This Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta is an easy one pot meal made hands off in the pressure cooker! It’s so creamy, the whole family loves it!
Instant Pot, again?!?
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Honestly, it’s just fun having a new toy to play and experiment with! I also love how hands off the Instant Pot pressure cooker is once you get it going — you’ve got no choice but to wait around, which gives me a chance to prep veggies or make the kids lunches for the next day (or help them to do it!).
This Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo pasta is a new favorite around our house! It’s easy and soooo creamy, it’s the perfect hearty meal for a cool day.
And if your kids are tired of sandwiches for lunch, the leftovers make a great lunch in a thermos the next day!
How to make Instant Pot pasta:
Pasta is actually very easy to cook in the Instant Pot, but you do have to be careful. Here are a few tips:
- Size and shape do matter: You can definitely use longer cuts of pasta in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker, but I’ve found that there’s more of a chance they will stick together and it’s harder to get them submerged in the liquid. I generally prefer short cuts of pasta in Instant Pot recipes.
- Cook time: For this recipe, I use a cook time of half the time listed on the box of pasta I used (if it’s an odd number, I go to the lesser half). If you’re getting crazy and mixing up your pasta shapes, keep in mind that the cook time may change.
- Finishing on saute: Some Instant Pot pasta recipes call for a longer cook time, but when you are finishing the sauce on saute, you really need to make sure that the pasta is on the firmer side when you open it. You don’t want a big mushy mess in the end!
- Don’t stir: Honestly, I have stirred pasta, and not stirred pasta, and it has all turned out well for me in the end. But as a rule, when you add the pasta, you should press down into the liquid but not stir, as pasta on the bottom can lead to a “burn” message as it gets stuck.
Tips for making Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo:
- Know your Instant Pot: not all Instant Pots cook the same way. I have a 6 quart Instant Pot, and that’s how my recipes are tested. Keep in mind that the 8 quart may have a different minimum liquid requirement and cook differently. Since we are using a large amount of liquid to begin with, this recipe should work just fine in either.
- Pick your chicken: you can use chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe, depending on your tastes. You can also mix it up and swap the chicken for precooked sausage or ham instead.
- Pick your add ins: This is a basic Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo pasta recipe. Feel free to stir in broccoli at the end, or saute mushrooms with the chicken at the beginning, or stir in a spoonful of basil pesto or even Sriracha at the end to truly make it your own.
Tips for making a healthier version of this Instant Pot pasta:
I use light cream cheese to make my sauce because it makes it thick and creamy. You can also use a thickened milk mixture (whisk together two tablespoons of flour and a cup of milk, and cook in the Instant Pot on saute until thickened.
You can also add a ton of vegetables (try a frozen veggie mix to easily bump up the nutritional value without having to cook veggies — simply heat them on saute until warm), or use a low fat cheese.
Looking for more Instant Pot pasta recipes? Try these:
Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/2″ cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 4.5 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 375 grams Bowtie pasta or other short pasta (5 cups) — see notes in post
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 8 oz light cream cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute. When it reads “hot” add oil.
- Add the chicken breasts, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and brown on both sides, about 2 minutes each side.
- Add the garlic, parsley and oregano and stir and cook 1 minute.
- Add the chicken broth, and scrape the bottom of the pot with a hard metal spoon to remove any stuck on bits. Turn the Instant Pot off.
- Add the pasta — don’t stir — and press down into the liquid. The liquid will just barely cover the pasta.
- Put the lid on, turn the valve to sealing, and select Manual or Pressure Cook for 3 minutes.
- When the cook time is over, do a quick release (open the valve all the way) and remove the lid. Turn the Instant Pot to saute.
- Stir together the water and corn starch and stir into the pasta. Allow to cook and thicken slightly.
- Stir in the cream cheese, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Stir until melted. Serve.
Nutrition Information
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Heather says
It didn’t save my rating.
