This easy Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti is a true one-pot meal and no draining required. Creamy and delicious, it’s an Instant Pot pasta recipe that the whole family will love and perfect for busy weeknight dinners – on the table in 30 minutes!
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I think cooking pasta in the Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker is a total game-changer. No more giant pasta pot of boiling water and no draining required! And the best part is that it is mostly hands-off. Add all of your ingredients to the Instant Pot and set to cook.
We are veering from traditional spaghetti today with this Creamy Chicken Spaghetti. It’s got peppers, onions, monterey jack cheese, cream cheese and Rotel for a kick without being spicy. The cream cheese creates a velvety sauce that coats the noodles and you’ve got a complete meal ready in 30 minutes.
For more Instant Pot pasta recipes, make sure to try our Instant Pot American Goulash or our traditional Instant Pot Spaghetti!
Ingredients
Spaghetti: You’ll need 1 (16 ounce) box of regular spaghetti pasta. If you only have thin spaghetti or shorter pasta like rotini or ziti, read the notes in the recipe card below for how to adjust the cooking time.
Chicken: I used chicken breast in this recipe, but you can absolutely use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or leave out the chicken for a vegetarian option. You will need to cut the chicken into approximately 1 inch cubes.
Chicken Stock: You’ll need 4 cups of chicken stock (or broth) which is the equivalent of one (32 ounce) container. Feel free to use vegetable broth or make your own chicken broth using bouillon (Better than Bouillon is my absolute favorite).
Onion and Bell Pepper: You’ll need one medium onion (white or yellow) and one bell pepper. I used a red pepper because that is my preference, but you can use any bell pepper or even pre-chopped frozen peppers and onions for convenience.
Rotel: Rotel is the common brand name, but most stores have their own version now. You’ll need 1 (10 ounce) can of diced tomatoes with green chiles.
Cheese: For this recipe, we are using half a block (4 ounces) of cream cheese and 2 cups (8 ounces) of shredded cheese. I recommend monterey jack or colby jack cheese. You can also use cheddar or pepper jack if you prefer. This is one application where using pre-shredded cheese works just fine.
Equipment
- Instant Pot (I use a 6 quart Duo)
- Cutting Board and Knife
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Tongs or Wooden Spoon
- Can Opener
Tips for Making Instant Pot Pasta
When you’re cooking a long pasta like spaghetti, break the pasta in half and lay in the Instant Pot in a criss-cross pattern. This helps prevent the pasta from sticking together while cooking. Some sticking may still occur, so just give your pasta a really good stir to help break everything up once cooked.
Everyone is familiar with boiling pasta in a large pot and then draining the noodles, so how do you know how much liquid is needed when you’re cooking in the Instant Pot? There is a handy ratio to remember: 2 cups of liquid for ever 8 ounces of pasta.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti
- Break the spaghetti in half and place in the Instant Pot in a criss-cross pattern.
- Add the chicken stock, cubed chicken, salt, pepper, chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, garlic and Rotel and stir to combine. Make sure that the spaghetti remains covered by the chicken stock.
- Close the lid, seal the valve and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then release.
- Stir the pasta a bit (there will still be liquid in the pot) and add your cream cheese and shredded cheese. Give it another good stir.
- Close the lid again and let sit for 10 minutes. The cheese will melt and the remaining liquid will get absorbed during this time.
- Remove the lid, give it a good stir and serve! Garnish with chopped parsley or green onion if desired.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Pork Butt (Pulled Pork)
- Easy Instant Pot Sloppy Joes
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Lentil Soup (Instant Pot and Slow Cooker instructions)
Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti
This easy Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti is a true one-pot meal and no draining required. Creamy and delicious, it's an Instant Pot pasta recipe that the whole family will love and perfect for busy weeknight dinners - on the table in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dry spaghetti
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound chicken breast, cubed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel)
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded cheese, Monterey jack or colby jack
Instructions
- Break spaghetti in half and place in the Instant Pot inner pot. Lay half of the spaghetti perpendicular to form a cross with the layered pasta. This will help prevent the noodles from sticking.
- Add chicken stock, cubed chicken, salt, pepper, onion, bell pepper, garlic and tomatoes with green chiles. Gently stir everything together, making sure spaghetti noodles remain covered by chicken stock.
- Close the lid and seal. Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.
- Allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes then open seal to release remaining pressure.
- Remove lid and give the pasta a good stir. There will be some liquid remaining. Stir in cream cheese and shredded cheese. Close the lid and allow to sit for 10 minutes. The cheese will melt and pasta will absorb the remaining liquid.
