Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
by Chungah
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A one pot, no fuss, no babysitting dinner! Even the uncooked pasta cooks right in the IP, soaking up all that creamy goodness!
Featured Comment
Hands down best/easiest alfredo sauce!! I have tried many alfredo recipes before and oftentimes are too thick or the flavor lacks. This was SPECTACULAR — thin, but just enough flavor to coat the noodles. Served with a side of broccoli. Adding this one to the tried and true recipe book!
Why this instant pot chicken alfredo recipe works
- Short ingredient list. Skip the jarred sauce! This Instant Pot recipe requires minimal ingredients, most of which are pantry staples. After this, you’ll never want to go back to store-bought sauce again.
- Super speedy dinner. Homemade alfredo sauce is so much easier to make than you think, coming together very quickly in just 30 minutes, start to finish, making weeknight dinners feel so effortless.
- No babysitting, no fuss. Thanks to the Instant Pot®, this is truly a one pot dinner where even the uncooked pasta gets cooked right in the IP, soaking up all the saucy, silky, cheesy goodness along with the juicy bites of chicken.
- Picky-eater approved. This is a great recipe to sneak in all the veggies (leafy greens, mushrooms, peas or broccoli florets) for those picky eaters!
What is alfredo sauce?
Alfredo sauce is a creamy, silky, rich pasta sauce made of butter, garlic, Parmesan, and heavy cream, commonly served over fettuccine noodles and paired with chicken or seafood.
How to make chicken alfredo in the instant pot
- Season. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts can be used here.
- Cook the chicken. Using the high sauté setting of your IP, cook the chicken and garlic until golden brown before setting aside. We love using this quick weeknight hack for garlic!
- Deglaze. Deglaze the bottom of the IP with a little bit of white wine (this helps prevent the burn signal while also adding deep flavor to the alfredo sauce). Need a non-alcoholic substitute? Chicken stock can be used instead.
- Make the sauce. Add everything to the IP (including the uncooked fettuccine noodles broken in half), keeping everyone saucy and happy. Pressure cook on high for 6 minutes, natural releasing for at least 5 minutes.
- Stir. Stir everything together, letting the pasta absorb all the sauce. The sauce may seem a little runny at first, but it will thicken as it sits.
- Serve. Add the finishing touches of freshly grated Parmesan, salt, pepper and parsley, and serve with crusty bread and a salad.
what to serve with chicken alfredo
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt Instant Pot®
Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken breasts?
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
Do I have to use white wine?
Additional chicken stock can be used for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.
What is heavy cream?
Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.
Can I substitute something else for the fettuccine noodles?
Penne or rotini would work very well here!
Why is the Instant Pot spraying sauce?
Pasta is very starchy, causing foam to spray from the valve. Natural release for 5 minutes first, then carefully pulse the steam release valve to allow the foam to settle until the pressure is fully released.
How can I store leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, adding a splash of chicken stock as needed when reheating.
Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
A one pot, no fuss, no babysitting dinner! Even the uncooked pasta cooks right in the IP, soaking up all that creamy goodness!
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces fettuccini noodles, broken in half
- 3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Season chicken with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting. Melt butter; add chicken, and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute; set aside chicken.
- Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in chicken stock, heavy cream and pasta; top with chicken. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 6 minutes. When finished cooking, natural-release for 5 minutes first, then quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Stir pasta; let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until half the liquid has reduced, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in Parmesan until melted, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- Choose a wine you will drink. A dry white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your alfredo sauce. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Freshly grated cheese goes a long way. While pre-grated Parmesan cheese will save a few minutes in the kitchen, freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or domestic Parmesan is ideal. This gives the favorited rich, nutty flavors of alfredo sauce, creating a smooth, creamy consistency.
- Let the pressure naturally reduce for a few minutes. Letting it sit for about 5 minutes will help avoid a sudden burst of starchy water from the release valve.
- Mix it up. Swap out the fettuccine noodles for penne or rotini, use chicken breasts (or tenders) instead of thighs or add in leafy greens, mushrooms, peas or broccoli florets for sneaked-in veggies and nutrition.
