Bruschetta Chicken | Instant Pot recipe

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Whether you serve it as an appetizer or as a standalone meal, this Bruschetta Chicken Instant Pot recipe features a delicious pomodoro tomato topping, a simple garlic–Italian seasoning shredded chicken, a simple toasted bread, and an optional drizzle of balsamic on top.

a close-up photo of three slices of bread on a white plate, with a napkin and some basil in the background, topped with bruschetta chicken and a drizzle of balsamic on top.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

This is an easy shredded chicken recipe that is packed with a rich, garlicky flavor and contrasting textures. Plus the pomodoro tomato mixture can be made ahead so dinner can come together quickly

The original Bruschetta Chicken recipe came from Barbara’s cookbook. In that version, you cook up the chicken breasts separately and then serve them piled with tomatoes and sliced bread on the side.

However, these days when I’m cooking for my family, I prefer to cook the chicken until it shreds, then toast up a bunch of baguette slices, and make a bunch of little tomato-topped bites.

This is an amazing Instant Pot chicken recipe that works great as an appetizer or as a main dish. Other double-duty meals we love are Homemade loaded queso, Hawaiian meatballs, and teriyaki chicken wings.

An overhead shot of the ingredients needed to make bruschetta chicken. In the top left is a white plate with four chicken breasts. Several white bowls including Italian seasonings salt and pepper, oil, and basil. A salt shaker. Fresh cloves of garlic in the center. A measuring cup of diced red onions. With a white bowl filled with diced tomatoes in the upper right. Along the bottom are a silver measuring cup with chicken broth, slices of baguette, a white bowl filled with shredded parmesan, and a small white bowl filled with balsamic vinegar.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED to make Bruschetta Chicken

Here’s what you’ll need to make this garlicky tomatoey chicken bites:

  • Chicken breasts: You’ll want to choose similarly sized chicken breasts. If your package contains one that is much larger than the others, do your best to cut it down to a similar size.
  • Olive oil: We usually buy extra virgin olive oil; this is to brown the chicken.
  • Garlic: Garlic for the chicken, garlic for the tomato topping, and you can even rub a garlic clove on the freshly toasted bread—the more the better in this recipe!
  • Chicken broth: This is the liquid that you need for pressure cooking; we generally buy reduced-sodium.
  • Italian seasoning: We opted for a simple Italian spice blend to keep it easy. 
  • Roma tomatoes: Our garden tomatoes weren’t quite ripe, so we opted for these meaty, less-juicy grocery store staples.
  • Red onion: Just 1/4 cup. We like to freeze extras in a ziplock and then we’ll have them on-hand for future recipes.
  • French baguette: We like these sliced slightly on a diagonal and toasted. You can opt for any bread you like.
  • Mozzarella cheese: A little melty cheese on top of the bread slices is the perfect base for these little bites.
  • Parmesan: Adds a little extra flavor to the topping.
  • Balsamic vinegar: This is optional; traditional bruschetta doesn’t seem to have balsamic, but I adore the extra pop of flavor it adds.
  • Salt and pepper: To taste, as always.
An overhead shot of the tomato mixture after mixing with olive oil, red onions, and garlic. In the bottom are slices of baguette and in the top right is a small white bowl with extra salt and pepper.

How to Make Bruschetta Chicken in an Instant Pot

This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.

If at all possible, make the tomato mixture a few hours before or even overnight. Combine the basil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Once you’ve diced the tomatoes small, and the red tomatoes even tinier, toss them in the olive oil, then gently sprinkle the garlic mixture on top. Gently turn the tomatoes over until the spices are evenly distributed.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until 30 minutes before you’re ready to serve the bruschetta chicken.

An overhead shot of the chicken breasts inside an Instant Pot. The chicken has been brined on one side and is a lovely golden brown. The tomato topping is visible in the top right.

Salt and pepper the chicken to taste and set aside. Sauté the chicken in batches, just on one side. Doing this allows you to get some of the flavor of browning the chicken (“the fond” in cooking terms) without spending too much time. You’ll likely have to work in batches to brown all of the chicken. (If too much chicken is in the pot at the same time, it’ll steam.)

Once you’ve finished browning, add the garlic to the cooking pot and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth and stir to make sure all the browned bits are incorporated into the pan. Add the Italian seasoning and the chicken. Pressure cook on High with an 8-minute cook time.

Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, release any remaining pressure. The chicken breasts and shred. (Our favorite way to do this is to use a stand mixer and a paddle attachment; the chicken breaks up so quickly.) Discard the cooking liquid.

