Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta

This Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta is so delicious and so easy to make, this is definitely going to be one of your go-to Instant Pot dinners! Flavorful chicken breasts, garlic, penne, real cream and real parmesan cheese, and the best part is it all cooks together in the Instant Pot.

This recipe is a variation of the One-Pan Chicken Alfredo I developed in 2013. That is still one of my family’s favorite recipes, and truly a reader favorite too!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 large chicken breasts about 1.5 pounds total
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 quart low sodium chicken broth
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1 pound of uncooked penne pasta
• 8 oz of freshly shredded real parmesan cheese
• flat leaf parsley minced for garnish

Instructions
Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Set 6 Qt Instant Pot to Saute function and hit Adjust button until More is lit. This heats Instant Pot to highest heat for searing.
Add olive oil to Instant Pot and sear chicken breast in Instant Pot for several minutes on both sides until evenly browned.
Remove chicken from pot and set aside to be added back in with the rest of the ingredients.

1. Add garlic to pot and cook for about one minute.
2. Add chicken broth and use wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
3. Add heavy cream, uncooked pasta, a teaspoon of kosher salt and several turns of freshly ground pepper.
4. Return chicken breasts to Instant Pot and stir all ingredients together.
5. Hit off button to end Saute function, then lock lid in place with Pressure valve set to sealing.
6. Cook on Manual, High Pressure for 6 minutes. Instant Pot with take 10-15 minutes to come to pressure and then countdown from 6 minutes.
7. Once cooking is complete, use Quick Pressure Release.
8. Since we are cooking a pound of pasta, there may be some starches and liquids that start to splatter. If that happens, use wooden spoon or an oven mitt to quickly close pressure valve. Wait one minute and try again.
9. Once pressure pin drops, unlock lid and remove chicken breasts. Use a meat thermometer to ensure they have reached 165 F degrees. Set aside to rest.
10. Stir pasta and cream mixture together and slowly add in freshly grated parmesan cheese.
11. Slice chicken breast and combine with pasta.
12. Serve with additional freshly ground pepper, shredded parmesan and chopped flat leaf parsley.

Recipe Notes
Important Recipe Tips -
Do not substitute milk, or half and half for heavy cream, it will not stand up to the high heat of pressure cooking.
For best results, use real parmesan cheese grated on a microplane. Store bought grated parmesan cheese will not melt properly and will stick to the bottom of the pot.
Sauce will thicken as it cools.
If halving the recipe, keep same cooking time.