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Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta

Flavorful Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta made with cajun seasonings, crispy bacon, fettuccine pasta, and tossed with heavy cream to create a creamy and flavorful broth.

It takes less than 30 minutes to make this tasty dinner.

Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta on a plate with a bacon and a fresh lemon wedge.

Inspired By Recipe

This recipe is inspired by Chili's Cajun Chicken Pasta. Just like the stovetop version, this Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe is made in the Instant Pot all at once. Easy clean-up and absolutely delicious!

How to Pressure Cook Pasta

Pasta is very easy to make in the Instant Pot and the trick for successful pasta is to make sure the pasta is submerged completely in the liquid (water or broth) that is being used to pressure cook the pasta.

Another trick to successful pasta is to fan out so that the pasta doesn't clump together while pressure cooking.

A general rule of thumb is to add 2 cups of water or broth for every 8 ounces of pasta. When making recipes that create a creamy broth, I like to add more liquid to help create a smooth and creamy sauce.

Two plates of Cajun Chicken Pasta made in the Instant Pot with lemon wedges.

RELATED: Instant Pot Creamy Beef Tortellini

Ingredients in Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta

  • Boneless skinless chicken breasts- cut up into small pieces. This will help the chicken cook evenly so that it will be cooked through by the time the pasta is done pressure cooking.
  • Onion- diced finely
  • Fettuccine pasta- Linguine pasta is a great substitution.
  • Cajun seasoning- a homemade blend or premade mix is fine.
  • Butter
  • Lemon juice- lemon juice helps intensify and lock in flavor.
  • Heavy cream
  • Chicken broth, low sodium- low sodium chicken broth is a great option to lower the overall sodium content.
  • Salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Parsley - fresh
A plate with cajun seasoned chicken, crispy bacon, and fresh parsley tossed with fettuccine.

RELATED: Instant Pot Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

How to Make Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta

Prepare the chicken breasts- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and coat the chicken in cajun seasoning. To reduce the heat in this dish reduce the cajun seasoning by half - this will also reduce the sodium content.

Prepare the Instant Pot- Set the Instant Pot to the saute setting and add the butter. Allow the butter to melt

Saute the chicken- Add the seasoned chicken and saute the chicken until all sides are browned. Once the chicken is evenly sauteed, press cancel and remove the seared chicken.

Cook the bacon crispy- Chop the bacon into small pieces and cook it until it is crispy. Remove the bacon and set it aside.

Deglaze the inner liner- Remove the grease and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Deglazing the pot will help prevent a burn notice.

Layer the pasta- Layer the fettuccine pasta inside the liner by fanning the pasta in all directions. You may need to break the pasta to make the pasta fit in the inner liner.

Add the remaining ingredients- Add the seared chicken back to the inner liner by placing the pieces of chicken on the pasta. Sprinkle the black pepper, parsley, and garlic powder on top of the chicken.

Pour the chicken broth on top of the pasta making sure all of the pasta is submerged.

Close the lid and the vent.

A fork swirled with fettuccine cajun chicken pasta.

RELATED: Instant Pot Taco Pasta

Pressure cook- Pressure cook on High Pressure using the MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK setting for 4 minutes.

Using the quick-release method, carefully and slowly release the pressure from the Instant Pot. Do this slowly to prevent water or steam from spewing out of the vent.

*Refer to your pressure cooker's manual for how to safely use its features.

Add the heavy cream and serve- Remove the lid from the pot once the pressure has been released and stir in the heavy cream and stir until combined. Toss with the crispy bacon and garnish with fresh parsley if desired and serve.

What Sides to Serve With Cajun Chicken Pasta

Sides to serve with this Instant Pot Chicken Cajun Pasta are salads, breadsticks, or crusty bread.

A closeup of Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta tossed with bacon and fresh parsley in a creamy sauce.

📖 Recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta

A fork swirled with fettuccine cajun chicken pasta.

Flavorful Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta made with cajun seasonings, crispy bacon, fettuccine pasta, and tossed with heavy cream to create a creamy and flavorful broth.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Total Time 14 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 6 slices bacon, cut into small pieces and cooked crispy
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 8 ounces fettuccine pasta
  • 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon parsley
  • 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

  1. Coat chicken in cajun seasoning.
  2. Add butter to the Instant Pot and saute the seasoned chicken until all sides are browned.
  3. Remove the chicken and add the pieces of bacon and cook until it is crispy.
  4. Press cancel and remove the bacon and set it aside.
  5. Drain the bacon grease and deglaze the bottom of the pot.
  6. Layer the fettuccine pasta inside the liner by fanning the pasta in all directions.
  7. Add the chicken on top of the pasta.
  8. Sprinkle the black pepper, parsley, and garlic powder on top of the chicken.
  9. Pour the chicken broth on top of the pasta making sure all of the pasta is submerged.
  10. Close the lid and the vent.
  11. Pressure cook on High Pressure using the MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK setting for 4 minutes.
  12. Using the quick-release method, carefully and slowly release the pressure from the Instant Pot. Do this slowly to prevent water or steam from spewing out of the vent.
  13. Pour in the heavy cream and stir until combined.
  14. Toss with the bacon and serve immediately.
  15. Serve with fresh parsley and lemon wedges if desired.

Notes

The heat can be adjusted by reducing or adding more cajun seasoning according to taste.

*Refer to your pressure cooker's manual for how to safely use its features.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 695Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 196mgSodium: 1262mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 52g

Nutrition calculation is a rough estimate and can vary depending on the cooking technique and the exact ingredients used. For informational purposes only.

Did you make this recipe?

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Ann

Sunday 3rd of July 2022

This pasta dish sounds delicious! I love anything with cajun seasoning! Thanks for the share!

amy liu dong

Friday 1st of July 2022

Another awesome-looking pasta recipe. It definitely looks so yummy. Plus we can never go wrong with pasta. Loved it!

Maren Epstein

Friday 24th of June 2022

Loved this recipe

Dana

Friday 24th of June 2022

Hi Maren, Thanks for sharing! :)

AIsilva

Friday 24th of June 2022

This was great, thank you!

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