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Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta is an easy dinner recipe made with tender chicken and pasta shells in a delicious creamy sauce. This Instant Pot chicken pasta is an easy one pot meal perfect for busy weeknights that your whole family will love!
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If you’re looking for an easy dinner recipe made with chicken and pasta, you’re going to love this delicious Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta.
It’s like a homemade Chicken Helper, and it’s super kid friendly. Best of all, it’s a one pot dinner, so there’s hardly any clean-up for you!
You guys, my family thinks this is one of the best Instant Pot chicken recipes I’ve ever made — one of the best Instant Pot recipes, definitely!
Seriously. I hate to brag — really I do, but when even my picky eaters like what I make for dinner, I know it’s good!
This recipe is basically a knock-off of Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef, which is one of the most popular easy Instant Pot recipes on the blog right now.
I’m always looking for easy dinners and easy chicken recipes with few ingredients, and that’s pretty much how this delicious chicken dinner was born. It’s super quick and easy to make.
Ingredients
There are a few ingredients you need for this instant pot chicken pasta recipe. What you don’t already have at home can be found online or at your local grocery store:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Olive oil
- Italian Seasoning
- Sea salt
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Medium shell pasta
- Marinara sauce or pasta sauce
- Water or chicken broth
- Heavy cream
- Shredded Parmesan cheese
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Pasta
Making this Instant Pot creamy shells and chicken is super simple. All you do is add the olive oil to the bottom of the Instant Pot when it reads hot.
Cut your chicken breasts into small pieces. Then, cook chicken in the Instant Pot on the saute setting until it’s no longer pink.
Next, add the seasonings, and stir until chicken pieces are well coated.
If there are any brown bits on the bottom of the Instant Pot, deglaze the pot with water, and scrape the bits using a spatula or wooden spoon.
Then, you layer the pasta, water and pour marinara sauce on top of the pasta in that order. Pro tip — Do not stir the ingredients together until later!
Place the lid on the electric pressure cooker, and make sure the seal is on the sealing position. Some models seal automatically, so you may not have to do this.
Cook Time
Since we’re cooking the cut-up chicken first, you only need to pressure cook the whole dish on high pressure for 4 to 5 minutes.
4 minutes of pressure cooking gives you more al dente pasta. 5 minutes is perfect if you want softer pasta.
After the cooking time is up, do a quick release to release the remaining pressure. Then, remove the lid, and give the pasta a good stir.
To make this pasta creamy, I like to add some heavy cream and a little bit of Parmesan cheese at the end. And that’s all there is to it! Easy peasy, right?
Variations and Substitutions
There are a few ways to customize this delicious pasta dish to your liking.
If you don’t have shell pasta, any type of short, thick pasta will work. Macaroni pasta, penne pasta or mini penne pasta would be perfect!
Instead of heavy cream, use milk, for a thinner sauce. For a thicker, creamier sauce, use cream cheese instead of heavy cream.
Add your favorite type of cheese. Parmesan cheese goes great on top of pasta, but you can also use cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese either in or on your pasta. You can never go wrong with lots of cheese!
Veggies are an easy addition to chicken pasta. Bell peppers, fresh basil, red peppers, and onions are great options.
Add red pepper flakes or paprika for a little extra kick.
If you want to make this creamy chicken pasta meal over the stove, check out this one pot stove top recipe! You can also use rotisserie chicken or boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer!
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftover cheesy chicken pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it’ll last for 3 to 4 days.
For longer storage, keep in the freezer in a freezer safe container.
Reheat pasta in the microwave.
Cooking Tips
- Make sure no chicken is stuck to the bottom before you start pressure cooking. Deglaze the pot with a spatula and extra water, if needed
- Use a thin marinara sauce, not a thick and chunky one
- Layer the pasta shells, water and marinara sauce, but don’t stir it all together
- Add extra cream at the end if you like more sauce
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut up
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 16-ounce box medium shell pasta, uncooked
- 1 24-ounce jar marinara sauce
- 3 cups water
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Hit SAUTE button on pressure cooker, and when it reads HOT, add olive oil
- Add cut-up chicken to hot pot, and cook until chicken is no longer pink, stirring frequently
- Add Italian Seasoning, sea salt, garlic powder and pepper, and stir until well coated. There should be plenty of juices from the chicken to deglaze pot and scrape up any chicken that might be sticking to bottom. Add a little water if necessary to make sure no chicken is sticking to pot.
- Hit CANCEL, then add uncooked pasta shells, water and marinara sauce on top. Press lightly to make sure pasta is covered with liquid, but do not stir
- Cover, turn knob to sealing position, and hit PRESSURE COOK for 5 minutes
- When pasta is done cooking, do a gradual quick release, and when pin drops, open lid
- Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese until well blended, and serve immediately
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe first published in 2018 and updated in 2022.
Instant Pot creamy chicken pasta is a super easy delicious meal for quick weeknight dinners! It’s a delicious alternative to Instant Pot spaghetti and I hope you love it as much as my family does!
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Happy Cooking,
I suck at cooking and I’m a picky eater. I’ve been looking for easy recipes with minimal ingredients. This was so easy and tastes amazing! I’m stunned! Will for sure recommend to others and make again.
Thank you SO much for your review, Brittany! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Looking forward to making this tonight for the family. Am wondering if it would also work with ground Italian sausage for a different flavor profile…?
Yes! Here’s a recipe with the sausage instead of chicken Instant Pot . Creamy Sausage and Shells
Delicious! Will make again for sure.
Thank you so much, Shanna! So glad you liked it!
This recipe is now in the regular rotation at my house. I love the simplicity! It might be the sauce brand I buy, but we thought it was a little bland as-written, so I’ve started doubling the seasonings, adding about 1.5 cups of “fiesta blend” shredded cheese, as well as a can of mild rotel (drained) and it’s now perfect for our taste. Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds like a whole new recipe! Glad you like it.
I’ve made this before following the recipe as it was great but this time I’m gonna use chicken stock instead of water and see how it comes out.
It’ll probably have even more flavor. 🙂
Quick, easy, & delicious. I stirred in about 3 cups of raw baby spinach before adding heavy cream & parmesan cheese. My family loved this meal. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you so much, Susan! I love that you added spinach — yum!
How to cook if don’t have a pressure cooker?
I have a one pot recipe coming soon. In the meantime, you could cook the chicken in one pot and add in cooked pasta. 🙂
Have you posted the one pot recipe? I don’t have a pressure cooker either. Thanks 🙂
It’s on my list of things to do, Kim. I’m hoping to get it out this week. 🙂
My very picky husband LOVED this dish!! It was so easy and so very tasty!! I immediately sent the recipe to my very busy daughter in law because I know that her whole family will love it!! I’m so happy I found this site!!
Thank you so much, Peg! This made my day! 🙂
Delicious, very easy. Thanks!
So glad you liked it, David. Thanks!
Tried this and it was super good! Got a little nervous because there’s no water amount on the recipe to put in the instant pot, so I kinda just guesstimated! But besides that this was absolutely delicious and can’t wait to make it again!!!
So glad you liked it! The recipe states 3 cups of water, so I’m not sure how that was missed. 🙂
When do you add the water? Probably a silly question but I just want to make sure I make it right.
You add the water after you add the pasta — before the sauce. 🙂
Can you make this and then freeze it for a future meal?
Yes! It makes a lot, so I often freeze and reheat the leftovers for later — reheats well!