This Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta comes together in just 25 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner option loaded with tomato sauce, cheese, and chicken that everyone will love!
Pair this delicious Instant Pot meal with herb-filled Easy Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks or savory Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread to finish off your meal!
This Chicken Parmesan Instant Pot Recipe will quickly be on repeat in your own home! This meal is bursting with flavor from the best herbs and spices that you swear can only come from an oven!
Tender, juicy chunks of chicken are surrounded by perfectly cooked penne pasta that are smothered in marinara sauce and cheeses! Better fill your plate because once everyone takes their first bite it’ll be a race to get the last few scoops out of the pot!
Instant Pot Recipes are so convenient and easy – but there are so many more reasons to love this insanely delicious recipe!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Cooking Time! This Instant Pot Chicken Parm cooks in just 25 minutes which means this is your new go-to weeknight meal!
- Homemade Spiced-Rub! Spices and herbs pack the chicken full of flavor so that every bite leaves you wanting more!
- One-Pot Meal! The pasta, chicken, and sauce are all cooked right in the pressure cooker! This means you not only get a quick dinner but a fast clean-up afterward as well!
- Hearty! A flavorful, mouthwatering meat and pasta dish will fill anyone’s hungry belly up!
Ingredient Notes
This chicken parmesan recipe has a homemade spice rub to coat boneless chicken breasts using garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, dried basil, dried oregano, and dried rosemary. If you’re someone that doesn’t like big chunks of chicken in your meal you can simply use chicken cutlets instead of breasts for smaller pieces throughout the dish!
Once the spiced chicken is sauteed in melted butter you’ll cover it with Italian dressing, chicken broth, marinara sauce, and uncooked penne pasta. To finish off this chicken parm dish you’ll also need mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and chopped parsley for garnishing!
You could even start with tomato sauce and make your own homemade marinara sauce or just grab your favorite pasta sauce if you’re looking for a familiar taste! Try using my Marinara Sauce to pack even more flavor into this chicken parm!
How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan
- Melt the butter as the Instant Pot warms up on the sauté setting.
- Create a spice rub for the chicken by mixing together the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, dried basil, dried oregano, and dried rosemary. Then rub the chicken breasts all over with it.
- Brown the spice-rubbed chicken on both sides in the instant pot, but don’t cook all the way through. Afterward, turn off the saute mode.
- Add in the pasta, marinara sauce, chicken broth, and Italian dressing on top of the chicken. Stir together, making sure to cover the pasta shells with the liquid.
- Cook on high pressure then release the pressure using the slow release method. Next, use the quick release to release the rest of the pressure.
- Remove the chicken breast and cut into cubes or shred. Then return the chicken to the instant pot and stir.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese on top of the chicken and pasta and cook until the cheese is melted.
- Serve warm and garnished with fresh chopped parsley.
Can I Used Breaded Chicken With This Recipe?
You definitely can! Since this means you’ll be skipping the spice rub I suggest adding Italian seasoning to the breading mixture when coating your chicken. Then brown the chicken on the stovetop instead of sauteing in the instant pot.
I find homemade breaded items tend to stick to the bottom of the instant pot.
Then you can continue on with the recipe instructions starting with covering the chicken in the instant pot with the pasta, marinara sauce, chicken broth, and Italian dressing.
What Does It Mean To Brown The Chicken?
Browning the chicken means that you get a nice sear on both sides. However, you won’t cook the chicken all the way through.
Let each side of the chicken cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until the chicken meat “browns.” The rest of the chicken will cook in a later step in the recipe.
How Do I Store This Chicken Parmesan Pasta?
You can store this pasta dish in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make sure it is in an airtight container.
When ready to reheat, use the microwave. It will likely have become somewhat dry, so you can add a little bit of butter, chicken broth, or marinara sauce to regain some of the moisture of the sauce.
You can also freeze your pasta for up to one month. Be aware that the pasta noodles maybe come slightly mushy when reheated.
The Instant Pot is quickly becoming one of my go-to kitchen gadgets when making up a homemade meal or a delicious side! Give one of my other favorite Instant Pot Recipes a try the next time you break out your instant pot!
- Tender Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon – Juicy chunks of beef surrounded by vegetables covered in a delicious gravy made with beef gravy and red wine!
- Moist Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken – Shredded chicken paired with your favorite BBQ sauce that’s ready in just 30 minutes!
- Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo – Tender pieces of sauteed chicken served in a thick, cheesy sauce that your whole family will love!
- Easy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes – Everyone’s favorite side dish that’s perfectly flavored using fresh garlic and sage!
- Homestyle Instant Pot Pot Roast – The best meal to cozy up to with incredibly tender meat, carrots, potatoes, and celery!
Let’s Connect!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!
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Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 1½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 8 ounces penne pasta uncooked
- 1½ cup marinara sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup zesty Italian dressing
- ¾ cup mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- Chopped Parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on the sauté setting and place the butter in to let it melt as it warms up.
- In the meantime, combine and mix the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, dried basil, dried oregano, and dried rosemary to create a spice rub for the chicken.
- Rub the chicken breasts in the spice rub and then place them in the instant pot to brown. Brown on both sides, but don’t cook all the way, about 1 to 2 minutes on both sides.
- Press cancel to turn off sauté mode. Add in the pasta, marinara sauce, chicken broth, and Italian dressing on top of chicken.
- Stir thoroughly and make sure the liquid is covering the pasta shells completely. Then close the lid, making sure that the valve is sealed.
- Cook for 6 minutes on high pressure then release the pressure with slow release (Where the valve is about halfway open and slowly releasing pressure). After about 5 minutes of slow release, use quick release to release the rest of the pressure.
- Remove chicken breasts and cut into cubes or shredded. Return the chicken to the Instant pot and stir.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese on top of chicken and pasta.
- Close the lid and set the Instant Pot to warm. Cook until the cheese is melted and then plate and serve.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Best when served warm.
Notes
- Don’t leave the sauté setting on for too long as it can burn the butter.
- Add more if you love cheese! You can replace the mozzarella cheese with sharp or mild cheddar or even pepper jack cheese for a little spice.
- The zesty Italian dressing is not a dry mix. Instead, it is the bottled Italian dressing you can find next to other premixed bottled salad.
- Use beef or vegetable broth if you prefer.
- There are a lot of different types of pasta sauces, so you can be creative here and try any of them.
- Try this recipe with chicken thighs as well.
- You can use salted butter if you want a little more flavor.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Celeste M says
Can you use frozen chicken breast?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Celeste, Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience cooking with frozen chicken breast as I prefer to thaw first or use fresh.
Dax says
Should that say “cooked for 16 minutes” instead of 6? The chicken was still raw inside after the suggested 6 minutes? A lot of Instant Pot recipes call for lightly browning chicken before cooking, but in this case it seems that it should almost be fully cooked if it’s only getting 6 minutes in the pot. We had to cook it twice in the Instant Pot before it was ready. Turned out great in the end but 6 mins was definitely not enough.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Dax,
The cook time is correct for the recipe. Did you possibly skip step #3 where you sear each side for 1 to 2 minutes. Did you use fresh or frozen chicken breast? If you used really thick cuts this could also lead to a longer cook time.
Dax says
Thanks for quick response! We definitely seared the chicken before cooking in the pot. Next time we’ll sear it a bit longer and I think it’ll turn out great. It was delicious once we got it right