This Instant Pot Italian Chicken Pasta is an easy instant pot recipe that’s loaded with flavor. Perfectly al dente pasta is tossed in a simple sauce made of Italian herbs, roasted red peppers, spinach, and parmesan.
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Ever since I made my Creamy Italian Chicken Breasts, I’ve been asked over and over again how the chicken can be cooked right along with the pasta for serving.
While it has taken me entirely too long, I’ve finally put together the Instant Pot Italian Chicken Pasta. It’s your favorite Italian Chicken Breasts made into a one pot pasta dinner. This creamy, delicious, flavorful meal is hard to beat!
Looking for more of my family’s favorites? Try my Instant Pot Spaghetti or Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta.
Ingredients Needed:
- Chicken: you’ll need 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts chopped into 1″ pieces.
- Oil: used to brown the chicken. Any cooking oil will work.
- Seasonings: we’re seasoning the chicken with a combination of salt, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and black pepper.
- Chicken Broth: I use low sodium broth so I can add salt to taste later on.
- Canned Tomatoes: use canned diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning. Don’t drain! That liquid and flavor goes into the sauce.
- Roasted Red Peppers: jarred, chopped roasted red peppers add a delicious richness and more texture to the pasta.
- Pasta: I use lumaconi pasta, but any short pasta shape will work.
- Heavy Cream and Cornstarch: whisked together to form a slurry which creates a thick and creamy sauce.
- Spinach: you’ll add fresh, chopped spinach at the end for some extra nutrition and a pop of color.
- Basil Pesto: store-bought or homemade will work. Just use your favorite!
- Parmesan Cheese: finish your pasta off with a sprinkle of salty parmesan.
How to Make Instant Pot Italian Chicken Pasta
This instant pot chicken pasta is about as easy as dinner can get. Just 12 minutes and your meal is served!
- Brown the chicken: Turn the instant pot to sauté, then drizzle in oil. Add in the chicken, then cook until no longer pink. Mix in the seasonings, then continue to cook for another minute.
- Deglaze the pot: add the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pot so that there are no brown bits stuck on.
- Combine and cook: Turn the instant pot off, then stir in the tomatoes, red peppers, and pasta. Press the pasta into the liquid, then put the lid on. Cook on manual for 2 minutes.
- Release the pressure, let the pasta sit for a couple of minutes, then remove the lid.
- Make the sauce: In a bowl, stir together cream and cornstarch. Stir that into the pasta along with spinach, pesto, and cheese.
- Finish and serve: Turn the instant pot to sauté again, then let the pasta cook for another 2 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
Instant Pot Italian Chicken Pasta FAQs
Absolutely! As long as you add a liquid, which we do in this recipe, you can easily cook dried pasta right in the instant pot. And it’s so much quicker!
Two minutes! (Sort of.) You’ll set the timer on the instant pot for just two minutes to cook the pasta, but the pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure before the timer starts. During that time, the pasta will be cooking.
Leftover Instant Pot Italian Chicken Pasta will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, warm on the stove or on sauté back in the instant pot with a splash of chicken broth to moisten.
Tips and Notes
- Chop into 1″ pieces. You’ll need to dice the chicken up into pieces that are about 1 inch so they cook quickly. Make sure they’re evenly chopped too so that they cook at the same rate.
- Use a small pasta shape. I don’t like thicker, longer cuts of pasta like fettuccine because they clump up more easily in the instant pot. Short cuts or spaghetti work best.
- Don’t stir. When you add the pasta, don’t stir it. Just gently push it down to submerge it in the broth before cooking.
- Let it rest. After the cooking time is up, let the pasta sit for a 2-3 minutes in the pot before you remove the lid to give it a little extra time to absorb the flavor and liquid.
Chicken Pasta Variations
- Use other veggies. Try mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, green beans, broccoli, you name it. If you decide to do broccoli, I recommend steaming it separately, then adding it in after the cook time.
- Make it vegetarian. Skip the chicken and add extra veggies, then swap the chicken broth out for veggie broth. Optionally, add some plant based protein with a can of white beans.
- Swap the meat. Swap the chicken out for Italian sausage for a spicy twist.
- Make it whole grain. If you’d prefer to use a whole grain pasta feel free. I have and the 2 minute cooking time still works great.
Serving Suggestions
This Italian Chicken Pasta is a complete meal all on its own, but feel free to serve it with any of the classic side dishes! Try Garlic Bread, Breadsticks, Roasted Green Beans, or Air Fryer Broccoli.
More Easy Instant Pot Recipes You’ll Love!
Instant Pot Italian Chicken Pasta
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (chopped into 1" pieces) about 1 lb
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning (not drained)
- ⅓ cup roasted red peppers (from the jar, chopped)
- 3 cups lumaconi pasta (or other short cut pasta) 240 grams
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- 1 tablespoon basil pesto
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute and wait until it reads 'hot'. Add the oil and then the chicken. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until no longer pink on the outside.
- Add the salt, garlic, Italian seasoning and pepper. Cook and stir 1 minute.
- Add the chicken broth, and scrape the bottom well to remove any bits that may have stuck.
- Turn the Instant Pot off.
