Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pasta – chicken pasta loaded with cheddar, bacon and ranch! Seriously delicious! 4 minutes of cook time. We ate this two days in a row. Chicken, ranch dressing mix, bacon, chicken broth, water, cream cheese, penne pasta and cheddar cheese. Everyone cleaned their plate! Even our picky eaters!!
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Pin This RecipeHow many of you LOVE the Instant Pot?!?! I’ve owned one for over a year, but I just started using it. In case you aren’t familiar with the Instant Pot, it is an electric pressure cooker. You can cook just about anything in the Instant Pot. You can cook it fast or use it as a slow cooker.
Today I am sharing one of our favorite pasta dishes – Crack Chicken Pasta. Chicken and pasta loaded with cheddar, bacon and ranch. This is seriously DELICIOUS! The best part is that it takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish. Everything cooks in the Instant Pot – even the pasta! Woot Woot!
We made this Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pasta for lunch two days in a row. It was that GOOD!! I loved that I could cook everything in the Instant Pot. Only one pot to clean! I sautéed the chicken and then dumped everything else in and closed the lid. It takes the Instant Pot a few minutes to come to full steam, but once it is locked the pasta is ready in about 4 minutes. LOVE that!! Can’t wait to experiment more with the Instant Pot!
Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pasta
Ingredients:
- 1- lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 (1-oz) package ranch dressing mix
- 1/4 cup cooked chopped bacon
- 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese
- 1- lb dry penne pasta
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions:
- Preheat Instant Pot on “Sauté” setting; add oil, chicken, and ranch packet, stirring to coat. Cook chicken 2–3 minutes.
- Add pasta, broth, and water to pot.
- Close lid, lock pot, select “Manual” setting and 4 minutes time. Cook pasta until time is up, then quick release and open Pot.
- Stir in cream cheese, cheddar cheese and cooked bacon until combined; let pasta set
- 5 minutes to thicken. Serve immediately.
Steph
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Can you double the batch in a 6 quart size instant pot
I don't think a double batch would fit. I made this in a 6-qt IP and it was pretty full.
Love your instant pot recipes! Made this last night, all 5 of us liked it and ate every bit! I did accidentally read the amount of cheese wrong and added 2- 8oz bags of shredded cheese. It was extremely cheesy, but no one complained. I'll probably follow your recipe correctly and use only 1 bag next time.
My first time making crack chicken. I’ve seen several recipes but decided to use this one. Very good after thickening up a bit. I think I’ll add a bit of hot sauce next time for some kick. The only hiccup was that I definitely had to deglaze after sauté. Those new to IP might not know this step is crucial to prevent that dreaded notice ��
Is it supposed to be watery? I put in the right amount of stock and water but when done cooking it was watery? Is this how it's supposed to be?
It should thicken after adding the cheeses and sitting for a couple of minutes
I made this tonight and it was still pretty runny after only 5 minutes. After about 10 minutes, it was nice and thick. I also added frozen peas and frozen corn at the end with the cheeses. It was very good!
Once cooked, how much would be one serving? I'm new and still leaving about serving sized
O-M-G!
Finally I have found the perfect Crack Chicken recipe for my pressure cooker! Followed the recipe to as is and wow! My family devoured it! Thank you for sharing! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you so much for this! I doubled the recipe and did not add extra cooking time and it turned out great. The family who came over said it was their new favorite meal and could not say enough good things about it.
I made this recipe tonight and it was sooooo good definitely a hit with the family. We were out of cream cheese so I used heavy whipping cream and it tasted so good. I don’t think it changed the flavor at all.
If I want to cut this recipe in half is there any ingredieny that can't be halved? Broth, water, etc? I assume cooking times would remain the same ?thanks!!
I always have trouble with pasta measurements. What would one pound of penne be in cups, ounces or even grams? Thank you!
A pound of pasta is 16 ounces. Most brands sell 16-oz boxes.
Just to be clear, since this is the first time I am using my instant pot, you preheat Instant Pot on “Sauté” setting. Do you do this before you add the oil, chicken and ranch packet?
Yes – turn the pot on Sauté and then cook the chicken. Just let it heat up for a minute or two before adding the oil and chicken
What size instant pot did you use? I made this tonight, and it tastes amazing but when I released the pressure I had liquid spewing from the vent.
6 quart
Do you leave the chicken in the pot when you cook the pasta? n
Yes
If the 45 mins includes how long it takes to come to pressure, then that's probably about right. I've not made this recipe yet, but pretty much everything I make in the instant pot takes at least 30 mins to come to pressure, sometimes more.
Made this tonight and it was great! Any idea on the caloric count? I am sure I could figure it out, but thought you might already know. Thanks for the recipe!
Can I just cut this recipe in half if I'm using a Mini instant pot?
I've never used a mini instant pot, but I assume it would work.