Got 30 minutes to cook dinner? Make this creamy dreamy Instant Pot chicken alfredo pasta in less than 30 minutes, half of which is inactive time!!! Effortless and easy, kid-approved comfort food for a busy weeknight! What’s not to love here, right?
Instant Pot! Don’t we all love this magic little appliance?
I do!
It truly saves so much time cooking dinner on a busy weeknight, or any night!
Though Instant Pot shines the best when it comes to big roast and such, it also works magic with pasta! It’s like one-pot wonders, but better and hands-free way, you know.
Mistakes to avoid when cooking pasta in an Instant Pot:
- Not deglazing the pot after searing the meat. Make sure to de-glaze the bottom of the inner pot after you sauté something in the pot to remove all the bits and burns. Otherwise, Instant Pot doesn’t come to pressure, and you’ll get that dreaded “BURN” warning.
- Not taking into an account the time it takes to come to pressure. Don’t call the family to the dinner table as you set the cooking time. That 5 minutes of cooking time will start after IP comes to pressure, which takes anywhere between 10-20 minutes. TIP: Use boiling hot liquid (water, stock, etc.) to cut down that time. It shaves off at least 5 minutes!!!
- Using dairy as liquid when pressure cooking. Not only thick creamy sauces and dairy prevents the pot from building up the pressure and causes “burn” warning, the milk usually curdles during pressure cooking. Not an appetizing sight.
STEP BY STEP PHOTOS TO MAKE INSTANT POT CHICKEN ALFREDO PASTA:
The BEST EVER Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Creamy dreamy Instant Pot chicken alfredo pasta in less than 30 minutes, half of which is inactive time!!! Effortlessly easy, kid-approved comfort food!
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons salt divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups hot chicken stock Note 1
- 1 lb pasta of your choice
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup 2oz parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté.
- Salt and pepper chicken breasts, using half of the salt.
- When the display reads “HOT”, add olive oil.
- When the oil is hot, put the chicken breasts and brown on each side, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken onto a plate.
- Deglaze the pan with ½ cup of chicken stock.
- Add pasta, minced garlic, garlic powder, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and rest of the chicken stock.
- Place the browned chicken breasts on top.
- Close the lid and make sure the valve is set to “sealing”.
- Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook/Manual for 10 minutes on high. (NOTE: It took 10 minutes for my IP to come to pressure.)
- Do quick release by carefully turning the valve to venting. And carefully open the lid.
- Using kitchen tongs, take the chicken breasts out onto a cutting board.
- Add heavy cream, cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Cover and let sit for 2-3 minutes, or until cream cheese is softened.
- Meanwhile, slice or shred the chicken breasts. And add it to the pot.
- Stir well and serve.
Notes
This recipe has been tested in my favorite Instant Pot DUO 6qt.
Note 1: Using a hot liquid helps to cut down the time for Instant Pot to come to pressure. Using a cold chicken stock will add about 5 minutes to pressurizing stage.
Nutrition
Calories: 604kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 30gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 1388mgPotassium: 546mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 694IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 255mgIron: 2mg
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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Reader's Reviews
Knocked off 1 star because it doesn’t need to be this complicated.
Thank you for trying my recipe and sharing your feedback, Lawrence! I’d love to hear your simplified version, if you don’t mind.
This WAS the BEST EVER Chicken Alfredo dinner. I emphasize “was” because it didn’t last long! The instructions were easy to follow & I appreciate it since I’ve been nervous about using my IP.
YAY, Tracy, I’m so happy you loved this recipe. It’s definitely one of my top favorites! Thank you for your feedback!
what setting are used? are you cooking with top off as in pics? so confused
Hi, Gail. The full recipe directions are at the very top. We’re pressure cooking everything, so the lid should be closed. You’ll need to use Pressure Cook setting on Instant Pot Duo (or Manual on Instant Pot LUX). Hope this helps.