Nothing like a little cream cheese and parmesan in your chicken! This Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken is a simple dump and go dinner recipe. So little effort to make dinner but so rich and creamy and full of spinach. The whole family will ask for more!
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Everything is better with Cream Cheese
I am a firm believer that if you add cream cheese to anything, you instantly make it 100 times better. Please tell me that you do not disagree!
And you better believe that’s exactly what I added to this Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken–fresh and quick from the Instant Pot! When it comes to my Instant Pot, I want recipes that are literally dump and go. For some reason, I have this idea that a pressure cooker is that machine that essentially does everything for you. For me, that is.
This is the creamiest, dreamiest, juicy parmesan chicken for all of your simple dinner needs. And it is a perfect dump and go meal.
While my husband is not a parmesan fan (I know, blasphemy!), I have a few recipes up my sleeve that include plenty of parmesan. And he actually likes them, a lot. Like I said, add cream cheese, and everything else will be a dream. He actually ate leftovers of the Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken, so not sure who he is kidding–the boy likes parmesan whether he says otherwise or not.
This Instant Pot Chicken was a bit of a gamble the first time I tested it out. I tossed everything in and hoped for the best. Yep, you just never know. And to be honest, when I opened the pot, I was not sure things were gonna be okay. The parmesan looked a bit interesting at first glance.
However, once the chicken was shredded up and everything stirred together, we were sooooo in the clear. The rich flavor of the cream cheese combined with the garlic and parmesan does amazing things to the taste buds. Amaaaazing things.
So needless to say, this Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Parmesan is what you need–more than likely on a weekly basis. And even more importantly, what you will be dreaming about even for leftovers!
What you need to make this Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken:
- chicken: you can use fresh or frozen chicken. So if you forgot to thaw your chicken or are making a very last minute dinner decision, you are still in the clear!
- cream cheese: whatever your favorite cream cheese is, use it!
- parmesan cheese: I opted for grated parmesan because that is what I typically have on hand.
- chicken broth: you could technically use water but the broth really adds flavor.
- garlic powder: garlic cloves would work, again, I went with something that is basically in every kitchen around!
- spinach: frozen or fresh will work
- salt and pepper
How do I serve this Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken?
- My fave is over rice. Some freshly chopped basil or parsley and you are set!
- You could toss it with some freshly cooked (or leftover) pasta. Maybe some fettuccine? What do you think? Oh, and toss in some sautéed mushrooms because YUM!
- If you served this chicken to me on a brioche bun I would more than likely love you forever. Think outside of the bowl with this Garlic Parmesan Chicken!
- Though I have not tried it like this, I feel like this could be a great “dip” like option to serve with some fun crackers. And now I think I am going to need to make this Creamy Chicken for the next party we have!
- There is also no reason you can’t just eat this Garlic Parmesan Chicken straight from the Instant Pot, or just exactly as it is!
I don’t have an Instant Pot, can I make this recipe in the slow cooker?
Do not worry if you don’t have a pressure cooker. You could just as easily let this sit in the crock pot all day and have dinner ready in the evening. I just know that it is not suggested to add frozen meat into a crock pot so that is something to consider.
If you opt for the slow cooker, cook the chicken on high 4-6 hours and low 6-8 hours. Shred and add spinach about 30 minutes before serving.
Notes when making this Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken:
- As I mentioned earlier, it looks a bit interesting when you open up the pressure cooker. Technically, you can wait until after the chicken cooks to toss in the parmesan and cream cheese. I thought it still was perfect and the aroma in the house as it cooked was unreal. Maybe that’s the main reason I made it this way!
- The spinach easily wilts when you shred and stir the chicken. If you are using frozen spinach, thaw and strain it before adding it in.
- A couple forks is all you need to easily shred the chicken!
- Make sure you read the manual to your pressure cooker and understand how to safely use it. The thing I honestly forget to do a lot is to put the knob to “sealing” and then I waste time because all of the pressure is seeping out. Don’t be like me!!!
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Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lb boneless chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)
- 4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
- 1/2 c grated parmesan
- 1/2 c chicken broth
- 1 tsp garlic powder (plus more to taste)
- 1 c freshly chopped spinach
- 1/2 tsp cracked pepper
- sea salt
Instructions
- Add chicken broth to the bottom of Instant Pot. Place chicken breasts on top. (you can use trivet if desired).
- Season chicken with desired amount of sea salt and then sprinkle pepper and garlic over to cover. Place cream cheese and parmesan evenly over chicken.
- Close Instant Pot and move vent to "sealing." Set to pressure cook high for 10 minutes for thawed chicken and 12 minutes for frozen chicken.
- When timer is done, do a quick release. Open Instant Pot and check that internal temperature of chicken is `165°F. If it is not, you can cook for a few minutes longer. If it is at 165° Use to forks to shred the chicken. Just be careful of the sides of the pot. You can transfer everything to a bowl if preferred. Stir in the spinach and continue to mix until the cream cheese is smooth and creamy.
- Serve as desired and enjoy!
Nutrition
We love using our Instant Pot! This is for sure in our monthly rotation now!
Need to finally dig out my instant pot for the season! Great reminder of how easy it is to get great flavor ASAP!
Oh yes you do indeed!
Tasted great and really simple to make. I was drinking white wine while i was cooking and decided to add a little to recipe, worked well.
Ohhhhh, I like where your head is, Dawn. Going to try that next time!