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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I only have a 3qt instant pot. Do you have any tips for adjusting the recipe?
Can you use frozen chicken? If so, how would the cooking time be adjusted? Thanks!
Made this for dinner last night. I slightly tweaked it to our tastes by sautéing a small onion and 3 garlic cloves in the oil before adding the chicken. I also added 3 diced red Thai chili peppers. It was a huge hit. This will definitely go on the easy and quick rotation.
Can this be made in the 8 quart?
What a tasty treat. I added spinach, to make it be a bit healthier
. Going to try broccoli next time. Thanks
Can I use mozzarella cheese instead?
Can you use frozen chicken?
I haven’t made this with frozen chicken, so I can not say how to adjust the recipe.
Great simple recipe! I’ve made this a bunch of times. One trick I learned is that you can actually cook the bacon beforehand using the sauté function and then use the leftover bacon fat in lieu of the olive oil.
Great tip!
Just cooked this! Very simple recipe thanks for sharing! I added some rotel tomatoes and some slap your mama seasoning and cooked just as the directions stated and it was amazing! So good, thanks so much for sharing! I will definitely be making this again!!
I know im late to the crack chicken game but man i just made this tonight and its great!. I was a wee bit hesitant on how watery it was when i took the lid off however it set up beautifully!
I made this and followed exactly but it’s not thickening up. Any solution?
This isn’t a very thick sauce. It will thicken some as it cools. You can try stirring in some cornstarch if you want the sauce thicker.
Could I double all the ingredients if I had a big family
Sure – as long as it fits in your Instant Pot
This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. I was wondering about the cream cheese. Do I need to soften the cream cheese in the microwave first? Thank you!
I did not do that, but you can if you prefer.
Hey I have the duo nova and i too dont have a manual button. I googled it and found to use the pressure cooker buttom and put it on 4 mins for time and it came out perfectly.
I made this with an extra pound of chicken but left everything the same. Didn’t stir in the bacon cause we have a family member who does care for it in pasta. I also added red chili flake to mine for a little spice and it was really good. I plan to use this method for homemade blackened chicken alfredo. Couldn’t believe how fast this came together, thank you for sharing!
My whole family loved it!
I made this last night for dinner. My daughter (19 yo) said it was the best thing she ever had. My husband loved it as well. My only issue was that the chicken was dry so next time (and there will be a next time) I will only sautee the chicken with the oil and ranch mix for a minute just to coat it. And we have leftovers so dinner tonight, especially since I work until 6 tonight.
Easy and Yummy!