Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken

Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken has the most amazing sauce like this Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Marsala and get's done under 30 mins! Juicy flavorful chicken doused in a buttery, creamy, parmesan cheese based sauce with chunks of sun dried tomatoes, healthy baby spinach & red bell pepper. You'll love making Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken time & time again!

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Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken

Picky eaters approved Tuscan Chicken Instant Pot recipe has the world's best creamy sauce, you'll love licking even the last drop 😀

Make the dish with your favorite cuts of chicken - boneless skinless breasts or thighs, bone in skin on thighs or drumsticks (find cook times for each at the bottom of the post). We chose bone in skin on chicken thighs for extra flavor and a freaking good sauce.

Tips & Tricks

1. Best cuts of Chicken: We recommend using skin on bone in chicken for extra flavor. The drippings from the chicken skin adds an oomph to the dish that skinless cuts cannot replace. Check out the cook times for different cuts of chicken at the bottom of the post.
2. Sear the chicken: This is important and adds ton of amazing depth of flavor to the creamy Tuscan Chicken. Sear the chicken until golden.
3. Creamy Tuscan Chicken Sauce secret: The sauce is the star of this recipe. Rich, ultra creamy, filled with Parmesan cheese flavor
4. De-glaze pot: This is the most important step to avoid the BURN error! De-glazing the pot means scraping down the sides & the bottom of the pot with a spatula to loosen any stuck food particle or bit & crumbs. Clean sides and the bottom of the pot is a must before beginning the pressure cooking cycle. No dreaded BURN ever!
5. Best time to add dairy: No one loves a grainy sauce! And the secret to that smooth & silky restaurant quality sauce is adding the dairy at the end (after the pressure cooking cycle is over). Pressure cooking along with dairy will curdle the dairy & you'll end up with an unimpressive grainy sauce.
6. Best Sun-dried tomatoes: The best of course is not the bright red ones! I know they look attractive, but they are bot the best for your body, they are dipping in sulfite. Buy the sulfite free sun dried tomatoes (the not so bright red ones). We love them!

Ingredients

Find the Ingredients with actual measurements at the bottom of the post. The list below is just a reference.

• Chicken: For best flavor use bone in skin on chicken thighs. If you want to use skinless boneless chicken breasts than follow the instruction below & check out the cook time at the bottom of the post.
• Baby Spinach: You can use regular spinach as well. In that case rinse the spinach well, drain the excess water, chop the leaves roughly and than add it to the dish.
• Aromatics: Yellow Onion & garlic. DO NOT use red onion. It'll totally alter the flavor of the sauce making it overpowering.
• Red Bell pepper: Totally recommend it. You'll love the subtle sweetness from the pepper, totally worth it!
• Parmesan Cheese: Grated parmesan cheese. Use from the box/package or grate a block.
• Seasonings: Italian Seasoning, oregano, paprika, crushed black pepper, salt. If you prefer spicy food you may also add ½ tbsp red pepper flakes.
• Sun Dried Tomatoes: Buy the sulfite free sun dried tomatoes. They might not look the prettiest, attractive bright red color, but they are good for your body.
• Tomato Paste.
• White Wine: Use any good quality white wine that you would love to drink.
• Liquid: Chicken Stock. Use homemade stock, store bought or use Better Than Bouillon paste dilute in warm/hot water. We have been using Better than Bouillon paste instead of store bought chicken stock for a very long time, it's crazy good stuff. You'll love it!
• Dairy: Heavy whipping cream. Stabilize the cream by slightly warming it up in the microwave oven. Than add it to the instant pot. This will help prevent the cream from curdling.
• Thickener: Cornstarch slurry. Equal amounts of cornstarch and water mixed well to form a slurry. This is a superb gluten free thickener.
• Cooking fat: Extra light or light olive oil.

Method

Find the detailed step by step recipe along with measurements + Video at the bottom of the post.

Step #1 Sear Chicken

• Marinate Chicken: Season the chicken well, rub well and marinate the chicken for just 30 mins! Totally optional, however it certainly does make a difference.
• Sear Chicken: Add oil & butter in Instant Pot, hit SAUTE & keep it on HIGH heat. Sear the chicken both sides until golden brown. Don't skip the butter, it helps elevate the flavor profile, and helps achieve that gorgeous golden brown colored chicken skin faster. Seat aside the chicken when done!

Step #2 Saute aromatics

• Saute aromatics: In the same pot thrown in the onion & garlic, saute. Add salt, the aromatics will turn soft fast.
• Saute seasoning: Add the seasonings and saute for 30 seconds. Also, add the sun dried tomatoes and saute for another 30 seconds.

Step #3 De-glaze pot & pressure cook chicken

• De-glaze pot: Pour white wine & de-glaze the pot very well scraping the sides and the bottom of the pot with the help of a spatula. There should not be any food particles stuck at the bottom of the pot. This will prevent the BURN error! Cook off the wine for a bit and than add the chicken stock. Stir to mix well.
• Pressure cook: Transfer back the seared chicken thighs into the pot and layer them on top of the onion in a single layer. DO NOT stir or mix. Cancel the SAUTE. PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for just 7 mins followed by 5 mins natural pressure release. Than, release the rest of the pressure manually. Fish out the cooked chicken thighs, we'll be making the creamy sauce now.

