This Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta is an easy to make dish that your family is going to love.
It’s creamy, tangy, and so very simple to make in your electric pressure cooker. If you’re a fan of easy Instant Pot recipes, this will be right up your alley.
This is one of our “emergency meals” for those nights when I haven’t planned ahead. I almost always have all the ingredients on hand already and since I just dump everything in the Instant Pot, prep time is next to nothing.
There are some weeks when our already busy family life gets a little more chaotic. Two sporting events at the same time in different locations, a shopping trip for school project supplies, an appointment that runs late—any of these can throw off our schedule and make it a little bit harder to honor our tradition of eating together as a family each night.
Those are the nights that this Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta was made for. It’s a recipe that’s easy enough that the kids can make it, if necessary. It’s ready in under 30 minutes (and that includes time for the pot to come to pressure), just like my Instant Pot Tomato Feta Pasta.
And best of all, the kids eat it without complaining so I don’t have to lose my mind and start yelling about how ungrateful my family is.
Jump to:
- What is the Best way to Avoid the Burn Message in an Instant Pot?
- SAVE THIS RECIPE!
- ❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 🥘 Ingredients
- 🔀 Substitutions
- 🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins
- 🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools
- 🔪 How to Make Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta
- ❓ Recipe FAQs
- 🙏 Pairing
- SAVE THIS RECIPE!
- Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta Recipe
- 📋 Recipe
- Recipe FAQs
What is the Best way to Avoid the Burn Message in an Instant Pot?
Here are some things you can check to avoid getting a burn message in your Instant Pot:
- Lid and sealing ring: Make sure the lid is closed properly and the silicone ring is in place and not damaged. An improperly sealed lid can cause the pot to cook before reaching pressure, which can lead to scorching.
- Pressure valve: Before pressure cooking, make sure the pressure valve is in the sealing position. If it’s set to venting, steam will escape and the liquid will evaporate, causing a burn notice.
- Liquid: Use enough liquid so the pot can pressurize. If you’re cooking ingredients that absorb liquid, like rice, you should use a dry measuring cup to measure your rice (not the one that comes with the pot) and a liquid measuring cup to measure your liquid.
- Sauté mode: If you’re using sauté mode before pressure cooking, you can deglaze the pot with some water, broth, or wine to remove caramelized bits. You can also try sautéing ingredients separately in a pan and then adding them to the pot.
- Cleanliness: Make sure all components are clean and in working order. You can clean pans periodically with a non-abrasive cleanser to remove any buildup.
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This chicken pasta will become a family favorite dinner:
- Kids can help make it: Other than cutting the chicken breast, all they have to do is gather the ingredients and dump them in the instant pot.
- Quick to make: In just about 15 minutes, a nice homemade dinner will be on the table.
- Perfect for picky eaters: This dish has noodles, cheese, and peas and carrots—all things that even picky kids usually like to eat.
If you want to try a spicy dish that’s very similar to this one, check out this Instant Pot Cajun chicken pasta.
🥘 Ingredients
To make this creamy chicken pasta dish, all you need are simple ingredients that you probably already have at home:
- Packet of Italian dressing mix: This will add a delicious flavor to your dish.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Most kids usually like chicken, and chicken breasts are a great way to get some protein, which helps support the growth of their immune system, bones, brain and muscles.
- Rotini pasta: You can use whatever kind of rotini your family prefers—wheat, veggie/tri-color, or regular.
- Cream cheese: This puts the “creamy” in this pasta dish.
- Frozen peas and carrots: Mixing vegetables in with other food is a great way to get your kids to eat their vegetables.
See recipe card for complete list of ingredients and quantities
🔀 Substitutions
Italian dressing mix: If you don’t have this, a packet of ranch dressing mix can also be a good alternative.
Cream cheese: Mascarpone or ricotta cheese can also be used for a similar creamy texture.
Frozen peas and carrots: You can substitute this with any frozen mixed vegetables that you prefer or have in your freezer.
🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins
If you want to add some additional flavor to this dish, here are some ideas.
- Cheese Variations: Use a different type of cream cheese like herb-flavored or garlic-flavored for a unique taste.
- Spice It Up: Add spices like paprika, red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper for a bit of heat. If you want to add flavor, but not heat, add fresh herbs like basil, parsley, or thyme.
- Add Bacon or Ham: Include cooked and crumbled bacon or diced ham for added flavor and texture.
For a different flavor profile, try this Buffalo chicken pasta.
🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools
You don’t need very many things to make this recipe, since it’s all cooked in one pot.
- Instant Pot: You definitely need one of these since this is the one pot this meal is cooked in.
- Knife and cutting board: The chicken needs to be cut into cubes.
