Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta is an easy pressure cooker dinner recipe made with chicken and pasta shells in a cheesy tomato cream sauce. This one pot Italian-style chicken dinner takes about 30 minutes to make, so it’s perfect for busy days, and it’s kid friendly!
If you’re looking for an easy dinner recipe made with chicken and pasta, you’re going to love this delicious Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta. It’s like a homemade Chicken Helper, and it’s super kid friendly. Best of all, it’s a one pot dinner, so there’s hardly any clean-up for you!
You guys, my family thinks this is one of the best Instant Pot chicken recipes I’ve ever made — one of the best Instant Pot recipes, definitely!
Seriously. I hate to brag — really I do, but when even my picky eaters like what I make for dinner, I know it’s good!
This recipe is basically a knock-off of Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Beef, which is one of the most popular easy Instant Pot recipes on the blog right now. I’m always looking for easy chicken recipes with few ingredients, and that’s pretty much how this delicious chicken dinner was born. It’s super quick and easy to make, and the only difference between the two recipes is that one dinner is made with ground beef and the other is made with chicken.
How to make Instant Pot creamy chicken pasta
Making this Instant Pot creamy shells and chicken is super simple. All you do is cook the chicken in the Instant Pot on the saute setting until it’s no longer pink. Then, you layer the pasta, water and marinara sauce, and let the pressure cooker get to work.
To make it creamy, I like to add some heavy cream and a little bit of Parmesan cheese at the end. And that’s all there is to it! Easy peasy, right?
How long do you cook chicken and pasta together in the Instant Pot?
Since we’re cooking the cut-up chicken first, you only need to cook the whole dish for 4 to 5 minutes.
Can I use any kind of pasta for this recipe?
Any short, thick pasta would work here. Macaroni or mini penne would be perfect!
Can I use milk instead of heavy cream?
You can definitely use milk here, but the consistency will be thinner.
Tips for making Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta
- Make sure no chicken is stuck to the bottom before you start pressure cooking. Deglaze the pot with a spatula and extra water, if needed
- Use a thin marinara sauce, not a thick and chunky one
- Layer the pasta shells, water and marinara sauce, but don’t stir it all together
- Add extra cream at the end if you like more sauce
Recipe for Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut up
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 16-ounce box medium shell pasta, uncooked
- 1 24-ounce jar marinara sauce
- 3 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Hit SAUTE button on pressure cooker, and when it reads HOT, add olive oil
- Add cut-up chicken to hot pot, and cook until chicken is no longer pink, stirring frequently
- Add Italian Seasoning, sea salt, garlic powder and pepper, and stir until well coated. There should be plenty of juices from the chicken to deglaze pot and scrape up any chicken that might be sticking to bottom. Add a little water if necessary to make sure no chicken is sticking to pot.
- Hit CANCEL, then add uncooked pasta shells, water and marinara sauce on top. Press lightly to make sure pasta is covered with liquid, but do not stir
- Cover, turn knob to sealing position, and hit PRESSURE COOK for 5 minutes
- When pasta is done cooking, do a gradual quick release, and when pin drops, open lid
- Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese until well blended, and serve immediately
Video
Notes
Nutrition
My family devoured this easy Instant Pot creamy chicken pasta in just a few minutes! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
Happy Cooking,
Would this work in a 6 quart instant pot?
It should be fine in a 6 quart. 🙂
I love creamy pastas. I’ve not tried to make one in the IP, going to have to try that.
I love that this is made in the IP. Can’t get much better than this.
I’ve been trying to use my instant pot more and more. It’s so much easier and helps get dinner on the table quicker. This definitely looks like a dinner my family is going to love!
This looks so creamy and delicious! Fantastic!
IP pasta is my go-to dinner on busy weeknights. So easy and my family loves it!
Ohmygosh! This looks so creamy and cheesy, and you can’t beat chicken and pasta. I can’t wait to give this recipe a go!
This looks like a great comfort dish, yum! Hope you are having a great weekend and thanks so much for sharing your great post with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
This looks really good for dinner tonight!
Looks so yummy! Always looking for another reason to use “mom’s magic pot”! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Dana. I hope you get a chance to try it!
What is a gradual quick release?
Gradual quick release means slowly turning the valve to release pressure instead of releasing it all at once. I like to do this so liquid won’t spurt out.
