Description
A creamy parmesan chicken pasta made in the Instant Pot. This creamy dish is made healthier with whole wheat pasta, no butter and less cheese. Try this recipe for a lighter take on a decadent favorite that is still big on flavor.
Ingredients
1 lb chicken breast, diced
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp paprika (sweet or regular)
1 tsp garlic powder
Fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
16 oz whole wheat pasta
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, shaved or grated
Optional: parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Cut chicken into approx 1 inch pieces
- Mix salt, italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, pepper together. Sprinkle seasoning on diced chicken.
- Heat olive oil in the instant pot using saute setting. Once heated, add chicken and diced onion. Saute until chicken begins to slightly brown and onions turn translucent, about 1-3 minutes.
- Turn the instant pot off then add a small amount of chicken stock or water and gently deglaze the bottom of the pot by scraping any browned chicken and onion to unstick it from the pan.
- Add the pasta, then pour 3 cups of chicken stock over the pasta. Press the pasta down gently with a spoon to submerge as much of the pasta as possible.
- Cover with the instant pot lid, lock, and seal the valve. Press the manual cooking button and set for 4 minutes.
- When finished cooking, cover the sealing valve with a towel and carefully do a quick release of the pressure. Once pressure is released (the hissing has stopped), open the lid and stir.
- Stir in cream and cheese, and continue stirring gently until cheese has melted.
Notes
Make this a meal by adding your choice of vegetable to the side or as a mix-in!
- Serve with a side salad
- Stir in frozen peas once the pasta has cooked to steam the peas, then add in cream and cheese, stir and serve
- Wilt handfuls of spinach into the pasta by stirring in fresh spinach after the cheese has melted into the cream
- Stir in sundried tomatoes
- Serve with a side of steamed or roasted broccoli
Nutrition
- Serving Size: about 1 cup
- Calories: 386
- Sugar: 2.6 g
- Sodium: 263 mg
- Fat: 13.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 45.2 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 24.4 g
- Cholesterol: 60.7 mg
Keywords: pasta, chicken pasta, creamy chicken pasta, creamy parmesan chicken pasta, instant pot, instant pot dinner, weeknight dinner, easy dinner, 30 minutes or less, quick meals, quick and easy meals, family dinner, kid friendly recipes, easy recipes