This Instant Pot Chicken Pasta is a reader favorite! All the flavors of chicken parmesan are combined with pasta, to make the easiest instant pot meal, that is ready in under 30 minutes. So so good!
Breaded and fried chicken cutlets, smothered with a marinara sauce and then topped with a layer of gooey melted cheese, like the air fryer chicken parmesan is comfort food at its finest!
In this instant pot chicken pasta,I take all those flavors, and effortlessly toss in some pasta and cook in an instant pot for an easy one-pot dish, like the instant pot shrimp pasta or instant pot chicken alfredo.
Jump to:
Why this recipe works?
Pasta water consists of starch granules, which thicken the sauce and acts as an emulsifier, resulting in a creamy consistency, that is much more efficient in coating the pasta, making the instant pot chicken pasta much tastier.
I add flavor to the store-bought marinara sauce with sauteed onion and garlic, and then cooking with the chicken, results in the pasta soaking up all those delicious flavors.
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Chicken - Like in all my chicken pasta recipes, I like to use boneless, skinless thighs. They cook tender and succulent in the pressure cooker.
- Pasta - Any medium size pasta, like penne, fussili, farfalle or rigatoni, will work, like in all our penne pasta recipes.
- Marinara sauce - My go to choice is Prego, tomato basil and garlic for it's sweet flavor, like in spicy chicken pasta.
- Cheeses - Shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese are a classic when it comes to chicken parm.
- Olive oil - Adds authentic flavor and luxurious moisture to the instant pot chicken pasta.
How to make?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
- Set the instant pot to saute mode. When hot, add olive oil.
- Saute chopped onion and minced garlic until it turns translucent.
- Press cancel, pour in water and marinara sauce.
- Add chicken, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Tip: I find ¾ teaspoon salt to be perfect, for this instant pot chicken pasta recipe. However, feel free to adjust based on the type of marinara sauce used.
5 & 6. Stir all ingredients together, until well combined.
7 & 8. Add the pasta on top and gently press it into the sauce, using the back of a spoon, making sure that they are mostly immersed into the sauce.
Pro tip: Don't stir the pasta! Placing the pasta on top of the sauce will help prevent triggering the "Burn" warning. The sauce acts as a protective layer between the bottom of the pot and the pasta, reducing the risk of scorching.
9 & 10. Close instant pot and cook for 5 minutes on manual mode and then let it be in warm mode for 4 minutes.
11 & 12. Turn valve to vent and release all remaining pressure, open instant pot and sprinkle the mozzarella and parmesan on top. Close with the lid for 3 to 5 minutes, allowing the cheeses to melt. Stir instant pot chicken pasta to combine.
Pro tip: Give a good stir before serving! This allows the cheese to combine with the pasta, redistribute all ingredients, and bring the flavors together.
How to serve?
Like the one pot mac and cheese, cheesy pasta recipes are best served hot straight from the pressure cooker. I like to serve the instant pot chicken pasta with a slice of crusty no knead bread and roasted veggies like air fryer brussesl sprouts or air fryer breaded mushrooms.
Helpful tips
- Use any medium sized pasta instead of penne.
- Use boneless breasts instead of thighs.
- Adjust salt based on your taste and the type of marinara sauce used. I used Prego, tomato, basil and garlic and found ¾ teaspoon to be perfect in the instant pot chicken pasta.
More pasta recipes
Instant Pot Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 and ¼ cups marinara sauce I used Prego, tomato, basil and garlic
- ¾ cup water
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ to ¾ teaspooon salt, refer notes I used ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized chunks
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- chopped parsley or basil, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Set Instant pot to saute setting. When hot, add olive oil and then chopped onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently for 1 to 2 minutes, or translucent.
- Press cancel and then add marinara sauce, water, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and chicken.Stir well to combine.
- Add the pasta on top and gently press it into the sauce, using the back of a spoon, making sure that they are mostly immersed into the sauce.Pro tip: Don't stir the pasta! Placing the pasta on top of the sauce will help prevent triggering the "Burn" warning. The sauce acts as a protective layer between the bottom of the pot and the pasta, reducing the risk of scorching.
- Close instant pot, making sure that the valve is set to sealing, and cook for 5 minutes on manual mode and then let it be in warm mode for 4 minutes.
- Turn valve to vent and release all remaining pressure, open instant pot and sprinkle the mozzarella and parmesan on top. Close with the lid for 3 to 5 minutes, allowing the cheeses to melt. Stir to combine.Pro tip: Give a good stir before serving! This allows the cheese to combine with the pasta, redistribute all ingredients, and bring the flavors together.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love your feedback! Please let me know by leaving a comment, a star rating or review below.
All contents and images are my original work, unless and otherwise mentioned. Please do not use my recipes or images without linking back to www.kitchenathoskins.com. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite in your own words and don’t forget to include a link back to the original recipe.
Some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Thank you for supporting kitchenathoskins.com.
Noah
Do you have a water to pasta ratio for long noodles, like vermicelli (thinner than Spaghetti, thicker than Angel Hair)?