- Measuring cups and spoons: This is a fun set to cook with because the handles are pretty colors.
🔪 How to Make Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta
Once you’ve gathered all your ingredients and equipment, you’re already halfway done with dinner.
Step 1: Mix the Ingredients
First, pour the chicken broth into your Instant Pot.
Then add the butter, cream of chicken soup, Italian dressing mix, chicken, and pasta. Stir well to mix in the dressing mix.
Step 2: Pressure Cook
Secure the lid of your Instant Pot and turn the valve to “sealing.” Press the Manual button (or Pressure Cook button on newer models).
Set the pressure to high and time for 4 minutes.
When the Instant Pot beeps at the end of the cook time, let it release pressure naturally for about 6 to 7 minutes before turning the valve to “venting” to quick release the remaining pressure.
Step 3: Add Remaining Ingredients
Once the pressure has fully released (the pressure valve will drop), carefully remove the lid. Then, add the cream cheese and frozen peas and carrots and stir to combine.
A quick note about the vegetables: I used a 10-ounce bag of peas and carrots but actually didn’t use the whole bag. In the recipe card below, I specify two cups because that’s about what I added.
Just eyeball it as you add your vegetables to get the proportion you think is right for your family’s taste.
Step 4: Close the Instant Pot
Put the lid back on the Instant Pot and let it sit for another 5 minutes to steam the vegetables and melt the cream cheese. After 5 minutes, remove the lid and stir again to incorporate the cream cheese.
Step 5: Serve and Enjoy
Your Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta is ready to serve! If you want, you can sprinkle on some fresh Italian herbs (e.g. basil, parsley, oregano) and/or parmesan cheese.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can, but know that frozen chicken breasts release extra liquid while they cook. I recommend reducing the amount of broth by 1/4 cup and adding an additional 2 minutes of cook time.
Absolutely, I often switch up this recipe depending on what I have on hand. Some additions we’ve tried are mushrooms (canned or fresh), broccoli, green beans, and zucchini.
We’ve used both, but personally, I prefer the Italian dressing mix so that’s how I wrote the recipe. Both are tangy and flavorful, so it’s really up to your personal preference.
Swapping one for the other doesn’t change the quantities needed of the other ingredients, just the flavor.
🙏 Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta:
Ready to get cooking? Print off the recipe card below or toggle on Cook Mode to keep your screen from going dark while you follow along on your phone or tablet.
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Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta Recipe
📋 Recipe
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta
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Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Knife and cutting board
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 – 10.5 ounce cans of cream of chicken soup
- 1 packet Italian dressing mix
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into cubes
- 16 ounces rotini pasta
- 8 ounce cream cheese 1 block
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
Instructions
- Add the butter, chicken broth, cream of chicken, Italian dressing mix, pasta, and chicken to the Instant Pot1 tablespoon butter, 4 cups chicken broth, 2 – 10.5 ounce cans of cream of chicken soup, 1 packet Italian dressing mix, 16 ounces rotini pasta, 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Mix the ingredients well.
- Close the Instant Pot and turn the valve to “sealing.”
- Press the Manual or the Pressure Cook button, high pressure, and set time to 4 minutes.
- Once the cook time is done, allow for a natural release for about 6 to 7 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure.
- Open the Instant Pot and add the cream cheese and the peas and carrots and stir. Put the lid back on the Instant Pot.8 ounce cream cheese, 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
- Wait about 5 minutes then open the Instant Pot and stir the contents again until the cream cheese is mixed in.
This is such a very comforting food! Love this recipe!
Oh good, I’m so glad you like it! Thanks for commenting.
Can I use frozen chicken? And do you know the additional cook time?
You add an additional 2 minutes when you use frozen chicken.
Is there anything that I can use as a substitute for the cream cheese?
Since the cream cheese is what makes the sauce creamy, you can really substitute anything that achieves the same result. If you just don’t like the flavor of cream cheese, ricotta is a good substitute. You can also use plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, but the result will be a thinner sauce and the flavor will be different.
I have a question about an ingredient on this recipe. Your photos show a packet of ranch dressing mix, but your recipe says Italian dressing mix and the optional additions states Italian seasoning. Could you please clarify?
You really can use either. This recipe is one of my favorites since I can work with items I have on hand. We’ve used both, but personally, I prefer the Italian dressing mix so that’s how I wrote the recipe. Both are tangy and flavorful, so it’s really up to your personal preference. Swapping one for the other doesn’t change the quantities needed of the other ingredients, just the flavor.
Very easy recipe and very tasty. Love using the Instant Pot
Did you cut up the chicken beforehand or shred it after cooking?
I cut the chicken into cubes before adding it to the pot.