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?
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This is a great recipe for the Instant Pot. Instead of chicken, I usually add broccoli florets after step 5.
What if you use frozen noodles??
well it might do the same thing hopefully
Whoa! I just made this for lunch and this is possibly the best alfredo sauce I’ve ever tasted! And I made it?! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. As a note, I made this without the white wine (I didn’t have any on hand) and it’s still divine.
Can I make this in slow cooker as well?
The pasta was phenomenal, but my chicken was dry unfortunately. Will have to spring for the chicken thighs next time or just cook the chicken separately. I also added a squeeze of lemon on top to brighten it up. Thanks for the recipe!
Should I cut up the chicken before cooking it in the instant pot or wait until it’s done cooking?
I loooove this recipe. My boyfriend, an ex olive garden waiter and most picky person alive, thinks it’s phenomenal.
I use a 6 qt instant pot and only when I double the recipe do I have problems with liquid bubbling from my pressure release valve. However. I live in Utah and idk what the altitude does but my noodles are never cooked by 6 minutes, and my sauce doesn’t just reduce naturally. Both are pretty easily solved by switching to saute function after pressure cooking to allow the extra liquid to boil down!
Looks so delicious… nice recipe
For all the chefs out there struggling with the mess that can happen while venting on your Instapot. After checking out other recipes it seems the key is layering your ingredients and not stirring them. Start with chicken broth, cream, seasoning and then pasta. I did not add chicken, because I was roasting one in the oven. Also, I waited 5 minutes to release pressure. Don’t use any substitute for the heavy cream, it will curdle for some reason. It was soooooo yummy!! Hope that helps.
Simple and very tasty.
Very good, made exactly as specified with exact ingredients, but probably shouldn’t of let it depressurize on it’s own for even one minute. Noodles were just a tad bit overcooked but that was due to my mistake. Have faith in the instructions. When I opened lid, it did boil up more than I expected(2/3 up lid), but nothing alarming.
Thank you for the recipe!
I made this and it was absolutely delicious. I used half and half instead of heavy cream and Prosecco that I was drinking instead of regular white wine. I added basil and oregano when I sauted the chicken. Flavored perfectly and my family loved it. Oh, I also added about 1/3 or so cream cheese. It was soooo good!
So good but I’m wondering if you can double this recipe and get similar results?
Hi, Im from Manila and I just got an instapot. a gift from my husband. I tried your recipe ( my first time to use insta) and it turned out great. My family loved it. Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
Decent flavor but it made a GIANT mess of my Instant Pot and my oak floor. It looked like it snowed in my kitchen. ) Never had that happen before. I seriously am hoping my instant pot isn’t ruined. When I went to release the pot, creamy sauce blew everywhere through the steam vent. I mean EVERYWHERE. I can’t imagine I am on the only one who this happened to. The sauce was oozing through every crevasse of my instant pot steam vent and spraying across the floor. My instant pot, my stove and my floor were white with sauce. So 10 minutes later, after cleaning my house, we got to try the pasta.
The pasta was VERY al dente and I followed the time precisely, so I would use a smaller pasta next time (Maybe spaghetti) that requires less cook time so it is a little softer with this timeline. The chicken was the perfect texture (not overcooked or undercooked).
I also found that it was heavy, like elmers glue. I am more of a wine with a little alfredo fan like they make in Italian Restaurants. This had the same texture as the stuff out of a jar.) Not bad flavor, but it is VERY thick sauce.
So I don’t think I will make it again, but it wasn’t bad but not great either. I am still in search of a restaurant quality alfredo.
To address the geyser issue when releasing pressure: I only did 4 minutes manual, then let it go 2 min natural release. Even doing that, I had to put a towel right by the valve and release *slowly*. If I started going too fast, it definitely tried to sputter out the sauce. So go slow. I let it sit for the 3 minutes, but it was still very soupy. Stirred in the cheese, which didn’t help as much as I thought it would. I removed the inner pot to let it sit for awhile, thinking cooling it down would thicken it, but nope. I ended up adding a bit of cornstarch. It really is delicious though. We have been in a dinner rut, my kids ate like all of it. I think next time I will add a full 16oz of noodles because there is so much sauce. And that would help too with the soupy issue. This one will be added to my rotation for sure. Thank you!!
I’ve made this a few times now. It’s a family favorite!!
This was delicious and easy. Both my husband and son loved it as well.
My family loved this. I loved making it. It was so easy. Unfortunately I can’t eat it because I’m lactose intolerant. But it smells great!
So delicious. So simple. Creamy and flavorful. Perfect. Better than our highly rated local Italian restaurant. Definitely a family favorite. Will make this again and again.
No matter how long I let this sit, the sauce was terribly thin and soupy. The flavor was good, but the consistency was hard to get over. Made me sad!