Maria Doss
Hi Noah, Not yet! I'm working on various Instant pot recipes and spaghetti is one of them. But, as of now the answer is no. Sorry:)
Claudette
Great recipe. Was very delicious. No problem with the burn warning however I have made pasta recipes in my Instant Pot before and what I found was that mixing it will cause a burn. I add the ingredients in the layers stated in the recipes without mixing and I have never had the warning again. I hope this helps.
I came upon this recipe today and I will definitely try more of your instant pot recipes. Thank you
Kristy Frost
I am making this tonight, looks delicious!! Thank u for recipe!!
Maria Doss
Hope you liked it Kristy.
T Wells
I loved this and so did my husband! I had to use spiral noodles because that was all I had. I used a breast and a thigh. The Prego I used was Chunky garden tomato and leafy greens. I followed the recipe and steps to a T, and it came out fantastic! The chicken was tender too! Thanks for the great recipe! It will be in my file!
Maria Doss
Wahoo!! I’m so glad you loved it!
Jessica
Do you add cooked pasta or uncooked pasta?
Maria Doss
Uncooked!!!
Kylie Frandsen
5 stars!! My family loved it! Even my 23 month old ate multiple helpings of this. This is so quick and easy and I loved that it didn’t make my house super hot during these toasty summer days! I doubled the recipe with all the same cooking times except I cooked the chicken during the sauté stage a little bit longer but it still worked out perfectly! This will definitely be added to the go to list for my family! Thank you for sharing!
Lasha
Hi, what setting am I using when pressure cooking it for 7 minutes... soup?
Maria Doss
Normal setting. Hope it helps:)
Bonnie
Not a cook but this recipe made me look like a four star cook with my inlaws !
Natalie
My first time cooking in an InstantPot! My family and I loved this pasta. Very delicious and easy to follow.
Francesco
Excellent quick recipe and it tastes awesome 👏🤤.
Julie LaCroix
Just finished having this for dinner!! I have 3 VERY picky eaters and all 4 of us LOVED this! It has definitely made the rotation of meals for us!! Thanks for the yummy and super easy recipe! Can't wait to try some of your other recipes!!
Stacy Dodge
I just got my new instant pot a few days ago and this is my second recipe in it and it was DELICIOUS! I never cook and purchased an Instant Pot to encourage myself to cook and this recipe did it! My kids liked it and my son does not like spaghetti but he liked this! Thank you!
Bonnie
Not a cook but this recipe made me look like a four star cook with my inlaws !
Jennifer Jacobs
This turned out great!
Lynne Brett
I have made this recipe too many times to count since buying my instant pot over a year ago. My husband and I love it and it’s super easy too! Thanks for posting.
Ericka
What would I change to use elbow macaroni? Thanks!
Maria Doss
Hi Ericka, Since elbow macaroni is considerably smaller in shape when compared to penne pasta, I'd suggest reducing the cooking time to 5 minutes (instead of 7) and warm mode for 3 (instead of 4).
Hope it helps:)
Ericka
Thank you!
hannah
I would like to use 12 oz pasta. Should I use 1.5 cups of water?
Maria Doss
Hi Hannah,
Yes for 12 ounce pasta - you would use 1 and 1/2 cups water + 2 cups of marinara sauce (However, if you like al dente pasta then you could try using only 1 and 1/4 cups water)
Hope it helps:)
Maria Doss
I would like to add another note - Do not change the cooking time. The instant pot will automatically take additional time in coming to pressure.
Nataly
Burned - twice. Had to finish it on the stove.
Maria Doss
So sorry that this recipe didn't work for you. What size instant pot did you use?
Rum
Do u keep the "keep warm" feature on from the start or only turn it on after the 7 minutes are up?
Maria Doss
Hi Rum, I'm sorry that I don't understand your question. My instant pot's "keep warm" turns on automatically when it is in cooking mode and then goes to warm mode when cooking time is done.
May be we are dealing with a different model here. May I know your model? We could find some info online.
Jeri Lynn
we've made this about a 15 times, and i've gotten the burn notice probably a dozn of those times (even when i cook the chicken separately or add in tons of extra liquit). BUT, my kids love it, so we keep going. it usually cooks for a few minutes, then i get burn. scrape, cook again, burn again--but then it's done, lol! so, even tho we get the burn, it still ends up cooking perfectly! and we love it. so, burn or not, we'll keep at it:). thank you!!
Maria Doss
Hi Jeri, Appreciate your honest feedback. We are working on making necessary changes to the recipe, so that it works in all size Instant pots . Thanks again 🙂
Stacy
I used my Ninja Foodi and it turned out perfect. My family thought it was fantastic! I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow.
Maria Doss
Glad you loved it Stacy 🙂
Brooklynn Stevens
Mine unfortunately came out watery, I followed the recipe exact
🙁
Sam
Do you know the nutritional facts for this recipe?
Maria Doss
Hi Sam, I'm sorry to say that we do not have nutrition information for this recipe. We started adding nutrition information recently, our apologies again, Maria
jeri lynn resnick-albala
I don't think it would be that hard to add up the different components. especially if you use some kind of recipe builder like the myfitness pal app or something. good luck!