• Home
  • Email List
  • Cookbooks
  • FAQs
  • Instant Pot Secrets
  • Sponsor Me

365 Days of Slow Cooking and Pressure Cooking

Easy slow cooker and Instant Pot recipes for each day of the year

  • Filter Recipes
  • Instant Pot
  • Slow Cooker
  • Chicken
  • Beef
  • Pork
  • Meatless
  • healthy
  • Soups

September 9, 2020

Instant Pot Caprese Chicken

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Instant Pot Caprese Chicken—an easy dump and go Instant Pot or slow cooker recipe. Chicken with a flavorful tomato sauce and sprinkled with mozzarella, parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Serve over orzo or another favorite pasta.

Pin this recipe for later!

Note: The SLOW COOKER instructions are listed in the recipe card below.

chicken and tomato sauce

Instant Pot Caprese Chicken

No joke! I was licking my plate clean because I loved this simple and easy sauce so much! The balsamic adds a flavor boost that left my whole family is awe of this Instant Pot caprese chicken. You really need to add this easy dump and go Instant Pot recipe to this week’s menu.

A few notes about the recipe…

Orzo–I chose to serve my chicken and sauce over orzo. I actually used the pot-in-pot method to cook the orzo. I added 1 cup orzo and 2 cups water to a pan and placed a tall trivet* in the Instant Pot with the chicken and set the covered pasta pan* on top. However, I do not recommend this to you as the orzo did come out quite soft. It was like the texture of Spaghettios (which embarrassingly I actually love).

Chicken–I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs that were frozen. You can use breasts or even bone-in chicken pieces. Frozen is fine, the pot will take a bit longer to come to pressure.

Crushed tomatoes–don’t skip these! The texture and body and flavor from the crushed tomatoes (as opposed to a can of diced tomatoes or tomato sauce) is phenomenal. I like to buy the smaller 14.5 oz cans of crushed tomatoes for recipes like this.

Pin this recipe for later!

caprese chicken

More Recipes…

Instant Pot Italian Chicken Pasta

Instant Pot Ziti and Meatballs

Instant Pot Chicken Spinach Parmesan Orzo

Slow Cooker Stuffed Shells

Easy Slow Cooker Tortellini Lasagna

Slow Cooker Lasagna Ravioli

Pin this recipe for later!

chicken, orzo and basil

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Instant Pot Caprese Chicken


★★★★★

5 from 7 reviews

  • Author: 365 Days of Slow and Pressure Cooking
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2–3 Tbsp cornstarch + 2–3 Tbsp water
  • 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese or 4 oz fresh mozzarella pearls, drained
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Instructions

For the Instant Pot:

  1. Pour chicken broth into Instant Pot. Add in chicken. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and balsamic vinegar. Dump the tomatoes on top. 
  2. Cover and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 15 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
  3. If a thicker sauce is desired make a cornstarch slurry. Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. In a small bowl stir together 2 Tbsp of cornstarch with 2-3 Tbsp of water, until smooth. Then pour the mixture into the Instant Pot. The cornstarch mixture will thicken up contents of pot quickly. Add in the mozzarella, parmesan and basil. Serve the chicken and sauce over your choice of pasta. 

For the slow cooker:

  1. Add chicken into slow cooker. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and balsamic vinegar. Dump the tomatoes on top.
  2. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. 
  3. Add in the mozzarella, parmesan and basil. Serve the chicken and sauce over your choice of pasta. 
  • Category: Chicken
  • Method: Instant Pot

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @365dayscrockpot on Instagram

Pin this recipe for later!

basil tomato chicken

*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

29 Comments Filed Under: All Recipes, Chicken, Dump and Go, Gluten Free, Instant Pot, Pasta, Summer

Recommendations

Comments

  1. Phyllis D. says

    June 29, 2022 at 6:05 pm

    This looks well worth trying! Quick note about the orzo: I have made it quite successfully with another recipe that used much less time (5 minutes as opposed to the 15 minutes this calls for, with a 7-minute natural release), AND I did not put a lid on the pot. I combined 8 oz. orzo, a little salt, and 2 cups of water. Also successful (same timing and proportions) with rotelli. I do recall that another pot-in-pot experience with orzo didn’t work as well but don’t have details why that might have been. My suspicion for why it got so soft when you made it with this would focus on the cooking time plus that lid, both of which would push more of the water into the pasta.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 5, 2022 at 12:55 pm

      Thanks Phyllis for the tips!

      Reply
  2. Dianna says

    February 26, 2022 at 3:08 am

    Karen we love your recipes! I have frozen chicken tenders from Costco. Can they be used in this recipe? What is the general rule for chicken tenders?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 28, 2022 at 4:27 pm

      Yes I would use a 5 minute pressure cook time for frozen chicken tenders. Will be great!

