Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta is the perfect weeknight meal that’s family-friendly! Hearty & delicious, this is a wonderful dinner.
Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta
What in the world did we do before the resurgence of the pressure cooker aka Instant Pot? I really started embracing mine earlier this year when I was (okay, the world was) having to do more cooking at home every single day!
The absolute convenience of one-pot meals is no big surprise. Getting dinner on the table is always a struggle even when working from home, I actually think some days its a bigger challenge. There are never enough hours in the day and with everyone working from home or doing school virtually, it makes for a lot of plates spinning.
Today I’m sharing a great weeknight dinner that has certainly been in our meal rotation this year, it is easy and delicious. This hearty Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta ticks all of the boxes for my family. It has meat, cheese, pasta and for me…one pot to clean! Plus it’s on the table in a flash. You can prep parts of this meal ahead of time and save more time at the dinner hour.
The flavors are completely customizable too! You know how much I love being able to adapt recipes to the palates of my family. Lately, there’s been 6 of us consistently at the dinner table, so that’s a lot of humans to please.
I think you’ll love this meal as much as I do, it really is the perfect comfort food meal even for the fussy eaters. Serve with a salad, garlic bread, and brownies and you’ll have some happy dinner mates!
What ingredients do you need to make Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta?
- Cubed, boneless, skinless chicken
- Olive Oil
- Shallot & garlic
- Chicken broth
- Pasta
- Butter
- Heavy Cream
- Cream Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh Basil
- Seasoning for chicken: Salt, Black Pepper, Italian Seasoning, Paprika, Garlic Powder
Some tips for making Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta:
- Know your Instant Pot and factor in pressurization time.
- Add in some cooked, chopped bacon if you wanna take this to a whole new level of deliciousness.
- Like things with a kick? Add in 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
- One way I save time assembling this at dinnertime is prepping the chicken earlier in the day.
- After cooking finish with some chopped fresh basil or parsley.
Simple Steps for making Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta:
Mix together chicken seasoning, add cut chicken pieces, stir to combine.
Press SAUTE on the Instant Pot, add olive oil. Saute the chicken on all sides.
Next, add chopped shallot and garlic to the pot. Continue cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
Turn off the saute function and add the chicken broth. Deglaze the pan for 30 seconds, then add pasta to your Instant Pot. Stir everything around until the pasta is submerged in the chicken broth.
Cover with the lid and lock it into its position. Turn the vent to the sealing position. Press the pressure cook setting and cook on high for 4 minutes. When it’s finished cooking, do a quick release.
Turn your Instant Pot off and stir in butter, heavy cream, cream cheese, grated parmesan, and romano cheeses.
Sprinkle with basil and serve.
Here are some other ready in a flash Instant Pot recipes:
And how about some other great busy night meals:
Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta
Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta is the perfect weeknight meal that's family-friendly! Hearty & delicious, this is a wonderful dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 16 ounces pasta of choice
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
- Fresh basil, chopped
Chicken Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
1. Mix together chicken seasoning ingredients. Add the chicken pieces, stir to combine.
2. Press SAUTE on the Instant Pot, add the olive oil. Saute the chicken on all sides and then add chopped shallot and garlic to the pot. Continue cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Turn off the saute function and add the chicken broth. Deglaze the pan for 30 seconds, then add pasta to your Instant Pot. Stir everything around until the pasta is submerged in the chicken broth.
4. Cover with the lid and lock it into its position. Turn the vent to the sealing position. Press the pressure cook setting and cook on high for 4 minutes. When it’s finished cooking, do a quick release.
5. Turn your Instant Pot off and stir in butter, heavy cream, cream cheese, grated parmesan and romano cheeses.
6. Sprinkle with basil and serve.
Notes
Don't forget to factor in the time it takes for the Instant Pot to pressurize.
Find this recipe and more at the Weekend Potluck!
How much cream cheese?
Hi Emily, I just edited the post, it is 2 ounces of cream cheese.