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    Home » Recipes » Instant Pot » Creamy Instant Pot Pesto Chicken

    Published: Sep 15, 2021 · Modified: Sep 6, 2023 by Sarah Baumeister · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    Creamy Instant Pot Pesto Chicken

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Fall is here and that means it's time for even more Crock Pot and Instant Pot dishes. This chicken recipe is made creamy from heavy cream and cheese, is full of flavor from basil and garlic-filled pesto, and is a great high protein, low carb chicken dish! This easy Instant Pot chicken recipe only has 5 ingredients and there's virtually no prep work. Just throw everything into the pot, set it to high pressure, stir at the end, and you have a delicious creamy Instant Pot Pesto Chicken dish to serve over pasta (or whatever you might like!).

    cooked chicken covered in creamy pesto sauce on a white plate

    One of my husband's favorite sauces of all time is pesto sauce. Seriously, the guy loves it on everything! I love finding new ways to incorporate it into recipes because it truly is a great flavor and it's healthy too! All of that basil and garlic is great for our bodies. As usual, he was my inspiration for this creamy pesto chicken dish. Cooking for someone who loves to eat and loves everything is a cook's dream!

    For more dishes using pesto, try one of the following!

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    • small bowl of finished lemon pesto garnished with lemon and basil.
      Lemon Pesto

    Ingredients

    ingredients for dish laid out on a wooden cutting board
    • boneless skinless chicken breasts
    • pesto
    • chicken stock
    • heavy cream
    • mozzarella cheese
    • salt

    Instructions

    Place chicken in the Instant Pot and pour broth and pesto over the top. Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes cook time.

    uncooked chicken in bowl of instant pot with pesto and broth over the top

    Allow to natural release for 10 minutes and then quick release the rest of the way.

    Open lid and carefully remove chicken on to a plate.

    cooked chicken in instant pot before the cream sauce has been added

    Add the additional 2 tablespoons of pesto, along with heavy cream and cheese.

    chicken removed from instant pot and cream and cheese in it but unmixed

    Stir to create a sauce. Pour sauce over cooked chicken and serve.

    completed pesto sauce on a little blue ramekin on a marble background

    How to serve Instant Pot chicken pesto

    • Over pasta. We are pasta people, so serving this over pasta is always our go to. It's simple, cheap, and delicious. Plus, one of the big bonuses of this dish is the ease of it. Boiling a pot of water for pasta is not a big deal and keeps this an easy 30 minute meal.
    • With mashed or roasted potatoes. This chicken is versatile and can go with anything. Try it with roasted parmesan potatoes or mashed potatoes for a comforting fall dinner.
    • With a simple salad or steam broccoli. If you are looking to lighten up this creamy Instant Pot Pesto Chicken, try it with a simple salad of mixed greens, cucumbers, and tomatoes with a vinaigrette. Or a simple arugula salad! It would be great with steamed or roasted broccoli as well.
    pesto chicken covered in sauce and served with cooked zucchini and angel hair pasta

    Variations

    Tomatoes. Try adding in cherry tomatoes for a little color and flavor! I love the way they "pop" when cooked.

    Add in veggies. Make Instant Pot pesto chicken and vegetables by adding vegetables right to the Instant Pot during the cooking process. I suggest green beans, broccoli, or zucchini. You could also add in fresh spinach, but I would wait to stir that in until the end when you are stirring together the sauce, so that it doesn't get overcooked.

    Make it spicy. It's no secret, here at Season & Thyme, I love things with a little kick! Try adding red pepper flakes to this chicken pesto dish for some heat.

    Substitutions

    This 5-ingredient dinner doesn't have many ingredients to substitute, but there are still ways to switch it up to suit your needs. Here are some easy substitutions.

    Make it dairy free. Make this Instant Pot Pesto chicken without cream or cheese and it with still be delicious and won't affect the cooking time or other measurements.

    Use Frozen Chicken breasts. Sometimes we forgot to take meat out for dinner and the Instant Pot saves the day by allowing us to use frozen chicken breasts! For mid-size frozen chicken breasts, set to high pressure for 11 minutes.

    Use chicken thighs. This would be great with chicken thighs as well. As long as they are thawed, the cooking time will be the same.

    completed pesto chicken served on a light colored dish with a metal spoon tucked under one chicken breast

    Make it in the Crock Pot

    This Basil Pesto Chicken can be easily adapted to be made in the slow cooker.

    To make, simply add all the ingredients to the crock, excluding the cream and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours. Add cream at the last hour and stir. You can also add it right before serving, but doing it an hour before allows the sauce to thicken up a bit.

    Creamy Instant Pot Pesto Chicken

    Sarah Baumeister
    Creamy Instant Pot pesto chicken is an easy dinner with only 5 ingredients and loads of flavor. Serve this pesto chicken with pasta or veggies!
    4.41 from 32 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 6 minutes mins
    Additional Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 21 minutes mins
    Course Instant Pot
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 373 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
    • ½ cup plus 1 tbsp. pesto
    • 1 cup chicken stock
    • ½ cup heavy cream
    • ½ cup mozzarella cheese
    • salt to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Place chicken in the Instant Pot and pour broth and pesto over the top. Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes cook time.
    • Allow to natural release for 10 minutes and then quick release the rest of the way.
    • Open lid and carefully remove chicken on to a plate.
    • Add the additional 2 tablespoons of pesto, along with heavy cream and cheese.
    • Stir to create a sauce. Pour sauce over cooked chicken and serve.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 373kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 41gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 431mgSugar: 2g
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nicole says

      August 25, 2023 at 10:30 pm

      4 stars
      The sauce was amazing !!! Not very thick though. Not sure what I did wrong.

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Sarah! I am a wife, mother, and believer. I have been cooking since I could stand and am excited to share my love for being in the kitchen with all of you. You will find a variety of recipes here from healthy family dinners, to ways to prepare venison, to soups, to baked goods, we love it all!

    Learn more about me →

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