If you are looking for something a little more special to make for dinner, try this Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Tuscan Chicken Pasta. It has a lot going on! Tender chicken in a rich, creamy sauce flavored with sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and finished with fresh baby spinach. A wondrous one-pot meal made in your electric pressure cooker!
Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Tuscan Chicken Pasta
This is a meal you could proudly serve to your special guests, or make to treat your family special! Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Tuscan Chicken Pasta is a long name, but not short on flavor! Super delicious, and wonderfully creamy, without being too heavy.
We love a good pasta dish around here. Even better if it is loaded with flavorful ingredients! As much as I enjoy a tasty basic Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, there are times I want something really different. That is what this recipe is. I just adore the flavors. It is truly a one-pot meal with the chicken and spinach in there!
I've been asked how to be successful making Instant Pot recipes. Well, with any recipe, I practice what is called "Mise en place" (French pronunciation: [mi zɑ̃ ˈplas]), a French culinary phrase which means "putting in place" or "everything in its place." My number one tip is to get everything ready. Chop the onions, peel the garlic, measure out all of the liquids, pasta, and spices.
It is a much more enjoyable process when everything is there at your fingertips! Since you will be using the Sauté feature throughout most of this recipe, you won't want to leave it unattended for long.
Having said that, it's a pretty easy recipe, considering the outcome is so outstanding! Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Tuscan Chicken Pasta takes about an hour to make, with the prep. Not too bad! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Here is a new version of this recipe, with slightly different ingredients. It is a "Dump and Start" recipe. Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni
Instant Pot Meatball Pasta Dinner
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Instant Pot Pasta E Fagioli
Instant Pot Chili Mac
Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Tuscan Chicken Pasta has tender chicken in a rich, creamy sauce flavored with sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and finished with fresh baby spinach.
- 2 or 3 Chicken Breasts, pounded to an even thickness (not too thin, just even)
- 2 Tbsps Olive Oil, divided in half
- 1 Tbsp Paprika, smoked or sweet
- 2 tsp Coarse Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 4 Tbsps Butter, divided in half
- 1 small Sweet Onion, diced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced in 2" strips
- 6 cloves Garlic, pressed or finely minced
- ⅓ cup White Wine (or chicken broth)
- 1 7oz jar Sun Dried Tomatoes, drained (reserve 2 Tbsps of the oil)
- 2 Tbsps Oil from Sun Dried Tomatoes
- 2 tsps Italian Seasoning
- ½ tsp Oregano, dried
- ¼ tsp Thyme, dried
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
- 4 cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
- 1 cup Milk
- 12 oz Small Elbow Macaroni Pasta (3 ½ cups dry)
- ¼ cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, grated or sliced, if fresh
- 5oz Fresh Baby Spinach
- 1 ½ cups Half and Half
- Fresh Basil Leaves, for garnish
-
Rub the chicken with 1 Tbsp of the divided oil, paprika, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
-
Turn on the Sauté function of the pot. When the display reads Hot, add 1 Tbsp of the olive oil that you divided.
-
Add the chicken breasts and cook them for about 4 minutes per side, until you get good color on both sides. Remove to a plate and cover.
-
Add 2 Tbsps of the butter and the onion. Sauté for a few minutes and then add the bell pepper and the garlic. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
-
Add the wine (or ⅓ cup broth) and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze it (scraping up all of the brown bits from bottom of pan).
-
Add the sun dried tomatoes, sun dried tomato oil, Italian seasoning, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.
-
Stir in the chicken broth and the milk. Let come to a simmer, then add the pasta. Stir.
-
Add the chicken breasts and put the lid on the pot, locking it in place and turning the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
-
Cancel the Sauté function.
-
Select Pressure Cook (or Manual) and use the + or - (or dial) to choose 4 minutes.
-
When the cooking time is done, and the pot beeps, do a controlled Quick Release of the pressure. Start slow so you minimize the risk of sauce spewing out with the steam. Then let it go fully. When the pin in the lid drops down, open the lid and stir the contents (there may be a little stuck on the bottom, just scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen it.
-
Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil or a lid that will keep the heat in. Do not leave it uncovered as it is still finishing cooking that last bit.
-
Mix together the flour and remaining 2 Tbsps of softened butter until combined. Stir into the sauce.
-
Add the cheeses, stirring after each one.
-
Stir in the spinach.
-
Stir in the Half and half.
-
Taste and adjust salt, if needed.
-
Take the temperature of the chicken. It should read 165 degrees (F). Cut it into bite sized chunks and add it to the pasta. Stir it in.
-
Serve garnished with torn basil leaves.
This is a saucy dish, it won't be thick like mac and cheese.
Updated 12/5/17
Adapted from CafeDelites, Tuscan Mac and Cheese
RESOURCES TO MAKE this recipe and more
We are 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.
Jean
Wow! This recipe was absolutely amazing! Even my super picky grandson wouldn't stop raving about it and dubbed it his new favorite meal! That is saying something! Also, just so you know the name of your recipe is now "The Yummy Meal" and they all want it again soon! I only changed two things: I didn't use wine and I only used one clove of garlic instead of the six suggested.
Donna
Just Yummy! I was looking for a recipe involving sun dries tomatoes, chicken and a creamy sauce -- we had a dish at a local restaurant and were looking for a way to make it at home. I'm not sure if it was the same, but it certainly was delicious and left everyone full!
I followed the recipe almost exactly. I used whole grain penne instead of macaroni, so I bumped the time up to 5 minutes. The past came out perfect. I also used slightly less spinach.
This one is a keeper.
Sibylle
omg this recipe looks delicious!! Maybe try it tonight for dinner! Thank you for sharing such an amazing dish 🙂
Amie
Made this for dinner tonight because I wanted to impress my husband for our second wedding anniversary. It worked!! I feel like we are ourselves into a food coma. This recipe is truly amazing!! Thank you!
Sandy
Happy Anniversary! Thank you for your review!
Yasmin
Is it possible to make this without the chicken?
Sandy
Yes. I think I answered you in the IP group, but in case someone else has the same question, just start from sautéing the onion and go from there.
Courtney
This is, hands down, the most delicious Instantpot meal I have ever fixed. I used penne,and it turned out perfect. Even the picky eaters in my family loved it. I’m on a lower sodium diet, so I skipped the extra salt and it still turned out fantastic.
Sandy
Thank you, Courtney! That's awesome!
Charlotte
Absolutely fantastic! We used a Dutch oven to make this, so obviously a little more time added. We are thinking about trying this in the crockpot! Would not change a single thing about this!
Sandy
That's great, Charlotte! Thank you. Happy New Year!