Instant Pot Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
Instant Pot Olive Garden Chicken Pasta is a quick and delicious 30-minute one-pot meal!
Why you'll love Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
This is such a quick recipe! You basically dump almost all the ingredients in and then cook it just like my Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatball recipe.
Instant Pot Olive Garden Chicken Pasta will feed the entire family with heaping servings and lots of leftovers! It sure does feed a crowd like my fettuccine alfredo or chicken and noodles.
Garlic Toast
Make some Air Fryer Garlic Toast to pair with your pasta tonight!
Bread Recipes
Ingredients
Here is a quick snapshot of the ingredients you'll need. Scroll down to the recipe card, where you'll find exact measurements.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken - I recommend boneless skinless chicken breast, but you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces
- Pasta - you can use any pasta with an 8- to 10-minute cooking time.
- Sun-dried tomatoes - I enjoy adding the tomatoes, but you can omit them if you want
- Olive Garden Italian Dressing - commonly found in most grocery stores and can be ordered online. However, you can substitute it with Zesty Italian dressing if you cannot find it.
How to make chicken pasta
- Slice the chicken into strips and add to the Instant Pot with pepper and Creole seasoning.
- Toss the chicken and seasoning together with a spoon to coat evenly.
- Layer the pasta on top of the chicken, but DO NOT stir.
- Pour the Olive Garden Italian Dressing evenly over the pasta. DO NOT stir.
Note
It is very, very important that you do not stir the ingredients. The ingredients should be layered exactly as explained in the steps to prevent a burn notice.
- Place the block of cream cheese on top of the pasta layer.
- Pour the chicken broth over top of all the ingredients. Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes, followed by a controlled quick release.
Note
A controlled quick release means that you release the pressure in short bursts. This will prevent pasta water from spraying you or your cabinets.
- Once the pressure is fully released, remove the lid. Stir the cream cheese into the pasta. Drain the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, and stir into the pasta.
- Add the Parmesan cheese ½ cup at a time and stir into the pasta until everything is melted and creamy.
Top tips
Be sure to add the parmesan cheese ½ cup at a time to ensure it all blends well.
Add a little basil and fresh oregano at the end to give more flavor to the dish.
The chicken can be seasoned and marinated for a couple of hours before cooking if you want a more infused flavor.
Serving suggestions
Serve this Instant Pot Olive Garden Chicken Pasta with some air fryer garlic bread and a salad. This can be served with green vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, or green beans too. Or make it a total Olive Garden evening with some toasted ravioli.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, just half the time and subtract a minute for the new cooking time. As long as it's at least 4 minutes, then you're good.
Use a Zesty or Robust Italian dressing if you can't find the original dressing called for in the recipe.
Storage & Reheating
Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to one week.
This can be frozen for up to three months and thawed in the refrigerator before reheating.
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Instant Pot Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
This creamy and delicious pasta is a fantastic "dump-and-go" recipe. Instant pot olive garden chicken pasta can be finished in 30 minutes, making it great for a quick weekend meal!
- Instant Pot
- Mixing spoon
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into strips)
- 1 16-ounce box penne pasta
- ¾ cup Olive Garden Italian Dressing
- 3 ½ cups chicken broth (I used unsalted)
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese (full or reduced fat)
- 1 8.5-ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese
Slice the chicken into strips and add to the Instant Pot. Add the pepper, and Creole seasoning to the pot.
Toss the chicken with a spoon to coat the chicken with the seasoning.
Add the pasta on top of the chicken but DO NOT stir.
Pour the Olive Garden Italian Dressing evenly over the pasta.
Lay the block of cream cheese on top of the pasta.
Pour the chicken broth over all the ingredients. Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes followed by a controlled quick release.
Once the pressure is released, stir the cream cheese into the pasta. Drain the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes and stir into the pasta.
Add in the Parmesan cheese ½ cup at a time. Stir everything together until everything is melted and creamy.
Serve immediately, or stir in an airtight container for up to one week. This can be frozen for up to three months.
A controlled quick release means that you release the pressure in short bursts. This will prevent pasta water from spraying you or your cabinets.
Be sure to add in the parmesan cheese ½ cup at a time to make sure it all blends well.
Add a little basil and fresh oregano at the end to give more flavor to the dish.
The chicken can be seasoned and marinated for a couple of hours prior to cooking if you want a more infused flavor.
I don’t like spicy hot food so I used Italian seasoning instead of the creole. It came out very well. My husband and brother raved about it. I left red heart pepper flakes for them to add to their plates.
That's sounds like a delicious substitution!
This was great. A lot of other similar recipes call for too much Olive Garden salad dressing. I did add some garlic powder, Italian seasonings, and red pepper. I will definitely make again. Family loved it and it was quick and easy to make.
So happy the family enjoyed it so much! Thanks for the extra tips!
Can I add frozen broccoli or fresh or frozen spinach to this in the instapot? If so how would you recommend doing so? Thanks!!
I would cook the vegetables as usual then stir them in at the end. If you cook it with the pasta they will likely be overcooked.
What could I use u. Place of the creole seasoning?
You can use any all-purpose seasoning or seasoned salt.