Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken with a garlic sauce you will want to drink. Restaurant quality meal that will impress. Keto and Low Carb too.
Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken
Delicious and tender chicken cooks up quickly in a creamy and garlicky sauce. Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken is so easy to make and is naturally a low carb meal. Perfect for company and any night of the week.
Cast of Ingredients for Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken
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Ingredients for Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken
- Chicken Breasts
- Italian Herbs and Spices
- Fresh Garlic
- Sun Dried Tomatoes
- High Quality Olive Oil
- Heavy Cream
- Chicken Stock/Broth
- Spinach
- Parmesan or Asiago Cheese
Using the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker for cooking chicken can be tricky, but if you use the proper method, your chicken will be super juicy and tender.
Slice the chicken lengthwise
Tenderizing the Chicken
- Slice through the thick part of each chicken breast to make two pieces. Cut each piece in half.
- Pound the chicken so that each piece of chicken is about the same thickness. I recommend this Meat Tenderizer to easily pound the chicken.
Pro Tip: As the recipe moves quickly, it is a good idea to have all your ingredients, chopped, diced, mixed and ready to go.
Marinating Chicken
To Marinate or Not to Marinate Chicken
- While it is not necessary to marinated the chicken prior to cooking, note that doing so will help to plump the chicken, rendering it even more juicy.
- The marinade will also give the chicken more of the Italian flavors.
- After adding the marinade ingredients, place the chicken in the refrigerator overnight or for a few hours.
Pro Tip: For a recipe such as this, consider grabbing chicken when it is on sale. Use your FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System and prepare several bags with the chicken and marinade ingredients and pop into the freezer for future meals. The chicken will marinate right in the bag while defrosting.
Cream and Seasoned Salt
Making a cream sauce is super easy and only takes a few ingredients. Whisk a little This Old Gal Seasoned Salt into the Cream and set aside. My Homemade Seasoning boosts the flavor to a whole other level!
If you don’t have this Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk, think about getting it. It’s my most used Kitchen Tool.
This Old Gal’s Seasoned Salt
My This Old Gal Seasoned Salt makes a great every day multi-purpose seasoning. It can be used on so many recipes. I LOVE to use it when eating my super easy and unique Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs recipe. It is fantastic on Air Fryer Seasoned French Fries, NY Style Coffee Shop Home Fries too!
Display on Instant Pot will say Hot
Make Stainless Steel Pot Non-Stick
- Whichever brand of pressure cooker you own, it is important to heat the cooking pot fully before adding any fat.
- For Instant Pot, Mealthy, GoWise and other multi-cooker pressure cookers, push the “Sauté” button and wait for the control panel on the pot to say “Hot.”
- For stand alone pressure cookers (non multi-cookers), push whichever button gives the hottest temperature. Some pressure cookers use a knob, rather than a button. Whichever brand you have, do what is needed to heat the pot so that you can use it to sauté, just as you would a fry pan on the stove top.
Pro Tip: Using a good quality olive oil is key to starting with good flavors.
Getting a Quick Sear
If you do not have Homemade Chicken Broth, grab yourself a jar of Better than Bouillon Chicken Base. It’s very economical and will work very well. 1.5 teaspoons per cup of Fresh Water is a good ratio.
Mushroom lovers, try my Instant Pot Creamy Parmesan Garlic Mushrooms Chicken recipe.
Pro Tip: To better control the salt, use UNSALTED Chicken Bone Broth/Stock .
Add the Cream
The chicken may still be slightly pink inside, but will quickly finish cooking to perfection while simmering.
For a thicker sauce, whisk and simmer for about five minutes or until the sauce has reduced.
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Grating Your Own Cheese
- Companies usually put a flour dusting on packaged grated cheese, so that it doesn’t stick. That also causes the cheese to dry out.
- As the blocks are whole, they have not been subjected to air and bacteria and therefore fresher.
- Blocks of cheese are cheaper than pre-shredded. Try buying blocks of cheese and use a Microplane Grater for perfectly shredded cheese.
Asiago cheese can be used in place of Parmesan cheese. The flavor is a bit creamier and the texture is usually softer.