Can I do this recipe in a crock pot and how long will it take
I’ve never tried it in the Crock-Pot, so I’m not sure on the times. You might cook the chicken first for a couple of hours, and then add the pasta. 🙂
I made this tonight and it was a HUGE hit!! So easy and SO good, will definitely make again!!!
That’s awesome, Emily! I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
Can you add vodka to this to make a vodka sauce?
I haven’t tried it, but that sounds good!
Made this last night and it was so easy and yummy! I used chicken broth instead of water and added half Parmesan and half mozzarella just because I love lots of flavor. Will definitely make it again!
Your version sounds delicious! I’ll have to try that next time. 🙂
Just made it as a quick meal for my SO to take to work for lunch….will definitely be saving this recipe! It came out much better than anticipated! (I’m Sicilian, so I was skeptical!) I followed the directions exactly, but topped it with grated Parmesan Cheese. It’s delucious.
Awesome news, Jeanette! It’s definitely Americanized pasta, so I’m happy to hear you liked it! 🙂
Oh my god! This looks so creamy and cheesy, and you can’t beat chicken and pasta. I can’t wait to give this recipe a go!
Yum! This is the first while instant pot meal I tried making and it was a success. All of my picky eaters enjoyed it. Easy, quick, and short clean up. Plus it tastes good. Definitely a winner!
That’s wonderful, Shelby! I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
can half and half be used instead of the heavy cream?
Yes! It might not be quite as thick, but it’ll definitely work!
Great recipe!
I never have the right ingredients on hand lol. In the place of the cream, I dropped three TBS of cream cheese (from the tub I use for bagels) into the pot before cooking and it thickened it just fine.
That sounds really good. Whatever works, right?! 🙂
Hi Dee,
Can you use lean ground beef instead of chicken with same recipe?
I made with chicken and it was awesome, so wanted to try it with ground beef.
Thanks!
Hi Richard. I so have a recipe that uses ground beef right here. 🙂 https://www.meatloafandmelodrama.com/instant-pot-creamy-shells-beef/
Great thanks Dee!
Wow! This one is hard to mess up really. I used the recipe as a general guideline and it turned out fantastic! Exceptional dish for meal prepping as well. Every one for the rest of the week was delicious, even after refrigerating for a few days.
Thanks so much! So glad you liked it!
What do you think about subbing coconut milk in place of cream? Hubs is lactose intolerant!!! Any other sub ideas??
Coconut milk would work, but the taste may be slightly different. I’ve also seen some lactose-free creams out there, so you may want to check those out. Hope this helps. 🙂
Typing this as I finish my third helping! This recipe really saved me tonight. It was easy, REALLY delicious, and both of my picky eaters devoured it. This was my first try doing an Instant Pot recipe with pasta, (I used macaroni) and it was a resounding success. Sauce was rich and flavorful, and pasta was done to perfection. I will make it again and again. Bravo! Thank you!
Thank you so much, Kora. I’m so happy you and your family liked it! 🙂
All I have is frozen chicken breasts. Can I use frozen chicken instead? If so, how would you do it? I’m super excited to try this!!!! Thanks in advance!!
I would thaw the chicken and then cut it and go from there. The chicken needs to be mostly cooked first so that the pasta doesn’t overcook. 🙂
Used half and half because that’s what we had at home. Whole family liked it! Thanks.
Thanks, Matt. I’m so glad you all liked it!
Does the chicken and shred or is it in bite-size pieces?
You cut the chicken first so that it’s in bite-sized pieces.
I want to try this recipe for a large not Mier of people. Do you think it can be doubled in the 8 quart instant pot?
You should definitely be able to double it in the 8 quart. Just keep the cook time the same. 🙂
If I already have a cream sauce will this recipe still work without adding the cream?
It might be a little bit thicker than the original, but it should work.
Tried your recipe last night and it was great! I have two picky eaters and they both loved it. My daughter said she wasn’t going to eat it. She took a bite of mine and then proceeded to come back many more times for mouthfuls. It was super easy and minimal ingredients for a quick, hot, tasty dinner. Thanks!
Awesome, Jason! So glad you and your family enjoyed it — thanks! 🙂
Tried this and it was super good! Got a little nervous because there’s no water amount on the recipe to put in the instant pot, so I kinda just guesstimated! But besides that this was absolutely delicious and can’t wait to make it again!!!
So glad you liked it! The recipe states 3 cups of water, so I’m not sure how that was missed. 🙂