Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo

instant pot chicken alfredo

The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 2
Yield: 1 pot
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1481 Calories
94g Fat
57g Carbs
98g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 1481
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 94g 121%
Saturated Fat 51g 253%
Cholesterol 430mg 143%
Sodium 1940mg 84%
Total Carbohydrate 57g 21%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 98g
Vitamin C 5mg 26%
Calcium 417mg 32%
Iron 5mg 28%
Potassium 1269mg 27%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Instant Pot chicken Alfredo is incredibly easy and delicious. Everything is done in the insert of the instant pot, including cooking the pasta. The pasta soaks up all of the creamy goodness and flavors of the sauce and keeps its perfect al-dente bite. Fettuccine works best in this recipe. The noodle is thick enough to stand up to the pressure cooking without becoming mushy, and is thin enough that it won't become gummy, either. Linguine can also work, but we don't recommend anything thinner than that. Fresh or egg pastas will not hold up well, so it’s best to avoid them. 

If you have leftover chicken, simply toss it in with the pasta when you’re ready to pressure cook. You can make this recipe vegetarian: Substitute the chicken stock for vegetable broth and leave out the chicken breast.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon salted butter

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 1/2 cups chicken stock

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 8 ounces fettuccine noodles

  • 4 ounces cream cheese

  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather your ingredients.

    chicken alfredo ingredients
  2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in the insert of your instant pot on the sauté setting, add the chicken, and cook until golden brown on one side. Then turn the pieces to finish cooking on the other side. It’s OK if the chicken isn’t completely cooked through; it will finish cooking after the pasta is added.

    sauteed chicken in instant pot insert
  3. Add in the butter and the minced garlic to the chicken and stir to combine, cooking for another minute or two.

    chicken and garlic cooked in an instant pot insert
  4. Pour the chicken stock and heavy cream into the Instant Pot and stir to combine all of the ingredients. Scrape the bottom of the pot as you add the liquid to release some of the browned bits.

    heavy cream and chicken in an instant pot
  5. Break the fettuccine noodles in half. This is essential as they will not fit in the pot properly whole. Add in the pasta and submerge in the liquid. Try and move the chicken towards the top since it does not need to be submerged.

    fettucine noodles in an instant pot
  6. Top the instant pot with the lid and cook on manual high pressure for 6 minutes. Manually release the pressure when the timer goes off.

    The pasta will look liquidy, this is normal.

    instant pot fettucine alfredo
  7. Whisk in the cream cheese and parmesan cheese and cook on the saute setting until most of the remaining liquid is absorbed into the pasta and the cream cheese has melted and incorporated into the sauce.

    instant pot fettucine alfredo
  8. Garnish the pasta with the parsley and more grated parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

    instant pot chicken alfredo

Recipe Variations

Make this recipe vegetarian by swapping in vegetable broth for the chicken stock and stirring in your favorite vegetables once the pasta has cooked.


Chopped spinach, very small broccoli florets, and julienned carrots all work best. If you add in the vegetables ahead of time they will most likely overcook and discolor.

How to Store

This pasta is best eaten immediately, but it will also store well in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 4 days. Simply reheat in a sauté pan with a 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Then add more parmesan cheese, of course. 


This pasta does not freeze well.