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Instant Pot Italian Chicken Pasta is a Creamy Italian Chicken sauce made up of cream cheese, Italian dressing mix, and cream of chicken soup that covers pasta, chicken and some veggies. The best news is, all made at the same time in the same pot! Family Dinner has never been easier!
Magic 30-Minute Instant Pot Chicken Pasta
Okay, you guys! I have been working on this recipe for a while now and it is officially blog worthy and PERFECT.
Because of how many tests and tweaks happened with this recipe, my family has eaten this 3 times and 4 families in my neighborhood have also had it for dinner. (aaaaand they all loved it.)
As I took this last, final, perfect batch to my neighbors house (and awkwardly watched them eat it, grilling them with questions about the dish the entire time.) they could not believe how simple the dish was to make when I explained it to them.
It really is like magic. I literally dumped a few ingredients into the pot, started her up and then a half hour later I was knocking on their door forcing them to eat it and give me all the critiques. ?
We even have a brand new pressure cooker owner out of the evening. This dish sold her on it! If that isn’t a testament to how good this dish is, I don’t know what is!
Italian Instant Pot Chicken Pasta Recipe
Instant Pot Creamy Italian Chicken Pasta is a Creamy Italian Chicken sauce made up of cream cheese, Italian dressing mix, and cream of chicken soup that covers pasta, chicken and some veggies. The best news is, all made at the same time in the same pot! Family Dinner has never been easier!
Pasta and Italian Chicken Instant Pot recipe ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 lb rotini pasta uncooked
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 2 pkg Italian Dressing Mix
- 1 lb chicken tenders (thawed) approx 6-7 tenders
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
- 8 oz block cream cheese
Chicken Pasta Instant Pot Variations & Subs
There are many variations of chicken pasta that can be made in the instant pot. These include creamy chicken pasta, Alfredo chicken pasta, tomato chicken pasta, pesto chicken pasta, chicken parmesan pasta, and southwest chicken pasta.
How to make this Pasta and Creamy Chicken Instant Pot Recipe
Alright, here come the step by step pictures. This really is so simple, you can’t mess this up!
1 – First into the pot goes chicken broth, water and pasta. I used rotini, but penne or similar should also work fine.
2 – Next, dumped directly on top of the pasta, Cream of Chicken soup is added. Then sprinkle Italian Dressing Mix Packets into the pot.
3 – Now place 1 lb of raw (thawed) chicken tenders on the top. 1 lb correlates to 6 or 7 chicken tenders.
4 – If you only have chicken breasts, cut the 1 lb of chicken breast into smaller ‘tender-sized’ pieces.
5 – Pressure cook on high pressure (hit the manual or pressure cook button) and adjust the time for 3 minutes. (I KNOW! Only 3 minutes!)
6 – Once the 3 minutes is complete, wait until the screen reads L0:06 (this is a 6 min NPR) and then release the remaining pressure manually.
7 – Carefully pull the chicken out of the pot, place in a bowl and set aside.
8 – Add some frozen carrots and peas to the pot (if desired! My husband definitely prefers this dish without, but if it weren’t for me, he’d never touch his veggies!)
9 – Stir in the frozen veggies. Cut a block of cream cheese into cubes and place on top of the pasta and sauce in the Pressure Cooker. Secure the lid and let it sit for 5 additional minutes.
10 – While the pot is resting, SHRED THAT CHICKEN!! This has to be my favorite part. It shreds like a DREAM! A lot of people recommend using a mixer to shred chicken, but with this you won’t need it! This chicken is cuh-razy tender & juicy!
11 – Once the post has been resting for 5 minutes, open the lid and stir. The cream cheese should melt into the sauce fairly easily.
12 – Stir in the shredded chicken and you have yourself one delicious meal!
How to Serve Instant Pot Chicken Pasta
There are many ways to serve instant pot chicken pasta. Here are a few ideas:
- As is: You can simply scoop the pasta and chicken onto a plate and serve it as is.
- With a side salad: Pair the chicken pasta with a side salad made from mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and your favorite dressing.
- With garlic bread: Garlic bread is a classic accompaniment to pasta dishes. You can make your own by spreading butter and garlic onto slices of bread and toasting them in the oven.
- With a sprinkle of fresh herbs: Fresh herbs, such as basil, parsley, or chives, can add a pop of flavor and color to your chicken pasta.
- With a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese: Grated Parmesan cheese is a delicious topping for chicken pasta.
Instant Pot Chicken Pasta Recipe Storage
Let the pasta cool completely to room temperature before transferring the pasta to an airtight container. Label and date the container to keep rack of how long the pasta has been stored. Store the pasta in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If you freeze the pasta, it can be used for up to 3 months.
Chicken Pasta Instant Pot recipe FAQs
There are a few reasons that your chicken can come out dry. Overcooking the chicken can dry out the meat. Not adding enough water to the instant pot is a common reason for dry chicken. The instant pot requires a certain amount of liquid in order to come to pressure.
