Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Bacon Chicken–a creamy sauce and chicken with parmesan cheese, bacon, garlic and spinach. Make pot-in-pot rice at the same time to serve with the chicken and sauce.
Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Bacon Chicken
This chicken and sauce is seriously delicious. After I finished my plate I couldn’t stop sneaking extra bites straight from the pot. My parents, kids and husband all agreed with me. This is a new family favorite! And it’s a major bonus that you can cook the rice at the same time in the same pot! To see more about how that works you can see my video about pot-in-pot rice here.
A few notes about the ingredients:
Chicken–I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into ½ inch fillets. I like cutting them thin because they cook quicker and then nobody is stuck with a big hunk of meat. If you’re using frozen chicken breasts you can cut them into pieces or shred the meat after it has pressure cooked. I haven’t tried this recipe with chicken thighs but I think it would work fabulously. You’ll need to increase the cooking time by a couple minutes for dark meat.
Half and Half–this is just a dairy product that is half whole milk and half heavy cream. You can use just cream or just whole milk if you’d prefer. I like half and half because you get the flavor and thickness.
Cornstarch–I used cornstarch to thicken my sauce but you can also use flour. Just make sure to cook the raw flour taste out of the sauce before you serve.
Spinach–if you don’t like spinach just leave it out. I used fresh baby spinach and chopped it. You can probably use frozen spinach and it would taste just as good. I would thaw the frozen spinach and wring out excess liquid first before adding it into the pot.
Bacon–I used packaged real bacon pieces from Costco. You can cook your own bacon and use that instead.
Rice–I used uncooked long grain white rice with the pot-in-pot method. If you want to try a different type of rice refer to this article.
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes You’ll Love…
Instant Pot Savory Mushroom Chicken
Instant Pot White Chicken Lasagna
Instant Pot Garlic Mushroom Chicken
Instant Pot Chicken and Mashed Potatoes
What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
To make Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Bacon Chicken I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
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Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Bacon Chicken
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
A creamy sauce and chicken with parmesan cheese, bacon, garlic and spinach. Make pot-in-pot rice at the same time to serve with the chicken and sauce.
Ingredients
For the chicken and sauce:
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup diced onions
- 6 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- 4 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese
- 3 ounces coarsely chopped spinach
- 1/2 cup real bacon bits
For the rice (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
- 2 1/4 cups water
Instructions
- Saute onion and garlic. Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. When the displays says HOT add in the butter and swirl it around until it melts. Add in the diced onion and saute for about 4 or 5 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Then pour in the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pot so that nothing is sticking.
- Cut the chicken. You can make this recipe with whole chicken breasts but I like to cut them into ½ inch fillets. This makes it easier for one person to eat a piece of chicken. Another option is to cut the chicken into bite size pieces. It’s up to you. I put the different cooking times below. Add the chicken into the pot in an even layer and then sprinkle the salt and pepper over the chicken.
- Pot in pot rice. If you’d like to make rice at the same time you can. Just fill an oven-safe pan* that fits inside your Instant Pot with the rice and water. Use a trivet/sling* to place the pan gently on top of the chicken. See a video that demonstrates this.
- Pressure Cook. Cover and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to:
- 6 minutes for ½ inch fillets
- 10 minutes for whole chicken breasts that are fresh
- 12-15 minutes for whole chicken breasts that are frozen (see my note below)
- 3 minutes for chicken cut into bite size pieces
- Make the sauce. When the time is up let the pot sit for 5 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid. Carefully remove the rice and set aside. Warm the half and half (so that it doesn’t curdle) and whisk in the cornstarch until it is smooth. Turn the pot to the saute setting. Remove the chicken and set on a platter. Pour the half and half mixture into the pot. Stir until the sauce thickens. Stir in the parmesan cheese, spinach and bacon.
- Serve. Serve the chicken and the sauce over rice.
Notes
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.
If you’re using frozen chicken breasts: One of the most important parts of cooking from frozen is determining the right cook time. This cook time will vary based on the size and thickness of the breasts. When cooking from frozen, do your best to select chicken breasts that are similar in size and thickness. To determine a cook time by thickness use 6 minutes of cook time per inch at the thickest part of the breast.
I used uncooked long grain white rice with the pot-in-pot method. If you want to try a different type of rice refer to this article.
To make low carb leave out the cornstarch and use heavy cream instead of half and half. Don’t make the rice. Serve over vegetables or plain.
This recipe is gluten free. Just make sure to check your broth label.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
*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.
This tasted really weird it almost tasted Smokey and one question how much salt would I add to make it perfect sorry just curious 🧐
★★★
I bet the smokiness was from the bacon.
If I use a lid for my rice pot should I reduce the amount of water?
I would use the same amount of water, or very close to the same amount. You could probably reduce by 1 Tbsp.
Could I use regular whole milk instead of half and half? It’s the only ingredient that I don’t have and I would like to avoid a shopping trip for just one item. 😁
For sure! I do that all the time 😊
Does the rice cook at the shorter time frame? I want to try it but I really really really dislike crunchy rice
Hi Michelle, if you use long grain white rice or jasmine rice they should be done with the shorter cooking time!
I am attempting to try this out this week. I have a large family and will need to at least double this. Do we stick to the same cook times no matter the amount we are making? I noticed you mentioned same time for cutting the recipe in half. Thanks in advance
Keep the same time for doubling the recipe. Here is an article that will explain more about how to successfully double recipes: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-double-instant-pot-recipes/
Looks great. Can I use fresh bacon, or does it need to be pre-cooked or bacon bits?
