Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Rigatoni is a delicious comfort food dinner for any night of the week! Pasta in the Instant Pot is such a time saver and you will love this easy chicken dinner recipe with lots of vegetables and a creamy tomato sauce.
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Rigatoni is one of my go to chicken pasta recipes in the Instant Pot. With tender veggies and a deliciously creamy tomato sauce, I could seriously eat this every week!
I have seen a ton of Chicken Rigatoni Recipes for the Instant Pot and have tried many of them, and to be honest, none of them were very good. They all called for way too much water and I ended up with chicken rigatoni soup instead of pasta! After getting frustrated with all those recipes, I decided to just write my own! I love the kick of the red pepper flakes and the creaminess of the sauce! This pasta dish is definitely restaurant quality!
How to make pasta in the Instant Pot?
Making pasta in the Instant Pot can be scary but it really shouldn’t be! The key is to cover the pasta with some liquid, but not too much liquid, so that you get al dente pasta, but not a soupy mess. If using store bought sauce, add your sauce, then fill half the jar with water, dump it in the pot and that should give you enough! Push the pasta down into the liquid and it will cook nicely! 5 minutes is perfect for half a pound and you can increase to 6 minutes for an entire pound, but no longer!
What I love most about this dinner is that it uses ingredients that I always have on hand! I love making homemade tomato sauce, but since you are really jazzing this one up, a high quality store bought sauce works great too. I used peppers and onions in this version of chicken rigatoni, but you can throw in mushrooms, as well! They add a great hearty texture to this meal! If you are trying to reduce your meat intake, you could replace the chicken with the mushrooms completely for a vegetarian Instant Pot meal!
Can you cook fresh vegetables in the Instant Pot?
Yes, you can, but there are a few simple rules. When cooking fresh vegetables in the Instant Pot, make sure to cut them in large pieces. Small pieces will cook too much, even with only a 5 minute cook time, and they will get lost in the sauce. Keep your peppers and onions in large chunks for best results! I don’t recommend using any vegetable that has a high water content, such as zucchini or yellow squash. They release a lot of water and will add too much liquid to your recipe.
Looking for more Instant Pot Recipes?
Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Instant Pot Bacon Wrapped Balsamic Pork
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Rigatoni
This easy pasta recipe in the Instant Pot has so much flavor and will become a go to for your family!
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound rigatoni pasta
- 1 pound chicken cut into bite size pieces
- 24 oz marinara sauce keep jar to fill half way with water
- 2 bell peppers cut into large pieces
- 1 yellow onion sliced
- 3/4 cup half and half or heavy cream
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh basil
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
-
Heat Instant Pot to Saute. Add olive oil. Once pot says HOT, add chicken. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and then let cook till brown on one side, about 2-3 minutes. Stir and make sure no chicken pieces are sticking to the bottom. Hit cancel.
-
Add peppers and onions on top of the chicken. Add pasta. Add marinara sauce and then fill jar halfway and add water, about 1 cup. Push any noodles that are above the sauce into it.
-
Put lid on the Instant Pot and turn to sealed. Use the manual function and change the timer to 5 minutes. Let cook. Once finished, do a quick release then add the half and half and parmesan cheese. Stir to distribute. Add additional seasonings to taste. Add basil and serve.
Recipe Notes
I recommend using rigatoni for this recipe. If you substitute a different noodle, you may need to adjust amounts and cook time.
That looks amazing!! I can’t wait to try this one! We tried spaghetti once and it was just a mess.
Honestly, I had a terrible time with spaghetti. I find that rigatoni works way better!
How many servings does this make
Hi Debbie, it makes about 4 dinner sized bowls.
Just wondering does the pasta need to be cooked before going in the instant pot? Thanks
Nope, put it in raw!
If I double recipe is the cook time the same
I would increase by no more than 1-2 minutes, or the pasta will get too mushy!
Do you have the nutrition info with respect to this dish? Specifically interested in sodium amount and portion size. Looks delicious and want to try it soon. Thanks.
I’m sorry Shirley but I do not. I don’t have a program to calculate the nutrition on my blog posts yet. It is something you have to pay extra for so I am considering adding it if enough people ask!
i followed the recipe just like it said and put more water than it said and still got the burn message
Hello, you definitely don’t need any additional water. I have never gotten a burn message, but you have to make sure to scrape up the chicken bits and also follow the exact order of ingredients. I hope you try again, it’s a delicious recipe and I know many have had success with it!
Loved this so much! Considering even adding some cream cheese instead of the half-and-half next time! If I were to double the pasta for Christmas Eve dinner should I also double the marinara sauce and water as well? I have an 8 quart
I’m so glad you liked it! You can increase the marinara, but I would not increase the water!
Great recipe. We will make again. Add some fresh mushrooms. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so glad you liked it! Mushrooms are a great addition!
This is my second time making this and both times my chicken comes out super dry. The second time I sautéed it for just a minute and it’s still dry. I feel like since it’s bite-sized I should just be able to throw it all in for five minutes together?
You could definitely skip the browning if you wanted, or perhaps cut the chicken in slightly larger pieces? I haven’t had any trouble with mine being dry! You could also drop a minute off the cook time. I hope this helps!
Can you use cut up rotisserie chicken?
Yes! Just skip the browning the chicken step!
This was delish!!!
I’m so glad you liked it Cheryl!
Where /when do you add the half n half or creamer!???
You add it in step 3, when you add the parmesan cheese.
Hi Amanda, I am hoping to make this delicious recipe today.
Could you explain what the half & half is?
I measure in metrics. So always having to convert oz to grams etc.
Thanks
Hello! It is half skim milk half heavy cream! You can find it in the dairy aisle where the coffee creamer is!
What a wonderful instant pot recipe – especially because is calls for ingredients almost always on hand. Lovely with a salad, crusty bread, and a nice Chianti.
How long should I do mine if I use gluten free pasta? Can you use boneless chicken thighs?
Hi Angela, I have never cooked with gluten free pasta so I’m not sure, but I would do half the amount of time that the box instructions call for! And yes, chicken thighs will work fine!
Hi Angela, I was going to ask the same question — did you try it w/GF pasta? If so, any tips/pointers?
I made this tonight, my family loved it! I have 15 year-old twin sons who eat everything in sight so I actually adjusted the amounts of some ingredients to make a bigger batch. I used about 2 pounds of chicken breast cut into chunks, and 1 pound of penne pasta. Added more water to just cover the pasta and then cooked it. Added 3/4 C parmesan cheese and 3/4 C cream at end. No peppers because I didn’t have them on hand. I’m getting more brave experimenting with IP now that I’ve used it a bit. 😂 Thanks so much for helping us become better in the kitchen!
I’m so glad you loved it!!
Great recipe! My family loved it..
Thanks
I’m so glad Laura! Definitely one of my favorites!
I have a 10 qt IP and it’s huge! Would I need to add more water or does it make a difference?
You shouldn’t need to add any extra water!
Do you have nutritional values for this or should I just add as I go?
Sorry, I do not!
Love this recipe! It’s easy and delicious.