- Use a bigger Instant Pot when doubling. When doubling the recipe, opt for an 8-qt Instant Pot® instead to allow for enough room, filling just before the max line.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
This is Fantastic! I’ve made it exactly as is and it’s perfect. The whole family loved it. I also always like to experiment with recipes and I added a small store bought jar of basil pesto, and WOW! It’s like a whole new dish! It has become my family’s favourite dish either way I make it.
Delicious! I x1.5 the recipe. Worked really well. I was subbing chicken stock concentrate + water instead of broth and accidentally used double the concentrate – I think a very happy accident.
Made it for my friends, and it was a hit. Would definitely make it again.
I don’t know what issue people are having with sauce squirting out of the pressure valve bc I doubled this recipe and had no issues. Delicious and easy! Would recommend.
Delicious! I also had the issue with the quick release spraying the sauce, but I knew from other reviews that would happen, so I just held a towel up when I released the steam to catch as much of it as I could.
This is a great base recipe for making Alfredo in an instant pot. I love an Alfredo with big flavors so I add a lot of stuff. Prior to tonight, I’ve made it with blackened chicken, sun dried tomatoes, twice the garlic, and topped with green onions. Tonight I made it with broccoli, twice the garlic, shallots, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf . That’s the great thing about a base recipe though! You can adjust it to your personal preference.
This was a great recipe. My picky 6 year old even liked it! This will be going into the regular rotation. But 2 notes, watch the quick release, it was messier than I thought it would be, and you may have to adjust the cook time. I had to add 2 minutes, it may have been the brand of noodles. But delicious!!!
HOW is this so good!!! Absolutely perfect!!
This was truly delicious. Made it for dinner last night.
Although I was caught off guard when the vent started to sputter sauce, I pushed through it and it turned out perfect. My family devoured it so I will definitely be making it again.
I just made this for dinner and it was amazing!!!!
Loved this recipe! Want to make it again for more people…would the cooking time change if I doubled the recipe?
Consistently one of my go-to recipes for an easy, delicious week night dinner! Always a crowd favorite!
This was delicious! Definitely adding this to my rotation.
This was so great and so easy on a work night! Thanks so much for your amazing recipe!!!
We loved this, it’s an easy dinner for days when you can’t do much. Very damn delicious, I will worry about the carbs tomorrow. Would love to know cooking time for a double batch.
We did double batch and doubled time/ I set an alarm on my phone 4 mins less than double time and checked the food- it was ready to go and still delicious
I tried this recipe and it was almost a disaster! The “quick release” squirted Alfred sauce all over my kitchen. After cleaning that up I put my pot on sauté and cooked off the excess liquid after about 40 minutes. We’ll have it for dinner tomorrow. Fingers crossed!!
I used Italian seasoning with salt and pepper on the chicken along with shredded mozzarella and provolone cheese with parmesan at the end and it came out amazing.
As the website says…..”Damn delicious”!! That turned out so good. Who needs Olive Garden with this recipe and an Instant Pot!!!
Yum!!! Made it for the first time tonight. Chicken came out a littleee dry but I realized 3/4 through browning the chicken I needed the sauté on high (defaulted to med) so maybe that was the issue. I did have to put a teensy bit of arrowroot powder to thicken the sauce however I did put a little more broth (used beef as that’s what I had opened) than called because I used 1.5lbs of chicken. Other than that, it was easy and will be making again!! Thanks!
ps. 4.5/5 stars for me!! I didn’t see the rating option.
Amazing! Made with GF noodles, fast and delicious!
Best fettuccine Alfredo recipe ever!!!!! Can’t believe it was so easy to make?!
Hands down best/easiest alfredo sauce!! I have tried many alfredo recipes before and oftentimes are too thick or the flavor lacks. This was SPECTACULAR — thin, but just enough flavor to coat the noodles. Served with a side of broccoli. Adding this one to the tried & true recipe book!