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.
More One-Pot Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Pasta
Instant Pot Italian Mac’n’Cheese
Instant Pot Sweet Potato & Chicken (Kid-Friendly)
Instant Pot Brown Rice & Chicken
20+ Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipes
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 pllace the chicken breasts, stock, sat, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and thyme inside the pot. Pop the lid on top, lock and set to HIGH pressure, 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.
Instant Pot Eats is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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 🙂