I tried this recipe last night, I was a little intimidated at first because when I put thr pasta over the chicken the chicken slightly touches the bottom. Chicken was still safe and did not burn tho! Using the IP definitely cuts down on time compared to the stove top recipe I usually use. This was tasty and I could see this being served at a restaurant as it tasted similar to dishes I’ve had. I especially like that the recipe didn’t call for heavy cream or milk as I can’t have either. Thank you for this recipe I will be making it again!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Heather! I’m glad you liked it!
Gina says
Made this last night with a couple very slight modifications to serve more people. First, I used 4 chicken breasts because that’s what I had in a package (and to serve 8). Second, I used an entire bag of penne pasta, which was like 450g. I added just a tiny bit more chicken broth to make sure the pasta was covered, probably about 1/3 cup. I ended up needing to thicken it with an extra tablespoon of cornstarch at the end. Added a head of fresh broccoli when I added the cheese at the end and it was perfect. My teenage cheese hater didn’t even complain/notice the cream cheese. My tween did complain there was too much meat, however, so I probably could have just used 3 breasts after all. Fed 8 of us just fine! I am printing and adding this recipe to the binder of “meals no one complains about”
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Gina! I’m glad it was a hit with your family!
Amy Yates says
Made this recipe tonight and it was a huge hit with my husband! Quick question: what is the serving size for the nutrition facts? Thanks!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Amy! The recipe makes 6 servings, so one serving is 1/6 of the recipe.
Courtney says
This was amazing!!! and so easy!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Courtney!
PKing says
Hello I’ve tried your recipe with chicken, if I opt out on the chicken portion and just do the pasta and everything else, would the timing be the same?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, everything else should be the same!
Casey MORGAN says
I made this recipe. Oh it was delicious one of my favorites! Only difference that added was a little bit of Tony Cajun seasoning and a little extra parmesan which is graded and a little extra parsley at the end
Ashley Fehr says
I love the addition of cajun seasoning!
Ron says
I’m going to need to make a double batch for my family should I double everything?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, I would double everything!
Valerie Peloso says
Good and easy recipe !!
Maybe you should add the the pasta amount in cups !
Will definitely we make again
Ashley Fehr says
I already have the pasta amount in cups 🙂 I’m glad you liked it!
Susan says
It only has grams…no cups
Brenda says
I just made this with penne. It is delicious!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Brenda!
Jamie says
This was amazing and so easy to prepare on a busy weeknight! My husband and son both said it was the best I’ve made in a long time. Thank you!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Jamie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Haylee says
I made this tonight. And it was fantastic. My seven year old is very very picky and she loved it so much she asked to take some leftover for her lunch tomorrow. I forgot to add the salt and pepper in and cut the parsley in half and it came out awesome. This will become a regular dish at my house.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Haylee! I’m so glad to hear that!
Kim Sarhanis says
If I’m unable to use cream cheese, will this still turn out fine? Probably not as creamy?
Ashley Fehr says
It will be quite liquidy, so I would probably thicken with additional corn starch and cream for a nice creamy sauce
Jill says
I think this would have turned out great but for my mistake. I used regular chicken broth not low sodium AND I added salt! Huge mistake. It was too salty for me to eat. So I’m going to try it the right way soon. Just wanted to warn everyone to pay attention to the part I didn’t and I’m sure it would be awesome! I think if I used regular broth but alleviated the added salt it would have been fine.
Ashley Fehr says
Oh no! Thanks for sharing and I hope you try again soon!
Nancy says
How can I go about using shrimp instead of chicken? Do I follow the same steps?
Ashley Fehr says
Shrimp cooks very quick so I would add it in with the pasta and not cook beforehand.
Kelsey says
I’m not sure how much 375g of pasta is – can you tell me how much this would be in cups??
Ashley Fehr says
It’s roughly one 5 serving box of whole grain pasta — roughly 3-3.5 cups
Marilyn Hukill says
So very good. Used shrimp instead of chicken. After I sauteed it with some cayenne, thyme, sea salt and fresh ground pepper, i set it aside and continued with the recipe. I did use shrimp bouillon in place of the chicken. Then after everything was combined i added the shrimp back with any liquid from the bowl.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Marilyn! Love the idea of using shrimp!
