Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta—pasta with seasoned chicken, bites of andouille sausage, bell peppers, creamy sauce and cajun flavor.
Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta
My whole family gave these creamy noodles 2 thumbs up and so did the 4 teenagers that showed up and ate with us. Lol. My daughter’s friends are starting to come around more and more and I actually really like it. We have leftovers for days since I cook most every day of the week. And they can eat them in no time 🙂
Is it spicy? If you’re worried about this cajun pasta being too spicy, don’t worry. It’s not bad. And really you can control how much cajun seasoning you add in. If you’re a wimp when it comes to spice make sure to choose a mild sausage.
Can I use a different type of pasta? Sure! This dish works well with cavatappi, penne pasta, rotini pasta or even elbow macaroni noodles.
This recipe makes a lot, can I cut it in half? Yes you can. I always recommend that you read this article about how to halve recipes in the Instant Pot. It really is helpful to understand pressure cooking in general. The way that I would halve this recipe is halve all the ingredients and keep the pressure cooking time the same. There should be enough liquid in the recipe for the pot to come to pressure even if you cut it in half.
How do I keep pasta from clumping in the Instant Pot? Some people have complained when they make noodles like spaghetti, fettuccine or linguine in the Instant Pot it clumps when cooked. There is a really good thread in the 365 Days of Instant Pot Recipes FB group about this. I like to break my pasta in half or thirds and fan it out or scatter it. You don’t want a big pile of pasta all facing the same direction. Then I pour my broth or water around the sides of the pot and I don’t stir. Sometimes it sticks a little but after it’s done I just stir it and it breaks up.
If you still have problems with clumping then you can use a different type of pasta. My favorite type of pasta to use in the Instant Pot is the curly cavatappi noodles. They don’t clump at all. I buy them in the bulk section at Winco for 99 cents a pound. They are also available at Smith’s (Kroger), the Private Selection brand.
Can I make this recipe in the slow cooker? I wouldn’t recommend it. Pasta has mixed results in the slow cooker. A better bet would be to make this on the stove.
Try these other Cajun Instant Pot recipes…
Instant Pot Cajun Sausage, Potatoes and Green Beans–one of the most popular recipes on 365 Days!
Instant Pot Cajun Sausage and Shrimp Pasta–a recipe with amazing flavor that rivals anything you could order at a restaurant.
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice–a saucy stew to serve over rice. And the rice can be cooked at the same time and in the same pot as the red beans!
What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
To make Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
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Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
Description
Pasta with chunks of chicken, bites of andouille sausage, bell peppers, creamy sauce and cajun seasoning.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 pound chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2–3 tsp cajun seasoning, divided
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles, uncooked (you can also use penne, cavatappi, bowties, etc)
- 3 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 (12 oz) package pre-cooked cajun andouille sausage, sliced into quarter inch slices
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin slices
- 1 orange or yellow bell pepper, cut into thin slices
- Parmesan cheese, for topping
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. When the display says HOT add in the olive oil and swirl it around. Then add in the onion. Saute for about 3-4 minutes. Then add in the garlic and saute for 20 seconds. Turn off the instant Pot.
- Stir in the chicken chunks and 1 teaspoon of the cajun seasoning. Stir to coat the chicken in the seasoning.
- Add in the pasta noodles. You can use many different kinds. If you use a spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine noodles then you’ll want to break the noodles in half and lay them in a criss cross pattern so they don’t all clump together. Pour the broth over the noodles, trying to submerge as much as possible. Sprinkle the rest of the cajun seasoning on top (see note). Then lay the sausage in an even layer of the top of the pasta. Plop the cream cheese on top of the sausage (no need to break it up, just leave it in a brick).
- Cover your Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the manual or pressure cook button to 3 minutes (for spaghetti) or 4 minutes (for other types of noodles). When the time is up let the pot sit for 5 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove lid.
- Stir the cream cheese into the pasta. Stir in the peppers. Cover the pot and just let it sit for 5 more minutes to let the peppers soften up a bit. Add in more seasoning, if needed.
- Scoop onto serving plates and top with parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
I used 2 tsp of cajun seasoning. You can use more if you want a little more kick.
This recipe makes a lot! You can easily halve the recipe. Halve all the ingredients and keep the pressure cooking time the same.
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Cajun
Want more tried and true Instant Pot recipes?
The 365 Days of Slow and Pressure Cooking website has 3-4 new Instant Pot recipes a week! If you sign up for my emails (fill out the form below) you’ll receive an email each time something new is on the site. You can also join the 365 Days of Instant Pot Recipes Facebook group which is run by my husband Greg and myself. If you’re a visual learner consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I share Instant Pot stuff with you weekly.
*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.
Love this! I recommend it to people often.
★★★★★
Thank you so much Amelia!
I don’t know if maybe other users are doing pre cooked chicken as the recipe does not specify but I made this last night with fresh chicken breast chunks and they were just shy of raw. It was terrible. I couldn’t even cook longer because the pasta would turn to goop so we threw out an entire pot of food and ordered out. I was really excited to try this but it just did not work as intended.
★
This is sad! I’m so shocked that your chicken was raw. not sure what went wrong in your case.
I was definitely sad about it as I have used raw chicken in the instant pot other times but the cook times were much higher. It’s possible I could’ve cut the chicken smaller since by your reply it’s clear you use raw meat too. I might try it again slightly modified on the stove so I have a bit more control over all the things separately. I’m not one to give up in the kitchen and I have been trying other recipes you share and we are loving everything else. 🙂
Very good! Definitely makes a lot!
I used what I had on hand (breast instead of thighs, 1/3 fat cream cheese, cavatappi pasta) and made the Cajun seasoning from a recipe online since I didn’t have premade on hand.
I messed up and added the bell peppers at the beginning which meant they totally disappeared into the sauce. So just FYI for anyone who might think it doesn’t matter when you add them haha. I too would add maybe spinach or another veggie next time. We’ll make this again—husband wants to try adding shrimp at the end as well!
★★★★
Good to know about the peppers lol!
What size instapot is this recipe for?
You can make this in the 6 or 8 quart pot
Super tasty and a hit with the whole family! To make it a little more saucy next time I want to add a can of diced fire roasted tomatoes and maybe a splash of lemon juice.
Yum both of those ideas sound fantastic.
Instead of cream cheese, could I use heavy whipping cream at the end?
Yes that would be tasty, I’m sure.
Pretty good recipe but next time I will add a bunch of fresh spinach to it and wilt it down.
I like that idea Dana!