Step #4 Add dairy, spinach & serve

• Make creamy tuscan sauce: Hit the "Keep Warm" mode. Add slightly warm heavy whipping cream and mix well. Warming up the fridge cold cream slightly in the microwave oven will prevent the cream from curdling. Add the parmesan cheese and stir briskly until the cheese completely melts. Throw in the baby spinach and stir them well in the creamy sauce. The residual heat will wilt the leaves.
• Serve: Transfer back the pressure cooked chicken thighs into the pot. Smother them with the creamy tuscan sauce and serve hot. Enjoy!

What to serve with creamy Tuscan Chicken?

You can serve these with creamy Tuscan Chicken:

• Buttered noodles or any type of pasta. Ravioli is a good option too.
• For a much healthier option try zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.
• The creamy tuscan sauce would taste fantastic with mashed potatoes.

What wine goes with Tuscan Chicken?

The best wines that goes very well with Tuscan Chicken are as follows:

• Burgundy Chardonnay.
• Californian Chardonnay.
• Pinot Noir.
• Bordeaux Red wine.

Can you freeze Tuscan Chicken?

Yes, you can freeze Tuscan Chicken for upto 3 months. Store in freezer safe containers or heavy duty freezer safe bags. Thaw over night in the fridge and than follow the re-heating directions shared below.

Storing Tips

• Fridge: You can store the creamy Tuscan Chicken for upto 4 days in the fridge in air tight containers. Follow the re-heating directions shared below.

How to re-heat Instant Pot creamy Tuscan Chicken?

• From Freezer: Thaw the freezer Tuscan chicken over night in the fridge. Than, re-heat in a skillet over medium low heat. Add some heavy whipping cream and water if the creamy sauce begins to break or has separated (cream sometimes separates when frozen) , stir to bring back the sauce to the desired consistency.
• From Fridge: Re-heat the fridge cold Tuscan chicken following the above direction. Ignore the thawing part.

Slow Cooker Option

The slow cooker option includes chicken breasts.

• Dredge: Dredge the 4 chicken breasts (pounded lightly) with ¼ cup flour + ½ tsp paprika + crushed black pepper & salt according to your taste preference.
• Sear: Set a cast iron or non-stick skillet over high heat, add butter & olive oil and sear the dredged chicken cutlets until golden. Transfer them back to the slow cooker.
• Saute aromatics: In the same pan saute the sliced onion + garlic with 2 pinches salt until the onions begin to turn limp. Add the sundried tomatoes, paprika & the white wine. De-glaze the pan and transfer all its contents into the slow cooker.
• Slow cook: Add water + bouillon or chicken stock. Secure the lid and cook on HIGH for 4 hours.
• Add dairy: Fish out the cooked chicken. Add cream, parmesan cheese and the baby spinach. Stir to mix well until the cheese fully melts and the spinach wilts. Transfer back the chicken. Cover and rest the dish for 5 mins. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 415kcal

Author: Meghna

Watch Recipe Video

Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken is loaded with amazing good flavors, a creamy parmesan cheese based sauce & juicy chicken. This easy Tuscan Chicken Instant Pot recipe is a perfect family friendly, restaurant quality dinner.

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 chicken thighs (**bone in, skin on thighs. You can use boneless chicken breasts or thighs. Check out the cook times below in "NOTES")
• ▢ 1 cup onion (**yellow onion roughly sliced.)
• ▢ 1 tbsp garlic (**minced)
• ▢ 1 cup sun dried tomatoes (**Loosely packed. We prefer using sulfate free sun dried tomatoes. )
• ▢ ⅓ cup white wine (**use any good wine that you would prefer drinking. )
• ▢ 1 tbsp Tomato Paste (**diluted in 2 tbsp water. )
• ▢ ½ cup Parmesan Cheese (**grated.)
• ▢ ½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream (**slightly warmed in microwave oven.)
• ▢ 1 cup red bell pepper (**finely sliced. We used half large bell pepper.)
• ▢ 2 cups baby spinach (**if using regular spinach, rinse well & chop them roughly.)
• ▢ 1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon (**paste.)
• ▢ 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter
• ▢ 2 tbsp Olive Oil (**use light or extra light. Extra virgin oil is not good for searing due to it's low smoke point.)
• ▢ salt (**use according to your own taste preference.)

Liquid

• ▢ 1 cup Water (**or chicken stock)

Seasonings

• ▢ 1.5 tsp Paprika (**½ tsp for seasoning chicken.)
• ▢ ½ tsp Italian seasoning
• ▢ ½ tsp oregano
• ▢ crushed black pepper (**use according to your personal taste preference.)

Thickener

• ▢ 1 tbsp corn starch (**diluted in 1 tbsp water to form a slurry.)

