Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta is very easy to make and delicious. It’s made with perfect juicy chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach in a creamy parmesan sauce. This easy Instant Pot recipe will quickly become one of your favorite recipes, and the whole family will love it.
With tangy and chewy sundried tomatoes and thick, rich, creamy sauce full of herbs and spices, this tender chicken and pasta recipe is everything a good pasta dinner is supposed to be in under 30 minutes. All you need to make it is a handful of ingredients, and you can have a restaurant-style dish ready to serve that the whole family will love. Add some crusty bread or breadsticks and a salad for a full, hearty meal.
Table of contents
Instant Pot Pasta Recipe
This easy recipe is one of the tastiest things you can make in your electric pressure cooker. I love the convinience that you only have to dirty your pressure cooker! The end result is a very creamy chicken and cheesy pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach.
After you cook the pasta it may look a little runny, don’t worry, you need all that liquid to create the creamy sauce. Also, I like to use a mix of cream cheese and Parmesan cheese because it adds richness and flavor to this delicious dinner. The sun-dried tomatoes add a bit of chewiness and tartness, while the spinach adds some freshness and a pop of color.
My secret ingredients in this recipe are cream cheese and evaporated milk instead of heavy cream. The concentrated proteins in the evaporated milk, without all the extra water from the cream, give you a thicker sauce that does not clump or curdle. This allows you to use it while cooking instead of waiting until the end. Also, you get a much richer taste with the evaporated milk and cream cheese.
Since I am serving a family of four, I use four chicken breasts, but if you are serving more or fewer people, you can adjust the recipe for your needs. You could also use any cut of chicken you like. I prefer using boneless, skinless chicken breasts because they are easy to use. I do not have to do any fancy cutting around the bones or removing the skin. I buy my chicken breasts in bulk and freeze them because I use them in many recipes.
I enjoy making easy and delicious Instant Pot pasta recipes, like my popular chicken pot pie pasta, pizza pasta, and the cheesy cheeseburger macaroni. These are all great recipes you can make during a busy weeknight. Dinner has never been easier and tastier!!
Why you will love this recipe
- No dishes to clean: It is a one-pot meal. You do not have a sink full of dishes to wash.
- It cooks in minutes: Literally, you set the instant pot timer for four minutes!
- Anyone can make it: This is an easy recipe—no need for a cooking class.
- No fancy tools: All you need is an instant pot. You could even cook it on the stove.
What you’ll need to make instant pot Tuscan chicken pasta:
Special items:
- Instant pot – I use a six-quart Duo Plus Instant Pot.
- Large shallow bowl – For seasoning the chicken.
- Cooking utensils
Ingredients:
For the chicken:
- Chicken – I chose skinless boneless chicken breasts because they are easy and taste great.
- Olive oil – Extra-virgin olive oil is what I use because it is light and mild.
- Paprika – Adds a sweet, smoky, spicy flavor.
- Onion powder – For a taste between cooked and raw onions.
- Garlic powder – Concentrated garlic flavor for a robust kick.
- Oregano – The ultimate Italian seasoning has a woodsy, earthy background with a hint of floral spiciness.
- Thyme – Gives your chicken a complex, pungent, savory, and sweet flavor.
- Rosemary – Adds mint, lemon, pine, and a hint of pepper.
- Ground black pepper
- Salt
For the pasta:
- Sun-dried tomatoes – Gives your sauce that intense tart and sweet flavor with a chewy texture so much better than regular tomatoes.
- Chicken broth – Use low-sodium to avoid making your dish too salty.
- Evaporated milk—I use this so you can cook with it instead of waiting until the end.
- Pasta – I prefer shells, so you get sauce, meat, and veggies in every bite.
- Cream cheese – Mixed with the evaporated milk, cream cheese will make your sauce extra creamy.
- Parmesan cheese – For a rich, salty cheesiness.
- Spinach – Adds a pop of color and freshness.
- Italian seasoning – You can use your own, store-bought, or try my homemade Italian seasoning.
