Instant Pot Creamy Lemon-Broccoli Chicken with Burst Grape Tomatoes

If you don’t like lemon, this recipe is not for you. Let’s just get that out of the way.

This is a pretty lemony dish, but obviously you could cut back on the lemon if you really wanted to. I happen to love it, but everyone is different.

I think a big factor in this dish being super tasty and tender is using bone-in, skin on chicken breasts. Usually when I make chicken breasts I buy the boneless, skinless kind, but it really takes it up a notch if you leave all that good stuff in. Keeps it nice and tender, and the meat will practically fall off the bone.

I made this in the Instant Pot, but I imagine you could also make this on the stove top in a Dutch Oven, but you’d have to cook it for a bit longer.

The tomatoes in this dish have to be done separately in the oven, but it’s so quick, it still feels like a one-pot meal! And if you use tin foil to line your sheet pan, the clean up will be an absolute breeze. Cleaning dried/burnt on tomato juice from a sheetpan is not my idea of a good time. The tomatoes just add a bright acidity, making this comforting dish seem a bit more summery. I used a 1 cup measure, but feel free to add more to your liking.

I think that’s all my notes, so here’s the recipe!

Instant Pot Creamy Lemon-Broccoli Chicken with Burst Grape Tomatoes

2 large chicken breasts, bone-in, skin on
1 tsp Kosher salt
Black pepper to taste
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 big lemon
2 cups chicken stock
4 cups broccoli florets
1 tsp onion powder
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 cup grape tomatoes

Directions

Season the chicken with Kosher salt and pepper on both sides. Preheat oven to 425 for the tomatoes.
On Saute mode, sear the chicken on both sides, 2-3 minutes per side to get a slight golden brown color and a nice crust. Remove from pot and set aside.
Add the garlic and stir quickly for a few seconds, being careful to not burn it. Add the lemon juice and chicken stock to deglaze, and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom. Don’t be scared if a little smoke/steam happens when you add the liquid. If you’re seasoned with the Instant Pot, you’ll know getting those bits off the bottom is imperative to avoiding the dreaded “burn” notification!
Cancel the saute mode, and add the chicken back into the pot with the broth, top with the broccoli florets and the lemon halves you used earlier for juicing. Sprinkle the onion powder all over and DON’T MIX. Close the Instant Pot (make sure the float valve is set to “seal”) and cook on High Pressure for 14 minutes. In the meantime, cook the tomatoes.
Line your sheet pan with tin foil, and drizzle tomatoes with olive oil (I never measure this, I’m sorry, but don’t go too heavy), and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss with your hands to coat, and bake at 425 for 10 minutes or so. They should burst nicely and have a wrinkly skin.
When the time is up on your Instant Pot, let the pressure naturally release for 6-7 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure by switching the float valve to “vent”.
Remove the chicken and set aside. Set the Instant Pot back to Saute mode, then add the heavy cream, water, and parsley into the broth. Stir together and cook for a few minutes until it starts to bubble and reduce/thicken. About 10 minutes. But you can see if it’s getting thicker by testing it with a spoon, so if it needs to cook for a bit longer, that’s fine, that will only make it better! You can also add more water if you don’t like it as thick.
Add the chicken back into the pot and let it bubble with the cream sauce for a few minutes before serving. Plate the chicken and spoon the lemony-garlic broccoli cream sauce all over, and top with the burst tomatoes. YUM!