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Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Pasta Recipe

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24 minutes
19 Comments
4.37 from 11 votes
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A fast and delicious family dinner recipe that everyone loves! Our Instant Pot cheesy chicken and pasta has the perfect amount of cheese and flavor to make for a great pasta recipe.
Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Pasta Recipe

Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Pasta is a great go-to easy dinner recipe to make for the family.

Our kids always love a good cheesy pasta dinner! 

I love a good Instant Pot chicken and pasta recipe, and with the cheese sauce, it makes for a tasty budget-friendly dinner recipe.

To add to this Instant Pot recipe, I would pair it with our Best Italian Roasted Vegetables, Chopped Vegetable Salad, and our super delicious Cheesy Pull Apart Garlic Bread. 

Instant pot cheesy chicken and pasta recipe

Ingredients Needed For Our Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Pasta:

  • Salt
  • Italian seasoning
  • Paprika
  • Garlic powder
  • Black pepper
  • Boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Butter
  • Diced onion
  • Chicken broth
  • Rotini pasta (or whatever your favorite is)
  • Heavy cream
  • Cream cheese
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • Fresh basil (optional)
ingredients for the recipe: chicken, pasta, chicken broth, seasoning, butter, onion, cream cheese, cream, parmesan cheese, basil

How To Make Our Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Pasta:

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the salt, Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper until everything is combined.  

seasoned chicken in a mixing bowl

Then, add the diced chicken into the bowl and toss it all together until the chicken is coated in the seasonings. 

Now, plug in your Instant Pot and press the SAUTE button. 

Chicken and onion seared in Instant Pot

Add a tablespoon of butter to the inner pot and allow the inner pot to warm up. 

Once the pot is heated up, add in the chicken and onion and saute the chicken until it is seared on all sides. 

chicken broth added to the Instant Pot with chicken and onions

After the chicken is done, press the CANCEL button and pour the chicken broth into the inner pot. 

Next, add in the pasta and stir everything together, making sure that all of the pasta is covered in chicken broth. 

Rotini pasta added to the Instant Pot

Now, place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn it to lock it in place. Make sure the valve is turned to the SEALING position and then press the MANUAL button and set the timer for 4 minutes. 

After the 4-minute cooking timer runs out, move the knob to the VENTING position to allow the Instant Pot to do a quick release of all the pressure inside. 

Butter, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, and heavy cream added to the cooked noodles

Once the pressure is out, remove the lid and stir in the remaining butter, heavy cream, cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese mixing everything together until it is well combined. 

Then serve it and top it with fresh basil and enjoy!

Want even more pasta dinners?! Try our EASY 20 Minute Tuscan Pasta!

finished instant pot cheesy chicken and pasta, plated and a fork with a bite on it

Items you will need for this Instant Pot chicken recipe:

  1. Instant Pot (THIS one works great!)
  2. Medium mixing bowl
  3. Wooden spoon

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No Heavy Cream? No Problem! 

While I normally have at least a little heavy cream in my fridge, sometimes it is not enough for what the recipe calls for. That is when it is great to know what else I can use in its place. 

Take the time to look over these 9 heavy cream substitutes from Country Living and see if you have something you can replace the heavy cream within a pinch!

Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Pasta in a bowl

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Delicious Instant Pot Recipes to Make: 

Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Pasta Recipe

4.37 from 11 votes
A fast and delicious family dinner recipe that everyone loves! Our Instant Pot cheesy chicken and pasta has the perfect amount of cheese and flavor to make for a great pasta recipe.  
Serving6
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Pressurize Time 10 minutes
Total Time 24 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian seasonings
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 4 Tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 16 ounces rotini pasta
  • 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • fresh basil, (chopped, optional garnish)

Equipment

Instructions

  1. In a medium sized bowl, mix together salt, Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper.
  2. Add diced chicken to bowl and toss until chicken is full coated in seasonings.
  3. Plug in the Instant Pot and press the SAUTE button. Add 1 Tablespoon of butter and let it heat up. Add the chicken and onion and saute until chicken is seared on all sides.
  4. Cancel the saute function and pour in the chicken broth. Add the pasta and stir, making sure that all pasta is immersed in the broth.
  5. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and secure in place. Turn the vent to SEALING. Press the MANUAL button and set the timer for 4 minutes.
  6. When cooking is finished, move the vent to VENTING and do a QUICK RELEASE of the pressure.
  7. Remove the lid and stir in remaining butter, cream, cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese. If desired, top with fresh basil and serve.

