All your favorite Chicken Parmesan flavors in a quick and easy one pot pasta dinner! This Chicken Parmesan Pasta Dish is a new family favorite. This recipe contains affiliate links for products I’m obsessed with.
Of all the millions of reasons I love my Instant Pot, making pasta is tops. There is nothing better than a warm, comforting, cheesy pasta meal that comes together in under 30 minutes and without a ton of dishes to wash. Just the magic of the Instant Pot.
This Chicken Parmesan Pasta recipe is no exception. My family devoured this one and I am excited for you all to try it out, too! And if you don’t have an Instant Pot, I will also show you how to make it on your stovetop!
Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta
This recipe comes together with minimal ingredients and is a great, budget friendly meal. You need:
- 2 lbs chicken breast tenderloins: Diced into pieces and seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- ½ onion: You can use whatever onion you have for this, but I like yellow onions best.
- olive oil: Feel free to sub avocado oil if that’s all you have on hand. If you want to save teaspoons, you can use broth instead.
- 3 cloves garlic: As always, measure with your heart and add more if you wish.
- ½ cup water or broth (to scrape off any burned bits): This is important when making pasta in the Instant Pot so you don’t trigger the burn message.
- 2 ¼ cups of gluten free pasta: If you aren’t gluten free, you can sub whatever pasta you have on hand. FIXers, you want to use whole wheat if you aren’t using GF.
- 1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes: Using canned tomatoes instead of jarred sauce keeps this budget friendly. If you have jarred or prepared sauce, you can substitute it.
- 2 T fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried): I prefer fresh, but you can definitely make with with dried basil.
- 1 tsp oregano: Dried is fine!
- 1 cup of freshly shredded or cubed mozzarella: If you want to make this dairy free, you can just omit the cheese or use your favorite plant based cheese. My favorite is Violife.
- ⅓ cup of Pecorino Romano or high quality Parmesan Cheese: Locatelli is my favorite brand.
- (Optional) ¼ cup breadcrumbs: We use a little gluten free breadcrumbs on top to add that chicken parm crunch, but you can also leave this out and it will be just as yummy!
Tips for Making Chicken Parmesan Pasta in the Instant Pot
- Read all the directions for this recipe first. This is something I recommend for all recipes, but especially Instant Pot recipes. I also included a video for you to watch!
- It’s especially important to scrape off the brown bits of chicken and veggies before layering the remaining ingredients.
- Follow the steps for layering exactly. When you are putting the sauce on top of the pasta, make sure all of the noodles are covered – just spread it out with a spoon.
I don’t have an Instant Pot. Can I make this stove top?
YES! In the recipe card below, I have instructions for stove top and I have to say, it’s pretty easy to make this way, too! And in the new year I will test a slow cooker version and get back to you. If anyone tests this, let me know!
Do I really need to do the breadcrumb topping?
Not at all! I always love a little crunch and crispy cheese on top of my casserole type dishes but you can definitely make this without the topping. If you have a Crisplid or an air fryer lid for your Instant Pot, this is the perfect recipe to use it! Just top with your breadcrumbs, place your lid on top of your Instant Pot, and broil for a few minutes until crispy!
If you don’t have an air fryer lid, just put your pasta in an oven safe casserole dish and top with cheese and breadcrumbs. Broil for a few minutes until crispy!
Is this Chicken Parmesan Pasta good for meal prep?
YES! I think it tastes even yummier the next day (as do lots of pasta dishes). And I love using the extra servings for lunches, as long as I hide them from my husband first!
Looking for more Instant Pot Pasta Recipes? Check these out:
- Healthy Instant Pot Baked Ziti
- Instant Pot Enchilada Pasta
- Instant Pot Sausage Broccoli Pasta
- Pumpkin Pasta with Spicy Sausage
- Healthy Instant Pot Chili Mac
Chicken Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast tenderloins diced into pieces and seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder
- ½ onion diced
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup water or broth to scrape off any burned bits
- 2 ¼ cups gluten free pasta
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes 1 large can
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 cup freshly shredded or cubed mozzarella
- ⅓ cup Pecorino Romano or high quality Parmesan Cheese
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs optional
Instructions
Instant Pot
- Set Instant Pot to saute and wait for it to read hot. Then add in olive oil and diced chicken and allow chicken to brown a bit. Add in diced onions and cook until onions begin to get tender and translucent. Add in garlic, stir and cook until garlic is fragrant.
- Add water or broth to the Instant Pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape off any brown bits at the bottom of the pot, so you don’t trigger a burn notice. Then layer uncooked pasta over chicken and veggies.
- Mix basil and oregano into the crushed tomatoes and then layer that over the pasta. Do not stir!
- Place lid on your Instant Pot and set on manual/pressure cook for three minutes.
- After cook time, do a quick release. When it’s safe and all air has been released, carefully open lid. Stir in parmesan cheese and top with shredded mozzarella and place lid on IP so cheese will melt.
- Alternatively, you can place the pasta mixture in a broiler safe dish, top with cheese and breadcrumbs, and broil for a few minutes watching carefully until cheese is brown and bubbly.