- Remove lid, stir and serve.
Notes
This recipe was written using regular spaghetti pasta. If you are using thin spaghetti or a shorter pasta like rotini or ziti, I recommend cooking your chicken breast in a skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes before adding to your Instant Pot. Then you'll reduce your pressure cooking time to 4 minutes with 5 minute naturally pressure release.
Variations: You can easily add additional vegetables such as broccoli or chopped mushrooms or leave out the bell peppers or onions with no change to the cooking time. For an italian version, use diced tomatoes with basil and garlic rather than green chiles and add 1 teaspoon italian seasoning. If you plan to use precooked chicken, add it to the Instant Pot when you add the cream cheese and shredded cheese.
Storing: To store leftovers, allow to cool completely and package in an airtight container. Your chicken spaghetti will last in the fridge for up to 4 days. When reheating, you may need to add a bit of water or chicken stock to loosen up the noodles and get the creamy sauce.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 537Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 916mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 38g
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This is one of the easiest recipe I tried and it’s so delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
This was really great and I followed your criss cross tip, I’ll be making this chicken spaghetti in my instant pot again!
This is the best weeknight meal! Super creamy and easy to whip up!
I just made this for lunch today and not only was it easy it was delicious. I did cut the recipe in half as there’s only my husband and myself here to eat it, but there is enough for another meal. I will serve a side with it next time.
Love that, Sandi! So glad you enjoyed and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
Not sure what I did wrong but this was a flop! Put it in my instant pot for the 6 mins on High and my Instant pot didn’t even reach the high pressure and when it was “done” it was cold!!! Set it for 10 mins and am hoping it will cook! So disappointed and frustrated to have ruined all these ingredients!!
Update, after putting it in for another 10 mins, still, no pressure was able to build up! It got to about a medium high heat and everything burnt on the bottom of the instant pot pan! This was a disaster and I’ve been using my instant pot for years! Won’t be making this one again! Thumbs down on this recipe!! 👎🏼
Sounds like a problem with your instant pot, not the recipe. I hope it has been resolved.
came out too soupy and lacked flavor despite heavy seasonings on chicken that I pre-seared..
Thank you for your feedback, Jim!
I made this for the first time tonight and it came out perfect. The only deviation I made from the recipe was that I used a 12 oz. can of diced tomatoes and a 4 oz. can of chopped green chilies. It was delicious. A little liquidy at the end, but after stirring and letting it cool a bit, it thickened up nicely. I think the leftovers tomorrow for lunch will be excellent. Thanks so much for this easy and quick recipe. I will most definitely be making this again.
Glad you enjoyed it, Simon. Thank you so much for your comment!
I tried this for the first time tonight and I absolutely loved it! I’m in one of those weeks where I’ve been trying to use up everything before going to the grocery store again, and I was actually out of onions (for probably the first time ever)! So I skipped that step, along with the garlic. To make up for it, I used some onion and garlic powder on top of the noodles before pressure cooking. Threw in some leftover chicken at the end, and a couple dashes of ranch seasoning. Completely delicious. Can’t wait to try it once I have all of the ingredients, lol. I may try it with Italian-type tomatoes instead of Rotel since my kids think literally everything is spicy. Other than that, I loved it! Will definitely make again!
Just made this tonight. We loved it! I added some mushrooms and used Pepper Jack cheese instead of Colby or plain Monterey Jack.
I’ll definitely make this again. It was so easy.
Tried the recipe and followed the directions exactly. I got a “food burn” notice and the bottom noodles burned to the bottom of the pot.
Made it just now! Substituted Sour Cream since I was out of cream cheese. (And half angel hair..) Added some garlic salt and onion powder- PERFECT! New go to meal!!
Followed recipe and got burn notice.
Thank you for the feedback, Gail. I will update and provide additional details as needed.
For those of you getting the burn notice…restack it from the beginning. Sear the chicken, deglaze, then add onion, stir, pasta, tomatoes, broth. Make sure noodles are down in it. Cook like directions say.
Hi made this to night definitely put to much broth in but it was great
I read the comments before making and saw some people thought it was bland so I added a spicy ranch packet and used fresh grated Parmesan and some Mexican style cheese I had on hand. Additionally, when I put all my ingredients into the pot it didn’t seem like enough liquid so I added some heavy cream, butter and water to really cover everything. Of course my version has some additional calories but I was delicious 😋
Is there any way for frozen chicken breasts to be used for this? I normally just shred it at the end.
This may be a dumb question, but do you cook the chicken before putting it in the instant pot?