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Equipment Used

Instant Pot DUO 6 quart

Instructions

• Sear Chicken: Season chicken with ½ tsp paprika, crushed black pepper & 1-2 pinches salt, rub well. Marinate chicken for 30 mins. Now, set Instant Pot on SAUTE function & set it on HIGH heat. Add olive oil & butter & allow to become hot. Gently release the marinated chicken (skin side down) & sear until golden brown. Set them aside.
  
• Saute aromatics: In the same pot release the sliced onion and saute for 1 min. Add salt, this will soften the onions faster. Add minced garlic & saute another 1 min. Next, add 1 tsp paprika, stir to mix well. Add the sundried tomatoes and saute for 30 seconds.
  
• De-glaze pot: Now, pour the white wine & de-glaze the pot very well scraping the sides & the bottom of the pot. This will help loosen any stuck food particles & prevent the BURN error! Cook down the wine for 30 secs. Than, add the chicken stock or water + bouillon paste (refer ingredients above) and mix well. CANCEL the SAUTE function.
  
• Pressure cook chicken: Transfer back the seared chicken thighs into the pot and lay them in a single layer on top of the onions. DO NOT mix or stir. Secure the lid, seal the valve and PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for 7 mins. Once, the pressure cooking cycle is over the instant pot will begin to beep. Wait for 5 mins natural pressure release, than release the rest of the pressure manually by moving the valve from the sealing to the venting position. Open the lid carefully. Fish out the chicken. CANCEL the pressure cook function.
  
• Make creamy sauce: Add the sliced bell peppers (the residual heat will cook down the peppers), crushed black pepper and slightly warm heavy whipping cream. Stir to mix well. Now, add the grated parmesan cheese and stir briskly until the cheese completely melts. Make sure the instant pot is turned off, otherwise the cheese will clump up. Once the cheese has melted hit back the SAUTE function & set it on LOW heat. Add the corn starch slurry, mix well. Simmer the sauce on low until it thickens to your desired consistency. TURN OFF the instant pot.
  
• Serve Tuscan chicken: Now, add the baby spinach and stir to mix well. The residual heat will perfectly wilt the leaves. Transfer back the chicken into the pot. Check for seasoning, if need be add a little more salt to open up the flavors. Smother the chicken with the creamy sauce. Rest the dish for 5 mins and serve hot. Enjoy!
  

Notes

1. Can I use chicken breasts? Yes you can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs. In that case pound the meat to form about ¼ inch cutlets. Season the cutlets with ½ tsp paprika, crushed black pepper & a few pinches salt. Than, Dredge the cutlets in ¼ cup flour, and sear them well until golden. Dredging the boneless, skinless chicken cutlets would keep the meat incredibly moist & tender. The rest of the recipe would remain the same. Follow the cook time shared below.
2. Dredged chicken breasts or thigh cutlet Cook time: Pressure cook on high for 4 mins followed by 5 mins of natural pressure release.
3. The best sundried tomatoes: Use sulfate free. Read the labels on the bottle and pick the ones that say Sulfate free. You can always use the brand we recommend or your preferred brand. 
4. Can I use half & half instead of heavy cream? Yes you certainly can use half and half. Replace the heavy cream with half & half, however, the quantity would remain the same. And do use slightly warm half & half. This helps stabilize the fridge cold dairy and it doesn't curdle when added to a pot full of super hot ingredients.
5. Can I use milk instead of the heavy cream? We are not sure if milk would work well. We have not tested the recipe using milk.
6. White wine what kind is best: We would totally recommend using a good white wine, the one that you would love to drink instead of the cooking white wines. The cooking white wines are totally meh and doesn't contribute much to any recipe. Avoid them if you can!
7. I don't have white wine what else can use? White wine would add so much crispness and sparkle to the recipe. But, if you do not prefer alcohol in food than sub the wine with equal amount of chicken stock.
8. Spicy Tuscan Chicken option: Add about ½ tbsp red pepper flakes. This would add a nice kick to the creamy sauce.
9. Can I skip the thickener in the recipe: Sure, it's not mandatory to add the cornstarch and thicken the sauce. You can just cook down the sauce a bit more to thicken it to your preferred consistency. This would take a little longer and add up to the total cook time.
10. My frozen Tuscan chicken sauce separated what should I do? Well, sauces containing heavy cream tends to separate when frozen. However, you can bring it back to the right consistency and texture by adding a little more heavy whipping cream while reheating the dish over medium low heat. Add the extra cream and gently stir the sauce. it will become smooth again!

Calorific details are provided by a third party application & are to be used as indicative figures only.

 

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 415 Calories from Fat 261

% Daily Value*

Fat 29g45%

Saturated Fat 11g69%

Cholesterol 112mg37%

Sodium 279mg12%

Potassium 1002mg29%

Carbohydrates 19g6%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 19g38%

Vitamin A 2674IU53%

Vitamin C 45mg55%

Calcium 160mg16%

Iron 3mg17%

* Read our privacy policy - Calorie information is provided as a courtesy only and should be leveraged as an estimate rather than a guarantee.Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 279mg | Potassium: 1002mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2674IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 3mg

Course :Main Course

Cuisine :American-Italian, Italian

Keyword :Creamy Tuscan Chicken Instant Pot, Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken, Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken

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