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Creamy Instant Pot 40 Clove Garlic Chicken

Creamy Instant Pot 40 Clove Garlic Chicken in a black bowl with fork

This Creamy Instant Pot 40 Clove Garlic Chicken is comfort food at it’s best! Made with garlic, chicken thighs, mushrooms, sherry, herbs and my parmesan chicken broth (paid link), it’s super easy to make and clean up. You can serve it over brown rice, cauliflower rice or it’s even good alone.  Leftovers freeze well. The perfect one pot meal!

bag of peeled garlic

Are there really 40 cloves of garlic in this recipe?

Yes there really are! You might be worried it will be too garlicky but it isn’t. Garlic mellows when baked or pressure cooked. To make it easier on yourself, (40 cloves is a lot to peel!) try using peeled garlic.

How did 40 Clove Garlic Chicken get its name?

This dish originated in the South of France – Provencal region. James Beard is credited for bringing it to life in the U.S. in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. The original version includes using pheasant thighs and is slow braised which gives the garlic it’s mellow flavor.

My version is a creamy one pot meal, definitely different from the original version as it’s pressure cooked and not baked. I’ve lightened it up by using skinless, boneless chicken thighs, less oil and made it a quick version by pressure cooking it in the Instant Pot. You can read more about the original recipe.

How to make Creamy Instant Pot 40 Clove Garlic Chicken in pictures:

ingredients for 40 clove garlic chicken on a board - garlic, chicken, rosemary, broth, onion, mushrooms, beans, sherry

Gather the ingredients. And yes, you really need 40 cloves of garlic! Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for best flavor.

chicken thighs in Instant Pot browning

Press, “Sauté,” on Instant Pot. Add olive oil and heat until hot. Add chicken about 4 pieces at a time. Sprinkle with kosher salt (paid link). Brown for 4-5 minutes, then flip over and do the other side. Do this for all of the chicken and then remove chicken to a plate.

onions and garlic browning in an Instant Pot with a wooden spoon

Add onions and brown for a few minutes. Then add garlic. Don’t worry if there’s a lot of brown bits stuck to the pot. We’ll take care of that in the next step.

sherry and chicken broth being added to garlic onion mixture

Add sherry and Parmesan chicken broth. With a wooden spoon, scrape bottom of the pot to deglaze it.

beans, rosemary, mushrooms in an Instant Pot with wooden spoon

Add the chicken back in, mushrooms, beans, and herbs. Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Allow to natural release for 10 minutes.

cream cheese in 40 clove garlic chicken

Open up pot, stir in the light cream cheese. I like to cut mine in cubes to help it melt faster.

finished 40 clove garlic chicken in Instant Pot

Continue stirring until melted. Serve over brown rice or cauliflower rice. You can also thicken this up with a bit of cornstarch if desired. Take a bit of the liquid and put in a small cup. Add 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Mix, then add back to Instant Pot for a few minutes.

Creamy Instant Pot 40 Clove Garlic Chicken in a black bowl with fork

Such a delicious comfort meal! Freeze the leftovers into portions if desired. But you may not have any left!

Creamy Instant Pot 40 Clove Garlic Chicken in a black bowl with fork

Creamy Instant Pot 40 Clove Garlic Chicken

This Creamy Instant Pot 40 Clove Garlic Chicken is comfort food at it’s best! Made with garlic, chicken thighs, mushrooms, sherry, herbs and my parmesan chicken broth, it’s super easy to make and clean up. You can serve it over brown rice, cauliflower rice or it’s even good alone.  Leftovers freeze well. The perfect go to dish!
4 from 2 votes
Prep Time 17 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
natural release 10 minutes
Total Time 37 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Equipment

  • Instant Pot

Ingredients
  

  • 8 chicken thighs -boneless, skinless
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, or use olive oil spray
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 40 cloves garlic I buy peeled garlic at Costco for this, much easier.
  • 8 oz fresh mushrooms, chopped (optional)
  • 1/4 c sherry
  • 1/2 c chicken broth or use my Parmesan Chicken Broth
  • 2 sprigs each rosemary and thyme, finely chopped
  • 1 15 oz cannellini beans, drained
  • 4 oz light cream cheese

Instructions
 

  • Press, "Saute," add olive oil or spray and heat Instant Pot until hot
  • Add 4 chicken thighs, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Brown for about 5 min, then flip over and do other side. Remove chicken to a plate. Do this for the second batch. Remove all chicken.
  • Add chopped onions to the Instant Pot, add more oil if needed. Brown onions for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in whole garlic cloves. Cook for another minute.
  • Add in sherry and chicken broth. Cook for another minute.
  • Add chicken back in, mushrooms, beans and herbs. Press manual and pressure cook chicken mixture on high for 10 minutes. Allow to natural release for 10 min.
  • Stir in light cream cheese. Taste and adjust salt, you might need to add some more. You can also thicken this up with a bit of cornstarch if desired. Take a bit of the liquid and put in a small cup. Add 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Mix, then add back to Instant Pot for a few minutes. Serve over cauliflower rice, brown rice or zucchini noodles.
Keyword Instant Pot
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

3 thoughts on “Creamy Instant Pot 40 Clove Garlic Chicken”

  1. 3 stars
    Followed the recipe to the tee, except added the entire brick of cream cheese vs. just 4 ounces. It turned out runny! Also, for having 40 cloves of garlic, it really was not that flavorful. Wasn’t bad, but not over the top. Cut down on liquids next time.

    1. I’m sorry it didn’t turn out as well as you had wanted. I do apologize that I forgot to include the link to the Parmesan Chicken Broth – that does add a lot of flavor. Not sure if you used my broth or not. Doubling the cream cheese would have definitely muted the garlic. The garlic mellows when pressure cooked (like I mentioned in the post) so it’s not a “strong” garlic taste as but I’m sure the cream cheese definitely muted it as well. As far as cutting down on the liquid, unfortunately you can’t cut down too much. The Instant Pot needs at least 1/2 cup of liquid otherwise you will receive a “burn” message especially if you use that amount of cream cheese as it settles on the bottom. However, if you do want it thicker you can thicken it up at the end with a bit of corn starch. I’ll be sure to add that in the post. Thanks for commenting.

  2. 5 stars
    This is absolutely delish!! I think there is more flavor in the chicken thighs anyway, but this is exceptional!
    The garlic was the added touch.
    We will definitely be serving it many times as everyone was delighted with it.

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