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March 8, 2018

Instant Pot Creamy Basil Chicken and Tortellini

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Instant Pot Creamy Basil Chicken and Tortellini–tender bites of chicken breast and cheesy tortellini are served in a creamy tomato basil sauce. This recipe is made in your electric pressure cooker in minutes!

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(Get the recipe for SLOW COOKER Creamy Basil Chicken and Tortellini here)

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Instant Pot Creamy Basil Chicken and Tortellini--tender bites of chicken breast and cheesy tortellini are served in a creamy tomato basil sauce. This recipe is made in your electric pressure cooker in minutes!

Instant Pot Creamy Basil Chicken and Tortellini

Sometimes I get inspiration for new recipes at the grocery store. I saw something in the frozen aisle called creamy basil chicken with tortellini and it sounded so good. I knew that the frozen dinner version would be mediocre at best so I got to work on making a homemade version that would be a dinner delight.

Making this instant pot creamy basil chicken and tortellini in the electric pressure cooker is a bit tricky because the chicken requires a different cooking time than the tortellini. So I decided to pressure cook the chicken first and then add in the bag of frozen tortellini later and use a zero pressure cook time for the pasta. It worked perfectly. Although it is a bit of a bummer that the pot has to come to pressure twice. C’est la vie!

Three reasons you should make this recipe:

  1. It is family friendly. There is no spiciness. Pasta in a creamy sauce and chicken breasts is a pretty neutral food for most palettes.
  2. This is pretty much an all in one meal. Serve this with a green salad and dinner is done.
  3. The combination of the fresh basil and the tomato reminds me of caprese salad…which is delicious. The flavors also remind me of tomato basil parmesan soup. 

A few notes about the ingredients:

Tortellini: I used a 19 ounce bag of frozen cheese tortellini. You can also use fresh tortellini. I’d be a little nervous about pressure cooking fresh tortellini…I’m not sure if it would hold up. You may just want to use the saute setting to cook the fresh tortellini.

Chicken breasts: I used 2 frozen chicken breast halves (12 minutes). You can also use fresh chicken breasts (10 minutes). If you choose to use chicken tenders you’ll want to cut the cooking time down to 8 minutes. If you’re a fan of boneless skinless chicken thighs you can use those too (15 minutes).

Basil: I used the squeeze tube of basil because I like how it can last for a month in my fridge. You can also use chopped fresh basil.

Half and half: half and half is just a product that has half whole milk and half cream. You can also use heavy cream or even evaporated milk.

Pin this recipe for later!

Instant Pot Creamy Basil Chicken and Tortellini--tender bites of chicken breast and cheesy tortellini are served in a creamy tomato basil sauce. This recipe is made in your electric pressure cooker in minutes!

More recipes you’ll love…

Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta

Instant Pot Pasta Primavera

Instant Pot Chicken Margherita Pasta

Instant Pot Tortellini Soup with Chicken Sausage and Mushrooms

Instant Pot Bacon Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Pin this recipe for later!

Instant Pot Creamy Basil Chicken and Tortellini--tender bites of chicken breast and cheesy tortellini are served in a creamy tomato basil sauce. This recipe is made in your electric pressure cooker in minutes!

What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?

To make Instant Pot Creamy Basil Chicken and Tortellini 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 Creamy Basil Chicken and Tortellini


★★★★★

5 from 20 reviews

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Description

Tender bites of chicken breast and cheesy tortellini are served in a creamy tomato basil sauce. This recipe is made in your electric pressure cooker in minutes!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 pounds frozen or fresh chicken breasts (this was 2 chicken breast halves for me)
  • 1 or 2 (14.5 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes (if you want it more saucy then use 2 cans)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth (or 1/2 cup water and 1/2 tsp better than bouillon chicken base*)
  • 1 (19 oz) bag frozen cheese tortellini
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil or basil stir-in paste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Optional: halved cherry tomatoes for topping

Instructions

  1. Add chicken, tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and chicken broth to the Instant Pot.
  2. Cover and secure the lid, make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 10 minutes (fresh chicken) or 12 minutes (frozen chicken).
  3. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then move the valve to venting to remove any remaining pressure.
  4. Use a fork to place the chicken on a cutting board. Set aside.
  5. Add the tortellini to the pot. Put the lid on the pot and move valve to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 0 (zero) minutes. While the pot cooks the tortellini, cut the chicken into bite size pieces.
  6. When the timer beeps perform a quick release by moving the valve to venting.  Remove the lid.
  7. Add the cut up chicken into the pot. Stir in the half and half, parmesan cheese and basil. Salt and pepper to taste. Add in cherry tomatoes, if desired.
  8. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.

