Meatloaf and Melodrama

A food blog sharing quick and easy recipes for your family, featuring one dish dinners, Instant Pot recipes, easy desserts and everything in between!

Easy Recipes

Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo

Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo penne pasta made from scratch in the pressure cooker is a delicious easy dinner that’s ready in about 30 minutes!

instant pot chicken alfredo penne pasta on white plate with parsley

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 recipes that’s simple, delicious and very kid friendly. Best of all, it only takes about 30 minutes to make!

The Hubs adores fettuccine Alfredo. It’s his favorite meal, and even though I prefer pasta with tomato sauce, I make homemade chicken fettuccine Alfredo for his birthday every year. I’m nice like that!

It’s really a super simple recipe, but because it’s also rich, we usually save Alfredo for special occasions — like birthdays! Since I’ve been converting a lot of my recipes to pressure cooker recipes, I decided to make chicken Alfredo in the Instant Pot. You guys, this one’s a keeper!

How to make chicken Alfredo pasta in the Instant Pot

Traditional fettuccine Alfredo is heavy on the butter, and so is this Instant Pot version. 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 the chicken, and cook it for about 5 minutes on the Saute setting — just until it’s no longer pink. Then, season it, and add pasta, water and butter.

instant pot alfredo with penne pasta and butter in pot

Pressure cook the pasta for 4 minutes, then do a gradual quick release. This recipe tends to spurt out all over the place, so unless it doesn’t bother you, stick with a controlled 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, 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. You can even go back to Saute mode and reduce the sauce for a few 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.

instant pot chicken alfredo penne pasta on plate

Check out more Instant Pot chicken and pasta recipes

Recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo

instant pot chicken alfredo penne pasta on white plate with parsley

Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo

Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo penne pasta is made from scratch in the pressure cooker with heavy cream, pasta, chicken, butter and spices in about 30 minutes!   
5 from 13 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: instant pot chicken alfredo
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
time to pressurize: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 350kcal
Author: Dee

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed -- about 2 medium or 3 small
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 16-ounce box penne pasta -- uncooked
  • 8 tablespoons butter, divided -- 1 stick
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 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

Calories: 350kcal
Loved this recipe?Mention @meatloafandmelodrama or tag #meatloafandmelodrama!

I hope you enjoy this easy Instant Pot chicken alfredo pasta as much as we do!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  12. Tried it tonight and the flavor & consistency of the sauce was terrific, but my noodles were a little mushy. What is a “gradual” release. I tried a 10 minute natural/quick release (let it continue to warm for 10 minutes and then turn to venting) and I think it was too long. How long before you switched to venting?

    Reply

    • Hi Mary. I’m so sorry about the mushy pasta! For any pasta, you always want a quick release or gradual quick release, which means you turn the vent a little bit at a time instead of all at once. This just prevents the water from spraying everywhere from a sudden release. So, after the pasta is done cooking, turn the vent a little at a time to minimize water spraying, then turn it all the way for a full release. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions. 🙂

      Reply

  15. Hi, I was wondering how many servings this makes and if there would be enough room to double it in a 6 qt. My kids eat a ton when I make alfredo and I’m worried there won’t be enough. Thanks!

    Reply

  17. This recipe is delish! It’s warming and waiting for me in the Instant Pot and I can’t wait to dig in. I followed your recipe to a T but only had spaghetti noodles and it turned out perfect. Looking forward to eating very soon! Thank you! I’ll be sure to check your other recipes. This will be a family favorite for sure.

    Reply

  18. This recipe is Ahhhh-mazing! My husband doesn’t like Alfredo, or any white creams or sauces, so I rarely get to have this. I followed the recipe exactly, and it turned out wonderful! So quick and easy to make! Thank you so much!

    Reply

  19. I made this without the chicken, and melted all the butter in the water, before adding the noodles. It’s a big hit in my family!

    Reply

  20. I made this last night and it was delish! Family loved it! I followed the recipe as stated just used fresh garlic since I didn’t have any garlic powder and I set the time to only 3 minutes could have even gone to 2 minutes. It also takes awhile for the the pressure to release. While you are waiting for the sauce to thicken the pasta still softens so my pasta was perfect al dente. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  21. This recipe is so delicious! Second time I have made it, but my issue is that my Instant Pot hates me. I have yet to make ANYthing in there that I don’t get the *burn* notice. Ugh. The heavy cream both times fell apart and was watery, but a simple roux of butter and flour saved the dish and the dish is delish. I am the problem with my problem! LOL!

    Reply

    • I can imagine how frustrating that is. The Alfredo sauce thickens as it stands — I’ve never needed to add a roux to it.

      Reply

  22. This was a huge hit with my family tonight! Thanks for the great and easy recipe! I usually have a skillet from the chicken, the pot from the pasta and a saucepan from the sauce all to clean but this!! One pot and it was delicious!! Thank you! We will be making this again!

    Reply

  23. I made this yesterday. The only problem I had was the size of my family, 10 people. I had made it before for four and had plenty of left overs. So, I just doubled the whole recipe and followed prep and cooking instructions as written. Leftovers equaled two small containers. I think that’s called success!!! Thanks for the recipe. Awesome results. I have a 8 quart Duo.

    Reply

  24. This recipe came out as good as it was easy to make, I followed it to the t and it was a hit, definitely recommend it.

    Reply

  25. Can’t wait to try this! I’d like to use boneless skinless thighs, should I leave the cook time as is or add a few minutes?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *