This post contains affiliate links.
I've had so much fun recipe testing instant pot recipes, and I'm sooooooo excited to share this Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta with you all today. A delicious pasta dish with creamy garlic sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and chicken. My family quickly fell in love with this yummy, EASY pressure cooker meal.
I've found myself using my Instant Pot more than ever in the past few weeks.
I especially love it for meals where you can throw all of the raw ingredients together, push one button, and BAM, it's ready in 15 minutes–Like these chicken taco bowls, or instant pot spaghetti.
The key is to cook everything well, without ending up with undercooked or overcooked noodles, or chicken.
One thing I really love about this tuscan chicken pasta dinner is how flavorful it is. The chicken is seasoned, and browned before you add everything else, and the onions are sauteed also, to give everything more depth of flavor.
Instead of water, we're cooking the pasta with chicken broth, and I've added milk and spices to make it creamier and extra flavorful. I hope you all love the end result as much as I do!
How to make Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta:
Start by seasoning your chicken with salt and pepper and paprika.
Turn your Instant Pot to saute, and brown the chicken on both sides. Remove it to a plate.
Add butter and chopped onion to the pot to saute.
Add the chicken broth, seasonings, milk, pasta and chicken to the pan. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
When the timer beeps, quick release the pressure and open the lid.
Remove the chicken to a plate, tent it with foil and allow it to rest.
Add the cream cheese to the instant pot and gently stir it in until melted and smooth.
Stir in the fresh parmesan cheese, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Chop the chicken and add it as well.
Give everything a little stir. Can you already smell the goodness? YUM! Perfect creaminess, and tons of flavor. And now you're ready to enjoy! Add a little extra garnish of parmesan cheese, cracked pepper and a some crushed red pepper flakes, if you're into that kinda thing 🙂 .
CHECK OUT MY OTHER INSTANT POT RECIPES! POPULAR ONES INCLUDE:
FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
Recipe
Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons paprika , smoked or regular
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup yellow onion , chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 4 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 12 ounces penne pasta (or farfalle)
- 6 ounces cream cheese , softened and cut into small pieces
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes , drained and chopped
- 4 ounces baby spinach leaves
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Turn Instant pot to saute.
- Season chicken breasts on both sides with paprika, salt and pepper.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the hot instant pot.
- Add chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned, but not cooked through. Remove to a plate.
- Add butter and onion to the pot and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, (scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze it), seasonings, milk, pasta, and chicken breasts back to pot.
- Close IP lid and turn release valve to sealed. Cook on manual (high pressure) for 5 minutes.
- When the timer beeps, do a controlled quick release, to release the pressure. (Turn the valve but if any liquid sprays close it again and try again in a few seconds.)
- Carefully open lid. Remove chicken to a plate and tent with foil. (Don’t skip this step. The chicken will continue to cook under the foil).
- Stir in cream cheese, stirring gently until it’s melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Stir in parmesan cheese, sun dried tomatoes and spinach. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Chop chicken and return to pot.
- Sauce will thicken as it cools. Serve warm, garnished with extra parmesan cheese, if desired.
This was easily 10/10. We had no leftovers and it fed two hungry men, me, and both of our children. I didn’t change anything about this recipe except we had to leave for a bit after it was done so I put it all back in the instant pot (it was a little watery) and just left on keep warm for about an hour while I was out. It was super easy and it’s been bookmarked for our favorites list now 🙂
This recipe makes soup NOT pasta sauce!! I followed the directions exactly (using a measuring cup and 6 qt instant pot) and the chicken was tough (from the quick release that this recipe instructs) and there was wayyy too much liquid. I had to dump the entire soup mixture down the sink. It was not edible… what a waste!!
Hi Jessica, I’m so sorry it didn’t work for you. I have had overwhelming positive feedback from this recipe, on instant pot facebook groups and many other places, so I’m not sure what went wrong. Also, the pasta sauce thickens as the mixture cools.
Maybe you didn’t have it on sauté &cook high. You can add some heavy cream to make I thicker. It turned out perfect for me.
This recipe was a hit! I did use about 14-16oz pasta and doubled the chicken breasts, and it came out SO good. Great, clear instructions – recipe came out as expected. Better even! I have the Instant Pot Ultra for reference.
Thanks so much, I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks for your sweet comment 🙂
This was so delicious! I am away without installer….has anyone done in crockpot? Or should I just cook noodles and then add all ingredients..I have rotisserie chicken breast so chicken already cooked…thanks
Loved this recipe..away from home and only have crock pot..have you ever tried with crockpot?
Hi Carol, I haven’t tested this in a crockpot yet. The liquid amount would need to be adapted. I’d love to hear if you try it!
THis was a total homerun. I used shredded rottersie chicken instead of. chicken breast. Otherwise I followed recipe to a T. Is was perfect and delicious. A Keeper. .
So happy you liked it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I made this tonight. It was delish!
Oh my gosh! AlI can say is that this was delicious!!!!! I was skeptica because all previous comments, but after following her recipe exactly it is now apparent there may have been some human error involved in any negative comments. This dish was easy, ridiculously fast and tasty! Super flavorful. I am definitely going to try all your recipes. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Thanks so much for sharing, and for your nice comment 🙂 . Hope you get to try my other IP recipes soon!
Duh, 7 cups, not quarts!
I sauteed 6 or 7 crushed garlic cloves instead of the garlic powder, used half and half instead of milk, used just a quart of chicken broth, and used a pound of whole wheat penne. Sauce could have been just a little creamier, but it was a total hit for Sunday lunch. Fed two adults and filled a 7-quart container with left-overs.
This meal was ABSOLUTELY delicious!!! Thank you for it. I have two questions…1) I like my macaroni more on the al dente side, this made the macaroni very limp. Should I cook less for more of an al dente? 2nd question is, do you have the nutrition facts for the recipe? I see the calories, but was looking into seeing the fat, carbs, protein breakout. Thank you!
Hi Marissa,
I’m so glad you enjoyed the meal. To answer your questions:
1. For more al dente noodles, I would recommend to cut your chicken up into smaller pieces (so that it cooks faster) and then only cooke the pasta for 3-4 minutes.
2.It’s estimated at about 500 calories per serving with protein 26, fat 20, and carbs 54