potatoes or rice, you will want to double the sauce”.
Do you mean double the chicken broth etc too (in other words everything except the chicken) or just from the cream downwards?
Ashley Fehr says
If you want a lot of extra sauce to serve, I would double all of the sauce ingredients, including the broth! Though if you want a very thick sauce, you could leave out the extra broth and just double the cream, etc.