Chicken Pesto Pasta

This Chicken Pesto Pasta is super creamy, cheesy, and easy. It’s the perfect comforting family meal with mushrooms, Roma tomatoes, and melty mozzarella. 

❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe: This loaded chicken pasta always disappears fast at our house! It has everything you’re looking for in a hearty pasta dinner: a creamy sauce, melty cheese, tender chicken, and herby pesto, and it’s a great 30 minute meal.

This decadent pasta recipe is similar to the super-popular Creamy Chicken pesto Pasta on page 163 in our Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook. For this version, we use mushrooms, Roma tomatoes, and mozzarella to make it more like our favorite cavatappi at Noodles & Company.  

This is one of our go-to Instant Pot pasta recipes since it’s flavorful, quick and easy. It’s a great family dinner to serve with a green salad on the side. 

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED

Here’s what you need to make this super comforting, pesto chicken pasta:

• Butter. Use unsalted butter so you can control the seasoning in your dish. 
• Garlic. Fresh is best. 
• Boneless skinless chicken breasts. Cut these into even 1-inch cubes so they cook at the same time as the pasta. 
• Chicken broth. Use low-sodium store-bought or make your own broth in the Instant Pot. 
• Cavatappi. This is easier to find than you might think! It’s curly and so good with this sauce. 
• Sugar. A small pinch of sugar helps bring the flavors into balance in the pasta sauce. 
• Cornstarch. Whisk up a quick slurry with cornstarch and water to thicken the creamy sauce. 
• Pesto. You can use your favorite store-bought jarred or fresh pesto or make one in a food processor with fresh basil. 
• Heavy cream. For best results, use room temperature cream. 
• Diced tomatoes. We used Roma tomatoes for this recipe, as they’re best for cooking. 
• Mushrooms. Canned mushrooms are a great addittion to this hearty, savory pasta recipe. 
• Mozzarella. Yes, this is messier to eat than parm, but it’s SO delicious we don’t mind the mess. If you do, just use parm!
• Basil. We like to use fresh basil if possible, but it’s been hit and miss if we can find it at our grocery store the last few months. We’ve had good results with this Gourmet Garden brand of lightly dried basil. It’s kept near the bagged salads area of our grocery store.

How to make Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta in an Instant Pot

This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.

The first step is to saute the chicken until it’s browned. This takes just about 3 minutes in the pressure cooking pot. 

Next, add the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to make sure the flavorful browning gets into your cooking liquid.

Add the water, pasta, salt, pepper, and sugar, then set the cook time for 4 minutes (if you’re using a different kind of pasta, use the formula here to find the correct cooking time.)

Finish with a quick pressure release, then give the pasta a good stir.

To thicken the sauce, combine the cornstarch and cold water. Slowly add the mixture to the cooking pot, stirring constantly. Next, bring the sauce to a simmer by selecting Saute and stirring until the mixture thickens. 

To finish, turn off the pressure cooker and stir in the heavy cream, pesto, diced tomatoes, and mushrooms. Serve it up and enjoy!

Important Tips for Making Chicken Pesto Pasta

• Sautéing the chicken in the pot as a first step will develop some nice browning. This adds flavor to your pasta that’s worth the extra 3 minutes!
• Pasta will produce foam inside the pressure cooker. If you see foam coming from the release valve, you need to seal the lid, wait a few seconds, then release the pressure again. Repeat as needed until all the pressure is released and the valve has dropped. 
• It’s important to bring the sauce to a simmer after adding the cornstarch mixture. It won’t thicken until it reaches a temperature near the boiling point, and you might get some raw starch flavor in the sauce. 
• Remember that the pasta will continue to thicken and absorb liquid as it cools. You’ll need to add some liquid when you reheat leftovers.

Frequently Asked Questions about Chicken Pesto Pasta

MORE Instant Pot Pasta Recipes

We love making one-pot pasta in the Instant Pot, including these favorites:

• Instant Pot Pasta Primavera is loaded with crisp and colorful veggies. Perfect for spring! 
• Quick Penne with Marinara Sauce is a simple and always satisfying kid-friendly meal. 
• Instant Pot Shrimp Alfredo Pasta has a tangy, herby cream sauce and juicy shrimp.

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Chicken Pesto Pasta | Instant Pot Recipe

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 4 minutes

Total Time: 4 minutes

This creamy and easy Chicken Pesto Pasta is the perfect family dinner! Made in the pressure cooker with curly cavatappi, store-bought pesto, and juicy chicken. 

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large (about 1 lb) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (no thicker than 1 inch cubes)
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 16 ounce package cavatappi or rotini*
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon pepper, plus more to taste
• Pinch of sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1/2 cup jarred pesto
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups diced tomatoes (we used Roma, 4 or 5 tomatoes)
• 1 small can mushrooms, drained
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese and/or mozzarella cheese, for serving

Instructions

1. Select Saute and preheat the pressure cooking pot. Melt the butter, then stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken and saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
2. Stir in the chicken broth and scrape the pan well to ensure no browned bits remain on the bottom of the pot. Add the water, pasta, salt, pepper, and sugar. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 4** minutes cook time.
3. When the cook time ends, use a quick pressure release. Keep in mind that pasta can foam or spit, so you may need to seal the pot, wait a few seconds, then open it again. Repeat as needed until all the pressure is released and the valve has dropped. Carefully remove the lid and stir.
4. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water. Slowly add the mixture to the cooking pot, stirring constantly. Select Saute and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Turn off the pressure cooker and stir in the heavy cream and the pesto until well combined. 
5. Add the diced tomatoes and mushrooms to the cooking pot.
6. Serve topped with basil and cheese.

Notes

* You can use any pasta with a boxed cook time between 7 and 12 minutes. Adjust the cook time to follow our perfect pasta formula: Box cook time divided in half, then subtract an additional minute for al dente. For more details, see our guide on making Instant Pot Pasta.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 330Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 867mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 10g

Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.

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