Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Penne Pasta with Garlic

Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Penne Pasta - A One Pot Chicken and Pasta meal made with slices of Chicken thighs, Marinara sauce, penne pasta and water - topped with grated mozzarella Cheese and parmesan.

If there was ever an easy weeknight meal which the whole family could eat, this would be it!

Every time I make this, everyone eats without any complains! As a mom and the house cook, this is a BIG WIN!!I mean who could refuse a melty cheesy pasta!?

Plus it saves a tonnes of time and effort! The chicken and pasta get cooked together! There is no draining or sauteing. This recipe is a take on the traditional chicken parmesan served with noodles. It's a mom's quick version of it.

Now I understand that you may be skeptical about cooking pasta in a pressure cooker but this is a great tried and tested recipe! I promise.

It works well with any other pasta shapes too. You can use spaghetti or shells. Whatever you have at hand! This is one recipe you want to master especially if you have kids and need quick meals that everyone will eat.

I also recommend you try my Instant Pot Burrito Bowl. This is also a one pot recipe that my family eats without any complaints! It takes 2 minutes of prep time and you have delicious cheesy mexican rice with beans and chicken!

After a hectic day, sometimes you need food that you not only like eating but your kids will eat without too much fuss. This is that recipe.

A one pot meal, ready in less than 30 minutes with just 10 minutes of active time.

Ingredients for Chicken Parmesan Pasta

Here is what you will need to make this delicious cheesy pasta.

Pasta

You can change up the recipe by Changing the kind of pasta.The formula for Pasta is

Time= {(time on the package)/2}+ 1 minute

I would suggest you use bite sized pastas like Rotini or Campanelle pasta. So you can use different pastas but have to change the time accordingly.

Bare in mind, Using pastas which have a lesser that 6 minute of cooking time will leave the chicken undercooked. Similarly using a pasta which has a long cooking time like whole wheat pasta- will leave the chicken overcooked.

So choose accordingly!

Chicken

I have used chicken thighs here but you can use chicken breast too.

Chicken breast cubes will cook faster than chicken thighs and you don't need to sauté it like chicken thighs.

Cheese

I like to add cheese that will melt and mix with the sauce nicely.The best option would be Velveeta or processed cheese, mozzarella or cheddar cheese. You can also use Italian pasta cheese blends that you get.

Pasta Sauce

This recipe will work with any store-bought pasta sauce recipe. Though in case you like to make pasta sauce at home - try my roasted red pepper tomato sauce. This has been my goto pasta sauce since past 10-11 years!

I use this one sauce to make pasta, soup and pizza. So it's quite versatile! If you don't want to get into this added complication then this is the pasta sauce I highly recommend.

How to make Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta

To make chicken pasta in the instant pot, here is what you will need to do

Step 1: Saute

Choose the saute mode and press start. Add the olive oil to the instant pot.

Let it heat through before you add the garlic and onion.

You can skip these two ingredients completely if your marinara sauce already has all this. If so, go straight to step 2.

Step 2: Sauté Chicken

If you are using chicken thighs, you have to cook them a bit before pressure cooking. I usually slice the chicken thighs very thin so it cooks with the pasta. So that it's not over or under cooked.

Add the chicken to the pot, sauté it a bit till it changes color from pink to white. About 5-10 minutes.

Add the water and marinara sauce. Make sure to keep the measurements intact.

Step 3: Pressure Cook

Add the seasoning of choice. I usually go for all purpose pasta seasoning.

Make sure the pasta is submerged under the sauce.

Once the pressure cooking time is up, quick release the pressure. Do not let the pasta sit in "Keep Warm "setting for too long.It will get overcooked.

The pasta might look under done. Especially the bits on top but the minute you mix it up, you will see its perfectly soft.

Step 4 : Add cheese

Now the best part of this chicken pasta. Once you have quick released the pasta, add the cheese- Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese and close the instant pot lid for 5 minutes.

This will be in "KEEP WARM " setting where the warmth of the pasta plus the warming setting will melt the cheese on top of the pasta.

And your Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta is ready to be served!

Now you can either give it a mix or portion the pasta into individual plates with cheese on top.

Variations Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Add Vegetables like Spinach, mushroom and Zuchinni

Keep in mind that vegetables like mushroom and Zuchinni will release water.Do not add more liquid to compensate.

Make it Keto- by Skipping the pasta

You can increase the amount of chicken and skip on the pasta to make this Keto.

Make it Dairy Free by using nutritional yeast and cashew cream instead.

If you are allergic to dairy, use nutritional yeast or cashew cream instead of parmesan.

Looking for some more quick wins? Try my quick Tuscan chicken pasta ,alfredo chicken pasta and our recent fav- truffle mushroom pasta.

If you like this recipe, do give us a rating and a comment. I would love to hear from you!

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Storage & Leftovers

This dish will last for 5-6 days in the refrigerator.

To heat it, just microwave lightly covered for 5-10 minutes depending on the quantity.

Are you convinced about pressure cooking pasta? Here are some more instant pot pasta recipes that we love!

Instant Pot Alfredo Chicken Pasta - Pasta in white sauce
Instant Pot Pasta Primavera - veggie loaded pasta
Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta - pasta with sun dried tomatoes

Also try my one pot family meals that you can make in a jiffy

Instant Pot Chicken and Brown Rice - healthy & delish!
Instant Pot Fried Rice - with Scrambled eggs
Instant Pot Mushroom Rice - perfect for meatless mondays!
Instant Pot Burrito Bowl - family favorite!

Here are some non instant pot pasta recipes

Garlic Butter Noodles
Pasta in Mushroom Butter Garlic Sauce

FAQs for Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Penne Pasta

Can this chicken parmesan be made with any other pasta

Yes.You can virtually make it with any pasta that has a similar cooking time as penne.

Can this chicken parmesan be made Keto

Yes.Skip the pasta and reduce the water to ¼ Cup.Follow rest of the recipe as it is.

Can this Chicken parmesan be made without the pasta

Yes! You can just Skip the pasta and add only ¼ Cup water instead.Follow rest of the recipe as it is.

Is this chicken casserole gluten free?

If can be made Gluten Free if you use a gluten free pasta or leave it out altogether.

Can I make the chicken parmesan with chicken breast

Yes you can replace the chicken thigh with chicken breast.

Can this Casserole be made with Whole Wheat pasta

Whole wheat pasta takes longer to cook than normal Durham wheat pasta.Change the cooking time to “Time in the package”/2 + 1 minute and slice the chicken pieces thicker.