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!
Table of Contents
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, 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.
Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
written by Ashley Fehr
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
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 (for frozen chicken breasts, add 2-3 extra 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Lauren says
When doubling the sauce does that mean I need to double everything (including the broth and seasoning)? I don’t want to double the chicken, but I’m afraid if I double the broth and seasoning it will make the chicken taste funky?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, you can double all of the sauce ingredients and it will be great 🙂
Shanna says
OMG!! Best meal I have made in a long time. This one will make it into the rotation for sure. Have you ever made it ahead and froze it for a later date? I would love to make some up for a few friends at our meal prep day but not sure if it would work. What are your thoughts on making it into a freezer meal?
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Shanna! I think that would work well as long as you use heavy cream in the sauce — low fat dairy doesn’t freeze well but cream should be fine!
Allison says
I am watching my weight and want to reduce the calories can I use a lower fat milk instead of heavy cream? Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Yes you can, it will just not be as rich. I would try evaporated milk!
Dave & Vuyo says
Thank you! This was super easy and turned out great. We modified it a bit based on what we had. For the sauce, we used a full cup of cream, doubled the cornstarch, and mixed in 1/2 cup of grated pecorino cheese. We didn’t have basil pesto so we just used 1T of dried basil. We also diced half an onion and included it at the beginning, and threw in 300g of fresh mixed veg after the pressure cycle. We served it over pasta. The roasted peppers give a really nice flavour, we’ll use more of them next time.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad you liked it!
Cat says
I’m sorry I’m newer to cooking. When you say roasted red peppers, do you mean red bell pepper and you cooked them first? If so, how? Or is this something else entirely.
Ashley Fehr says
You can make your own but I buy the jarred roasted red peppers from the grocery store. They are a quick way to add lots of flavor!
Phoenix Cooks says
Wow, it looks delicious. Thank you for sharing. Chicken is my favorite food, I love it so much. I will try to make this baked chicken for my family. I believe my family will like this very much. Love so much.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Carolyn says
Hi Ashley, thank for sharing this recipe. I made this tonight using a can of cream of chicken soup and non-dairy half-and half (Ripple brand). The chicken was served with 1/2 box of mini-farfalle and mini-penne pasta with spinach and chopped bell peppers. So delicious! Will definitely make it again!
Ashley Fehr says
THanks Carolyn!
Ashley says
Can’t wait to try this recipe! If I use chicken tenderloins instead, would you decrease the cook time?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes I think you would want to reduce the cook time by a couple minutes
Leah says
Can you substitute leg quarters for breast? My husband prefers dark meat as opposed to the white meat.
Ashley Fehr says
You can, but if they are bone in it will take longer to cook.
Roxanne says
Did this twice now! I prefer substituting the roasted peppers for sundried tomatoes 🙂 also, the second time i sautéed sliced mushrooms in garlic butter before (i reserve on the side before cooking the chicken). Also, on top of the chicken, i add a trivet and cook brown rice at the same time. (Frozen chicken breast has the me cook time as brown rice ; 10 minutes). Delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Roxanne! I love the idea of doing rice on top!
Diane Woodworth says
I am planning on trying this recipe tonight but wanted to know if doubling the sauce means doubling the broth, cream and spices or just the cream? Thanks.
Ashley Fehr says
I would double everything if you like extra sauce for pasta!
Judyo says
Can I use a crackpot, don’t have a instant pot?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, definitely! The cook time will obviously be much longer.
David says
Hi there, tried this once already and it was amazing! I would like to make it for someone who is vegetarian. Any advice on how to keep the chicken separate from the sauce? Do I need to substitute something for the juices etc?
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks David! I would probably make the sauce on the stove and just cook the chicken breasts in some plain chicken broth in the Instant Pot, then serve sauce with them individually
Kim says
I made this for dinner tonight – it was a hit. I added chopped spinach to it instead of pesto (I didn’t have any), it was great. Thank you.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Kim!
Julie Daniels says
Tried this tonight and it’s great! My eight year old daughter helped and it so easy even for her to follow. This one is a keeper!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Julie! I’m so glad!
Rebecca Coovert says
I made this in the Instant pot last night and it was so good. I did double the sauce and still could’ve used some more. I loved that I could do it all in the i stand pot. Thank you for the substitution suggestions. I used condensed milk for the sauce as I did not have cream and it worked great. I will be making this again.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Rebecca! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Caitlyn says
Hello!
If I were to add some veggies into the pot, would I cook them with the chicken or would it be better to do it afterwards?
Ashley Fehr says
It depends on the veggie — most cook very quickly so they might be overdone if you add at the beginning of the cook time.
Noelle says
I am planning to make this tomorrow, the only thing is my husband doesn’t like peppers so want to omit the red peppers but not lose all the flavor. Do you have any recommendations of a flavor substitution? Also have you ever added sautéed onions?
Thank you! Looking forward to creating this tasty dish!
Rebecca says
I use sun dried tomatoes instead of peppers and it’s delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Rebecca!
Ashley Fehr says
Sundried tomatoes have been used and enjoyed by some!
Elise says
Can I omit the pesto because I don’t have it available at home? Will I use the same amount of evaporated milk if I don’t have heavy cream? Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
You can omit the pesto but you may want to add in extra herbs and seasoning. Yes, the same amount of evaporated milk will work fine!
Cherylann says
Delicious!!!! Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Cherylann!
kate says
I don’t have enough corn starch. Can I use arrowroot?
Ashley Fehr says
I’ve never tried, sorry!