Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Sliders
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With only 5 main ingredients, you’ll have these Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Sliders on the table in less than 20 minutes! They are the perfect, healthy weeknight meal for adults and kids alike. Freezing instructions included.
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Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan for the Din Win!
If you find yourself coming home from work bone-dead tired or running kids around on weeknights, this Instant Pot meal is made for you. I know, because that’s my life I just described. 🙂
These mini sandwiches taste just like Chicken Parmesan. They are absolutely tender, flavorful, and a family favorite! You will make this again and again. In fact, be sure to double and freeze a batch for later.
IP chicken parmesan sandwiches are a winner dinner because they…
- Taste just like Chicken Parmesan. They are absolutely tender, flavorful, and a family favorite!
- Only require 5 ingredients!
- Make a well-rounded and healthy dinner. Serve with a side salad or vegetable of choice and that’s it. Sometimes I toss in some chopped spinach to the meal, too, and no one even knows!
- Are freezer-friendly! Just double and freeze the second batch for another meal. (See our freezing instructions below.)
Ingredients You’ll Need
You only need 5 ingredients on hand. Hooray! Check your fridge and cabinets to see if you have these items already…
Marinara Sauce – Woo hoo for store-bought shortcuts! This is one you can feel good about if you select a sauce that’s organic or all-natural. Be sure to read the ingredients and try to avoid “natural flavors”, a lot of added sugar, and other weird ingredients you’re not familiar with. I personally love Newman’s Own Marinara Sauce. Or, try making your own with our Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce recipe. It’s cheap, budget-friendly, freezable, and amazing!
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts – We get our chicken from ButcherBox. The chicken is organic and curated from trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, wild salmon, and grass-fed beef–and have used it for years ourselves.
Grated Parmesan Cheese – This cheese gets stirred into the hot shredded chicken and sauce to add in a wonderful salty, cheesy flavor.
Wheat Slider Buns or Dinner Rolls – I find whole wheat slider buns in the bakery section at the store. Another idea is to use store-bought wheat dinner rolls in the bakery or frozen food section. Or, try making your own wheat dinner rolls.
Provolone Cheese Slices – You’ll top each sandwich with this mellow cheese. You can place the open-faced sliders on a sheet pan under the broiler for a minute or two, if you really want to get it nice and gooey and melty.
How Long Do I Cook Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot?
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts don’t need long in the Instant Pot. You’ll pressure cook the chicken breasts and sauce for just 7 minutes. Then, use a quick release of the pressure. That’s usually all you need, otherwise you’ll dry out your chicken. But, be sure to check to make sure the chicken is done using a meat thermometer. It should register 165°F internally. Or, another way to check for doneness is to make sure there is no more pink inside when you cut into it.
P.S. Did you know we published an Instant Pot cookbook called From Freezer to Cooker? During our two years of research and testing, we learned EXACTLY how long to cook meals in the Instant Pot both from fresh OR from frozen. Be sure to download and print off our Cheat Sheet here. It’s so helpful to have inside your cabinet.
How to Make This Recipe Into a Freezer Meal
Here’s where you can get even smarter. Make the best use of your time by doubling and freezing a batch of this dinner. That way you have one for tonight and another for later. The best part is that you can dump your frozen meal directly in the Instant Pot and cook it from frozen! Here’s how…
Freeze For Later: Place raw chicken breasts and marinara in a gallon-sized freezer bag or round freezer container. Seal and freeze. (Tip: Freeze the bag inside a medium-sized bowl until solid, so it’s the shape of the Instant Pot.) Freeze a small bag of the Provolone and a small bag of the Parmesan cheese along with the chicken to create a meal kit. Place all of the meal components in a grocery sack or 2.5 gallon freezer bag to keep it together in the freezer.
Prepare From Frozen: Turn on the Saute function. Saute the frozen meal for 5 minutes to release some liquid. Follow Steps 2-4, except cook for 15-20 minutes with a quick release.
How to Serve Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan
To serve, add some of the shredded chicken parmesan with sauce to a small bun. I find whole wheat slider buns in the bakery section at the store. Another idea is to use store-bought wheat dinner rolls in the bakery or frozen food section. Then, top each sandwich with a small piece of Provolone cheese before placing on the top bun.
Add in a simple side dish to complete your meal. Here are a few ideas…
- Raw veggie sticks with Hummus
- Cut up fruit
- Simple side salad with one of our delicious salad dressings
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
- No Boil Corn on the Cob
Can I Make Chicken Parmesan Sliders in the Slow Cooker?