Susan R says
Oh my gosh, this was excellent! It was creamy and goey. I added an extra breast (4 in total) and it was perfect. I also used Epicure chicken broth and wow, the flavor was amazing.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Susan! I’m so happy to hear you liked it!
Pam says
I can’t use corn starch what would you recommend? Arrowroot starch or just flour
Ashley Fehr says
You can use a little flour, just be sure to whisk it into some liquid before adding it.
Taylor says
I’m wanting to cooking this for more people and wanting to double the recipes. I am new to my instant pot. Would I just double the cooking time as well? Can’t wait to try!
Ashley Fehr says
You don’t need to double the cook time! I’d love to hear how it turns out 🙂
Torie Knighton says
Oh my goodness! I made this tonight for my family & it was amazing!!! My only regret was that I didn’t make breadsticks- it was so creamy we could’ve used them to get every yummy cheesy bit!! Thank you!
Jennifer says
This looks delisj. Is it possible to make this in a slow cooker. If so are the instructions similar to your most recent post. Thanks a bunch.
Ashley Fehr says
You could definitely make it in a slow cooker but I haven’t tried this one yet! I’ve done quite a few other slow cooker pastas so I’m sure it would work fine, and yes, I’d use the Crockpot Chicken and Noodles recipe as a guide! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Kanesha says
I’m confused. It says to brown the chicken breasts on both sides. Yet, the recipe calls for chicken breasts cut up into cubes. So, do you cut it into cubes after browning the whole chicken breasts?? Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
The recipe calls for the cubes of chicken breasts to be browned on both sides 🙂 Let me know if that helps!
Tenley says
So am I adding the uncooked chicken to the instant pot or cooking it first? Or does the first step on sauté is what is going to brown the chicken?
Ashley Fehr says
The first step on sauté will brown the chicken somewhat, but it goes into the Instant Pot raw.
Cindy says
Tried this last night, so creamy, easy and delicious! My two year old devoured it and asked for thirds!
Thank you for sharing!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy even the kids approved! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Ellen says
Can you use ‘regular’ cream cheese
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, definitely!
Jason says
I’m still new to the instant pot. I made this tonight. I sauté the chicken for about 4 min after it was all cut into pieces in the pot. The chicken seemed a little chewy when done. What could i do different next time? I also made a pot roast and browned the roast for 2 min all sides and cooked for 1hr 10 min. It was also a little dry and the pot was filled with vegetables and beef broth.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Jason! It’s a tricky question! Often a few extra minutes under pressure can help to tenderize meat — if you find it’s a little tough, I would turn it back on for a few minutes (not possible with pasta recipes as it would overcook, but pot roast would be fine!). As for the chicken, I would try cutting into smaller pieces so that it pressure cooks more efficiently in the time it takes to cook the pasta. I hope that helps!
Rachelle Fincher says
At what point do you cut up the chicken?
Ashley Fehr says
The recipe calls for chicken breasts that have been cut into cubes.
Julie perry says
I made this tonight it was every easy to make. My first dinner in the Instant Pot so I was worried. Need to learn more about the pot but the dinner was great. Thank you
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad Julie! It can be a learning curve but is definitely worth trying!
Savannah Lamar says
I don’t see oregano in the ingredients list…. how much do I use? I’m new to cooking, and unfortunately will need to find a different recipe to use today.
But this looks so good!!! I will definitely make it in the future! Thank you for posting it for us that aren’t as adventurous in creating recipes!!
Ashley Fehr says
Sorry! I’ve updated the post now! I’d love to hear if you try it 🙂
Tamara H. says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I am thrilled that I can make this in the Instant Pot. Could you please share with me how you send the leftovers in a lunch thermos? Do you heat up with more liquid and add it to the Thermos?
Ashley Fehr says
I would add a touch more liquid when reheating to add to a thermos, yes. I hope it turns out well for you!