Easy Creamy Lemon Chicken – Instant Pot recipe
This rich and creamy lemon chicken is simple to make and full of bright, fresh flavors—perfect for a satisfying weeknight dinner.
This easy chicken dinner has a little something for everyone. The lemony, herby flavors combine with a smooth, creamy sauce that’s irresistible.
This meal comes together pretty quick, making it great for busy weeknights, but it also feels fancy enough to make for guests. My kids, who all have different preferences, all loved this one and asked me to add it to our regular rotation going forward.
I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Ingredient Notes
Cut the chicken breasts in half crossways (not butterflied), unless your chicken breasts are quite small. This will help ensure they cook through quickly.
If you want to make this with chicken tenders or thighs, you can, but you will need to adjust the cook time. When we cook tenders, we generally use a 3 minute cook time. Chicken thighs need longer, generally about a 9 minute cook time.
Make sure the olive oil you use has a high smoke point (often labeled as high heat olive oil). If you want to add flavor, you can use a mix of olive oil and butter.
For best results, we recommend using a microplane or fine grater to shred your parmesan cheese from a block. (We’ve found that the pre-shredded cheese doesn’t blend into the sauce as well.)
If you’re serving the chicken over pasta, make sure to put the pot of water on to boil 5 or 10 minutes before you start prepping the ingredient. We really loved bucatini with this one because it has a little tube that fills up with the cream sauce and maintains a nice bite.
(If you’d rather, you can also serve the chicken over rice or mashed potatoes.)
We recommend using fresh herbs in this recipe, but you could also use lightly-dried herbs with no change to the cook time.
How to Store Leftover Creamy Lemon Chicken
Cool the chicken and sauce to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and pop it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
This is one that freezes well, too. Before freezing, I like to chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces, then stir it back into the sauce. Then I freeze in individual portions with my Souper Cubes.
After the sauce is frozen solid, I’ll transfer to a clear, freezer-safe ziplock bag and store for up to 3 months.
What to Serve with Creamy Lemon Chicken
We love this creamy lemon chicken recipe served with a nice crusty bread to sop up all that creamy sauce.
To round out the meal, we’ll often serve with steamed vegetables (Green Beans) or a tossed green salad.
More Recipes for Lemon Lovers
Love that tart lemon flavor? Here are several of our favorite air fryer and Instant Pot recipes that feature lemon:
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Easy Creamy Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half crosswise
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided, plus more if needed
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced or pressed
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon chives, finely sliced for serving
- Lemon wedges for serving
- Hot cooked pasta rice, or mashed potatoes for serving (we used bucatini)
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper to taste.
- Select Sauté to preheat the pressure cooking pot. When hot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, then add the chicken in batches and brown lightly on both sides. (Add more oil if needed.) Remove browned chicken to a plate.
- Immediately add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- When the garlic has been sautéed, add the white wine to deglaze the pot. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any brown bits. Let the wine simmer until reduced by half.
- Add the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the cooking pot.
- Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 6 minutes cook time. When the cook time ends, finish with a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid. Remove chicken and keep warm.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water, whisking until smooth. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the sauce, select Sauté and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.
- Stir in the parsley and basil. Add the heavy cream and parmesan and allow to heat through but do not boil.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken in a serving dish (or return the chicken to the cooking pot). Serve over cooked rice or pasta, garnished with a sprinkle of additional parmesan, basil, chives, and lemon wedges.
Nutrition
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Loved the flavor of the recipe but found that the chicken was tough. Anyway of making the chicken more tender? Maybe slicing the chicke into thinner pieces? Thank you.
This is an incredible recipe. Thank you so much for providing another chicken alternative. My husband is a huge fan and hopes this is on a regular rotation.
We tend to prefer chicken thighs over chicken breasts, would I need to adjust the cooking time if I use thighs?
I would so you have tender chicken thighs. We often cook our thighs for about 9 minutes, with a quick release.
I’m making this tonight and see chives in the directions, but not ingredients. How much chives are we adding?
Sorry about that, early versions I tried with chives. I do think it is a good addition. I would just do about a tablespoon, but garnish each bowl with them.
Ally, I’m puzzled as to why you’re rating a recipe you haven’t made yet? Makes no sense to me..
I’m puzzled as to why you’d take the time to say something negative. I didn’t find a way to ask my question without rating it. Not the mention that others may ask the same!
I’m changing my rating to 5 stars, since it matters to you. Have a nice night!