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    Home » Recipes » Instant Pot

    Instant Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta

    Modified: Sep 15, 2021 · Published: Mar 21, 2019 by Kristin · This post may contain affiliate links. · 10 Comments

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    In under 10 minutes, this Chicken Pesto Pasta can be ready to serve using the Instant Pot! Only 7 ingredients needed, this is one simple meal to make!

    tender pasta with a tasty pesto sauce, cooked in the instant pot

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    As you can tell simply from scrolling through my blog, I LOVE my Instant Pot! Sure, I was skeptical when the hype first started, but after one use….I am pro Instant Pot all the way! I have made so many different main dishes, side dishes, desserts, and more in a fraction of the time! Plus, I truly believe the Instant Pot enhances the flavor of dishes due to how its cooked! Life changing, I promise!

    Jump to:
    • Tender pasta, diced chicken, and tomatoes combined with a flavorful pesto sauce!
    • Do you have an Instant Pot? If so, check out these other favorites:
    • Instant Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta comes together in no time and is packed with flavor! Print the recipe below and give it a try!
    • Instant Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta

    Tender pasta, diced chicken, and tomatoes combined with a flavorful pesto sauce!

    A few weeks back, I was having one of those days where I was scatter brained. You know the kind where you think you did something you didn’t, you put something in one place only to realize its somewhere else, or heck, the bag of chips ends up in the fridge instead of pantry. Hopefully I am not the only one that has those type of days, haha!

    tender noodles, cherry tomatoes, chicken, and a pesto sauce combined

    Well, I thought I had taken beef out to thaw for burgers. Come mid afternoon, I realized that wasn’t the case, I had merely moved the beef from my outside freezer to my inside freezer, lol! When I realized this, I immediately racked by brain for alternative dinner ideas since I didn’t want to mess around with trying to thaw the beef quickly. I found some chicken I had bought the previous day and luckily, I had put it in my refrigerator to stay chilled until I used it a few days later. After rummaging through my pantry, I also found some jarred Pesto. Using the two, I changed the meal plan from hamburgers on the grill, to chicken pesto pasta!

    I had this meal ready to serve in under 10 minutes! Impressive, right?! That allowed me plenty of time to help the kids with homework, pack lunches for the next day, and put my pj’s on earlier, enjoying a glass of wine!

    I’m telling you, the Instant Pot is a game changer! Gone are the days of stressing over dinner!

    Do you have an Instant Pot? If so, check out these other favorites:

    Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice

    BEST EVER Instant Pot Lasagna

    Instant Pot Beef Enchilada Casserole

    If you love Pesto, chicken, and pasta…..or just a simple, tasty meal….you’ll love this!

    *Be sure to sign up for my newsletter below! Simply add your email address and you’ll receive my latest recipes sent directly to your inbox. Plus, I do monthly prize giveaways for my subscribers only! Last month was an Instant Pot, coming up is a slow cooker! 

    tender pasta with a tasty basil pesto sauce

     

    Instant Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta comes together in no time and is packed with flavor! Print the recipe below and give it a try!

    Want to save this recipe?

    Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

    Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
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    Instant Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta

    Recipe by: Kristin
    In under 10 minutes, this Chicken Pesto Pasta can be ready to serve using the Instant Pot! Only 7 ingredients needed, this is one simple meal to make!
    4.70 from 10 votes
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    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 4 minutes mins
    Total Time 9 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Servings 6
    Calories 573 kcal

    Equipment

    • Non Stick Instant Pot Liner
    • Instant Pot

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 tablespoon butter
    • 1 lb chicken breasts, boneless/skinless, diced
    • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
    • 4 cups chicken broth
    • 1 lb rotini pasta
    • 1 cup Pesto (I used jarred, but you can use homemade if preferred)
    • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
    • Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated

    Instructions
     

    • Set Instant Pot to saute. Add butter.
    • Season meat with Italian seasoning and add to the pot.
    • Saute until sides start to turn golden brown.
    • Add in the uncooked pasta and chicken broth.
    • Place cover on Instant Pot and ensure valve is in sealing position.
    • Turn off saute feature and set to manual, high pressure, 4 minutes.
    • Once done, do a quick release.
    • Remove lid and add in the Pesto and tomatoes.
    • Stir to full incorporate and serve with Parmesan cheese on top! 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 573kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 29gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 1088mgPotassium: 633mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1103IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 105mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @TheCookinChicks or tag #TheCookinChicks!

     

     

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    Comments

    1. Lynn Hughes says

      February 11, 2021 at 3:55 pm

      5 stars
      So easy, and delicious! One of our favorites, thank you!

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        February 12, 2021 at 7:26 am

        Yay! Glad you enjoyed it!!

        Reply
    2. Tami potirala says

      November 28, 2020 at 1:55 pm

      2 stars
      Not my most favorite recipe but it’ll sustain life as my dad says

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        November 29, 2020 at 8:59 am

        Bummer it wasn’t a hit!

        Reply
    3. Jen says

      February 27, 2020 at 1:43 pm

      I think using sun dried tomatoes in this instead of the cherry tomatoes would be good.

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        February 29, 2020 at 8:07 am

        Oh yes, that would be great too!

        Reply
    4. Melissa says

      January 25, 2020 at 8:31 pm

      5 stars
      I am new to the instant pot. I tried this tonight and when the lid came off there was still tons of liquid in the pot. I had to remove the noodles and chicken to a bowl to stir in the pesto. Any suggestions of what I might have done wrong? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        January 26, 2020 at 11:34 am

        Hmmmm, I’m not sure as the pasta should’ve absorbed most of the liquid as it cooked. Was the pasta tender? Are you at a high altitude? If the pasta was tender and you aren’t at a high altitude, try reducing broth by about 1/2 cup and see if that helps! It may also take a few minutes on sauté at the end to absorb the remaining liquid.

        Reply
    5. Amanda says

      July 11, 2019 at 9:45 pm

      5 stars
      I’m always nervous with new instant pot recipes that aren’t tried and true, because it feels like I’m rolling the dice with dinner! But this came out perfectly so it’s officially going into my rotation. The consistency is just right. I even used some strange pasta I had on hand- raddiatore which has about the same cook time as rotini. After adding the tomatoes and pesto I put the lid back on for a few minutes so that the tomatoes would cook with the residual heat. So good.

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        July 12, 2019 at 6:33 am

        Yea! So glad to hear you enjoyed this! I’m always afraid of testing new recipes out too, the epic fails are typically quite terrible in my kitchen haha!

        Reply
    4.70 from 10 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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    Welcome to The Cookin' Chicks…I am so glad you've stopped by! I am Kristin, a busy mom of 3, a wife, and a family chef! There are three things that motivate me each day - Family, Faith, and FOOD! I, along with the occasional help of friends and family, want to share my food creations with you! So, I invite you to join me around my dinner table through the recipes that I will share with you here. I hope you will enjoy the journey as much as I do!

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