These Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts are moist, flavorful, and ready in minutes! Tender chicken breasts are coated in a creamy sauce made with chicken broth, cream, Italian herbs, and roasted red peppers!
Table of Contents
We love the pressure cooker for basic Instant Pot recipes, like Instant Pot Shredded Chicken, Instant Pot Pulled Pork, and Instant Pot Whole Chicken, but every now and then I like to branch out and add in some big flavor.
These Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts definitely give big flavor! This recipe is made with juicy chicken breasts pressure cooked in a rich, flavorful cream sauce flavored with herbs and roasted red peppers.
This instant pot meal is ready in under 20 minutes and perfect over Buttered Noodles, rice, or potatoes!
Ingredients Needed:
- Chicken Breasts: use boneless and skinless chicken breasts for quick cooking.
- Chicken Broth: I like to use low sodium chicken broth to control the saltiness of the rest of the dish.
- Garlic: you can use freshly minced garlic or keep it convenient with jarred, pre-minced garlic.
- Seasonings: we’re using a simple trio made up of Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper to season the cream sauce.
- Heavy Cream: you can use a lighter type of cream for this recipe, but it won’t have the same richness as heavy cream.
- Roasted Red Peppers: be sure to chop them roasted red peppers up so they incorporate nicely into the sauce.
- Cornstarch: helps thicken the cream sauce.
- Basil Pesto: a tablespoon of basil pesto gives the cream sauce a little something extra.
How to Make Instant Pot Italian Chicken Breasts
- Make the sauce: In a bowl, whisk together the broth, roasted red peppers, pesto, garlic and seasonings.
- Sear the chicken: this is optional but it does add flavor. If you do sear it, be careful not to overcook the chicken since we will be cooking it further.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken in the pressure cooker.
- Pressure cook the chicken: Set the timer to 8 minutes and cook. When the time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5-10 minutes and remove the chicken.
- Thicken the sauce and serve: Whisk together the cream and corn starch and add to the sauce. Cook on saute until thickened.
Instant Pot Chicken Breast FAQs
You’ll set the timer on the instant pot for 6 minutes. However, the pot will take around 10 minutes to come to pressure. During that time, the chicken will be cooking!
If you did not sear the chicken, add 2-3 minutes.
If you are using frozen chicken, add 4-5 minutes.
Yes! It’s okay if the chicken breasts are layered a bit in the instant pot. Just make sure you season them thoroughly all over so you get flavor in every bite.
Totally! Frozen chicken works great in this recipe. Just add 4-5 minutes to the cooking time. Keep in mind that frozen chicken breasts will release significantly more liquid during cooking, so you may want to drain some out before adding in the cream, otherwise it will be diluted significantly.
Absolutely! No instant pot? This recipe is as simple as ever to make on the stove as well. Simply sear the chicken in a bit of oil until golden.
Meanwhile, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients including the cream and corn starch and add to the chicken. Simmer until sauce is thickened and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F.
Yes! To make these chicken breasts in the slow cooker, simply add the chicken into the crockpot. Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients, pour the sauce over the chicken, then cook for 2 hours on high or for 3-4 hours on low.
Leftover chicken and cream sauce will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen, then warm on low on the stove until heated through.
Tips and Notes
- Strain it. Straining the broth after cooking is optional, but it does remove any excess fat leftover after cooking.
- Check the temp. Finished chicken should be 165ºF. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature before serving!
- Lighten it up. You can use a lighter cream or even evaporated milk in this recipe. Keep in mind that the higher the fat content of the cream you use, the richer the sauce will be.
- Add veggies. Feel free to add veggies into the pot to make this into a one-pot meal. Try mushrooms, zucchini, or broccoli! You could also round it out with a simple side salad.
Serving Suggestions
We love these. Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts over egg noodles, but the options for serving are endless! Try them over rice, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, or slice them up and use them in quesadillas, pizza, or sandwiches!
Looking to bulk your meal up even more? Serve the chicken next to Roasted Green Beans, Air Fryer Broccoli, or a simple side salad.
