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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 🙂 .
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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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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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 🙂
Super runny sauce!!! We had to cook 2 more ups of penne noodles to soak all the sauce up, next time I’d use less chicken broth for sure. It did end up tasting great in the end though.
Would this recipe work without an instant pot? How could I adapt it for just over the stove?
I’d suggest this similar recipe: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/tuscan-garlic-chicken/
Wow! Made again tonight for the second time. Used a whole box of whole wheat pasta and whole brick of light cream cheese. Threw I’m sliced mushrooms. Next time I’ll use a whole bag of spinach. Absolutely delicious! Thank you!
How would you make this with frozen chicken?
I haven’t tried it with frozen chicken because I worry it wouldn’t cook in time. You don’t want to add any more time or the noodles will be overcooked. If you cut the frozen chicken into small pieces it may work.
Yummy, but confused!! Other than substituting bow-tie pasta I made the recipe exactly as mentioned and when I opened the pot after it was done it was a pot of soup! I drained 3 cups worth of liquid before it came somewhat close to being a pasta consistency. I was disappointed at first but it still tasted okay. Not sure how it turned out perfect for some. I think I should double the amount of pasta and chicken next time.
Reduce stock!! I used 4 cups and I had a lovely soup. Very tasty! But introduced the dish as a soup because there is no way I could pass it off as pasta. Good soup, just not what I wanted.
While I did really love the outcome of this recipe, I had a hard time with the chicken because it didn’t cook all the way through, even with the foil. Still, tasted amazing
I am using chicken tenderloins. Anything I should change?
No, that should be fine! Enjoy!
After you sauté the chicken and then add the chicken broth and pasta etc -and then close the lid, what setting do you cook it on? Instructions say “manual” but I don’t have a manual button. Do you just click “pressure cooker?”… or chicken? You don’t leave it in sauté do you?
Thanks!!
Sorry, I have the older version with the manual button. You want to cook it on High Pressure.
Love this recipe did I mention LOVE it . Quick and a easy go to some would think it would take hrs . Ha not so, great taste and very filling the only thing I changed was the pasta I use bowtie instead