Potential Ingredient Substitutions

• Oil and butter Use an oil that has a high smoke point. This will allow it to withstand the high temperatures of sautéing and pressure cooking.
• Thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts. If you have thick chicken breasts, you will need to slice each one horizontally to make 2 thin chicken breasts instead of one thick chicken breast. This is important because thicker chicken breasts will take longer to cook and potentially double the pressure cooking time.
• Chicken stock or chicken broth. You can use chicken stock, broth, vegetable broth, or water. The important thing for Instant Pot cooking is to have a thin liquid, like broth or water, to allow the Instant Pot to come up to pressure.
• White wine (optional). Traditionally, Chicken Piccata uses white wine. However, if you prefer, use more chicken broth instead of wine.
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice. You will need the juice from one lemon, which should generate about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. 
• Minced Garlic. Garlic is a foundational flavor in this recipe. Don't skip it.
• Chopped Shallots. While not necessarily in the traditional recipe, it adds additional flavor. However, if you don't have it, you can skip it or add chopped onions if you like.
• Capers. These are an essential ingredient for Chicken Piccata and can't be skipped. If you don't already have them, make a trip to the store to get them for this recipe.
• Seasonings. You will need salt, lemon pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne, which is optional. If you don't have lemon pepper, use regular pepper. If you don't like any heat, leave out the cayenne. Another option for cayenne, would be crushed red pepper.
• Milk or Cream (optional). To make the sauce more creamy, you can add milk or cream after pressure cooking the chicken. However, this is optional.
• Cornstarch and water (optional to thicken sauce). Pressure cooking requires a certain amount of liquid. Sometimes, for some people, it makes the sauce thinner than they would like. In that case, you can stir together cornstarch and water and add it to the sauce to thicken the sauce. 
• Parmesan Cheese (optional). I used this more as a garnish when serving, and serve a small bowl of parmesan cheese with the Chicken Piccata in case guests want to add more cheese. However, you could also add the parmesan cheese directly to the sauce after the chicken has been pressure cooked.

Tips For Perfect Instant Pot Chicken Piccata Every Time

• Use Thin Sliced Chicken Breasts. I can't stress this enough. It is important to use thinly sliced chicken breasts or chicken cutlets that are about 1/2 inch thick or less and not thick chicken breasts. The reason is that the thick chicken breasts will not cook as quickly and may double the pressure cooking time.
• DeGlaze the Pot. Do NOT skip this step. I understand that you may be in a hurry and may be tempted to skip this step. However, it is important to prevent getting a burn notice. That happens when food is burned on the bottom of the Instant pot. However, by adding liquid and scraping off bits off of the bottom of the pot, then this will help prevent that. However, another reason to do this step, is that it will add flavor to the chicken and sauce. 
• Add Ingredients In Order Specified. As mentioned above, to prevent getting the Instant Pot Burn Message, add the ingredients in the order specified in the recipe. A thin liquid, such as broth or water, needs to be at the bottom of the pot when pressure cooking. 
• Use A Trivet. Another way to avoid getting the Burn notice is to place the chicken breasts on a trivet just above the liquid. Since they are not sitting on the bottom of the pot, there is less risk that the bottom of the pot would burn. I also prefer the taste and texture of the chicken breast when it is on the trivet and is therefore steamed instead of boiled during pressure cooking.
• Add Cream and Cheese AFTER Pressure Cooking. Pressure cooking dairy products, such as milk or cream, can sometimes cause them to curdle. Therefore, it is a best practice to add these dairy items AFTER pressure cooking. The residual heat can heat the cream and melt the cheese. If necessary, you can use the SAUTE function to heat the dairy products and thicken the sauce.

Serving Suggestions

• Bruschetta Roasted Asparagus - Asparagus with tomatoes, garlic, onions, and asiago cheese, makes a healthy, flavorful gourmet side dish.
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Bacon and Balsamic - Brussels sprouts roasted with bacon, onion, and a Balsamic Glaze adds incredible nutty, smoky flavor!
• Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes - Make "baked" sweet potatoes in half the time by making them in the Instant Pot.
• Rice Pilaf - Fluffy, buttery, and fragrant, you won't make rice pilaf any other way.
• Lemon Asparagus Brown Rice - glams up brown rice for a delicious, elegant yet easy side dish.