Cream Cheese Chicken and Spinach Casserole–tender chicken thighs, penne pasta, bacon, spinach and a creamy sauce that comes together fast with your Instant Pot.
Cream Cheese Chicken and Spinach Casserole
This easy chicken pasta dish is an easy Instant Pot dump and go recipe that is perfect to make any night of the week. It’s got all the makings of greatness…bacon, parmesan, chicken and cream cheese. The chicken thighs stay nice and tender, the pasta cooks perfectly in the IP without having to wait for water to boil and the leftovers are almost better than the first day. This one is easy to double…which you may just want to do!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs–or tenderloins
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder–or 2 tsp minced garlic
- Onion powder–or 1 Tbsp dried minced onion
- Poultry seasoning
- Smoked paprika
- Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon chicken base
- White wine vinegar–or red wine vinegar
- Penne pasta–or cavatappi
- Cream cheese–or Neufchâtel cheese
- Canned mushrooms (optional)-or 1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
- Cornstarch–optional, for thickening
- Spinach–fresh or frozen spinach
- Shredded parmesan cheese–or grated Romano
- Bacon crumbles–or cooked chopped bacon
- Half and half–or heavy cream or milk
Steps
Cut each chicken thigh into 4 pieces. Place them in the Instant Pot. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning and paprika.
Pour in the broth and vinegar. Sprinkle in the penne. Dump in the cream cheese and mushrooms, if using.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
If you want to thicken the sauce make a cornstarch slurry by stirring together cornstarch with 1 Tbsp cold water. Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. Stir the slurry into the pot to thicken the sauce.
Stir in the spinach, parmesan, bacon and half and half.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with garlic bread and Caesar salad.
- Feel free to add sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts or roasted red peppers for extra Tuscan flair.
- I used my 4 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3, 6 or 8 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. This recipe can be frozen, but the sauce may separate slightly. Stir while reheating to bring it back together.
- Other recipes you can make with spinach are Instant Pot Spinach and Ravioli Lasagna and Straight out of Heaven Casserole.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Cream Cheese Chicken and Spinach Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Tender chicken thighs, penne pasta, bacon, spinach and a creamy sauce that comes together fast with your Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 12 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 6 oz penne pasta
- 3 oz cream cheese
- 1 (4 oz) can of mushrooms, drained (optional)
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup bacon crumbles
- 3 Tbsp half and half
Instructions
- Cut each chicken thigh into 4 pieces. Place them in the Instant Pot. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning and paprika.
- Pour in the broth and vinegar. Sprinkle in the penne. Dump in the cream cheese and mushrooms, if using.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- If you want to thicken the sauce, make a cornstarch slurry by stirring together 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 1 Tbsp cold water. Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. Stir the slurry into the pot to thicken the sauce.
- Stir in the spinach, parmesan, bacon and half and half.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Chicken, Pasta
- Method: Instant Pot
More Instant Pot recipes with penne…
Susan’s Casserole
Susan’s Casserole–an Instant Pot penne pasta dish with pepperoni pizza vibes. It’s easy to make and kids love it! Pin this recipe for later! Susan’s Casserole This is an easy and fun penne pasta dish with roasted garlic sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella and mushrooms. If you’re a fan of the supreme pizza feel free to add
Kentucky Casserole
Creamy cheesy penne pasta with bacon, tomatoes and turkey or chicken. This is an easy dump-and-go Instant Pot recipe!
Instant Pot Creamy Turkey Spinach Penne
Saucy penne pasta with ground turkey, tomatoes, green chiles, cumin, cream cheese and spinach. Make it fast in the electric pressure cooker.
Instant Pot Penne in Cajun Mustard Cream Sauce
Make this Instant Pot Penne in Cajun Mustard Cream Sauce for a quick and easy weeknight meal. With options to prepare it with andouille sausage or meatless you can make everyone happy.
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
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