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    Popular » Recipes » Instant Pot

    Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information. Published: Dec 6, 2021 by Dee

    Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo pasta is an easy dinner made with tender cut up chicken breasts and penne in a creamy homemade Alfredo sauce. Your whole family will love this easy recipe that's perfect for a busy weeknight! via @meamel

    Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo pasta is an easy dinner made with tender cut up chicken breasts and penne in a creamy homemade Alfredo sauce. Your whole family will love this easy recipe that's perfect for a busy weeknight!

    Jump to Recipe -
    instant pot chicken alfredo pasta with garlic bread and Parmesan on the table

    Let me say right now that this pressure cooker chicken Alfredo is not a diet recipe. But it's definitely one of those easy Instant Pot pasta recipes that's simple, delicious and very kid friendly.

    Best of all, this one pot meal only takes about 30 minutes to make! If you're looking for easy Instant Pot chicken Alfredo recipes, you're going to love this Instant Pot chicken Alfredo pasta!

    The Hubs adores fettuccine Alfredo. It's his favorite meal, and I make homemade chicken fettuccine Alfredo for his birthday every year. I'm nice like that!

    It's really a super simple recipe, but this pressure cooker version is even easier! You might also want to check out one pot chicken Alfredo and my chicken Alfredo stuffed shells.

    Ingredients

    You only need a few simple ingredients for this Instant Pot chicken Alfredo recipe. You can find them in your grocery store or online.

    • Olive oil
    • Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed -- about 2 medium or 3 small
    • Sea salt
    • Garlic powder
    • Ground black pepper
    • Box penne pasta -- uncooked
    • Butter
    • Water or chicken broth or chicken stock
    • Heavy cream
    • Nutmeg -- brings out the flavor in cream sauces
    • Shredded Parmesan cheese

    How to make chicken Alfredo in the Instant Pot

    Traditional fettuccine Alfredo is heavy on the butter, and so is this Instant Pot Alfredo.

    You really need it to make the sauce rich and creamy. So even though you may be tempted to use jar sauce or cream cheese, you really don't need it!

    Just cut up chicken breasts, and cook it for about 5 minutes on the Saute setting -- just until it's no longer pink.

    As you're cooking the chicken pieces, add your seasonings. Make sure to deglaze the bottom of the pot with a little chicken broth so there are no chicken bits sticking to the pot.

    saute cut up chicken breasts in pressure cooker

    Turn off the saute setting. Then, layer the pasta over the chicken.

    Add the chicken broth or water. Then, add the pats of butter over the pasta. Don't stir everything together, or the pasta won't cook.

    instant pot penne pasta and butter in pot

    Pressure cook the pasta for 4 minutes on high pressure, then do a gradual quick release.

    This pasta recipe tends to spurt out all over the place if you do a quick pressure release. So unless you don't mind a huge mess, stick with a controlled pressure release!

    On a side note, I only seem to have a problem with pasta water making a mess when I use my 6-quart Instant Pot. When I use the 8 quart electric pressure cooker, it's fine.

    instant pot chicken alfredo pasta on spoon

    Next, add some heavy cream, more butter, Parm and a little bit of nutmeg. The sauce looks thin at first, but it firms up in no time as it cools down.

    You can even go back to Saute mode and reduce the sauce for a couple of minutes if you want.

    Personally, I like to add heavy cream in the Instant Pot at the end, after pressure cooking. I just think it works better this way.

    The sauce thickens as it rests, and by the time you eat it, you get an incredibly rich and creamy Instant Pot chicken Alfredo pasta.

     chicken alfredo penne pasta on plate

    Variations and Substitutions

    For this Instant Pot chicken Alfredo recipe I usually like to use penne pasta, as it holds the thick sauce well. Rotini is another good choice!

    Of course, fettuccine noodles are a popular pasta to eat with Alfredo sauce, so you could use those instead for an Instant Pot fettuccine Alfredo. Just make sure to break noodles up before cooking.

    Homemade Alfredo sauce works great, but you can use store-bought jarred sauce too, if you prefer. I recommend adding the sauce after pressure cooking.

    Instead of cutting whole breasts into chicken pieces, use chicken tenders. Add broccoli florets for a one pot meal with veggies!

    The best part of this recipe--besides how easy it is!--is making each serving into your own perfect comfort food dish! Sprinkle the top of the pasta with fresh herbs, such as fresh parsley or basil, a little Italian seasoning, or a dash of tangy lemon zest.

