Busy cooks and appliance junkies everywhere are enjoying the convenience of their Instant Pots. Never before have so many of us prepared gourmet-level meals in so little time. Convenience foods are readily available in grocery stores everywhere, and they help speed up the necessary dinner prep. Some of these convenience foods that are true food crimes (bad taste, preservatives, inedible ingredients) used as they are intended, become suitable (if, and only if, we really need to save time) when mixed with other ingredients. Case in point: bottled Alfredo sauce. The store bought sauce is terrible when heated and served over pasta, and it isn't good used as a white pizza sauce, either (it is, of course not real Alfredo sauce). However, when poured over chicken, bacon, and mushrooms, it absorbs the flavors and serves as a good, creamy sauce to put over pasta. Instant Pot Creamy Chicken, Bacon & Mushrooms takes only about 30 minutes hands-on time, so it's a great choice for a week-night dinner or for those who hate to cook. This one has only 5 ingredients.

If you're known to your friends and neighbors as a good cook, and are an ingredient snob, you'll want to hide the sauce in your grocery cart under something big enough to cover it. I had a hard time even purchasing this disgusting ingredient until I realized how much time it saved me and that sometimes we have to sacrifice a little of our pride (and nutrition) to speed up dinner preparation. I keep extra bottles in my storeroom so I don’t have to suffer the embarrassment of purchasing it on a regular basis. When dinner is on the table, however, and family members and guests are raving about the gourmet dinner, it's time to quietly smile and keep the ingredient a secret.

6 Servings

1/2 pound thick bacon, coarsely chopped

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of any fat or veins, and cut into 6 serving-size pieces
Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms

1 16 oz. jar Alfredo Sauce

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Turn the Instant Pot to the Sauté function.
2. Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until the bacon is very crisp.
3. Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside to drain.
4. Add the chicken pieces and quickly brown on each side; sprinkle with black pepper.
5. Pour off any remaining bacon fat.
6. Add the bacon back into the pot and top with the mushrooms; pour the Alfredo sauce over the mushrooms.
7. Cover the pot, set the valve to sealing, and set the pot to Manual for 10 minutes.
8. When the cycle has finished, let the pressure release for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure; stir in the Parmesan cheese.
9. Serve over freshly cooked pasta.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 493 Calories from Fat 268
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 54% Protein 40% Carb. 6%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 30 g
Saturated Fat 12 g
Cholesterol 157 mg
Sodium 1084 mg
Total Carbohydrate 7 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 1 g
Protein 49 g

Vitamin A 4% Vitamin C 12% Calcium 0% Iron 15%