Name: Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Pasta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter or margarine; 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 pound dry penne pasta; 4 cups chicken stock; 2 medium lemons, juiced; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; ¼ teaspoon garlic powder; ½ cup heavy whipping cream; ¼ cup grated Romano cheese; ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

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As you know, I am all about easy dinner solutions. I love finding easy recipes that my family loves that I can keep on rotation. It’s even better when those recipes have easy modifications to mix them up and keep them exciting! Today’s recipe is a perfect example of this, and one that you’ll be glad to have in your repertoire as well: Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Pasta. This easy pasta dinner cooks together in one pot – your Instant Pot – in under 30 minutes (including time to reach pressure)! This Instant Pot chicken pasta is delicious on its own, but is also a great base recipe that you can customize by adding your favorite pasta ingredients (see more on that below). This Instant Pot chicken pasta recipe makes 8 servings, so is great for a crowd, or you can save the leftovers for lunches to eat over the following few days. If you’re looking for solid pressure cooker pasta recipes, you’ll want to save this delicious Instant Pot creamy lemon chicken pasta. I developed this Instant Pot chicken pasta recipe as part of the Allrecipes Allstars Tastemakers program. Rate, review, and photograph my recipe for Instant Pot® Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta on Allrecipes here, or keep reading to see step-by-step photos, cooking tips, and ideas for how to customize this recipe. You can also scroll down to get the full Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Pasta recipe at the bottom of this post.

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Pasta (easy and versatile Instant Pot chicken pasta recipe)

Looking for more easy Instant Pot and pressure cooker pasta recipes with simple modifications like this? You’ll love my cookbook, Pressure Cooker Cookbook for Beginners! Get your copy now (available in both paperback and digital formats), and check out my other Instant Pot recipes here.

What you need to make this pressure cooker chicken pasta

The full pressure cooker chicken pasta recipe is at the end of this post, but here are the ingredients for this Instant Pot creamy lemon chicken pasta as a base recipe:

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound dry penne pasta
4 cups chicken stock
2 medium lemons, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup grated Romano cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Ideas for customizing this Instant Pot chicken pasta recipe

This Instant Pot chicken pasta is delicious on its own, but is also a great starting point for customizations. Here are some great additions to this dish:

Chopped artichoke hearts
Capers
Cherry tomatoes
Mushrooms
Peas
Spinach
Broccoli
Thyme
Basil

How to make Instant Pot lemon chicken pasta

This Instant Pot chicken pasta recipe begins by selecting the Sauté function on your multi-function electric pressure cooker. Melt some butter or margarine in the pot. After the butter melts, add some chicken breast (cut into bite-sized pieces) and finely chopped onion and sauté until the chicken is browned (about 5 minutes). Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute more, then push Cancel to end the Sauté function.

Add dry penne pasta, chicken stock, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the pot.

Stir everything together with a wooden or plastic spoon, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. Try to make sure all the pasta is in the liquid before closing and locking the pressure cooker lid. After closing the lid, make sure the pressure/steam release switch is set to Sealing, and set the cooking time to 5 minutes at high/normal pressure. It will take about 12 minutes for the pot to reach pressure before the 5 minutes of cooking time begins.

After the pressure cooking time ends, carefully release the pressure using the manufacturer’s quick release method, then unlock and remove the lid. The image above is what it will look like right after you release the pressure and open the pot.

Stir in heavy cream, Romano cheese, and Parmesan cheese (or a blend of Parmesan/Romano).

Let the pasta sit in the pot for about 3 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.

My family finds this creamy, lemony pasta perfectly delicious on its own, but it is also amazing with some additions, like capers, chopped artichoke hearts, peas, broccoli, and more. See my full list of suggestions above, or feel free to experiment!

Here’s the Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Pasta! Let me know what your family thinks, or what additions you’ve tried in the comments, and remember to leave a rating!