Instant Pot Alfredo Chicken Pasta– Creamy hearty recipe with Chicken breast,Heavy Cream,Spaghetti & Parmesan Cheese.
A comforting meal that every family member will enjoy! My child and my husband loved this equally!
I get this question a lot- but why would you make pasta in the instant pot?Let me answer why
It saves time and effort because you bypass the pasta boiling step.And you use only one pot, so thats less washing for everyone.
Also, if you are worried about overcooking of the pasta, then don’t be.As long as you follow the recipe, you should get a delicious pasta dish.
I usually make a big batch and store the left over in the refrigerator.It can be heated with a few tbsp of milk to it’s creamy goodness in no time!
You can swap the protein out with veggies like peas, mushrooms or shrimp.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Alfredo Chicken Pasta
This one pot meal can be made with simple pantry ingredients.
- Spaghetti– You can use any other type of pasta too.Chickpeas pasta ,Lentil pasta & Whole wheat pasta- literally any kind of pasta.Just change the time of pressure cooking according to the formula- (Half of the Cooking Time on the package)- 1 minute.
- Chicken Breast– Sliced into thin slivers.One super easy hack to cut chicken is to freeze the chicken breast for 15 minutes and slice it against the grain.
- Parmesan Cheese
- Butter & Olive Oil
- Onion- Yellow or white work best
- Heavy Cream
- Chicken Stock- You can also use a stock cube.
- Salt & Pepper
How to Make Alfredo Pasta in the Instant Pot
Step 1:Prep
Measure out the liquids and the pasta.Get all your preparation and cutting done.
Step 2: Saute
Heat the instant pot in SAUTE mode.Add butter and olive oil.Olive oil is added so that the butter doesn’t burn.
Add the onions next and cook till they are soft.This will take about 2-3 minutes.Add the Chicken next and Saute it till its partially cooked.Just about 2-3 minutes.
This step will give the pasta a lot of flavour but if you are short on time then you can skip this bit and simply dump the butter, oil, onion and chicken in the pot.
Step 3: Pressure Cook
Next step is to add the chicken stock.You can use water too but chicken stock will give it added flavour.
Feel free to use stock cube or better than buillion too.
Add the salt and italian seasoning and give everything a good mix.Now break the spaghetti into two and place it on top of the stock.Make sure you spread the spaghetti out.Gently press the spaghetti down so that most of it is wet.
Close the instant pot.Select PRESSURE COOK for 3 minutes.This time will change if you are using any other pasta other than regular spaghetti.
Best way to arrive at this time is to look at the time given on the pacakge. Usually it is a range for example- 9-12 minutes.
In such a case, select the lower end of the range, halve it and subtract 1 minute.That’s your pasta cooking time.
Quick Release after the pressure cooking time is over.
Step 4: Emulsify
Open the lid and add the cream and the parmesan.Switch to SAUTE mode.Give it a vigorous mix.
If the sauce looks too watery, don’t worry, keep stirring.At this stage, the starch from the pasta will emulsify the sauce and make a rich creamy cheese sauce.
If after this, you feel the sauce is still too watery and the pasta undercooked, cook it out for 2-3 minutes.
Alternatives and Swaps
You can swap regular spaghetti with any other bite sized dry pasta.Do not use fresh pasta.It will disintegrate completely.
Dairy– This dish is heavy on dairy and swapping it out for lactose free options might work but not leaving out the dairy al toghether.
To make it more hearty, you can add peas, mushrooms, carrots too.
More Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
Instant Pot Primavera Pasta
Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta
Instant Pot Tuscan Pasta
Instant Pot Pasta e Ceci- pasta with Chickpeas
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Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
- 1 Onion
- 1 Chicken Breast* Cut into 1 inch cubes
- 8 ounces Spaghetti
- 2 Cups Chicken Broth or water
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream Use 1/4 cup more if you like your pasta saucy
- 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp Black Pepper optional
Instructions
- Heat the instant pot in SAUTE mode.
- Add the butter and oil.
- Once the butter has melted, add onions and cook till translucent.About 2 minutes
- Add the sliced Chicken and saute. Cook partially.
- Add the broth, Italian seasoning and salt.Mix it up.Be sure to scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon in case there are any burnt bits.
- Break the spaghetti into 2 halves.Place it in a fan like fashion.Spreading it as best you can.Gently press down the spaghetti to dip it into the liquid.
- Close the lid.Select PRESSURE COOK for 3 minutes(if using any other type of pasta,check the time below)
- Quick Release after 3 minutes are over.Add the Cream and Parmesan Cheese.Give is a good mix.
- Select the SAUTE mode and keep tossing the spaghetti.in about 2-3 minutes, the sauce will emulsify and stick to the spaghetti.
- Garnish with pepper and parsley.Serve hot.
Do comment if you have a question