This creamy Instant Pot Tuscan chicken pasta is an indulgent and lip-smackingly tasty meal for the whole family combining essential carbohydrates, protein and veggies. Chicken and pasta are cooked at the same time in a garlicky, sun-dried tomato sauce thickened with cream. This beginner-friendly recipe comes with step-by-step instructional photos to guide you along.
What Is Tuscan Chicken?
This Instant Pot pasta dish is inspired by the super popular creamy Tuscan Chicken, which is a simple yet richly flavored Italian-American dish made with chicken in the most amazing creamy garlic sauce with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.
The creamy, tangy sauce pairs beautifully with pasta such as penne or fusilli and the whole dish is made in one pot. Chicken and pasta are cooked first, then finished with spinach, cream and Parmesan.
Below you will find the complete list of ingredients, method and nutritional breakdown for this recipe. You can also jump directly to our beginner-friendly step-by-step photos and instructions below the recipe card.
This creamy pasta recipe is part of our Instant Pot for beginner series. If you're new to the Instant Pot, make sure to check out these posts as well:
- How Does An Instant Pot Work? Cooking Stages + Key Features Explained
- How To Use The Instant Pot For Beginners
- How To Cook Rice In Instant Pot
- Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes (Instant Pot Step-By-Step Recipe)
- The First 10 Meals You Should Make In Your Instant Pot
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Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
TO COOK
- 4 cups chicken stock 32 oz., 1 litre
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes sliced
- 3 cloves garlic finely diced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or mild yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning or mixed Italian herbs
- ¼ cup tomato sauce or tinned diced tomatoes or 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 lb. chicken breast or thigh 450 g, skinless, diced into 1-inch pieces
- 12 oz. dry penne, fusilli or rigatoni pasta 340 g
TO FINISH
- 5 oz. baby spinach 150 g
- 1 -1.5 cups Parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup basil leaves roughly sliced
- Extra sliced sun-dried tomatoes
- Extra Parmesan cheese and black pepper for garnish
Instructions
- Prep. Prepare all ingredients for the cooking stage.
- Add ingredients. Add the chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, seasoning, garlic, mustard, tomato sauce, and dry pasta to the pot. Pour in the chicken stock and stir through. Check that the pasta and chicken are covered with the stock. It’s always better to have a little more liquid as it can be strained once cooked.
- Set & cook. Secure and lock the lid; make sure the pressure handle is pointing to Sealing. Select Manual/Pressure Cook and adjust the timer to 5 minutes on HIGH pressure.After a few seconds, the ON sign will come on indicating the pressure is building (you might also hear 3 beeps on some models); pressurizing will take about 12 minutes and then the 5-minute timer will begin.
- Once the timer is done, release the pressure manually right away. Press the steam knob down gradually (or point to Venting on older models. Hold a towel over the steam valve to catch any foam, which can spurt out when you cook starchy foods like pasta or potatoes in lots of broth.
- Finish the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the finishing ingredients and garnishes.
- Open the lid. Most of the liquid should be absorbed into the pasta but there will be a little left, which will combine with cheese and cream to form the delicious sauce.
- Add baby spinach, cream, Parmesan cheese, and stir through until all melted in and the spinach is wilted. You can cover the pot with a regular lid and let sit for a minute if needed. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the basil last.
- Serve. Top with extra basil, sliced sun-dried tomatoes and extra Parmesan cheese on top.
Notes
- Pressurizing time: 12 minutes | Cooking under pressure: 5 minutes (on HIGH) | Release: Quick Release
- Total cooking time: 17 minutes
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Use the sun-dried tomatoes that come preserved in oil; drain them lightly on a paper towel before using.
- Pasta: Larger-shaped pasta like penne, fusilli or rigatoni are best for his recipe. Avoid elbow or macaroni pasta as those cook much quicker.
- Lighten It Up: : For a lighter version, use low-fat cream.
Nutrition
How To Make Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Here are step-by-step instructions for making Tuscan chicken pasta in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. We used Instant Pot Duo Nova 6-quart for this recipe. There are two stages to making this dish: the cooking stage and finishing the sauce.
Step 1. Prepare ingredients for the cooking stage (see recipe ingredients above).
Step 2. Add chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste or sauce and seasonings to the Instant Pot. Add dry penne pasta and chicken stock. Stir well.
Step 3. Close the pot, secure the lid and check the steam release hand is pointing to Sealing on older models. Select Pressure Cook button (or Manual on older models). Check the Pressure Level is set to HIGH and adjust the time using - and + buttons to 5 minutes.
Step 4. After 3 beeps, the display will show ON and two status icons at the top indicating that the pot is heating up and the pressure is building. This will take about 5 minutes.
Once pressure is built up, the cooking timer of 5 minutes will display. The float valve on the lid will also rise up as the pressure is built up. Once the cooking timer is done, the Keep Warm cycle will begin with a new 00:00 timer. During this stage, the Instant Pot will start to depressurize and cool down.
Step 5. Perform quick release right away to let off the pressure and steam. Simply press the Quick Release knob button on the lid to let the steam and pressure escape from the steam release valve. On older models, point the handle to Venting. You can use a towel to hover over the steam jet to catch any foam that might have formed during cooking. This can sometimes happen with starchy foods like pasta.
Once the pressure is completely released, the float valve will go back down and you will be able to open the lid. Stir the pasta through.
Step 6. While still very hot, add the baby spinach and Parmesan cheese and stir through. Pour in the cream and stir.
Step 7. Cover the inner pot with a lid and leave for 1-2 minutes for everything to melt and come together. Finish the dish by adding freshly chopped basil leaves. Serve right away and top with more cheese and sun-dried tomatoes if you wish.
MORE INSTANT POT PASTA RECIPES
- Easy Creamy Pesto Pasta (Instant Pot & Stovetop)
- Instant Pot Chicken, Ham & Vegetable Pasta
- Instant Pot Minestrone (Vegetarian & Vegan-Friendly*)
- Instant Pot Cheeseburger Pasta
Rica
I made enough for 2 dinners and adjusted the amounts of the ingredients accordingly. There was a lot of liquid after the cook time but I just made a cornstarch slurry to thicken it up. The dish is very flavorful and the family really liked it. Will be adding to my Instant pot recipe list.
Inga
I made this, but it is very soupy. I followed the recipe, but omitted the sun dried tomatoes and used fusili.
Instant Pot Eats
Did you strain some of the excess cooking liquid?
Pete
Very good. Used 16oz of pasta so added a smidge more broth. Also probably had 1.3 lb of chicken.
Instant Pot Eats
Thanks, Pete. Good to know that it works well with more pasta and chicken.
Seema Arora
Have you tried a non-dairy option instead of cream? Coconut milk? Almond milk?? Thanks.
Ann Fabrizio
I haven't, however, canned coconut milk should work as a good alternative. Almond milk might be too watery.
Amelia Zeiler
I am always craving this pasta if I haven't had it in awhile and this has been on my meal rotation for the past few weeks because it's easy, it's super family-friendly even for picky eaters, and it's really easy to get together the minimal ingredients. Thanks for this one!! Instant classic!
Instant Pot Eats
Thanks, Amelia 🙂 We're happy you liked it!