Absolutely! Just follow our Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Sliders instructions here.
Other Slider Recipes
We are big fans of sliders because they are perfect for families (since kids can be smaller eaters) and can stretch a food budget pretty far. Here are some of the other slider recipes on our site:
Bottom Line
When I make these sliders for my crew, I hear the best sound a mom could ever hear at dinner–no complaining. Whether you want a healthy, kid-friendly dinner or a freezer meal on hand for later, we think you’ll love the simplicity of these Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Sliders.
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Sliders
Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this freezer-friendly recipe. These sandwiches taste just like Chicken Parmesan. They are absolutely tender, flavorful, and a family favorite! You will make this again and again.
Ingredients
- 1 (28 ounce) jar of marinara sauce (Recommended: Newman’s Own Marinara) or 3 1/2 cups of Homemade Marinara Sauce
- 1 1/2 – 2 lbs fresh or frozen medium-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts (we love the ones from Butcher Box)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 12 mini wheat buns
- 12 slices mozzarella or provolone cheese
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Place marinara and chicken in the Instant Pot.
- Lock and seal the lid. Cook for 7 minutes at high pressure. (Note: If using frozen chicken, cook for 15 minutes at high pressure). When cook time is done, use quick release of the pressure. (Chicken is done when it reaches 165°F internally or no longer has pink inside.)
- Remove the chicken to a wooden cutting board and shred with two forks. Return to the pot. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
- Serve warm on a mini bun and top with a slice of cheese.
Freeze For Later: Place raw chicken breasts and marinara in a gallon-sized freezer bag or round freezer container. Seal and freeze. (Tip: Freeze the bag inside a medium-sized bowl until solid, so it’s the shape of the Instant Pot.) Freeze a small bag of the Provolone and a small bag of the Parmesan cheese along with the chicken to create a meal kit. Place all of the meal components in a grocery sack or 2.5 gallon freezer bag to keep it together in the freezer.
Prepare From Frozen: Turn on the Saute function. Saute the frozen meal for 5 minutes to release some liquid. Follow Steps 2-4, except cook for 15-20 minutes with a quick release.
Notes/Tips
Tip: Open the buns and place on a sheet pan with the insides facing up. Then, broil for 1-2 minutes to get them toasted. This helps prevent a soggy bun when you build your sandwich.
Slow Cooker Instructions: You can make these in the slow cooker using these directions.
Gluten-Free Option: Use gluten-free buns/rolls.
Where We Get Our Chicken: We get our chicken from ButcherBox. The chicken is organic and curated from trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, wild salmon, and grass-fed beef–and have used it for years ourselves.
Want More Freezer Meals for the Instant Pot?
We’ve got you covered. Hop over to this post highlighting 20+ Best of the Best Freezer Meals for the Instant Pot. It includes freezer meal instructions for EVERY recipe plus tons of pro tips and tricks we’ve learned over the years.
Easy, yummy and healthy. We loved these! Will be going in the rotation at our house!!!
★★★★★
Awesome! Glad to hear that, Jen.
I am wanting to fix your IP Pulled Pork and your IP Chicken Parmesan Sliders for my family to have when we are on vacation. I am just a little confused about freezing ahead and would like maybe some clarification. So in each case you are freezing the uncooked meat? Is it not advisable to cook the meat, shred it, and then freeze it so that it could just be warmed before serving? Also, you are saying that freezing the meal in a freezer bag by placing it into a bowl shape so that it will fit the IP. So do you then cook it – freezer bag and all? If so, would you need to unzip the freezer bag? Are there no issues with chemicals from the plastic bag getting into the meal?
Hi Susan, good questions. You can certainly cook these meals ahead of time, shred them, and freeze them in the sauce to thaw and warm gently later. The reason we usually recommend freezing most meals uncooked (but prepped) is that they turn out tasting fresher that way. But, I think these two will do fine if you cook them ahead of time.
For the IP instructions: Freeze the meal in a bag in a round form, so the meal fits in the IP later (but definitely don’t cook in the bag–yes it will leach chemicals!). You’ll dump the frozen meal out of the bag into the instant pot and follow the cooking instructions from there. I’m sorry that’s confusing.
This recipe was a HUGE hit with my family. Easy to prep, we used brioche slider buns and swiss cheese. Everyone had seconds. Now we have enough left overs for lunches this weekend. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Love those substitutions. Yum! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and review!