Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta
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I love pasta. I also have a child that would gladly live off carbs (if I let him). Prior to my experiment with Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, I was skeptical about making pasta in the Instant Pot. Since that recipe was a success, I decided to try creating this Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta, and I think it’s a winner. The Little agrees.
This creation came about as I was starting to accumulate leftover ingredients from other recipes. I had the majority of a bunch of kale nearing the end of it’s lifespan, and I really wanted to find something to do with it. That is when I happened to see a video for a pasta with kale in it, and a light bulb went off. I would combine all my stray ingredients in one delicious (one pot) pasta dish.
Sear the Chicken
Turn the Instant Pot to the wonderful Saute function, and increase heat level to More. Heat 1 tbsp of oil (I used the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes for extra favour). Add the garlic and chipotle paste to the pot, saute for about 30 seconds before adding the chicken. I seasoned the chicken lightly with salt and pepper before adding. Sear on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add the onions and sun-dried tomatoes, and saute for an additional minute or two.
Cook the Pasta
Deglaze the pot with white wine (optional) and cook for a minute before adding vegetable (or chicken) broth. If not using wine, add the broth right away. Scrape anything off the bottom of the pot, and turn off the Saute function.
Add the pasta and water to the pot, along with the salt, pepper, and sage. Stir and push the noodles down to make sure they are all under the liquid.
If you want softer kale, add the torn up kale to the top of the noodles now (do not mix in). If you prefer a firmer texture, or are using something more delicate like spinach, wait until after pressure cooking to add.
Put the lid on the Instant Pot, turn the knob to Sealing, and set to High Pressure for 10 minutes. For noodles that are a little more al dente, or if using smaller pasta, decrease time to eight minutes.
Finishing the Pasta
When the time is up, you can either allow to naturally pressure release for a few minutes before venting, or just do a quick release.
Remove the lid and stir all the ingredients well. Turn the Saute function back on, but this time just to Normal. Add the lemon juice to the pot, followed by the cream. If you did not add the kale/spinach before cooking, add it now as well. Cook while stirring until the sauce thickens slightly. Serve Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta garnished with lemon zest and fresh cracked black pepper, if desired.
Enjoy!
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 chicken breasts cubed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp chipotle paste or to taste
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 4-5 sage leaves cut in strips
- 1/4 cup white wine optional
- 1 cup vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper or to taste
- 3-4 leaves kale stemmed and torn
- 500 g rigatoni noodles
- 1 lemon juiced
- lemon zest to garnish
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to the Saute function, increase to More. Heat oil, and add garlic and chipotle paste. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Season chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Add to Instant Pot and sear on both sides, approximately 2 minutes per side. Add the onions and sun-dried tomatoes and saute for another minute.
- Deglaze the pot with the white wine, cook for a minute before adding vegetable broth. If not using wine, add broth right away. Scrape anything off the bottom of the pot, and turn off the Saute function.
- Add the pasta, water, sage, salt and pepper to the pot. Stir ingredients well and ensure all noodles are below the liquid. Add kale to the top of the noodles, do not stir. Alternatively, wait until after pressure cooking for firmer kale.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot, turn the knob to Sealing, and set to High Pressure for 10 minutes. For more al dente pasta, or smaller noodles, set to 8 minutes.
- When time is up, do a quick release. Remove lid and stir pasta. Turn the Saute function back on, and set to Normal.
- Add the lemon juice to the pot, followed by the cream. If you did not add the kale before cooking, add it now as well. Cook while stirring until sauce thickens slightly.
- Garnish with lemon zest and fresh cracked black pepper, if desired.
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