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Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Chicken is a creamy and savory boneless chicken recipe. An easy Instant Pot parmesan chicken dinner that is smothered in a creamy sauce and can be served with zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice, spaghetti squash, or your favorite side.

Are you a fan of the Instant Pot? Here are a few more recipes you might be interested in! Instant Pot spaghetti sauce, low carb porcupine meatballs, or chicken and rice.
Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Garlic parmesan chicken is one of my favorites. There is something about a creamy parmesan chicken that is so comforting. This recipe uses a simple homemade sauce so you don't have to worry about preservatives from the jarred sauce.
How To Make
Start by turning the Instant Pot to saute. You want to ensure the pot gets hot. Add in your oil. Then you will season your chicken with the dried seasonings.
Toss your chicken in doing batches and making sure to brown both sides of the chicken. You will want to just brown it on all sides to create a nice sear. You don't need to cook it all the way through.
Remove from the pot and finish cooking the rest of the chicken. Then Turn the saute off. Add in your broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot. You need to ensure any stuck on bits are lifted off or it will cause a burn notice.

Add your chicken and garlic back to the pressure cooker. Then place the lid on and ensure it is set to sealing. Cook for 3 minutes on high pressure. Followed by a 5 minute natural release.
Once you remove the lid, stir in the cream and parmesan cheese. Then cook on saute if you need to help thicken the sauce. Then serve up your chicken.

Can I Use Bone-In Chicken
If you want to use a bone-in chicken then you will need to cook your chicken longer. Bone-in chicken will take longer to fully cook in the Instant Pot.
You will still want to sear the chicken as you would the diced chicken. I would recommend cooking for around 10 minutes with a 5-minute natural release. Then check to ensure the internal temperature of your chicken is 165 degrees.
If not return to cooking. Depending on how big of pieces of chicken you use will vary on cooking time.

What Does It Mean To Naturally Release The Instant Pot
Natural releasing of the Instant Pot or quick releasing is something you will see a lot of in the pressure cooking world.
You will always cook your food as directed, then at the end when the timer is done, you have two options. Quick release or natural.
To quick release means you will use a spoon or something to push your nozzle on the top of your pressure cooker to force the pressure out. Steam sprays out, so keep your hands and face away.
To natural release means once the timer goes off you allow it to sit for however many minutes. Some recipes (like this) are for 5 minutes.
So your screen will say L005 and then when you see the 5, you can then use a spoon to carefully push off any remaining pressure before opening the lid.
Other recipes want you to wait 15-20 minutes to allow all the pressure to release. This is needed for meat based dishes to help ensure you get tender meat instead of tough.

Check Out More Popular Chicken Recipes
- Grilled Chicken Kebabs | Here is a great recipe for chicken and vegetables. If you love kebabs you got to try this homemade recipe.
- Healthy Chicken Salad | Whip up this healthy chicken salad to meal prep for easy lunches, quick dinner, or even a mid-day snack.
- Chicken Fajita Casserole | Here you have a super easy chicken casserole that gives you all the flavors of fajitas! So simple to prep and absolutely satisfying.
Variation To This Creamy Chicken Parmesan Recipe
- Once you are done cooking add in some fresh spinach and stir till it wilts to your preference
- Same thing with chopped kale, toss in at the end to just wilt to your preference
- You could add in broccoli or even mushrooms for added vegetables in the recipe
- Add a splash of hot sauce to the top to amp up the heat factor
You will find there are small tweaks you can make to really give yourself a personalized dinner to fit your liking. I love it simple and easy with a side of zucchini noodles or over spaghetti squash. But feel free to change it up to fit your liking.


Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 Pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast cubed
- ¼ Cup Olive Oil divided
- 2 ½ Teaspoons Italian Seasoning Blend
- ¼ to ½ Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes optional
- 6 Cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Cup Chicken Broth
- ¼ Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
- ¾ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese
Instructions
- Set the pressure cooker to saute and heat until “hot.”
- Mix together the dried seasonings and sprinkle over the chicken.
- Into the hot pressure cooker liner, add olive oil and chicken in small batches to brown on both sides. Set aside and keep warm.
- Pour chicken broth into the pressure cooker and scrape the bottom with a flat edged spatula or spoon.
- Add the chicken and garlic to the pressure cooker.
- Close and set the valve to sealing. Set the pressure cooker to manual or pressure cook for 3 minutes. Naturally release for 5 minutes before a quick release.
- Stir in Parmesan cheese, cream, and cream cheese, allowing to cook until it thickens to your desired consistency.
- Serve alone or over zoodles or spaghetti squash.
Notes
Nutrition
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Cindy
Just curious. In the photo of your ingredients there is a package of cream cheese, but I don’t see it mentioned in the recipe. I kind of figured there would be cream cheese in it, but no?
Sarah Hardy
Thank you - there was a mistake in the recipe card! It is corrected now. I hope you enjoy! 🙂
JO SKIDMORE
There is cream cheese showing in one of the pictures, but it's not listed in the recipe. Is that needed to thicken the sauce or will the heavy cream do the trick?
Sarah Hardy
Thank you for catching that! Yes, there is supposed to be 8 ounces of cream cheese as well - I corrected the recipe card. 🙂
Jacqueline
Hi, would it be possible to add a bag of frozen veggies on top of the chicken after it's browned? Would I need to increase the length of time it cooks? Or would the veggies turn out too mushy? Thanks!
Sarah Hardy
I think in this particular recipe, they would be very mushy.