Instant Pot Rustic Braised Chicken
Tastes like its been simmered for hours, in a fraction of the time, this Instant Pot Rustic Braised Chicken is a fast and impressively delicious dinner for the whole family!

I haven’t used my Instant Pot nearly as much as I should. That really has to change, but truth be told, I’m still intimidated by it a little bit. It’s like everything new in the kitchen, some things just take a little longer to get used to. When I first started cooking with cast iron I felt the same way – and heck, I loved it so much I ended up writing a cookbook on it! So, when people tell me they are “scared” of it, I totally empathize – because the Instant Pot, for me, is kind of the same thing.
But every once in a while, you really hit it out of the park.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Rustic Braised Chicken
This recipe is pretty versatile and you can use whatever cuts of chicken that you want. In this instance, I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, because it was what I had on hand. And this Instant Pot Rustic Braised Chicken would be even better with bone-in thighs, or bone-in chicken breasts if you ask me. The times might go up just slightly, because the bones act as an insulator to the meat, and prevent over cooking, but you really can’t argue with the flavor of this dish!
- Bacon
- Tomato Paste
- Garlic
- Dried Thyme
- Red Pepper Flakes
- White Wine
- Chicken Broth
- Cremini Mushrooms
- Diced Tomatoes
- finely chopped
- Chicken Breasts
- Salt and Pepper
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Fresh Parsley
Deciding what to serve with it can be as easy as mashed potatoes, or noodles with the sauce from this dish ladled liberally over the top. Or just more veggies. Really it is a great compliment to any side dish. The extra tomatoes and mushrooms make it hearty and filling, but not oppressively heavy.
I’m slowly building up my Instant Pot category, so be sure to take a peek and see if there are any other recipes you might fancy! Like maybe these pumpkin cranberry steel cut oats?

So while I am still getting used to Instant Pot cooking, I am totally committed to getting more use out of it with dishes like this Instant Pot Rustic Braised chicken. It will be on repeat through fall and winter for sure!
Inspired Homemade Recipes to Try
Instant Pot Rosemary Dijon Pot Roast
Instant Pot Roasted Garlic and Boursin Mashed Potatoes
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Instant Pot Rustic Braised Chicken
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15 Minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Description
Tastes like its been simmered for hours, in a fraction of the time, this Instant Pot Rustic Braised Chicken is a fast and impressively delicious dinner for the whole family!
Ingredients
- 4–6 slices of Bacon, sliced into 1/2″ pieces, fried and drained
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 cup White Wine
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 pound Cremini Mushrooms, sliced
- 1 can (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Onion, finely chopped
- 4 Chicken Breasts, *see note*
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp Water
- Fresh Parsley, minced for garnish
Instructions
- In the Instant Pot cooking pot, cook the bacon on the saute function until it is done and crispy. Remove it and drain on a paper towel. Set it aside for later.
- In the pot, still set to saute, add in the tomato paste, garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes until fragrant. About 1 minute. Stir in the wine, and scrape any bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Next, stir in the broth, mushrooms, tomatoes, and onion. Season the chicken breasts liberally with salt and pepper on all sides. Place them on top of the vegetables in the pot. Don’t worry, they will settle into the braising liquid as they cook and the vegetables reduce.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, and set it to high pressure, for 15 minutes. Perform a quick pressure release, and remove the lid when the pressure valve is down.
- In a small dish, whisk together the cornstarch and water. Pour it into the braising liquid and bring the liquid to a boil with the saute function. Whisk the liquid and boil for a couple of minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Serve the chicken over mashed potatoes, or noodles, topping with vegetables from the braising liquid, minced parsley and some chopped bacon!
Notes
You can use boneless skinless breasts for this, but it will be better with bone-in chicken breasts, or bone-in chicken thighs, as they act like an insulator to prevent overcooking. You can reduce the time for boneless skinless chicken breasts by a minute or two, but ensure they have reached 165 before serving.
Keywords: Chicken, Recipe, Instant Pot
I love my instant pot! This looks so good that I’m going to make it this weekend.
I so hope that you love it! Please let me know how it turns out!
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This recipe is a keeper though I had to make a minor change when I found out that I didn’t have thyme on hand!
Soooooooooo gooood!!! Ate with mashed potatoes and peas! I don’t drink so I replaced the wine with red wine vinegar and made a rue instead of using cornstarch. That is a new cold weather favorite! Thank you for posting. It was so easy in the instant pot.
Michelle, thank you so so much! I’m so so glad that the recipe worked for you and the subs came out perfectly!! Hooray!!
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! Did not have white wine so I used proseco. I served it over mashed garlic potatoes and I used boneless and skinless thighs. Would highly recommend!
Hooray!! Thank you so much Marie! I’m so so pleased that it was a hit, and what a genius substitution with the prosecco!
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I happen to have drumsticks and worked great. I think I may have added to much red pepper and it was too spicy hot. I added some 1/2 and 1/2 to mellow it out at the end. Wow! Delicious! Definitely will save this easy delicious recipe. I love any kind of braised chicken.
I”m so so pleased you enjoyed this, Lisa!! Thank you!!
Can this recipe be adapted for a slow cooker?
Yes, you definitely can – but I will have to do test case. If you have a chance please come back and let me know if you tried it in a slow cooker.