Looking for a quick and easy dinner that can be done in no time and using chicken and veggies from the freezer? This hearty meal of Instant Pot chicken and noodles is it! It’s creamy, delicious and will please the whole family. This recipe is by our contributor Carlee from Cooking With Carlee.
Do you know that feeling where you don’t have a dinner menu planned and your family is all standing there wondering what you’re serving? There is no meat defrosted, nothing prepped and you don’t have any ideas. Creamy chicken and noodles is the kind of dinner that solves those problems.
You can start with frozen chicken, the whole meal is made in the Instant Pot and there is very little effort involved. Your family will enjoy a flavorful meal without ever knowing how close you were to disaster!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE INSTANT POT CHICKEN NOODLES
This Instant Pot creamy chicken and noodles recipe is based off one of my family’s favorite meals, creamy chicken pot pie. We love the flavor of the pie, but we don’t always have the time to put it together and let it bake. Last fall, I transformed that recipe into a one-pot meal that gave us that flavor quicker. Now, I have taken it one step further by making it in the Instant Pot.
This family-friendly dinner comes together in a snap, with ingredients you are likely to have on hand. First, you cook the chicken in broth, then toss in the pasta and veggies. In no time at all, you will be stirring in the sour cream and serving up dinner. There is only one dish to clean and the whole family will be happy. If you like to try another one-pot family meal, check out my creamy spaghetti and meatballs recipe on my blog.
Get inspired with more Instant Pot pasta recipes here.
Instant Pot Chicken & Noodles: Cooking Notes
I used whole grain rotini for this dish to add a little extra fibre to the meal. However, you can use any pasta you’d like. I would recommend using pasta with ridges or swirls to help pick up the sauce, but from there you can do whatever your heart desires.
If you aren’t a fan of mixed vegetables, you could use peas and carrots instead. Or feel free to use all peas if you prefer. It will be good no matter what vegetables you decide to use.
Frozen chicken breasts work well for this recipe, making this a great meal for days when you forgot to pull something out. If you have defrosted or fresh chicken, go ahead and brown it a bit before you cook it.
About The Recipe Author
I am Carlee from Cooking With Carlee. I am a busy mom who likes to share approachable mostly homemade meals. I also share a lot of treats and am a bit of a frosting fanatic. My site started as a way to preserve old family recipes as well as broaden my culinary repertoire. Now it is a fun way to be creative while feeding my family. Find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest.
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Creamy Instant Pot Chicken & Noodles
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Instant Pot pressure cooker
- Cuisine: American
Description
Creamy and hearty, these Instant Pot chicken and noodles recipe is super easy to prepare and you can use frozen chicken and frozen veggie mix for a no-fuss family dinner.
Ingredients
2 pounds (about 900 g) boneless skinless chicken breast (frozen is fine)
5 cups chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
16 ounces / 450 g wholemeal rotini pasta (or pasta of your choice)
24 ounces / 650-700 g frozen mixed veggies
1 cup sour cream
Instructions
Turn the Instant Pot on and place the chicken breasts, stock, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and thyme inside the pot. Pop the lid on top, lock, and set to HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. After 3 beeps, the pressure will start to build and the cooking process will begin.
Once the timer goes off, do a quick release (move the top valve to Venting) to let off all of the steam pressure.
Remove the chicken and dice into small pieces. Return the chicken to the Instant Pot with the stock in it and add the veggies and pasta. Stir through and pop the lid back on top. Set to HIGH pressure for 1 minute, then do another quick release once the timer finishes.
Open the pot and stir in the sour cream, add a splash of milk or water if needed to loosen it up a bit. Adjust the salt and pepper to your liking and serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 642
- Sugar: 5.3 g
- Sodium: 534.8 mg
- Fat: 13.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 77.3 g
- Fiber: 10.8 g
- Protein: 53.7 g
- Cholesterol: 131.2 mg
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I used 16oz of cream cheese instead of sour cream. It was perfect.
Was a little watery so would possible drain some next time before I add sour cream. But leftovers were perfect the next day since the liquid was more absorbed into the noodles. Will definitely make again.
★★★★★
Thanks, and a great tip about the liquid in leftovers.
I halved the recipe. Used 1 can reduced sodium cream of chicken soup with 2 cups water. I used frozen chicken breasts (2), 1/2 bag frozen vegtables. I cooked chicken mixture about 7 minutes – quick release then added extra-wide egg noodles. 2 minutes high pressure. I hit sauté and added in some cornstarch/water mixture, Parmesan and seasoned
★★★★★
Made this recipe today for the first time today, when it got to the end where the noodles are cooked and before you add the sour cream, there was a lot of water, so I added some arrow root powder(it’s like corn starch) and that did the trick. Also added some shredded cheese. Kids loved it!! It’s delicious!! Will definitely make this again!!
★★★★
Sorry, but this recipe was not good. Like others said, it was incredibly watery at the end. I was almost temped to drain some of the extra liquid out before adding the sour cream. Also, it needs something more than just sour cream, there’s no flavor to it. A can of cream of chicken or cheddar cheese soup would’ve thickened it and added some actual flavor to it.
