Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta is delicious and comforting. Cooked in an Electric Pressure Cooker in just 5 minutes. True one pot recipe
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta is delicious and comforting. Cooked in an Electric Pressure Cooker in just 5 minutes. True one pot recipe
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 cup milk
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 cups grated cheddar
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cups macaroni ((make sure it's the kind that cooks in
- 1.5 cup chicken broth ((or use 1 cup if prefer less saucy
- 1 cup tomato purã©e
- 1/2 tsp salt ((or to taste))
- 1/2 tsp pepper ((or to taste))
- 1 cup frozen vegetables ((optional))
- Carbohydrate 8.10422094219141 g
- Cholesterol 87.3972624367148 mg
- Fat 15.2920278777396 g
- Fiber 1.23019479151932 g
- Protein 29.08796595717 g
- Saturated Fat 9.06324485614133 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (214g)
- Sodium 311.607860940043 mg
- Sugar 6.8740261506721 g
- Trans Fat 1.10390090780078 g
- Calories 288 calories
Step-by-step
- Press sauté on your Instant Pot, add the olive oil and heat it up.
- Add the chopped onion and sauté for 5-8 minutes stirring, until the onion is translucent and starts to turn golden.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except for the frozen vegetables and cheese.
- Turn the sauté function off. Close the lid and turn the valve to sealing.
- Press Manual or Pressure Cooker button (depending on your model) and use the arrows to select 5 minutes. It will take about 12-15 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, depending on how cold the ingredients are.
- Once the 5 minutes of pressure cooking are up and your Instant Pot beeps that it's done do a manual quick release. I like putting a small kitchen towel on the pressure release valve to contain the steam a little bit. It took about 2 minutes to fully release the pressure.
- Open the lid, stir in the frozen vegetables if using, the grated cheese and stir to incorporate.
- Try to see if the pasta is cooked to your liking. It is usually just a tad too al-dente for me at this point.
- If you are serving this Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta right away and the pasta is just a bit too al-dente, then close the lid and let the pasta sit for 3 minutes.
- If you are turning this pasta into a casserole, then transfer the a casserole dish right away. Add the toppings (1/2 cup bread crumbs+1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese+2 tablespoons chopped parsley) and broil for 3-4 minutes until the cheese is lightly golden.
Vibrant orange cheddar coats tender macaroni while rich tomato purée and chicken broth create a glossy, clinging sauce that bridges the gap between tomato-based and cheese-based pasta dishes. Electric pressure cooking changes the standard rules of pasta preparation by cooking the noodles directly in the sauce rather than in a separate pot of boiling water. This method requires careful management of the cooking cycle to prevent starch from scorching against the bottom of the stainless steel insert during the pressurization phase.
Managing Timing and Starch Control
When cooking pasta under pressure, the liquid ratio dictates whether the final dish turns out silky or gummy. Chicken thighs cut into one-inch pieces release enough moisture during the 5-minute high-pressure cycle to augment the liquid, while the macaroni absorbs starches that naturally thicken the surrounding broth. Allowing a 3-minute post-cooking rest with the lid sealed lets the pasta finish softening via residual heat without exposing the dairy to direct heat sources that cause curdling. Grated cheddar melts smoothly into the hot mixture only after the pressure has fully released and the cooking cycle concludes.
- Stir the sauce thoroughly after adding the dairy to prevent grease separation from the cheese fats.
- Check pasta firmness immediately following the quick release; if the noodles remain rigid, trap ambient heat by securing the lid for an extra 180 seconds.
- Substitute low-sodium vegetable stock for chicken broth at a 1:1 ratio if managing dietary sodium content.