- Enjoy with addition parmesan cheese, if desired! I usually top with extra pecorino romano to make it a perfect blue!
Stove Top
- Heat a large dutch oven over medium low heat and add in 1 tsp oil and diced chicken. Cook chicken through, then remove from the pot. Add in remaining oil and diced onions and cook until onions begin to get tender and translucent. Stir and cook until garlic is fragrant.
- Add in 3 cups of water or broth and can of crushed tomatoes. Stir in pasta and seasonings and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until all liquid is absorbed. The mixture will continue to thicken once heat is off.
- Once thickened, stir in the cooked chicken and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Turn off heat.
- Pour the rest of the mozzarella cheese on top, in addition to the parmesan. It will melt as it cools.
- Alternatively, you can place the pasta mixture in a broiler safe dish, top with cheese and breadcrumbs, and broil for a few minutes watching carefully until cheese is brown and bubbly.
- Enjoy with addition parmesan cheese, if desired! I usually top with extra pecorino romano to make it a perfect blue!
Jennifer Kroll says
another healthy recipe that is also family friendly and picky-kid approved. and I already had these ingredients on hand! Thanks so much!!
Nancylynn says
Woohoo! Love a picky-kid win!
Sondra says
I have made this recently and the family loved it…….they asked if I could also make this with eggplant or Italian sausage. Would the cooking time be the same? I am just getting use to using the IP which is now my best friend on practice and game nights.
Nancylynn says
Great ideas! Yes, you can keep the cook time the same for both of those variations! Love the IP on busy nights too!!
Kelley says
Wow! This has been on my list of recipes to try! It did not disappoint!!!! So easy, yet tastes like I slaved away in the kitchen!
Nancylynn says
I am so happy to hear this!
Christina C says
Made this today and we officially have another favorite go-to easy but healthy recipe. Thank you so much for all of your recipes and work, I can always count on your site for healthy and yummy ideas!
Nancylynn says
Thank you Christina! This made my day!!
Priscilla says
Made this for the family and… Wow! Everyone loved it. The cook times were perfect using my Ninja Foodi
Nancylynn says
Thank you for the Foodi intel – so helpful for others!
Margret says
I have a ninja foodie and all your recipes work perfectly!! It’s just nice to have the air fryer lid to melt cheese! I’ll be trying this recipe this week!
Nancylynn says
Thank you Margret! Hope you love it!
It would be so helpful if you came back and gave the recipe a star rating once you try it – thanks in advance!
Jillian Hewitt says
Hello! Can this be a freezer meal for later? If so, would you reheat in the oven at like 350?
Nancylynn says
Totally! Reheat in the oven at 350, but cover it so it doesn’t dry out!
Carrie says
I just made this tonight for tomorrow’s dinner! It made the house smell wonderful, at 8pm when most of my household is already asleep! Lol (Of course I hate to taste a couple spoonfuls and I’m already looking forward to dinner tomorrow! I left out the chicken and cooked it separately (I’m the only one in my fam who eats chicken, so I’ll add it to my own serving), and used non-dairy Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. I am so excited for dinner tomorrow, I bet the flavors will get even better after sitting in the fridge overnight! It was quick, easy, and uses many staples that I always keep in my pantry/ fridge. Thanks, Nancylynn!
Carrie says
Oops! I’m sure you caught my typo! *Had to taste, not *hate to taste! Yikes! So sorry about that! Next time I’ll proofread! Ha!
Jenn says
This recipe was super easy and delicious. Great for family. Currently doing the 21 day fix and this fix into my plan well.
Nancylynn says
Ahhh! Thank you so much for the feedback- so glad it was family friendly!
April says
Thrilled it works with the WW app!!!
Nancylynn says
YAY! We are slowly getting there with this!
Jennifer says
Can you substitute a jar of RAO’s sauce in lieu of the crushed tomatoes and added seasonings? And if so would it affect container count?
Nancylynn says
Rao’s tends to have a lot of oil, so I think adding 1/2 – 1 TSP per serving should account for that! Good idea!
Stephanie A Marschang says
This was great but it did not cook the noodles all the way, do we know how to fix it afterwards when this happens?
Nancylynn says
Yes! Just stir it up and pop the lid back on for a bit. The steam in the pot will cook the noodles a little more. You can always put the pot on saute for a few minutes also!
Ryan says
Not sure I’ll be doing this recipe again. After multiple tries, I get a burn notice every time it comes to pressure, even with triple the water the recipe recommends. Something I’ve noticed is that this recipe makes no mention of the quart size of the InstaPot to use. Perhaps this is meant for a 6 quart and the fact I use an 8 quart is causing the issue? Incredibly frustrating.
Nancylynn says
Hi Ryan, I’m so sorry to hear the recipe didn’t work out for you! Yes, the recipe is written for a 6 qt IP.
Do other pasta dishes work in your pot?
robyn Kungl says
can you please add the x2 and x3 option? we are a family of 6 and like to have leftovers