I threw some parmesan on it and it was edible. Notice how all the comments say they added something to it? That’s a sign that this recipe is not good. Also, yea, way too liquidy. Pretty sure that calorie count is off too. Yea, it has sour cream, but hardly any calories in anything else.
★★
Made this for the first time. It was a hit! I have a lot of picky eaters. I added some garlic and onions. Also added rosemary. And use penne pasta. Added fresh Parmesan cheese before serving.
★★★★★
Perfect, thanks for your feedback and glad it was a hit!
What can you use to replace the sour cream?
plain greek yogurt is a nice sub for sour cream
My pasta was not done in a minute…so I’m adding some time for the pasta to cook. This is a good recipe for those of us learning to use our instapots!
Can I add a can of cream of broccoli
I don’t see why not.
Good recipe. The sauce was a little watery. I’ll definitely add some condensed soup or heavy cream next time.
★★★
I used frozen chicken breasts and they were not cooked fully after 10 minutes so I would add 2 min to cooking time if using frozen chicken. Also, there was no flavor with only the sour cream. I read some reviews and added a can of cream of chicken soup, Italian seasoning, and about 1/4 cup of whipping cream.
★★
Is the Sour Cream necessary? The recipe sounds good, but I need to make it non-dairy if possible. Any suggestions?
I appreciate it.
You can leave it without sour cream but it won’t be the creamy instant pot chicken noodles. You could try our dairy-free chicken noodle soup instead: https://instantpoteats.com/instant-pot-chicken-noodle-soup/
The pasta cooks in 1 minute?
Yes, 1 minute under pressure. You set 1 minute at HIGH pressure to tell the Instant Pot how long to cook once it comes to pressure. It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure, during which time cooking begins slowly. Then once it’s at full pressure, you only need 1 minute.
Sooooooo good! We used half garlic powder and half garlic salt as well as substitute Oregano with Thyme. Also, we used egg noodles. Seriously SO yummy!!
★★★★★
Thanks, glad you like it 🙂
Great recipe but unfortunately I don’t have a instant pot can this recipe be adapted for oven or crockpot or stove would love to try it. Thanks
You can definitely make it on a stovetop. Check out timings in this recipe https://cookiesandcups.com/chicken-and-noodles/
Made for the first time tonight and it was very good. I followed the recipe but I add d 1 can cram of chicken at the very end, which thickened it perfectly. Will definitely make again.
★★★★
An unexpected hit only because I didn’t think my kids would like it!
I used 4 cups of stock instead of 5, and only 2 chicken breasts so I added the cornstarch/water mixture to thicken and it worked perfect. Adding to my board!
★★★★
I am still learning with my Instant Pot. I tried this recipe last night. I added mushrooms and used egg noodles. I also used fresh onions and garlic. It turned out pretty good!
★★★★
Made this and changed it just a smidge. Added a can of cream of chicken, Italian seasoning with the recipe seasonings, and some heavy whipping cream instead of milk/sour cream. My kids loved it. Like a chicken pot pie minus the pie.
★★★★★
10 minutes for Frozen chicken too?
Can I use canned vegetables??
You can but I suggest adding them once the pasta is cooked as they are already soft. Otherwise, they will disintegrate during cooking.
Really tasty but ended up really runny. Next time I will do four cups of stock. Delicious though and sprinkled fresh Parmesan on top.
★★★★
Thank you, Cathy. Glad you enjoyed this meal.
Did the 10mins for the chicken and it wasn’t done…? Put back for 5 more. Has anyone had this issue?
Not that we are aware of, the timing seems to work for everyone else. But thanks for your feedback.
Same issue here. Trying an additional 5 min. My chicken breasts were very large. I should have cut them down before freezing or added time from the start.
I did corn, carrots, and peas. I also added some velveeta at the end. A big hit with the family!
★★★★★
Thanks, Kimberly. Glad you all enjoyed this pasta dish.
Super yummy, but the sauce was VERY runny. I ended up turning it to sauté and adding cornstarch to thicken.
★★★★
Thanks for the feedback Emily. The sauce thickness can definitely vary between each person depending on cup sizes, maybe slightly less chicken or pasta etc. Glad you worked it out with a few tricks at the end.
I’m making this for the 3rd time, and it’s amazing. The only thing different I’ve done, is use boneless chicken thighs.
★★★★★
Can I cook it without the thyme? I just looked at my spice cupboard and don’t have any. What suggestion do you have for instead of using thyme?
Yes, absolutely. You can make it with any dried herbs. Basil or parsley would be quite nice or simply go without.
Can I substitute sour cream with yogurt?
Yes, but it might be a little sourer than the sour cream. Should still work though. Alternatively, go for light sour cream.
1 minute to cook the pasta seems very short. Usually, it is half the time recommended.
I am supposed to cook the past first?
Together 🙂