- Onion – I use one small chopped yellow onion.
- Garlic – Freshly minced garlic will give you the best flavor with no bitter aftertaste.
How to make Instant Pot Tuscan chicken pasta?
For the exact steps and ingredient measures, please see the recipe card below. Also, watch the short video tutorial attached for easy step-by-step guidelines. But the general steps are the following:
- Season the chicken: Whisk the herbs above, and coat the poultry well.
- Saute the meat: Then, using the saute function of the IP, saute the breasts until nicely browned. Remove from the pot, and set aside.
- Add the veggies: Next, add some olive oil to the pot, along with chopped onion, sun-dried tomatoes, seasoning, broth, evaporated milk, and pasta. Mix well, and scratch the bottom of the pot. Add back the chicken.
- Cook: Close the lid and cook under HIGH pressure.
- Cut the poultry: Once done cooking, open the lid and remove the breasts. Chop them into smaller sizes. Add the cream cheese, and shredded parmesan cheese to the pot, and gently stir together. Then, add fresh spinach and mix together.
- Serve: Add back the chicken and serve warm.
Expert tip
Cooking with dry pasta
One thing you must remember about cooking with an instant pot is that it cooks things quickly, hence the name. Although it may seem strange to dump dry noodles into a pot with raw chicken, if you were to cook it first, you would end up with soggy noodles. The instant pot will cook your pasta to perfection if you cook it for four minutes and do an immediate quick release. Take your time with a natural release with this one.
If you do a natural release, your al dente noodles will end up soft. If you like your pasta soft, that is not a problem then. I want my pasta to have a bite to it, so I make sure I am there to let the pressure out right away. Then, I carefully remove the cover to let the steam out so it stops cooking. Once you remove the chicken and add the cream cheese, the pasta starts to cool down, so it stops cooking.
Now, some people have asked if they can cook fresh pasta in an instant pot. I would not recommend that. Fresh pasta only takes a few minutes to cook on the stove, so I do not know how it would be done in an instant pot. I have asked many others, and the few who have tried it say that it came out gummy and stuck together. One person added it after the cooking cycle, but it still stuck together. I would stick to dry pasta or make it on the stove.
Recipe Variations:
- Greens: You can use frozen-thawed and drained spinach instead of fresh. As alternative use kale and garnish the dish with basil leaves.
- Creamier: Also, light cream cheese will work in place of regular if preferred. Another option is to use creme frache.
- Aromatics: Garlic powder could be replaced with fresh, I’d go with about 3 minced garlic cloves.
- Veggies: Also, try adding more veggies like red peppers, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, or zucchini.
- Other meats: I have used ground turkey, chopped turkey, and sliced pork instead of chicken; all three were hits with my family.
- Spice it up: For spicy food lovers, add hot chili peppers to your sauce or sprinkle on some cayenne pepper.
- Slow Cooker: If you have a slow cooker, then try making this slow cooker tuscan pasta.
Serving suggestions:
Instant pot Tuscan chicken pasta goes great with all sorts of side dishes. Here are some ideas my family loves:
- Serve with cheesy garlic bread or homemade breadsticks, perfect for soaking up the delicious sauce.
- I love to enjoy a plate of this delicious chicken pasta with a glass of dry white wine like Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, or Pinot Grigio.
- It also goes well with a simple salad. Sometimes I toss some spinach and tomatoes in a bowl with vinaigrette or have this strawberry arugula salad. It is so tangy and goes perfectly with the Tuscan sauce flavors.
- You could also serve this chicken pasta with grilled zucchini, artichokes, asparagus, or broccoli.
- The most popular biscuit from Tuscany, biscotti, makes a wonderful dessert or appetizer. These hard almond biscuits are also known as Cantucci, often dipped in coffee or another beverage.
- To finish the meal I also like these Italian butter cookies, they melt in your mouth.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my sauce watery?
