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Chicken alfredo has NEVER been easier! Made entirely in the Instant Pot, this chicken alfredo recipe is surprisingly creamy, cheesy, and full of flavor. Quick and easy for dinner any night!
Before You Get Started
- Make sure your dairy products are room temperature! If they’re cold or cool at all, they can curdle or separate and ruin the entire dish.
How to Make This Recipe
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Season & sear the chicken
Season two large chicken breasts on all sides with salt and pepper – or any spices or seasoning blends you like! Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and sear the chicken in melted butter until it’s no longer pink and translucent on the outside. Transfer the seared chicken to a plate and set it aside while you make your alfredo sauce.
Begin the Alfredo Sauce
Turn off Sauté mode on your Instant Pot, then add chicken broth, cream, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the insert. Whisk everything together until combined.
Cheryl’s Tip: Make sure the cream is room temperature! If it’s cold, it can heat up too quickly in the Instant Pot which will make it separate or curdle.
Add the pasta and chicken
Break the fettuccine noodles in half so they’ll fit in the Instant Pot, then lay them on top of the alfredo sauce mixture. Don’t stir the pasta into the sauce! Lay the chicken breasts on top of the pasta – don’t stir those in, either!
Let her cook
Pop the lid on the Instant Pot and lock it with the valve in the Sealing position. Set it to Manual High Pressure mode and set the cook time to 7 minutes. It’ll take 10 minutes or so for the Instant Pot to pressurize, then once it does, the 7-minute cook time will start.
wrap it up
When the cook time ends, Quick Release the pressure from inside the pot. Be careful! The steam will be very hot. Take the lid off the Instant Pot and set it aside, then take the chicken breasts out and lay them on a cutting board. Let them rest 2-3 minutes, then cut them into thin slices. While the chicken rests, switch the Instant Pot back over to Sauté mode and add the cream cheese and parmesan to the insert. Whisk everything together until the cheeses are melted, then add the sliced chicken back to the pot and stir it into the sauce. Serve and enjoy!
Cheryl’s Tip: The sauce may look really thin and soupy when you take the chicken out of the Instant Pot. Don’t panic! It’ll thicken once you add the cheese and then thicken a little more as it simmers.
What I Love About This Recipe
- It’s SO fast and easy! Don’t get me wrong, traditional chicken alfredo isn’t really an “involved” sort of dish. Even still, this Instant Pot chicken alfredo takes even less effort. No boiling pasta, or standing over a saucepan hoping you don’t accidentally burn the cream sauce, or anxious chicken checking making sure it’s cooked completely but not overdone.
- You could easily double this recipe if you’ve got a large enough Instant Pot. Voila! Lunch for tomorrow is served. Just let the leftovers cool completely, then refrigerate them in an airtight container.
Recipe Variations
- Kick It Up a Notch: Instead of salt and pepper, season your chicken with a Cajun spice blend. You can add a little to the alfredo sauce, too. Easy Instant Pot Cajun chicken alfredo!
- Your Ideal (Pasta) Type: You’re welcome to use other types of pasta if you’re not feeling fettuccine. Just make sure to use something that’s similar to fettuccine, thickness-wise. Bowtie pasta, penne, rotini, tagliatelle, or fusilli would be fine, but I wouldn’t use angel hair, capellini, or shells. They’re too thin and would probably be overcooked by the time the chicken’s ready.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
Equipment
- Cutting board
- 6-quart Instant Pot or similar pressure cooker
- Tongs
- Large plate
- Large wooden spoon
- Sharp chef's knife
- whisk
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 8-10 ounces each
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or neutral-flavored oil
For the Alfredo Sauce
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup whipping cream at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper more or less to taste
- salt to taste
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup finely shredded fresh parmesan at room temperature
For the Pasta
- 1 pound fettuccine
Instructions
- Place 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts on cutting board or plate. Season each chicken breast with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, then flip chicken breasts over and repeat on other side. Set chicken aside.
- Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode and add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter to Instant Pot insert. Let butter melt completely.
- When butter has melted, place seasoned chicken breasts in Instant Pot. Sear chicken 2 minutes, then flip chicken breasts over. Sear chicken 2 minutes more or until opaque on both sides.
- Once chicken is seared on both sides, transfer chicken breasts to large plate and set aside. Turn off Sauté mode.
- Add 3 cups chicken broth, 1 cup whipping cream (at room temperature), 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and salt to Instant Pot insert. Stir to incorporate ingredients, making sure to scrape up any bits of chicken that may have stuck to bottom of insert.
- Break 1 pound fettuccine in half, then lay pasta on top of sauce mixture. Do not stir pasta into sauce.
- Place seared chicken breasts on top of pasta. Do not stir chicken or pasta into sauce.
- Secure lid on Instant Pot with valve in Sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure, then set cook time to 7 minutes. Instant Pot will pressurize and then 7-minute cook time will begin.
- After 7-minute cook time ends, carefully Quick Release internal pressure. Use caution as any escaping steam will be very hot. Once pressure has released, carefully remove lid from Instant Pot and set aside.
- Transfer chicken breasts to clean cutting board. Set chicken aside to rest 2 to 3 minutes.
- While chicken rests, set Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add 4 ounces cream cheese and 1 cup finely shredded fresh parmesan to Instant Pot and whisk ingredients together until fully combined and melted.
- Slice chicken breasts into thin strips, then return chicken to Instant Pot. Stir chicken into sauce and pasta. Note: if sauce is thinner than desired, simmer mixture on Sauté mode 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Portion chicken alfredo onto serving plates. Garnish as desired and serve warm.
- Your dairy products must be at room temperature before using them in this recipe. If they’re at all cold, they can separate or curdle, ruining the entire batch.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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- Instant Pot Black Rice (aka Forbidden Rice)
- Extra Cheesy Instant Pot Egg Bites
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken
- Instant Pot Bourbon Chicken
- Juicy Instant Pot Flank Steak
- Indulgent Instant Pot Lobster Tails
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