      Reply
  3. Robert says

    December 13, 2021 at 6:09 am

    Awesome recipe! It is now a weekly go to for us! Thank you! Do you think we could use something like xanthan gum in place of cornstarch? If so how would you recommend trying it? (We just have extra trying to use it up) thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 13, 2021 at 2:43 pm

      Yes you can do that! A little bit goes a long way, so it’s best to start with a small amount like 1/4 teaspoon and add more as needed.

      Reply
  4. Beth says

    November 16, 2021 at 10:34 am

    One of the things I love about the Instant Pot is the Keep Warm function, so dinner can be ready but we may not eat for several hours or we eat at different times.

    But would the cheeses melt if added and then left for a fair or long amount of time?

    Thanks in advance for your help, Karen, as usual! I’m actually making this today.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      November 16, 2021 at 12:25 pm

      I would not add the cheese into the pot. I would just let everyone add the cheeses to their individual portion! Should be great 🙂

      Reply
  5. Kathy Coy says

    November 2, 2020 at 4:36 pm

    I really loved this! I served over orzo as well (cooked separately). I was really surprised how much it did remind me of spaghettios! Which I love! Yum. Will make again…very easy.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      November 2, 2020 at 5:01 pm

      I love spaghettios too! It’s that one food from childhood that I really love still

      Reply
  6. Tara says

    October 16, 2020 at 7:33 am

    I don’t eat meat but I made these for my boys and everyone loved it! I seasoned up the Orzo real good and added some Asiago and romano cheese and I think that really leveled up the playing field 🤣 it kinda turned out like the mizithra spaghetti at the spaghetti factory.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 19, 2020 at 7:16 pm

      YES to adding the asiago!! Yum!

      Reply
  7. Michele Wright says

    September 18, 2020 at 6:17 am

    Made this last night!!!another winner from you Karen. I can definitely see what you said about licking plate clean……the balsamic in the sauce is just so yummy!!! You are the only place I get my instant pot recipes from….thanks so much.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 19, 2020 at 3:30 pm

      I know, the balsamic is everything!!! Thanks so much for being here Michele.

      Reply
  8. Maggie says

    September 12, 2020 at 4:31 pm

    I have this recipe on my menu for this week. I have an abundance of fresh tomatoes. Can I use the fresh instead of the canned?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 14, 2020 at 12:47 pm

      I am not sure honestly how that would turn out. I haven’t tried it with fresh. The crushed tomatoes are really the star of this dish.

      Reply
  9. Sharon says

    September 12, 2020 at 8:14 am

    It was excellent. I used frozen boneless thighs (3) and 1 frozen boneless breast. It had great flavor. Served it with 12 oz. of pasta.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 12, 2020 at 10:10 am

      I love the flavor of this dish!

      Reply
  10. Kathy E. says

    September 11, 2020 at 8:16 am

    I made this last night and we loved it! The flavor was awesome and this will definitely be put into our rotation of favorites! Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 11, 2020 at 4:39 pm

      I’m so glad you liked it Kathy!!!

      Reply
  11. Saundra L says

    September 10, 2020 at 3:37 pm

    We appreciate all your hard work on these delightful
    Recipes! Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 11, 2020 at 4:41 pm

      You’re so welcome Saundra!!!

      Reply
  12. Karen says

    September 10, 2020 at 11:10 am

    Looks great! I’m going to freeze the chicken and sauce in freezer bags, then dump into the slow cooker while I work. I like versitle recipes like these. Keep ’em coming!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 10, 2020 at 1:37 pm

      Love this idea Karen!

      Reply
  13. Janice Bradsher says

    September 9, 2020 at 6:58 pm

    This recipe looks delicious! I don’t have an Instant Pot, but I am going to use my Crockpot. I hope it turns out the same way as the Instant Pot. Thanks for sharing……Janice

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 10, 2020 at 1:39 pm

      I bet you’ll love it!

      Reply
  14. Andrée says

    September 9, 2020 at 2:02 pm

    Hello Karen
    Is it possible to use frozen boneless chicken breasts? If so, what is the cooking time?
    Thank you!

    Reply
    • De says

      September 9, 2020 at 2:11 pm

      She says on the page:” Chicken–I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs that were frozen. You can use breasts or even bone-in chicken pieces. Frozen is fine, the pot will take a bit longer to come to pressure.”

      Reply
      • Karen says

        September 10, 2020 at 1:44 pm

        Yes thank you! That’s what I would do.

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Welcome!

Karen photo

Hi, I’m Karen. I know that dinner time can be less than relaxing. Busy schedules and cranky kids and a hundred other things can lead to weariness when it comes to putting dinner on the table. I can help! I make homemade, family-friendly slow cooker and Instant Pot dinners and share the recipes with you.

Stay In Touch

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

Categories

Archives

Amazon Associates Disclosure

Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

365 Days of Slow Cooking © 2023 · Privacy Policy

MENU
  • Home
  • Filter
  • Instant Pot
  • Slow Cooker
  • Chicken
  • Beef
  • Pork
  • Meatless
  • Healthy
  • Soups
  • Email List
  • Cookbooks
  • FAQs
  • Instant Pot Secrets