Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts

Name: Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 18 min
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 chopped roasted red peppers; 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch; 1 tablespoon basil pesto

written by Ashley Fehr

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4.8 from 84 votes

Prep Time 10 mins

Total Time 18 mins

Servings 4 servings

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Published on April 13, 2018 / Last updated on June 2, 2020

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!

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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!

creamy italian instant pot chicken breast on a white platter with noodles

Table of Contents

Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts Recipe

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??

instant pot chicken breasts sliced on a plate with pressure cooker in background

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 🙂

chicken breasts in instant pot sliced and sitting in creamy italian sauce

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, or see my recipe notes.

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.

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