There are several reasons why this could have happened. First, use evaporated milk and not creamy condensed milk or heavy cream. Also, be sure to get the kind made from whole milk. It has to have enough fat, so it does not separate. But wait to add the cream cheese until you are done pressure cooking, and you turn the cooker to saute. Chop it into small cubes so it melts well, and then stir until it is creamy before adding the parmesan, spinach, and chicken.
What are the best noodles for Tuscan chicken?
You want to choose a pasta shape that will hang onto the sauce and keep some of the pieces of chicken, tomatoes, and spinach inside it so you can get a good amount of taste in every bite. Shells are perfect. Sinking your teeth into a shell full of creamy cheese, Italian herbs, and sauce is so lovely. Other shapes that work include ziti, penne, rotini, and cavatappi. Campanelle noodles are nice if you want something fancier. They look like frilly trumpets.
Why is my chicken chewy?
Chewy chicken from the instant pot is usually from overcooking it. You should only cook your chicken for four minutes. This time is for chicken breasts about one and a half inches thick. If you have thinner chicken pieces, you may have to cook them for a shorter time. I recommend three minutes. You can always cook it longer, but you can never take back the cooking you already did. Once you overcook chicken, it is too late. However, if you shred it or chop it into small pieces, it will be okay.
Do I have to saute my chicken?
Although you do not have to, browning (or searing) your chicken is one important step I would not skip. For one thing, it seals in the juices to make the meat more flavorful and tender. Why would you want all those delicious juices to escape while you are cooking it? Also, your chicken gets a nice golden-brown crust from rendering it in fat (oil or butter). You can only get that if you sear your chicken in grease at a high temperature for a few minutes before cooking it.
How to store leftovers:
- Refrigerate: First, let the instant pot Tuscan chicken pasta fully cool after that transfer it to an airtight container. Next, refrigerate the leftovers for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Again, cool the leftovers and transfer them to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw: When ready to thaw the frozen leftovers in the fridge overnight.
More Instant Pot recipes:
Recipe tips:
- Refrain from pre-cooking the pasta, or you will end up with soggy noodles.
- Brown your chicken for the best flavor and texture.
- You can use any pasta you like for this dish. I like shells, but fusilli are my second favorite.
- The secret ingredient, evaporated milk, is essential to what makes this dish so creamy. Please do not skip it.
- Although you do not have to brown your chicken, sealing in the juices and adding flavor is a good idea.
- Do not use fresh pasta in the instant pot. It cooks too fast and will stick together.
Easy Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 regular boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 4 smaller ones)
Pasta:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes drained and roughly chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth water or veggie broth
- 1 cup evaporated canned milk
- 3 cups shell pasta
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups parmesan grated
- 4-5 cups fresh spinach
Instructions
- Add salt, pepper, dried rosemary, dried thyme, dried oregano, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder to a large shallow bowl and stir to combine.
- Set Instant Pot to Sauté. Once the IP is hot, add the oil.
- Toss chicken in the seasoning mix to coat on both sides and add to the hot oil.
- Cook on both sides for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pot and set aside on a plate; cover with aluminum foil to keep it warm.
- Add one tablespoon of oil to the pot still in Sauté mode if needed.
- Add the diced onion and minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add Italian seasoning and chopped sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine.
- Add chicken broth, and using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pot well to remove any bits that stuck to it.
- Add the pasta and evaporated milk. Stir gently and top with the chicken breasts.
- Cover and seal the lid. Make sure the valve points to Sealed. Change the setting to manual and adjust the time to 4 minutes on High Pressure.
- Once Instant Pot beeps to show that it's done, do a quick release by changing the position of the valve to Vent. Carefully remove the cover.
- Remove chicken from pot, and set aside on a cutting board. Cover with foil.
- Select Sauté mode and add the cubed cream cheese. Gently stir to combine for 1 minute.
- Add the parmesan cheese and gently stir to combine for 1 minute.
- Add the spinach and stir to combine. Turn off the pressure cooker.
- Cut the chicken into cubes and add to the pot; gently give everything a final stir.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parmesan cheese.
