Want a a restaurant quality dish that you can make at home? This Instant Pot Chicken Scampi is easy, delicious and flavorful and perfect for the whole family.
In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken tenders and flour. Mix to coat evenly.
Turn on the Instant Pot to the saute setting and allow it to get nice and hot. Pour the olive oil into the pot. Place the chicken tenders in and sear 2 minutes on each side. You want them to be golden brown on each side.
Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
Add in the butter, sliced bell peppers and onions. Saute for 5 minutes. You just want a light browning on them. Don't cook until soft.
Pour in ½ cup chicken broth to deglaze the pot. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the inner pot to make sure nothing is stuck to it. If anything sticks to the bottom you may get the burn notice.
Add the chicken back into the pot along with the remaining chicken broth and the spices (red pepper flakes, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper). Stir to combine.
Seal the Instant Pot, make sure the vent nozzle is set to "seal" and set to manual high pressure for 6 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for your pot to reach pressure.
This is a good time to start cooking the spaghetti until al dente.
Once the chicken is done cooking, do a quick pressure release by turning the valve. Be careful of the steam!
Remove the lid, add in the heavy cream and the lemon juice and stir to combine.
Finally, stir in the cooked pasta. Mix to combine. The sauce will thicken upon standing.
Serve with fresh Parmesan cheese and parsley.
Notes
I use chicken tenders in this recipe, but you can replace with chicken thighs or chicken breasts.
Scampi is usually made with a little white wine (about 1/2 cup) but if you don't have or don't want to use white wine, just use all chicken broth.
Any pasta will work with this but spaghetti or angel hair spaghetti will make it true "scampi" fashion.
This can be made on the stovetop if you don't have an instant pot. Just follow the same steps but cook the chicken longer until fully cooked and sauté the vegetables until softened.
The sauce will thicken up upon standing so don't worry about it being too liquidy. The pasta will soak up a lot of it and help it thicken.