This Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan is a super easy way to make your favourite comfort food – it’s ready in one pot in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil such as avocado oil.
- Chicken cutlets – slice two boneless skinless chicken breasts in half lengthwise.
- Italian seasoning – make your own using a blend of dried oregano, basil, thyme, sage and rosemary.
- Garlic powder – onion powder would also work.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Jar marinara sauce – use any jarred marinara or tomato sauce of your choice.
- Shredded mozzarella – freshly grated parmesan would also be good here.
- Fresh parsley – fresh basil would work or you can leave this off altogether.
To serve
- Spaghetti – you could also serve your chicken parm with penne, rigatoni, rotini or even zucchini noodles.
How to make chicken parmesan in the Instant Pot
Step 1: Prep the ingredients.
Step 2: Season the chicken.
Rub the chicken cutlets with olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Step 3: Add marinara to the bottom of the Instant Pot.
Step 4: Cook on high pressure.
Place the chicken over top of the sauce, then cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
Step 5: Add the cheese.
Do a quick release of the pressure. Spoon extra sauce over top of the chicken, then sprinkle on the mozzarella. Add the lid back on until the cheese has melted.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Serve over spaghetti and dig in!
What to serve with chicken parmesan
While this Instant Pot chicken parmesan is a complete dish on its own, you can definitely serve it with some side dishes. Since this recipe is already heavy on the carbs and cheese, I’d recommend sticking to veggie-based sides. Here are some options:
- Heirloom tomato salad
- Green salad with homemade dressing
- Steamed broccoli
- Glazed carrots
- Lemon herb green beans
Frequently Asked Questions
If you find that you’re getting the burn notice when making this recipe, the marinara sauce you’re using might be too thick. Try adding 1/4 cup of water or broth to make the sauce more liquid-y and avoid the burn notice.
I’d recommend defrosting frozen chicken before making this Instant Pot chicken parmesan. You can try adding frozen chicken right to the pot and adding 2-3 minutes onto the cooking time, but the sauce might get extra watery, so I’d recommend defrosting beforehand.
You can double this recipe as long as you don’t go over the maximum line in your Instant Pot. The cooking time will remain the same, but you might want to sear the chicken cutlets on each side before adding them to the Instant Pot if you’re stacking them to ensure they cook all the way through.
I typically serve my chicken parmesan over spaghetti noodles, but you can serve it with any noodles of your choice like gluten-free noodles or even zucchini noodles.
Storing and reheating
If you’ll be using this chicken parmesan Instant Pot recipe for meal prep, divide the spaghetti evenly between individual meal prep containers. Then, add some sauce and place a piece of chicken over top of the sauce. Otherwise, store the chicken and pasta in separate airtight containers and keep the containers in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
You can reheat this dish either in the microwave or in the oven. If you’re reheating in the microwave, I’d suggest slicing the chicken first so it reheats more evenly. If you’re reheating in the oven, add everything to an oven-safe dish, cover it will foil then bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 325° Fahrenheit.
Can you freeze chicken parmesan?
You can freeze this Instant Pot chicken parmesan if you leave off the cheese. Dairy tends not to freeze well, and the texture of the cheese will be unpleasant when thawed and reheated.
If you plan on freezing this dish, cool the chicken then freeze it in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer the chicken to an airtight container or Ziploc bag with layers of parchment paper between each piece of chicken. This recipe will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw this dish in the fridge overnight, then top with fresh mozzarella when reheating.
More Instant Pot Italian recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls for the leftovers.
- I get all my grass-fed ground beef from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 chicken cutlets
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 1 (680mL) jar marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh parsley or basil, for garnish
To serve
- 1/2 lb spaghetti
Instructions
- Rub chicken cutlets in olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt & pepper. Pour marinara sauce in bottom of Instant Pot. Place chicken overtop of sauce.
- Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal. Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, if serving with chicken, boil spaghetti in a pot on the stove while chicken is cooking in Instant Pot.
- The Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure, then notify you it's done by beeping. Press the Cancel button then do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily.
- Spoon extra sauce overtop of chicken, then sprinkle mozzarella cheese overtop of chicken. Replace lid on the Instant Pot and let sit for 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Alternatively, you can broil chicken in the oven for 2 minutes. Serve with spaghetti and enjoy!