Yes, it is safe to cook pasta in a pressure cooker. There are some guidelines that you want to follow when you cook pasta in your pressure cooker. Make sure that you have enough liquid int he pressure cooker. The liquid should cover the pasta by at least an inch. Using a trivet can help prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom and burning in the pressure cooker.
Yes, it is possible to overcook chicken in the instant pot. It is important to cook the chicken as specified in the recipe that you use. Using bigger cuts of chicken can prevent the overcooking of chicken, however you want to make sure that the chicken gets cooked all the way through if you use a chicken breast instead of chicken tenders.
Browning chicken before cooking in the instant pot depends on the recipe you are using and personal preference. This step is not necessary for most recipes. A couple of exceptions to this is chicken curry or chicken stew which usually requires some browning.
Check out my other Dump and Start Instant Pot meals!
- Instant Pot Creamy Ziti
- Creamy Chicken Florentine
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Hawaiian Haystacks
- Mississippi Chicken Sandwiches
- Tomato Basil Pasta
- Skinny Creamy Ziti
- Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Chicken Lo Mein
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Recipes
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Instant Pot Creamy Italian Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 lb rotini pasta, uncooked
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 2 pkg Italian Dressing Mix
- 1 lb chicken tenders, thawed, approx 6-7 tenders
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
- 1 8 oz block cream cheese
Instructions
- Add the chicken broth, water and pasta to the Instant Pot’s liner.
- Pour the cream of chicken soup on top of the pasta.
- Sprinkle the dressing mix packets into the Instant Pot.
- Place the chicken tenders on top.
- Secure the lid and cook on Manual (or pressure cook) HIGH for 3 minutes. Allow for a 6 minute NPR before releasing the pressure manually.
- Remove the cooked chicken and set aside.
- Stir in the frozen peas and carrots.
- Cut the cream cheese block into chunks and set onto of the pasta in the Instant Pot. Return the lid and let the Instant Pot sit on warm for 5 minutes.
- Shred the chicken while the Instant Pot is sitting on warm.
- Stir the cream cheese into the pasta until completely combined.
- Stir in the shredded chicken. Serve hot!
The family really liked this meal. It is one I wil make again! I made it with chicken breast and cut them up like the comments said. I also used penne pasta. One thing I wil do different next time is to get the cream cheese out of fridge couple of hours before I use it. That way it will melt more evenly.
Happy to hear you loved it, Ellen! ❤️ thanks for taking the time to comment and leave your feedback. Means the world!
Mine was a soup, which was unexpected after all the liquid (tornado) that decorated my walls and cabinets. ? It finally released without the volcano at 17 minutes. Great flavor though!
Sounds like something went really wrong over there! I’m glad you enjoyed the meal that came out of your Pot, though!
I would love to make this but I am really nervous I just got my instant pot over the weekend and am trying new things. I don’t want it to explode on me. What specifically should I watch for when I make this?
Hi Becky! You will do great!! Just follow the recipe exactly as written and you’ll be golden. Have you signed up for my Instant Pot Challenge for beginner’s? It is free and would really help you get comfortable with your Instant Pot! Either way, I hope you love this meal!
Made this tonight and it was amazing! Definitely a easy quick meal when you come home tired. And it is definitely comfort food at its finest!
Happy to hear you loved it, Jessica!
Could you substitute regular Italian dressing in place of the packets?
Hi Rachel! I haven’t ever tried that before but it sounds like it would work fine! The sauce will be thinner, but the flavor should be fine!
I’m getting ready to make this for the 3rd time in a little over two weeks!!! Made it the first time with frozen broccoli, as i didn’t have peas and carrots. I think fresh would have been better as it was a little watery but still awesome flavor!! The last one I made a couple of days ago was perfect! Thanks for the recipe.
Sounds perfect, Joann! Thanks for commenting!
Is there a way to make this without the cream of chicken soup? Dietary restrictions but it looks interesting and I would love to try it out
I would google ‘Homemade cream of Chicken Soup’ and add that instead, if that works with your dietary restrictions. 🙂
So Yummy!!!
Is there a way to make this without cream cheese? A good substitute for it maybe? My family is not a fan and can taste it in anything…im not a fan myself, but this sounds amazing!!!
Hi Crystal! Some people like to use sour cream instead of the cream cheese. 😊
I’m like Macci. I only have a crockpot. Should I boil the chicken separately in another pot, then add after shredding, boiling with chicken stock or water? Also, should I boil the pasta & veggies/broccoli separately, as well?
You can put your chicken, cream of chicken soups and Italian dressing mix in your crockpot and cook that for 4 hours on high, or until the chicken is cooked through. Boil pasta separately, cook the veggies separately, also. Serve the chicken and sauce from the crockpot on top of the noodles. 😊
When you say thawed chicken tenders are you referring to fully cooked frozen chicken tenders (like Tyson) the you let thaw or raw chicken breast strips thawed? 🤦🏻♀️ Sorry.
Hi Heather! I’m talking about raw, I cooked chicken tenderloins. Not the breaded kind. 😊