Quick One-Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta Dinner
This Quick, One-Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta Dinner is loaded with fresh veggies and packs a good serving of protein from the succulent chicken. The best part: it comes together in just 10 minutes of cooking time! Sounds too good to be true, but it’s seriously too good and too true! :)
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1.5 lbs chicken breasts cut up into half an inch thick strips about 3 inches long
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For the Veggies:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 bunch of fresh Asparagus trimmed and chopped
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- pinch salt
For the Pasta:
- 1 box pasta 375 g - any shape you prefer as long as it fits in your pot comfortably with the water, chicken and veggies
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup table cream or you can use light cream if you prefer
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Toppings and Assembly:
- 1/4 cup fresh basil minced
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated (more or less to your taste)
- pinch red chilli flakes skip, or adjust to your taste
- freshly grated black pepper to your taste
Instructions
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Preheat the olive oil in your instant pot, pressure cooker or large 5-quart pot over high heat.
Season the chicken with the remaining ingredients and toss it well.
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Start by searing the chicken for 1.2 minutes to 2 minutes on each side until it’s lightly golden and the chicken shrinks to seal in all its’ juices.
In the meantime, prepare the veggies, pasta, and water.
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Remove the chicken into a plate and to the same pot, add the veggie ingredients and sauté them for 45 seconds until the garlic is fragrant and veggies start to wilt a bit.
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Add in the pasta, the seared chicken strips, water, cream, and salt. Adjust your pressure cooker/Instant pot to exactly 5 minutes ( for spirals, bowties, penne and similar size pasta).
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Once ready, add in fresh basil, lemon zest, Parmesan cheese, some red chili flakes, and extra salt and pepper if you need.
Serve up the creamy chicken pasta right away and enjoy! :)
Recipe Notes
TIPS FOR PASTA DINNER
- For Stove Top: Follow the recipe as is, but cover your pot and allow the chicken and pasta to cook for about 25 minutes.
- I used fusilli pasta, but you can go with any kind of pasta that fits into your instant pot easily.
- Using chicken breast allows for a delicious flavor and quicker coking time.
- Cutting the chicken breast into strips or cubes helps make cooking faster.
- The type of veggies you choose are completely up to you, and depends on what you have on hand.
- Same with the sauce - I just added cream, however pesto and other sauces are amazing too!
- Adding extra flavoring like spice, herbs, lemon zest is an easy way to infuse flavor.
- Finally cheeses: adding Parmesan is the prefect finish. However adding blue cheese, goat cheese, feta cheese is also amazing!!