Valentina Ablaev
An instant pot chicken alfredo recipe is the ultimate life hack for a home-cooked meal that requires little to no effort! Tender pasta noodles soak up the rich alfredo sauce, topped with juicy chicken and so much cheese. Did I mention that the entire dish comes together in just 20 minutes? Most of that is hands-off cooking, making for a super low-maintenance dish!
Though we love a classic stovetop alfredo, made with an alfredo sauce from scratch, you simply don’t have time for some days! That is why we create recipes like this! Instant pot recipes that you can put together in ten minutes, and the pressure cooker does the work for you! This chicken alfredo recipe is just that!
Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Alfredo?
This recipe is the easiest way to make alfredo pasta! It requires little work, and you will still have the perfect homemade chicken alfredo pasta! Not to mention it’s the ideal kid-friendly dish that will please the whole family.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
- Chicken – skinless chicken breast makes the perfect protein in this dish.
- Butter – adds richness and flavor to this dish.
- Garlic – fresh, minced garlic adds great flavor to this dish. If you are a true garlic lover, I recommend adding even more garlic. You can also use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. You can use ¼ tsp of garlic powder per garlic clove.
- Cream – heavy whipping cream is the key to a rich and delicious alfredo sauce.
- Broth: Chicken broth adds flavor to this dish and is the perfect liquid for cooking the pasta. You can also use vegetable broth, or chicken bouillon cubes!
- Cheese – freshly shredded parmesan cheese is the key to a delicious, creamy pasta.
- Pasta – in this recipe, we use cavatappi pasta, but the options are endless! Bowtie pasta, elbow pasta, fettuccine noodles, or rotini pasta are all great options for this dish.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Alfredo Pasta Variations:
This dish is the perfect pasta recipe to customize and make your own!
- Switch up the protein: Add shrimp instead of chicken as a seafood pasta dish! Simply saute the shrimp in the instant pot and set aside while the pasta cooks. Stir the shrimp into the finished dish; this prevents the shrimp from overcooking. The result is an easy shrimp alfredo, perfect for any occasion.
- Add vegetables: This dish is perfect for getting some extra vegetables in! We love to add broccoli florets or mushrooms! The key is to cut the veggies into bite-sized pieces, saute lightly, and pressure cook with the rest of the pasta.
How to Make Chicken Alfredo in the Instant Pot
- Cook the chicken. Begin by searing the seasoned chicken on both sides in the instant pot on saute mode. Remove the cooked chicken and cut into slices.
2. Combine everything. To the instant pot, add butter, and garlic. Pour in the heavy cream, broth, parmesan cheese, and uncooked pasta. Stir together and add in the chicken.
3. Cook. Seal and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes and then release the pressure from the valve. Once the lid opens, stir the pasta. Garnish with more cheese and fresh herbs.
Other Cooking Methods:
Though this is an easy way to make alfredo, not everyone has an instant pot, so here are a few other ways we love to make chicken alfredo pasta!
- Dutch oven: This stovetop alfredo pasta is the perfect, easy way to make chicken alfredo in the dutch oven.
- Crockpot: Our slow-cooking chicken alfredo recipe is one of our most popular variations. It is perfect for setting to cook in the morning and allo
- Baked in the oven: Oven-baked chicken alfredo is easy to make and comes together almost entirely in a casserole dish.
Expert Tips:
- Make it even easier! Skip the seared chicken breast, and just add shredded chicken directly to the pot!
- Cheese matters. Use freshly shredded parmesan cheese for the best texture and flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Full course: Serve this alfredo pasta restaurant-style by enjoying it alongside warm garlic butter breadsticks! Bonus points for a never-ending side salad!
Chicken Alfredo FAQ’s
If you want a lighter alfredo, we recommend using half and half! This will result in a lighter chicken alfredo, and it won’t be as rich.
If you want to use frozen raw chicken, make sure it thaws completely in the fridge before cooking. If you are using pre-cooked frozen chicken, you can add it directly to the pot and pressure cook.
Yes, the key to a perfect instant pot pasta dish, is raw uncooked noodles. If you add cooked noodles to the pressure cooker, they will become soggy.
Yes, if you want to make this instant pot alfredo with premade alfredo, it is just as easy! To the instant pot, add the pasta noodles, alfredo jar sauce, chicken broth, and sliced chicken. Save the parmesan cheese for garnish to prevent the sauce from being too thick in the instant pot.
Store & Reheat
- Storage. Keep leftover chicken alfredo pasta in an airtight container and refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- Reheat. To warm up leftovers, add the pasta to a warm pan. If the noodles look a little dry, add a splash of milk or cream for creaminess.
- Freeze. We don’t recommend freezing this dish as the sauce doesn’t freeze and reheat well.
More Instant Pot Recipes
If you enjoyed this chicken alfredo recipe, be sure to try our other popular pressure cooker recipes; here are some of our favorites:
If you tried this instant pot chicken alfredo pasta recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp ground black pepper or to taste
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 8 oz uncooked pasta
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Turn your instant pot on saute mode and cook the chicken on both sides for 3 minutes per side.
- Once the chicken is cooked, take it out of the instant pot and slice it into strands.
- To the instant pot, add butter and garlic, and saute until the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour the heavy whipping cream, chicken broth, parmesan cheese, and pasta into the instant pot and stir.
- Add the sliced chicken breast to the instant pot.
- Close the lid, seal the instant pot, and pressure cook for 10 minutes.
- Release the pressure and stir the pasta.
- Garnish the pasta with freshly grated parmesan and fresh herbs.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- To make this recipe even easier, skip the seared chicken breast and toss in shredded chicken straight into the pot!
- When it comes to cheese, freshly shredded parmesan delivers the best texture and flavor.
- Storage: Store any leftover alfredo pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Reheating: To warm leftovers, place the pasta in a heated pan. If it appears dry, simply add a splash of milk or cream to restore its creamy texture.
- Freezing: Freezing this dish is not recommended, as the sauce doesn’t freeze or reheat well.