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup chopped roasted red peppers
- 1 tablespoon basil pesto
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/3 cup heavy cream (see notes above)
- 1 ½ tablespoons corn starch
Instructions
- Whisk together the broth, roasted red peppers, pesto, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- (OPTIONAL) Turn the Instant Pot to saute. When it reads "hot", drizzle oil in the bottom. Sear the chicken breasts on each side for 2 minutes until light golden brown. This step is optional but does add flavor. Be careful not to overcook!
- Place the chicken on the trivet (again, optional! You can also cook it right in the sauce) and add the sauce.
- Place lid on the Instant Pot and turn valve to sealing. Select Manual, high pressure (the default), and set the timer to 6 minutes. The pressure cooker will take about 10 minutes to build pressure and begin counting down. *If you did not sear the chicken, add 2-3 minutes. For frozen chicken, add 4-5 minutes.
- Once the cook time is over, turn the Instant Pot off and let pressure release naturally for 10 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 left over)
- Stir together cream and corn starch 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
- Strain it. Straining the broth after cooking is optional, but it does remove any excess fat leftover after cooking.
- Check the temp. Finished chicken should be 165ºF. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature before serving!
- You can use a lighter cream or even evaporated milk in this recipe. Keep in mind that the higher the fat content of the cream you use, the richer the sauce will be.
- Feel free to add veggies into the pot to make this into a one-pot meal. Try mushrooms, zucchini, or broccoli! You could also round it out with a simple side salad.
Nutrition Information
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Dale says
Delicious with simple ingredients.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Dale!
Antonio Villa says
What kind of cream do you recommend (cream of chicken, alfredo???). Going to try this weekend. Thanks
Ashley Fehr says
I recommend heavy whipping cream, but you can use a lighter cream for a thinner sauce as well
DonnaT says
Well, I thought I’d add my round of APPLAUSE to the zillion you so richly deserve for this wonderful recipe. Made it tonight, we loved it! Didn’t have peppers, but it was wonderful. ThankUmuchly!
Ashley Fehr says
Yay! Thank you Donna! I’m so happy to hear that!
Frank says
I want to add mushrooms to this recipe. When should i put them in? (Oyster or shitake)
Ashley Fehr says
It depends on how you like them cooked! If you want them softer, you could add them during pressure cooking, or if you like them firmer, you could add them when you make the sauce at the end
Erin says
Made this for dinner and both of my kids and my husband and I loved it! Definitely putting it in the rotation 😉 I’m want to try swapping the peppers for sun dried tomatoes one time too- but excellent go to easy weeknight meal, but delicious and decedent enough for guests too!
Ashley Fehr says
Love the idea of the sundried tomatoes! I’m so glad you liked it!
Jihm M says
Is this recipe using frozen or thawed chicken? Does the cook time differ if using 5hawed?
Ashley Fehr says
The recipe is for fresh chicken breasts, but you can definitely use frozen as well, I would just add a minute or two to the cook time.
Bonna says
I made it in an 8qt tonight and it was great! I doubled the sauce and added steamed green beans to the sauce.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Bonna! I’m glad you liked it!
Cassie says
Hi! This recipe looks awesom but I tried it in my 8 quart Instant Pot and it didn’t turn out right… I added some extra liquid but it still was just not quite right. Any suggestions to what I could do to make this recipe work with my 8 quart Instant Pot? Thank you!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Cassie! I’m sorry to hear that! Can you tell me what was not quite right? Maybe then I can help more!
Lori says
Made this tonight ! It was soooooooo good!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Lori!
Albertine says
Made this tonight and it turned out great. A word of warning though, to anyone as silly as myself: It’s probably best to stick with using a low sodium broth as the recipe indicates! I had full-sodium broth on hand and whew, this dish sure turned out salty as a result. However, even with the extra salt everything still tasted great, I just wouldn’t recommend it for hypertensive folks or those who don’t like salty things.
