Ingredients
- 1–pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 6–8 ounces pesto
- Optional: 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
- Optional: 1/2 cup pine nuts, sliced basil, parmesan cheese, halved cherry tomatoes
Instructions
1. Add the diced chicken, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to a bowl and toss to coat the chicken in the spices
2. Add the uncooked pasta into the instant pot and pour the broth over top. Stir the pasta to make sure it’s in an even, flat layer on the bottom. Then add the diced chicken to the top in an even layer and do not stir
3. Place the lid on the instant pot, set the valve to “sealing” and cook on manual high pressure for 5 minutes
4. Once the time is up, do a quick release of the sealing valve and remove the lid. Drain the liquid from the pasta and chicken
5. Stir in the pesto and cream (if using). Serve and garnish with pine nuts, basil, grated parmesan cheese and/or cherry tomatoes
Notes
- If you’d like a creamier pasta, you can add 1/2 cup heavy cream into the pasta at the end and/or 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- For a dairy free creamy pesto chicken pasta use 1/2 cup of coconut cream instead of the heavy cream or half & half. Make sure to shake the can before opening it to mix the coconut cream.
- For gluten free pesto chicken pasta swap out the regular pasta for a gluten free variety just NOT chickpea pasta