Instant Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta tossed with spinach in a creamy sauce. This quick dinner is easy to make and ready in less than 30 minutes.
The creamy broth for this chicken pesto pasta is made up of pesto, milk, cream cheese, and grated parmesan.
Ingredients in Instant Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Chicken skinless boneless chicken breasts - sliced into thin strips
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- Rotini pasta
- Chicken broth
- Pesto
- Ground pepper
- Milk (low fat or milk)
- Cream cheese
- Parmesan cheese
RELATED: Instant Pot Beef Tortellini
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta
Set the Instant Pot to saute - Set the Instant Pot to saute and add the olive oil.
Saute the garlic and chicken - Add garlic and the chicken sliced in thin strips to the inner liner and saute until the chicken is browned on all sides.
TIP: Use a garlic press to easily mince garlic.
Press cancel - Press cancel, remove the chicken, and deglaze the inner liner by scraping the bottom of the liner to remove any stuck-on bits.
Add the pasta - Add the rotini pasta to the bottom of the pot.
Top with chicken - Place the chicken on top of the uncooked pasta.
Pour in the broth - Pour in the 3 cups of chicken broth.
Pressure Cook - Close the lid and set the Instant Pot to HIGH PRESSURE/MANUAL COOK for 4 minutes.
Once the 4 minutes are over, slowly and carefully release the pressure manually.
Remove lid and other ingredients - Remove the lid and set the pot back to saute.
Make the creamy sauce - Add the cream cheese, milk, Parmesan, and pepper and combine until the cream cheese is melted and combined well.
Stir in spinach - Chop and stir in the spinach and serve with additional Parmesan.
RELATED: Instant Pot Lazy Lasagna
Can I Substitute the Rotini Pasta?
Yes, you can substitute the rotini pasta in this Instant Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta recipe for other kinds of pasta. Fusilli, ziti, penne, and even rigatoni would work well in this recipe.
When pressure cooking pasta, a good rule of thumb is to divide the time it takes on the back of the box of pasta and then subtract one minute from the never you get. That is the time you pressure cook the pasta for.
Can I Use Gluten-Free Pasta?
You can use gluten-free pasta in the Instant Pot but it's important to use a good quality gluten free pasta so that it doesn't turn to mush under pressure. The rest of the recipe will remain the same!
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta
Instant Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta tossed with spinach in a creamy sauce. This quick dinner is easy to make and ready in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken skinless boneless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups rotini pasta
- 3 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup pesto
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup milk (low fat or milk)
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups spinach, chopped
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to saute and add the olive oil.
- Add garlic and the chicken sliced in thin strips to the inner liner and saute until the chicken is browned on all sides.
- Press cancel, remove the chicken, and deglaze the inner liner by scraping the bottom of the liner to remove any stuck-on bits.
- Add the rotini pasta to the bottom of the pot.
- Place the chicken on top of the uncooked pasta.
- Pour in the 3 cups of chicken broth.
- Close the lid and set the Instant Pot to HIGH PRESSURE/MANUAL COOK for 4 minutes.
- Once the 4 minutes are over, slowly and carefully release the pressure manually.
- Remove the lid and set the pot back to saute.
- Add the cream cheese, milk, Parmesan, and pepper and combine until the cream cheese is melted and combined well.
- Chop and stir in the spinach and serve with additional Parmesan.
Notes
The rotini pasta can be swapped out for penne, fusilli, or other small pasta.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 497Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 118mgSodium: 843mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 39g
Nutrition calculation is a rough estimate and can vary depending on the cooking technique and the exact ingredients used. For informational purposes only.
Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
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