    Serve chicken Alfredo with a crusty bread or your favorite side salad.

    chicken alfredo penne pasta on the table

    How to Store

    Store any leftover chicken Alfredo penne pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it'll last 3 to 4 days. For longer storage, store in a freezer safe container in the freezer.

    Reheat individual portions in the microwave, and larger portions on the stove or on the saute setting in your pressure cooker.

    Here are some more easy pasta dinners to check out:

    • Easy Instant Pot creamy chicken pasta
    • Instant Pot creamy enchilada chicken pasta
    • Instant Pot chicken bacon ranch pasta

     

    chicken alfredo penne pasta on blue plate

    Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta

    Published by Dee
    Instant Pot Chicken Alfred pasta is an easy dinner made with tender cut up chicken breasts and penne in a creamy homemade Alfredo sauce. Your whole family will love this easy recipe that's perfect for a busy weeknight!
    5 from 27 votes
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    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    time to pressurize 10 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Main
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Servings 8
    Calories 372 kcal

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed, about 2 to 3 small
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 16-ounce box penne pasta uncooked
    • 8 tablespoons butter divided, 1 stick
    • 4 cups water
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
    • 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

    Instructions
     

    • Press SAUTE button, and when it reads Hot, add the olive oil, then the chicken. and cook until no longer pink, stirring frequently
    • Add sea salt, garlic powder and pepper, and stir, making sure no chicken bits are stuck to bottom. Then hit Cancel
    • Add penne pasta over chicken, then pour water over and around the sides of the pasta. Top with 4 tablespoons of butter 
    • Cover, turn valve to Sealing position, and hit PRESSURE COOK for 4 minutes
    • When pot beeps, do a gradual quick release to minimize liquid spurting out of valve. When pin drops, remove lid, and stir
    • Stir in remaining 4 tablespoons butter, heavy cream and nutmeg. Mixture will be thin, but will thicken up as sauce cools. You can hit SAUTE for about 5 minutes to help sauce reduce if you want.
    •  Gradually stir in grated Parm, and add more, if desired. Taste, and add more salt, if desired. Serve with more Parm and fresh parsley, if desired. Sauce will continue to thicken as it stands

    Video

    Notes

    Recipe was made in 6-quart Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. Can also be made in an 8 quart using same ingredients.

    Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 372kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 24gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 136mgSodium: 698mgPotassium: 363mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 922IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 170mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate it! Show me your dish on Instagram!Mention @meatloafandmelodrama or tag #meatloafandmelodrama!

    Recipe first published in 2018 and updated in 2021.

    instant pot chicken alfredo penne pasta on white plate with parsley

    I hope you enjoy this easy Instant Pot chicken Alfredo penne pasta as much as we do! Be sure to come back and leave a star rating!

    For more delicious recipes, easy Instant Pot recipes and great recipe ideas for comfort meals, be sure to subscribe to the newsletter!

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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Vicki Henley says

      January 26, 2023 at 7:16 pm

      Grandson absolutely loved this! Thanks5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        January 26, 2023 at 9:19 pm

        So glad to hear this! Thank you so much!

    2. Kendra says

      September 06, 2022 at 4:37 pm

      Just made this for dinner and it is so good! I was worried about the nutmeg, but I couldn’t notice. The only thing I added was a block of cream cheese because, why not?! This is a quick and easy dinner to make, will definitely be making it again!

      Reply
    3. S. Goforth says

      June 19, 2022 at 5:03 pm

      I am the queen of searching my ingredients to find a quick and easy recipe my little family will all enjoy! This was super easy and delicious! My 20 month old and 6 year old ate it all and licked their bowls. Thank you for sharing!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        June 20, 2022 at 12:35 pm

        Thanks! I'm so happy you all liked the chicken Alfredo!

    4. Beth says

      December 25, 2021 at 1:52 pm

      This was delicious and so easy! I had to make adjustments based on what ingredients were available in my kitchen. I used ziti and it worked perfectly. I didn’t have heavy cream either, so I used about a cup of fat free milk and added 4oz of cream cheese to thicken it and it worked very well! Yummy!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        December 25, 2021 at 9:10 pm

        So glad you liked the chicken Alfredo, Beth. Thanks!

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    I’m the blogger, chief cook, recipe developer and photographer behind Meatloaf and Melodrama. I absolutely love to create easy, budget-friendly, homemade meals and treats for my family. I also love to think of new ways to repurpose leftovers so that my family will actually eat them!

    More about me →

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