Easy Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan

Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan is a delicious and convenient twist on the classic Italian dish. This mouthwatering recipe combines tender, juicy chicken breasts with a flavorful marinara sauce and a cheesy crust!

It's a perfect, quick weeknight dinner! Serve it with some Sourdough French Bread or penne pomodoro to soak up all the delicious sauce!

This Chicken parmesan recipe is a great recipe to make when you don't have a ton of time but want a ton of flavor! If you love chicken parmesan, be sure to try this chicken parmesan pasta bake too!

The first time I made this recipe, I got the dreaded "burn notice" warning. I realized it was because the chicken was touching the bottom of the pot. To avoid that, we are going to be using the trivet insert. Easy peasy!

It's a family favorite recipe served with spaghetti, but you could also serve it with zucchini noodles or in a sandwich with sourdough hamburger buns!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It's a one pot easy meal! The pressure cooker is going to do all the hard work for us! There's an option to add the chicken to the broiler to get the cheese golden brown, but it's not necessary.
• It's a low carb twist on the classic! Since this chicken parmesan recipe does not have breading, it's a low carb dinner if you serve it with a side salad or some Instant Pot steamed broccoli.
• It's a fast dinner! When you have a lot of things going on after work or school, you want something with a lot of flavor that isn't hard to make. This recipe is for you!

What is Chicken Parmesan?

Traditional chicken parmesan (or chicken Parmigiana) is an Italian dish that consists of breaded chicken, tomato sauce, and topped with mozzarella cheese. The cheese melts on the chicken and gives it a creamy texture.

It can be served over penne pasta, spaghetti, or in a sub sandwich.

This recipe is a twist because we are not using the chicken breading. If you are watching your carbs, this recipe is for you!

Ingredients to Gather

This delicious recipe is made with only a few simple ingredients!

• Chicken breasts. The boneless skinless chicken breasts in the grocery store can be pretty big, so you want to cut them into thick chicken cutlets.
• Marinara sauce. You can make your own homemade marinara sauce, or you can use your favorite jarred tomato sauce. If you have leftover spaghetti sauce, you can use that too.
• Olive oil. To saute the fresh garlic in for a little more flavor.
• Seasoning. We will be using both Italian seasoning as well as salt and pepper. Feel free to add red pepper flakes or garlic powder if you would like too!
• Cheese. Mozzarella cheese is classic to add to the top of the chicken. We will also be adding shredded parmesan cheese too.

See printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan

Step 1: Season the chicken well. Set that aside.

Step 2: Set the Instant Pot on sauté mode and sauté the olive oil and garlic for a couple of minutes. Do not let the garlic burn. Add the marinara sauce and chicken broth and press cancel on sauté mode.

Step 3: Add the trivet insert to the inner pot into the marinara sauce.

Step 4: Set the chicken on top of the trivet.

Step 5: Add some marinara sauce to the top of the chicken. Close the lid and set the Instant Pot to low pressure (not high pressure) and set the cooking time to 3 minutes. Let the Instant Pot natural release for 5 minutes.

Step 6: Add the parmesan cheese to the top of the chicken breasts.

Step 7: Add the shredded mozzarella to the top of the chicken breasts and close the Instant Pot. Do not turn it on. The heat from the Instant Pot will melt the cheese.

Step 8: Open the Instant Pot and serve the chicken parmesan with fresh basil. If serving with pasta, ladle the sauce over the pasta before serving.

Tips and Tricks

• Since we are using thinner chicken breasts, it's important that we use low pressure and not high pressure. These chicken breasts will cook very quickly and to make sure we do not overcook the chicken during the cooking process, but still have juicy chicken, we will be using low pressure.
• To avoid getting the burn notice, the bottom of the inner pot needs to be clear of heavy ingredients, such as the chicken or thick marinara sauce. That is why we are using the trivet insert and adding a cup of chicken broth or cup water. Thinning out the sauce will avoid the burn message. You can also use a steamer basket if that is all you have on hand.
• When sautéing the garlic and olive oil, only saute for a minute or two. Garlic tends to burn very quickly.
• The Instant Pot will take 3-5 minutes to come up to pressure before it begins cooking.

Variations

• Use different chicken pieces! Chicken thighs or chicken tenders would be delicious in this recipe.
• Change the liquid! Instead of chicken broth, you can use water, vegetable broth, or chicken stock to thin out the sauce.
• Serve this easy Instant Pot chicken parmesan over spaghetti, zucchini noodles, in a sandwich, or with a side salad.

Storage Instructions

Store the leftover chicken parmesan in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Reheat the leftovers on the stove top in a small saucepan, or you can reheat it in the Instant Pot of saute mode.

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