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This Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta is an easy, one pot meal that cooks in record time! It’s creamy, comforting and hearty!
Hey everyone! It’s Ashley here from The Recipe Rebel back with another Instant Pot recipe, because September is crazy enough without us having to worry about getting a good meal on the table in between after school activities, lessons and sports!
I was a little nervous about making pasta in my Instant Pot for the first time, because I thought it would either all clump together (how could it not when there’s no stirring??), or be totally mushy and overcooked.
But somehow, it just works. And it works so well, especially when you have your hands full with littles or other things because once you close the lid and set the cook time, it’s totally hands off. You can’t fuss over it even if you wanted to!
This is one of our go-to recipes because it’s easy, the kids love it, and the leftovers are perfect for lunches the next day (if there are any!). If you’re looking for more Instant Pot pasta recipes, try this Instant Pot Baked Ziti or this Instant Pot Mac and Cheese!
Tips for making this Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta:
- You never want to milk, cream, cheese or other dairy products to the Instant Pot before pressurizing. They will clump and foam when you open the valve to release the pressure. You don’t want to try it.
- The worst thing you can do is cook the pasta too long. You will want to cook the pasta for roughly half the time listed on package, especially because in this recipe, you are going to turn the Instant Pot to saute when you add the rest of your sauce ingredients. If your pasta is well cooked to begin with, it’s going to turn into a gross mess when you’re cooking and stirring the sauce.
- Feel free to use chicken breasts or chicken thighs, or you can even skip the chicken and opt for a vegetarian meal. You cannot skip sauteeing the chicken in this recipe because the chicken needs a longer cook time than the pasta.
- Feel free to mix up the flavors by adding in different veggies when you mix up the rest of the sauce: broccoli, mushrooms, green beans, or anything that can cook fairly quickly are great.
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Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/2" cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 4.5 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 375 grams Bowtie pasta about 5 cups
- 8 oz light cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute. When it reads "hot" add the oil.
- Add the chicken breasts, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes total.
- Add the garlic, parsley and oregano and stir and cook 1 minute.
- Add the chicken broth, and scrape the bottom of the pot with a hard metal spoon to remove any stuck on bits. Turn the Instant Pot off.
- Add the pasta -- don't stir -- and press down with a spatula into the liquid. The liquid will just barely cover the pasta.
- Put the lid on, turn the valve to sealing, and select Manual or Pressure Cook for 3 minutes.
- When the cook time is over, do a quick release (open the valve all the way) and remove the lid. Turn the Instant Pot to saute.
- Stir in the cream cheese, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Stir together the water and corn starch and stir into the pasta. Cook and stir until thickened and season to your tastes. Serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Quick + Easy + Delicous = I’m definitely making this again
I didn’t have mozzarella, but it worked out wonderfully. I added a little bit of heavy whipping cream to make it creamier and it was gone same day!
So you don’t cook the pasta on the stove and then add it in? You cook it inside the instapot correct?
Yes, add the uncooked pasta to the liquid in the Instant Pot.
I already have cooked chicken that I need to use up, would I just skip the first two steps and go straight to the chicken broth & seasonings?
Yes! Let me know how it turns out!
Oh my gosh! My kids ate THIRDS of this dish!! I put my left over chicken in the instant pot with the salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, garlic, & chicken broth on saute for just a few minutes (until I the broth was starting to bubble & I could smell the garlic). Then I followed the recipe exactly from step 5 on.
Kids are the BEST critics! So glad that they loved it!!
I made this last night and it was delicious. Can it be made in a crock pot?
I haven’t tried it in the crockpot! Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
Thank you for letting me know. It is 1 teaspoon oregano. Enjoy! XOXO
Can you use regular cream cheese?
Yes, that will work too.
The meal was delicious! I cooked the pasta in the instant pot (did not precook) for 5 minutes and it turned out just a tiny bit hard, so next time I’d try 6 minutes. Otherwise it was delicious and creamy!!
I made this on my stovetop today and it was very good! I will be making this again! (I used the same basic ingredients but did alter amount of liquid to thin cheese sauce & boiled and drained pasta before making sauce)