Experiment with both to see which you prefer.
Add Parmesan Cheese to the Pot
The sauce is a thinner and dreamy sauce. It is perfect for adding pasta and turning this into Tuscan Chicken Pasta! Directions are in the notes below.
Add as much Spinach as you like
Can Kale be used in Place of Spinach?
- Yes, it can. Kale works very well in this recipe too.
- Spinach wilts quickly and kale takes just about a minute longer.
- Use as much greens as you like.
Another idea is to add mushrooms to increase volume and add some vegetable nutrients.
Pressure Cooker Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken, yum!
This makes a beautiful and colorful presentation!
Tips and Tricks for Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken.
- Allow the Chicken to marinate for 10 minutes.
- Make sure your cooking pot is screaming hot. Only sear for a couple of seconds on each side.
- Use heavy cream, as anything with less fat, will break during cooking.
- Fresh spinach is best.
Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken
We did noodles and I think next time, Pressure Cooker Garlic Whipped Potatoes or Pressure Cooker Mashed Cauliflower are in order!
For a Mexican themed meal, try this Pressure Cooker Salsa Lime Chicken with Cilantro Lime Rice for an all in one pot meal! Happy cooking.
More Instant Pot Italian Recipes to Make:
- Pressure Cooker Lemon Piccata
- Pressure Cooker Zuppa Toscana Italian Soup
- Instant Pot Italian Chicken Marsala
- Pressure Cooker Bruschetta Chicken with Zoodles
For another creamy and yummy recipe, try my Pressure Cooker Pork Chops in Homemade Mushroom Gravy, which is a one pot meal!
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker.
- J.A. Henckels Classic 7-inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk– a MUST have, probably my most used utensil
- Rachael Ray Stoneware EVOO Oil Dispensing Bottle
- Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
- Gravity Electric Salt and Pepper Grinder
- My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
- Microplane Artisan Ribbon Grater
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Chicken Breasts Boneless/Skinless halved and pounded thin
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Butter (optional)
- 4 cloves Fresh Garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning Blend
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon TOG House Seasoning
- 1/4 cup Chicken Stock/Broth (or 1/4 cup water + 1/2 tsp Better than Bouillon Chicken Base)
- 3/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 3/4 cup Asiago or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 2 cups Fresh Spinach
- ½ cup Sun Dried Tomatoes
Recommended Products
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts in half and pound so they are even.
- Add the chicken, Italian seasoning, salt and garlic to a mixing bowl. Massage marinade into the chicken. (see note)
- Select Sauté or Browning on your pressure cooker and allow to heat.
- When hot, add oil and butter and place the chicken into pressure cooker cooking pot. Brown the pieces of chicken for 10 seconds on each side. (See notes section for a thick sauce option, rather than a cream sauce.)
- Pour in chicken broth, cream and seasoned salt. Quickly deglaze the cooking pot, making sure nothing is stuck on the bottom of the pot.
- Lock on Lid and close Pressure Valve. Cook at High Pressure for 1 minute.
- When Beep sounds, wait 2 minutes and then carefully release the rest of the pressure.
- Select Sauté/Browning on your pressure cooker and bring to slow simmer. Mix in cheese and sun dried tomatoes.
- Simmer to thicken sauce, if desired. Stir in spinach right before serving.
- Enjoy over zoodles or pasta. (See notes on how to cook pasta at the same time.)
Notes
Tuscan Garlic Chicken Pasta
- Double all seasonings, add two cups of chicken broth and 8 ounces of pasta to the cooking pot after browning the chicken breast.
Low Carb Tips
Use a Spiralizer to Make the Zoodles
- Heavy cream is used, which gives it a nice and healthy fat content.
- White meat chicken is a very nice protein.
- Butter, rather than flour, helps to thicken the sauce.
Thickening Sauce for Low Carbers/Keto
- Add 2 Tablespoons of cream cheese after pressure release and mix in to thicken the sauce.
Side Dish Ideas
- Spaghetti Squash is always a nice side dish for low carbers.
- I prefer to use DeCecco Farfelle (Butterfly) Pasta as I love the presentation and DeCecco holds up so well!!