I used the sautée function to reduce the sauce a great deal longer than mentioned in the recipe (about 18-20 mins of gentle simmering instead of the 3-4 indicated) which led to a lovely, very thick and velvety sauce. All in all a super easy, yummy dish. Thank you for the recipe, have a lovely day 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for those tips Albertine! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Amy Clayman says
Hi there! If I want to cook the chicken as pieces instead of whole breast, how much time would you suggest for the instant pot pressure cook setting? 3 minutes, maybe?
Ashley Fehr says
3 minutes should be a good amount, though I haven’t tried it yet. I’d love to hear how it goes!
Lauren says
Hi, I did this the second time I made it and it just wasn’t the same. Bland and watery. The first time was sooooooooooooooooo good though! I recommend cooking as whole breasts!
Megan says
The sauce isn’t thickening. Any suggestions? I added fresh veggies. Mushrooms, zucchini, squash, and chopped red bell peppers. I’ve got my instapot set to warm now. I also added some shredded parmesan cheese as well in hopes that would help thicken the sauce much like making a homemade alfredo sauce.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Megan! It’s not a super super thick sauce, but if you want it thicker you can also dissolve some more corn starch in water (a tablespoon of each should be fine) and add it to the pot while it’s on saute. That should help! Zucchini has quite a high water content so it may have diluted the sauce.
Anna says
If I double the sauce would I already double the broth when pressure cooking the chicken or do I add more broth at the end? Excited to try this recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
I would increase the broth when pressure cooking — it will only make the chicken more moist 🙂
Carol says
What type of red pepper do you use on this recipe? Sweet red peppers or red bell peppers?
Ashley Fehr says
I use the jarred roasted red peppers — they add a ton of flavor!
ur3boys says
I assume they need to be drained?
Ashley Fehr says
You won’t need the full jar so you will just pull out and chop up what you need, no oil.
Jessica Clements says
I want to make this tomorrow but my husband is worried that the chicken breast will be dry? do they come our dry?
Ashley Fehr says
I haven’t had any dry chicken breasts from the Instant Pot! I’d love to hear how it turned out 🙂
Lauren says
They do not come out dry! I’ve tried a ton of instant pot recipes with meat and NONE have come out dry, as long as you follow the directions 🙂
Victoria says
Hi! I will be making this tonight, how do I adjust it for fresh chicken breasts (not frozen)? Thanks!
Ashley Fehr says
The recipe above is for fresh chicken breasts, no adjustments needed
Tiffany Galvan says
Can you do with frozen chicken
Ashley Fehr says
Absolutely! See the notes in the post above 🙂
Barb Gosson says
Made this for dinner tonight, I was very impressed! I didn’t have roasted red peppers or basil pesto and was afraid it would lack in flavor so I added extra Italian seasoning, used fresh garlic and threw in some steamed broccoli and served it over Angel hair pasta. I will definitely be making this again and will try it with fresh spinach and mushrooms.
Ashley Fehr says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back and sharing your swaps!
Olivia says
I want to do this recipe but only have chicken tenders on hand not breasts – how will that effect the cook time?
Ashley Fehr says
I’ve never bought chicken tenders before, but I believe they are thinner, right? I would reduce the cook time to somewhere between 6-8 minutes.
Jennifer MacDonald says
Please help me understand something. I am so confused when i see recipes that are cooked for so long. I would love to try this and i see the comments where people have made it and it turned out great but i cook a whole chicken in my instant pot in 14 minutes. What is the difference?
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Jennifer! Honestly, I’m confused when you say you cook a whole chicken in 14 minutes 🙂 I published a recipe for Instant Pot Whole Chicken and I tested 5-6 chickens, and none of them would have been even close to done in 14 minutes. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but that would be a very, very small chicken. You are free to reduce the cook time on these if you see fit! I share what I have found to work the best 🙂
Tom says
I made this last night, the only complaint I received was, Make more of that sauce..Everyone loved it. Next time I’ll double up on the sauce. Great Keto recipe also( I ate without the noodles)
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Tom! I’m glad it went over well!