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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,
This was delicious! My family loved it!
Thank you for a quick and easy yummy recipe!
I’m so glad to hear this, Marla. Thank you so much!
Fast, easy, ingredients generally on hand…. plus, husband loved it! This one’s a keeper, and I’m sharing it on my facebook page… thank you for an excellent recipe! I made it with penne pasta, as that’s what I had on hand. A tiny bit more toothy, but still quite amazing. Adding the parmesan kicks it over the top.
Thank you so much, Debbie! I’m glad that your family enjoyed it!
Delicious. I actually accidentally added all the ingredients before cooking. (heavy cream and cheese were supposed to be added after) But it still turned out awesome. Saving this and will definitely be making it again.
So glad you liked the pasta, Chris! Thanks so much!
Hello! I’ve made this 3 times because I love its simplicity but I have a question: you say 5 minutes for pressure cook but my pasta is NEVER done in that time! I have to cook it for a good 15 or more minutes to even get the pasta to soften. What am I doing wrong?
How odd. At 5 minutes, the pasta is definitely soft, so sometimes, I’ll even reduce the time to 4 minutes for more al dente pasta. Are you cooking on high pressure? Are you using an Instant Pot brand of pressure cooker? Just throwing out some ideas here. What brand of pasta do you use? I use Barilla pasta, if that helps. I honestly don’t know why your pasta is taking so long to cook, because 5 minutes should be enough.
Yes, I’m using the real Instant Pot. It’s on High Pressure. I use either Barilla or Muellers. This is the 3rd time. I’m starting to think I got a bad Instant Pot, maybe???
I have heard of that happening, and I actually have one pot that is kind of finicky. The only other thing I can think of is maybe your seal is loose or needs replaced. I’m so sorry your pasta isn’t getting done, since I know how frustrating that must be!
Would be nice to have complete nutrition info so I can see if its something I can eat
Hi. This looks delicious. I will be making it for the first time. How long do you saute the chicken for in the beginning?
Just until it’s no longer pink. It’ll finish cooking under pressure
Wonderful recipe!!
Thanks, Deborah. SO glad you enjoyed it!
Very good and easy. My family loved it.
I’m so happy you liked the pasta, Deborah. Thanks!
What a wonderful flavor. Fast and easy. I will definitely make again.
That’s wonderful! I’m so glad you liked the recipe — thanks! 🙂
My grocery store was having a special on Turkey Italian Sausage, so I used that instead of chicken. Otherwise, I followed exactly and this was delicious. The best thing I’ve ever made in my Instant Pot. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Aw, this totally makes my day! Thanks so much, Amy!