Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta

Name: Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks; salt and pepper, to taste; 2 Tablespoons olive oil; 1 medium onion, finely diced; 1 red bell pepper, large diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 pound fettuccine pasta, broke in half; 3 ½ cups chicken broth; ½ cup heavy cream; 1 ½ cups chopped fresh spinach ((optional)); ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese; Optional garnish: freshly chopped flat leaf parsley and more grated Parmesan

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This delicious Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta is fully of flavor and the perfect dinner to make on a busy weeknight. It’s ready in under 20 minutes!

AN EASY INSTANT POT RECIPE

If you’re looking for an easy and delicious meal that can be ready in minutes, then Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta is the perfect dish for you. This creamy and flavorful pasta dish features succulent chicken, garlic, red bell pepper, spinach, and fettuccini pasta cooked to perfection in a rich cream sauce. With just a few simple ingredients and the power of your trusty Instant Pot pressure cooker, you can have this restaurant-quality meal on the table in no time!

Looking down on a bowl of Creamy Garlic Pasta.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

How do I keep the pasta from sticking together?

It can be scary to just pop the pasta in the Instant Pot and let it all cook together without the need for stirring, but actually, it’s quite AWESOME because it’s frees up your time! The key to making sure you don’t come back to a clump of pasta is to make sure that you break the pasta in half and fan it out in the pot. If you just dump it, you’ll risk it all sticking together. The steam needs to be able to circulate around the pasta.

How long should it take for the Instant Pot to come to pressure?

This meal only takes about 20 minutes to make but that does not factor in the time it takes for your Instant Pot to come to full pressure. It really depends on your elevation but generally it takes about 10 minutes for your pot to come to pressure before it actually starts cooking.

I don’t have an instant pot, can I still make this?

Sure! You’ll need to cook the pasta separately though. Add a little olive oil to a skillet then add red bell pepper and onion and cook just until they soften. Then season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to skillet until brown on the outside (you may need to add a bit more oil). Then add garlic, chicken broth, heavy cream and seasonings. Cover and allow to simmer until chicken is cooked through. Once cooked, add in the cooked pasta and spinach and stir well to combine. Once the spinach has wilted, stir again then serve!

What do I serve with Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta?

We like to serve this with some fresh, hot garlic bread and a nice green salad (you can make it fresh or just buy the bagged salad).

How to store leftovers?

Leftover Creamy Chicken Pasta should be stored in an airtight container and should be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When reheating, I like ot use the stovetop as it heats thoroughly a little better and I can adjust the sauce easier if I need to. It may need a little splash of heavy cream and or chicken broth. I don’t recommend freezing.

A big plate of Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

chicken breast – you can also use chicken thighs or leave out the protein altogether. You could probably even use ground beef or ground chicken/turkey (although I haven’t tested that out).
olive oil – I generally use extra virgin olive oil but you can use your favorite oil here. Just choose an oil that does’t clash with the other flavors.
red bell pepper – I like the color that the red bell pepper brings but you could use green or yellow or just leave it out if you don’t like peppers.
garlic – fresh is best here but jarred is fine in a pinch.
fettuccine – spaghetti or linguine can also be used – just make sure to break it in half and fan it out so it cooks evenly. You could possibly use other pasta shapes but I haven’t tested it.
chicken broth – if you are sensitive to sodium, you can use low or no sodium.
heavy cream – it has to be heavy cream, not milk or half and half because hey are not thick enough.
chopped fresh spinach – don’t like spinach? Just leave it out or choose another green that you think would work well here.
freshly grated Parmesan cheese – use as much or as little as you like – you could also maybe use mozzarella.

Chicken breasts, chicken broth, spinach, olive oil, salt and pepper, onion, red bell pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, dried oregano, fettuccini, heavy cream, and grated parmesan cheese.

HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT CREAMY GARLIC CHICKEN PASTA

Set the instant pot to sauté mode. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Once hot, add the olive oil to the pot (allow it to heat for a minute) then add in the chicken. Brown the chicken on both sides (this may have to be done in batches).

Once browned, add onions and bell pepper to the pot and saute for another minute.

Onions, bell pepper, and chicken in the Instant Pot.

Cancel the sauté setting. Then add in the garlic, Italian seasoning, oregano and fettuccine. Make sure the fettuccine is fanned out so it cooks as evenly as possible. Pour the chicken broth over the fettuccine.

Broken fettuccini on top of other ingredients in the Instant POt.

Pressure cook on “high” for 5 minutes. It may take about 10 minutes for it to come to pressure. When done, quickly release the pressure by turning the valve to vent position. It may take a couple of minutes to fully release the pressure. Open the instant pot. Stir everything well then add the heavy cream, spinach and parmesan cheese.

Heavy cream, spinach, and parmesan cheese on top of everything else for the Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta in the Instant Pot.

Put the lid back on the instant pot for a few minutes to allow the spinach to soften and the cheese to melt.

The Instant Pot insert making creamy garlic chicken pasta.

Open the instant pot, mix well and add salt and pepper, to taste. Then serve. Some of the sauce will settle to the bottom of the pot even after stirring. Just spoon some of that sauce all over the plated fettuccine. Then top with some freshly chopped parsley and more freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional).

A bowl of Creamy Garlic Pasta with a utensil in it. — XAA

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

This was a real winner tonight at our house….both my son and husband remarked on how good it was, and I loved it as well. The box of chicken broth was 32 oz. and a serving size was supposed to be 4c., but whenI measured it out in the measuring cup it came out as 3c. so I just added the whole box. I was a bit soupy, so I served it in bowls, but that was fine, as the creamy broth was delicious. Thanks for a great recipe, and because it’s made in the P it’s pretty quick and easy too!