An overhead shot of four slices of bruschetta chicken on a white plate. A white bowl of shredded chicken is visible on the left. Blue and white striped napkin is visible under the plate.

Preheat your grill, oven broiler, or air fryer. Rub olive oil on one side of the sliced bread and grill or toast. (Toasting on one side allows the bread to still remain soft and tender on the underside which is easier to eat.) Melt the mozzarella on top.

Take the bites and top with shredded chicken, the tomato mixture, parmesan, and, if desired, a light drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately.

An overhead shot of a dark gray rimmed baking pan with 16 slices of bruschetta chicken on them. The bread slices are topped with a lovely red tomato topping, garnished with bright green basil. In the top are shredded parmesan and balsamic in a white bowl and just the edge of a baguette on the top. On the bottom is just the tips of a white bowl of shredded chicken and a white bowl of diced tomatoes.

Frequently Asked Questions about Making Bruschetta Chicken

What is bruschetta?

Traditionally, bruschetta is bread that has been grilled or toasted, rubbed with garlic cloves, and drizzled with really good extra virgin olive oil. Bruschetta al pomodoro is when you take this bread and serve it with a lovely diced tomato topping.

The mozzarella and balsamic aren’t traditional, but they are really tasty.

Do you have to make the pomodoro tomato mixture ahead of time?

It really makes a difference in the flavor if you make it at least 30 minutes before you serve it. I like it even better when made the night before, but any time you have would definitely help.

That said, it’s your kitchen! You can make it fresh if you like.

How can I store leftovers?

Store the chicken in an airtight container for up to four days. Store the leftover tomato mixture in an airtight container as well; however, the tomatoes will lose their texture, so we like to only make as much as we’ll eat that day and the day after.

A close-up of a single slice of bruschetta chicken with a visible piece of shredded chicken, the bruschetta topping, with a white bowl of tomato topping just visible on the left.

More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

Recipes you can make with this or other recipes you might like:

  • Instant Pot Shortcut Chicken Alfredo starts with chicken breasts cooked in the same pot as the bow tie pasta and finished with jarred alfredo sauce for a quick and easy one-pot weeknight pasta dinner.
  • Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore with Polenta is a hearty chicken dinner made with bell pepper, tomatoes, and dried herbs. It’s often served over creamy polenta, which we cook pot-in-pot at the same time as the chicken.
  • This easy Instant Pot Kung Pao Chicken recipe calls for diced chicken breasts, so it has just a 4 minute cook time. It’s easy Chinese-inspired flavors ready on a weeknight.
A photo with a white plate of bruschetta chicken in the foreground. The background is an Instant pot and white bowl of shredded chicken.

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a close-up photo of three slices of bread on a white plate, with a napkin and some basil in the background, topped with bruschetta chicken and a drizzle of balsamic on top.

Bruschetta Chicken | Instant Pot recipe

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Other, not including chill time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Chicken
Cuisine: Italian
This Bruschetta Chicken Instant Pot recipe can be an appetizer or main dish, made with fresh tomatoes, shredded chicken, and toasted bread.
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Ingredients

For tomato topping

  • 8 small ripe roma tomatoes diced small, with the seeds, white flesh, and excess liquid discarded
  • 1/4 cup red onion
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh or freeze dried basil
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste

For the chicken

  • 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts well trimmed
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

For serving

  • 1 French baguette sliced diagonally (can also substitute ciabatta)
  • 4 oz mozzarella cheese sliced or shredded
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese optional
  • Balsamic vinegar to taste, if desired

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, lightly toss the tomatoes, red onion, olive oil, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to overnight. Take the tomato mixture out of the refrigerator and bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.
  • Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Select Saute to preheat the pressure cooking pot. When hot, add the olive oil. Brown the chicken on one side in batches, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate.
  • Add the garlic to the cooking pot and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and browned chicken. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 8 minutes cook time.
  • When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid. Remove the chicken to a tray and use two forks or a mixer to shred the cooked chicken. Cover and set aside.
  • Preheat your grill, oven broiler, or air fryer. Rub olive oil on one side of the sliced bread and grill or toast until golden brown. Add mozzarella cheese and allow to melt.
  • Top each slice of bread with the shredded chicken, tomato mixture, Parmesan, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. If desired, use a fresh basil garnish on top.

Nutrition

Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 537mg | Potassium: 435mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 687IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 2mg

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