- To keep this recipe, Low Carb and Keto, these Low Carb Miracle Noodles are a great choice.
- A side of my Pressure Cooker Mashed Turmeric Cauliflower is perfect, as it will sop up all the yummy Sauce.
- Pressure Cooker Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken pairs nicely with my Pressure Cooker Cauliflower Soufflé.
Optional Step for a Thicker Sauce
- In Step 4, before searing the chicken, lightly dredge the chicken with Potato Starch and shake off and excess Then add the chicken pieces to the pot and continue with the directions.
- My Potato Starch trick will not only keep the chicken tender and juicy while under pressure, it will eliminate a slurry (assuming you want a thick sauce and not a cream sauce) altogether and the raw taste that sometimes is detected.
Nutrition
PIN this Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken!
Pressure Cooker Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken
Do you have the nutritional information for this recipe? It’s really important to those of us counting carbs. Thank you.
Loved loved loved it!!!! It’s a fantastic dish to Impress company too!!
SO i’ve made almost this exact recipe stove top a few times… this was my first time trying it in the instant pot- not sure it really saved me much time though. by the time the pot came to pressure etc- it cooked similar times on the stove top-
NOW can someone sort out how to do the pasta in here at same time? THAT would rock for a few reasons 1- one pot
2- the pasta would absorb the sauce more- which would be awesome. But i’m way to newbie to try and sort that out on my own…
I would love to make this tonight, but I don’t have heavy creamy. Can I use 2% milk and add cream cheese instead?
I did this….it worked perfectly
Do you think fat free half and half would work as an alternative to the heavy cream?
Yes, no problem. Jill
I made this exactly as written and served it over bow tie pasta. It was great! The leftovers were even better. I just have to figure out how to incorporate the pasta into the dish instead of cooking it separately. This is definitely a keeper.
Recipe looks good and I’ll try it using a frying pan on the stove … I cannot think of any reason why anyone would put chicken breasts in a pressure cooker …
I made this tonight, my first instant pot meal! The flavors were delish but my chicken was slightly dry, not bad though. I think I may have more than lightly browned my chicken and will brown less next time. Thank you for making i so easy to follow!
Delicious! Made it for my first Keto dinner & I wish I could’ve eaten the whole pot! I made spaghetti squash on the side to drizzle the sauce over it! Would definitely do again. Thanks for the recipe.
So good! My family loved it.
Wonderful, Charlotte. Jill
I fixed this in my 8 qt Instant Pot, it was delicious but for some reason it did stick to the bottom and I noticed that when I went back from pressure cooking to sauté it was more of a boil then a simmer so not sure how to correct that any suggestions?
Use the less setting. Jill
Jill, I prepared this tonight for dinner. I did not have any fresh spinach, so I substituted some collard greens that I had on hand. I also just this past weekend made greek yogurt, so had some whey to use, and substituted that for the chicken broth. I always have several quarts of homemade chicken broth on hand, but thought it would be better to use up some of the fresh whey instead. The flavors were amazing! Thank you!
I am glad you enjoyed the meal, Anita. Jill
This recipe was delicious! Can’t wait to make it again.
Ok We loved this recipe!, how would i be able to make more of the “sauce” in this recipe so we can use this with pasta?
Can I sub almond milk for the heavy cream?
I’m not able to afford a Pressure Cooker as is featured in this recipe. Do you happen to have a set of directions to use with a crock pot?
Fantastic! I followed the recipe almost exactly, but needed to turn my IP off to move between modes. (I can’t saute for 5 min, it goes to 30 and I can’t change it). Anyway, everyone in my family loved this. Not tooooo creamy, just creamy enough without being heavy.
Thank you, Jill!
I made this for my family for supper tonight. I used chicken breast tenderloins as they were is sale for less than the chicken breasts. I also doubled the recipe. It was so delicious that I wanted to lick the sauce off my plate. We will be making this again!
Just made this dish for dinner… it was my second instant pit meal… the entire time through dinner, my husband kept saying, “wow, babe, this is really good.” I’m horrible at cooking so this is huge… definitely a keeper recipe!
Is there a sub for the heavy cream to make it a little more healthy?