You can use fresh bacon. Just cook it and crumble it beforehand.
Going to try this recipe! Can I cook the rice with the chicken altogether? How does that change the time/recipe? Thanks!
Hi Lauren, you can do the pot in pot method with the rice. Lower a pan with the rice and water on top of the chicken using a sling or trivet. Then cook according to the directions of the recipe above. It worked perfect for me!
I have the Duo80 and in the manual it says 2 cups of liquid, minimum. Do you think I can get away with 1 cup as per the recipe or should I use 2 cups of broth?
Thanks!
Is it an 8 quart? The 8 quart needs about 1 1/2 cups to come to pressure. If it’s a 6 quart you’ll be fine with 1 cup.
We absolutely hate Parmesan cheese! Should I just leave it out or substitute another cheese?
I’d sub with another cheese.
WINNER! Love this recipe. I am an Instant Pot newbie and I made this recipe with no problems at all. Will add some mushrooms and possibly some sundried tomatoes next time I make it. THANK YOU for an easy recipe that is delicious!
★★★★★
GREAT!!!
His was a big hit. My kids love spinach fettuccine, so I sold this as a version of that dish:) I made according to the directions and ended up having to cook extra chicken breasts after the fact. Two pounds of frozen chicken breaths wasn’t enough- there was easily 2 cups of sauce left over. I made three more chicken breaths on the side and used the extra sauce. I’d recommend three pounds of chicken. The 12 minute cooking time was perfect (I use the Tyson frozen breasts sold at Costco). I might use more spinach next time too…used 4 oz of frozen, thawed and pressed to remove water.
★★★★
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Can I do this using precooked shredded chicken?
Sure. I would only use a 4 minute pressure cook time with a 5 minute npr.
I’ve made this and I’m going to make it again tonight… It was really good and simple to make…
★★★★★
So glad to hear this Donna!
I made this for my cousin who was visiting from the East coast and she continues to rave about how good it was just like the rest of my family. She doesn’t have an Instant Pot but she does have a slow cooker. Do you have a slow cooker version I can send her?
★★★★★
How fun! I haven’t tried it in the slow cooker but I bet you could make it in the slow cooker.
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup diced onions
6 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken broth
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Add to slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
1 ½ cups half and half
4 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese
3 ounces coarsely chopped spinach
½ cup real bacon bits
Warm the half and half (so that it doesn’t curdle) and whisk in the cornstarch until it is smooth. Turn the pot to HIGH. Remove the chicken and set on a platter. Pour the half and half mixture into the pot. Stir until the sauce thickens. Stir in the parmesan cheese, spinach and bacon. Serve chicken with sauce and rice.
How about if I use bone in chicken thighs? Would it come out ok?
yes, I would cook for 15 minutes.
If only cooking for two do I cut the recipe in half but keep the cook time? Can I also cut the rice recipe in half or is it better to cook the entire rice recipe and keep leftover rice for another day?
Yes cut the ingredients in half and keep the time the same. You can halve the rice too.
Can you use chicken tenders? If so how many minutes to cook?
yes, 5 minutes
This sounds really good but my husband doesn’t care for plain rice so I am going to try it over egg noodles! Thanks for the recipe
Egg noodles are a great idea!
I think I’m going to be lazy and use whole frozen breasts but splitmy cooking time…using the 15 minutes timing I’ll do a quick release at about 6-8 minutes and break the chunks apart then reseal and cook the remaining 9-10 minutes. Would you use a trivet to keep them off the bottom and avoid scorching?
★★★★★
yeah, that might be a good idea.
Me being thick but what do you call half and Half is it milk and water ?
It’s half heavy cream and half whole milk 🙂
Quick question – if I do the bite size for 3 minutes, is that enough time for the PIP rice to cook?
Thanks!
It may not be done. For such a short cooking time I would suggest adding boiling water to your rice pan instead of water straight out of the tap.
Aloha Karen
Please show us a picture of how the chicken fillets look after you slice them 1/2″ thick. Do you slice them straight across the grain of the breast or do you slice them on the bias?
Mahalo!!
AlohaCat
Okay next time I make it I will show you a picture. I sliced across the grain.
First let me say I love your recipes! I follow you on FB as well as YouTube. And of course I do get your emails. So thank you so much for all you do for us! I am so happy to see you are doing more PIP recipes. In fact it might be a good idea for you to consider a cookbook with only PIP recipes in it. This would be great for young parents working and people that like to RV. I don’t think there is one out there yet. I am 63 years old and still learning with my IP’s. Wish I had these when my kids were little and I was working.
Hi Beverly, thanks for your note. That is a good idea for a pot in pot cookbook!
I followed these directions with 2 frozen chicken breasts and they were raw inside! yikes! Maybe add more time- I guess I’ll just run this through again as an experiment. First time this has happened! also ps LOVE all your recipes, seems like maybe just more time here.
You did 12 minutes like it said for frozen breasts? That’s usually enough time for frozen.
Hi Catherine, I’m guessing this happened because you had a thicker chicken breast. I’ll update the instructions with a more complete cooking chart for different sizes of chicken.
Thank you! Yes they were a little thicker and in a block together which I think the getting stuck together part just kept them from cooking. Another 12 and it was perfect!
oh okay. yes that makes sense then.