Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken

Instant Pot Tuscan chicken is one of my favorite quick and easy weeknight dinners that’s bursting with bold Italian flavor! Chicken breasts are golden brown on the outside, juicy on the inside, and served with the most incredible creamy sauce that features spinach, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. I love that this recipe comes together in under an hour and is mostly hands-off! It’s perfect for those days when I just don’t have time to babysit dinner.

I love taking my favorite recipes and learning how to make them in the Instant Pot. Tuscan chicken is one of my absolute favorite recipes, so I knew it was due for an Instant Pot upgrade. Although the OG recipe is super quick, this one is much more hands-off, giving me extra time in the kitchen to attend to other things.

Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Recipe

Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken features golden brown chicken breasts that are perfectly juicy and served with the best creamy sauce that's speckled with sun-dried tomatoes!

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings people

Calories 607kcal

Author Becky Hardin

Equipment

Instant Pot (click for my favorite)

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (⅛ stick)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
8.5 ounces sun-dried tomatoes drained and chopped (1 jar)
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup baby spinach chopped
Fresh parsley or basil optional, for garnish

Instructions

Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Set your Instant Pot to Sauté. Once hot, add in the butter and olive oil. Add in the chicken, in batches if needed, and cook until both sides are browned, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from the Instant Pot and set aside.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil
Add in the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the chicken stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Turn off the Sauté function.

4 cloves garlic, ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
Return the chicken to the pot, secure the lid and pressure cook for 4 minutes. Let natural release for 10 minutes before releasing any remaining pressure.
Set the chicken aside and set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Stir in the heavy cream, sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan, and spinach. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted and the parmesan is melted.

1 cup heavy cream, 8.5 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, 1 cup baby spinach, ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Turn off the Instant Pot, return the chicken to the pot, and spoon over the sauce. Garnish with herbs and serve.

Fresh parsley or basil

Notes

Use an equal amount of half-and-half for a lighter, thinner sauce.
For extra flavor, use the oil the sun-dried tomatoes are packed in instead of the olive oil.
You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts without any changes to the recipe. If using bone-in chicken thighs, increase the pressure cooking time to 7 minutes.
For a crockpot version, try my crockpot Tuscan chicken recipe.

Nutrition

How to Make Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Step by Step

Prep the Chicken: Pat 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts dry and season both sides with 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, plus salt and pepper to taste.

3 seasoned raw chicken breasts on a wooden cutting board.

Sear the Chicken: Set your Instant Pot to Sauté. Once hot, add in 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add in the chicken, in batches if needed, and cook until both sides are browned, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from the Instant Pot and set aside.

2 seared seasoned chicken breasts in an instant pot.

Cook the Chicken: Add in 4 minced cloves of garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in ½ cup of low-sodium chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Turn off the Sauté function. Return the chicken to the pot, secure the lid, and pressure cook for 4 minutes. Let natural release for 10 minutes before releasing any remaining pressure.

2 chicken breasts cooked in chicken broth in an instant pot.

Make the Sauce: Set the chicken aside and set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Stir in 1 cup of heavy cream, 8.5 ounces of sun dried tomatoes, ½ cup of grated Parmesan, and 1 cup of baby spinach. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted and the parmesan is melted.

instant pot tuscan chicken in an instant pot.

Garnish and Serve: Turn off the Instant Pot, return the chicken to the pot, and spoon over the sauce. Garnish with herbs and serve.

a forkful of chicken resting on a plate of instant pot tuscan chicken in a creamy garlic sauce

How to Store and Reheat

Store leftover instant pot Tuscan chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing this dish, because the heavy cream in the sauce will change in texture.

Serving Suggestions

You’ll want to serve this creamy Tuscan chicken with something like pasta to make sure not a single drop of that sauce goes to waste! Plain pasta noodles of any variety work well with this recipe. Some veggie sides that I love with this chicken include crispy garlic roasted asparagus and lemon parmesan roasted broccoli.