Notes

  • Take the time to look over these 9 heavy cream substitutes from Country Living and see if you have something you can replace the heavy cream within a pinch!
     

Nutrition

Calories: 729 kcal · Carbohydrates: 62 g · Protein: 35 g · Fat: 38 g · Saturated Fat: 21 g · Cholesterol: 173 mg · Sodium: 1286 mg · Potassium: 750 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 4 g · Vitamin A: 1346 IU · Vitamin C: 16 mg · Calcium: 147 mg · Iron: 2 mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Main Course
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.

This post was included in our 10 Fall Instant Pot Recipes video – for more inexpensive and delicious recipes like this one, click here to check it out!

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Published: December 3, 2021Updated: November 10, 2022

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Questions & Reviews

  1. Lindsey says:
    So sorry, but I'm just a little confused. Are you supposed to saute the chicken until its completely cooked through or just the outside and the 4 minutes will finish the cooking process?
  2. Momma Cyd says:
    Just cook and sear the outside edges of the chicken.
  3. Billy says:
    I followed this to the T and it came out runny. The flavor was great but I suspect my elevation has something to do with it. I'm at 5500+ feet and I'd cut back on the broth maybe half a cup and probably half as much cream.
  4. Jackie says:
    I loved the flavour but the chicken was not tender. I may try rotisserie chicken next time and add it after the noodles are cooked. Mine was also very runny - almost like a soup - but I live in high altitude - 7000+ feet.

    2 stars

  5. Evie says:
    Very tasty recipe! The chicken was tender and seasoned so well.

    5 stars

  6. Christine says:
    I doubled this recipe tonight in a 10 qt instant pot, which held that amount of food really well, although I did need to sauté the chicken in 2 batches. The seasoning on the chicken was delicious, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the pasta cooked in the broth. It was not mushy at all. My whole family enjoyed the dish very much, which surprised me because none of us are typically a fan of cream cheese in a sauce. This recipe is going in my menu book for sure. Thank you for sharing such a delicious (and easy) recipe 😊
  7. Von says:
    I made this tonight. My husband and daughter liked it. I did feel like it needs less liquid. Next time I make it I will use 1/2 cup of cream.

    4 stars

  8. Jet says:
    My husband and I LOVED this! Highly recommend for sure
  9. April Mist says:
    It's really good....
  10. April Mist says:
    Mine came out very watery as well I'm not sure if it's my elevation I'm not as high as some other reviews I'm at 4500 any suggestions? I want to make this again.

    5 stars

  11. Jan says:
    It did turn out pretty soupy even with half as much cream than what the recipe called for. The noodles were cooked perfectly and it is creamy. It has too much Italian seasoning for my liking though. If I were to make it again I’d use 1/2 as much of the Italian seasoning and add a little heat.

    3 stars

  12. Barb B. CZT says:
    I made this last night. Not only was it soupy but the penne did not cook fully. I had to keep it on saute and try to get the pasta to al dente. Eventually, the pasta was cooked enough but it was still soupy. I tried to thicken it with cornstarch but didn't use enough to really make a difference. Meanwhile, I served it and my husband LOVED it! Next time I try to make this I will do it a little differently. Maybe it was the pasta I used.

    4 stars

  13. Michelle Kay says:
    My family loved it!

    5 stars

  14. Chantal says:
    This was so good!! I used a little over 4 cups of chicken broth so the pasta was submerged in liquid. Then used little over 3/4 of a cup of the heavy cream and found that to be a perfect consistency. Great favor!

    5 stars

  15. Christina Skewes says:
    This was a quick and yummy dinner. The sauce is runny at first but thickens as it cools down.

    5 stars

  16. Kitty D says:
    This was a great recipe! My husband and I enjoyed it very much. It mad more than we can use so I’m going to try and freeze leftovers, I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thank you

    5 stars

  17. Jenn says:
    Do I change anything if I want to make this on stovetop, not instant pot?
  18. Momma Cyd says:
    There is a big difference with this recipe if adapting it to the stove top from the Instant Pot because it would be a totally different way to prepare it. Some of the steps are similar, but you would have to watch how things are cooking and pay attention to that.
  19. Jennifer says:
    5 stars! The seasoning is amazing in this! I am putting this on rotation - so easy and tasty:)

    5 stars

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