- Stir in the tomatoes and red peppers. Top with pasta, and gently press the pasta into the liquid but don't stir (it's best if it's not touching the bottom of the pot).
- Put the lid on, turn the valve to sealing, and select Pressure Cook or Manual for 2 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and begin counting down.
- When the cook time is over, turn the Instant Pot off and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
- Gradually release the pressure by holding the valve open slightly, so that it releases gradually and not all at once.
- Stir together the cream and corn starch and stir into the pasta with the spinach, pesto and Parmesan. Turn the Instant Pot to saute. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
Nutrition Information
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Krista says
We didn’t enjoy this meal unfortunately. It tasted like soup that had been sitting for a long time. Won’t be making this one again.
Jan says
Could you please add another way of fixing your recipes with instant pots? Some of.us don’t have one, even though I have asked for one for the.past 2 birthday and Christmas. Keep your fingers crossed for this Christmas sense my birthday has pasted and I didn’t get it
Thank you and keep the recipes coming.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jan! With over a 1,000 recipes on the blog I’m sorry I just don’t have the capacity to test them all in various different methods. I do have a vast amount of recipes that are for stove top, oven and crockpot that I’d encourage you to check out!
Nikki says
Can you make this in a slow cooker?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Nikki! I’ve made several pasta dishes in the crockpot, I just haven’t tried this one before. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Lauren says
Are we supposed to cook on high or low pressure?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lauren! When I hit manual on my instant pot, I don’t have to select either or. After looking online I believe it would be high pressure.
Carla F says
Delicious! I used a lb of pasta and doubled everything else. At the end, did not double the cream and cornstarch, doubled the pesto and omitted the cheese.
It is such a huge hit!!
I’ll add mushrooms next time too. Definitely a keeper. Dinner done in 15 min and everyone was happy
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Carla!
Julie Sabourin says
Hi! Doubled the recipe in my 6-qt IP to cook for a family of 5. Added some more roasted red peppers in the sauce at the very end.
I totally agree with the 2-minutes Pressure Cook rule for the pasta… got scared because of the double pasta quantity, I doubled the time to 4 minutes… mushy (but sooo tasty!)
Will do again (this time cooking pasta 2 minutes!). Thank you very much for the many great recipes you share with us 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Julie! I’m so glad you liked it!
Melissa says
How can I make this on the stovetop?
Ashley Fehr says
It should work about the same, but I haven’t tested this recipe on the stovetop yet
Renee says
Really good….really easy. This is now on our standard “need dinner fast” nights!!!!
thankyou!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you!
Christine Odom says
Is there a video of you making this? Specifically of you holding the release valve like your instructions indicated. Last night I made this and it was delicious. Today for lunch I had it for leftovers and while it was still good the pasta was mushy. This was also my first time ever using my new instant pot, so I am sure it is user error. I learn best by doing and seeing so if I saw a video of how to slowly release it like the instructions say then I think I wouldn’t have mushy pasta today. Please help me on my learning curve of the instant pot.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Christine! I’m sorry, I don’t have a video of this recipe! The goal is to let the pressure out gradually, so you just hold it open slightly with your finger, and not flip it wide open in one shot. This just lets out a bit of steam at a time, and not all at once, and helps to prevent a mess in the kitchen if the steam is foamy!
Irma Romero says
Hi I’d like to ask if basil pesto is really necessary I don’t want to purchase it just for this recipe. I really am intrigued by this recipe it looks so good.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Irma! The pesto is probably the predominant flavor in this recipe, so you can omit it but it will be lacking in flavor. You would want to add in some additional herbs and spices.
Valerie Laing says
This is the first thing I’ve made in my instant Pot and it’s fab!!! If I want to use diced lean pork, would I just saute the the pork a little longer until it’s cooked a bit more? Thanks
Angela Engel says
I made this tonight and it was delicious! Will definitely make again. Thank you for sharing!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that Angela!
Anna says
Perfect dinner idea for busy weeknights! My family loved it!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Anna! My family does too!
Susan Atkinson says
You mention spinach in the recipe but I don’t see anywhere in the instruction where to add it. ??
This is going to be my very first Instant Pot meal. Wish me luck. I’m a little nervous.
Susan Atkinson says
I’m sorry, you don’t mention spinach being in this recipe’sp ingredients but you DO mention spinach being in the recipe on the Title page where you describe the recipe and I think I even see it when I blew up the picture. Just want to make sure I make this the right way. Thanks so much.
Ashley Fehr says
No problem! Sorry I missed that when I was adding in the recipe! It should be all clear now
Ashley Fehr says
It’s all fixed! I hope you enjoy it!
Krissy Allori says
The fact that you make this in an instant pot makes it a thousand times better than it already is! So yummy and easy!
Ashley Fehr says
Yes! And so much easier!
Emily says
This has been one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes that I have tried so far! Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Emily! We love it too!
Kara says
This looks like a dinner recipe my whole family will love. I’m trying to use my Instant Pot more often now that it’s getting hot, so I’m adding this to my list!
Ashley Fehr says
Same here! The house gets so hot with the oven!
Beth Pierce says
This will make a lovely dinner this evening! Looks so robust and full of flavor; excited to give this a try!
Ashley Fehr says
I hope you enjoy it!