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Chicken breasts smothered with a creamy white sauce that has tomatoes and spinach.

Low-Carb Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken

Are you looking for a low carb Instant Pot recipe that's super satisfying?  This Low-Carb Tuscan Chicken is creamy and wonderful.  Yep, it's low-carb, but you will never feel cheated eating this dish.
Servings: 4 servings
Chef Alli
4.50 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Approx. Time Needed for Instant Pot to Pressurize: 10 minutes
Total Time 37 minutes

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Ingredients
 

  • 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1-2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • Olive oil, for browning the chicken
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • 2 Tbs. whipping cream
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch (or use xantham gum to thicken the sauce)
  • 2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach, chopped
  • 1 cup tomatoes, cut into quarters (approx. 5 oz.)

Instructions
 

  • Season the chicken thighs with the Italian seasoning.
  • Meanwhile, in a 6-quart Instant Pot, set to the sauté setting, add a good swish of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the seasoned chicken, cooking a minute or two on each side until browned; remove chicken to a plate and reserve.  
  • Add the chicken broth to the drippings in the Instant Pot, giving all a good stir; return the browned chicken to the pot and lock the Instant Pot lid into place.
    Use the manual button, then set the timer for 8 minutes on High Pressure, bringing the Instant Pot to full pressure. When the timer sounds, use a quick release to remove all pressure from the Instant Pot. 
  • Remove the cooked chicken from the Instant Pot to a plate. Using the sauté setting, stir in the cream cheese, garlic, and Parmesan, using a whisk to combine until the mixture is smooth.
    In the meantime, combine the whipping cream with the cornstarch in a small bowl; stir this mixture into the cream cheese mixture in the Instant Pot, continuing to cook until the sauce is nicely thickened. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. 
  • Turn off the Instant Pot and let the sauce cool for just a minute or two before stirring in the spinach and tomatoes. 
    Serve chicken topped with the prepared sauce; garnish with fresh Italian parsley, if desired. (This sauce is also delicious served over quinoa or farro.)

Notes

**Please note:  the cooking time stated for this recipe does not include the time required to bring the Instant Pot up to pressure since this can vary. This recipe was made using a 6-quart Instant Pot. 

 

The recipe calls for chicken thighs. Can I substitute chicken breasts if I prefer?

  • Surely! You will, however, need to cook the chicken breasts a bit longer since they are larger than chicken thighs. I’d increase the cooking time in the Instant Pot to 10 minutes.

I’m not that familiar with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. What’s the scoop?

  • Boneless, skinless thighs are very economical, but also very delicious because dark meat is more flavorful and more moist. I used to think that I only liked the white meat of chicken breasts, but once I began using the chicken thighs, I quickly learned how much more flavor they have!

Can I use low-fat cream cheese in this recipe?

  • You can, but for a true low-carb recipe, you’ll need to use the full-fat cream cheese.

Do I have to brown the chicken thighs in the oil? If I can skip this step, it would speed things up, right?

  • That is correct, and you can certainly do so, if you wish. You will miss the extra flavors you would gain from browning the chicken thighs first, but this dish will still be delicious.

    I know my kids won’t eat this with the spinach and tomatoes added. Can I leave those out?

    • Here’s what I do: When I make the sauce, I leave it plain until after I’ve portioned out what the boys will want for their chicken. Once that’s out of the pot, I add the spinach and tomatoes to the remaining sauce for me and the hubs. It’s good plain, but way better with the spinach and tomatoes!

    I’m always looking for an easy dish to make when we have guests for dinner. Does Tuscan Chicken fall into that category?

    This dish is great for company because it looks very pretty when you dish the colorful sauce over the chicken.  And because you cook it in an Instant Pot, the flavors are nicely intense, too

Nutrition

Calories: 447kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 49gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 262mgSodium: 620mgPotassium: 827mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 2337IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 167mgIron: 3mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

Chef Alli is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate.

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