Tortellini: I used a 19 ounce bag of frozen cheese tortellini. You can also use fresh tortellini. I’d be a little nervous about pressure cooking fresh tortellini…I’m not sure if it would hold up. You may just want to use the saute setting to cook the fresh tortellini.

Chicken breasts: I used 2 frozen chicken breast halves (12 minutes). You can also use fresh chicken breasts (10 minutes). If you choose to use chicken tenders you’ll want to cut the cooking time down to 8 minutes. If you’re a fan of boneless skinless chicken thighs you can use those too (15 minutes).

Basil: I used the squeeze tube of basil because I like how it can last for a month in my fridge. You can also use chopped fresh basil.

Half and half: half and half is just a product that has half whole milk and half cream. If you want you can use heavy cream instead or even evaporated milk would work fine.

  • Category: Chicken
  • Method: Instant Pot

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cup serving
  • Calories: 401
  • Sugar: 3 g
  • Sodium: 647 mg
  • Fat: 14 g
  • Carbohydrates: 40 g
  • Protein: 27 g

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*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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67 Comments Filed Under: All Recipes, Chicken, Instant Pot, Pasta Tagged With: 5 stars, 0-2 hours, instant pot

Recommendations

Comments

  1. Kristi says

    October 16, 2022 at 2:19 pm

    I’ve made this 3 times now and it came out perfect every time! My family loves it, and it’s just as tasty as lunch leftovers the next day (if there are any leftovers)!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 21, 2022 at 9:46 pm

      So glad you loved it! Thanks for the 5 stars Kristi.

      Reply
  2. Lisa says

    January 14, 2022 at 6:09 pm

    I made this and it was delicious! I don’t have any frozen tortellini this time. Can I used dry pasta? If so how long to cook it? Thank you!lisa

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 17, 2022 at 1:57 pm

      If you use 16 ounces of sturdy penne pasta then I would add in 4 cups of broth and pressure cook for 10 minutes

      Reply
  3. Sophia says

    January 3, 2022 at 3:57 pm

    I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve made this. It’s so delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 4, 2022 at 4:47 pm

      So glad you love it so much Sophia! Thanks for the 5 star review!

      Reply
  4. Sadie McKeon says

    November 9, 2021 at 3:19 pm

    Do you drain the tomatoes?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      November 13, 2021 at 9:55 pm

      Nope!

      Reply
  5. Sharon says

    October 18, 2021 at 11:08 am

    Have been making this since 2019 and realized I had not reviewed it yet. It’s so full of flavor and very easy to make. I get about 6 servings out of it as long as it’s being served with a big salad and bread on the side.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 18, 2021 at 6:37 pm

      Thanks for the review Sharon!

      Reply
  6. Carlene says

    March 12, 2021 at 4:52 pm

    My go to and family’s favorite when we need something fast and yummy!!! Always a hit!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      March 13, 2021 at 11:40 am

      Thank you Carlene! I’m glad you enjoyed!

      Reply
  7. Cinda says

    February 3, 2021 at 7:55 pm

    Everyone loved this. I cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces before pressure cooking instead of cutting up while hot and used refrigerator tortellini and prepared the rest exactly like recipe and it worked out awesome. Will make it again!!… and again!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 8, 2021 at 2:49 pm

      Nice! I love to hear this Cinda!

      Reply
  8. Ashley K. says

    February 1, 2021 at 7:16 pm

    When I read what this recipe was called, I knew it would be good! However, I’m not a fan of tomatoes so I added some spinach instead — still sooo good!! My whole family loved it and we’ll definitely be having it again. Thanks so much for sharing this!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 2, 2021 at 5:33 pm

      You’re welcome! The spinach sounds great!

      Reply
  9. Deb says

    May 20, 2020 at 1:33 pm

    I always look at recipe ratings, but never actually rate them myself. But, this recipe was so good that I wanted to give it 5 stars so that others can make this delicious feast! My husband was skeptical and, after one bite, said “wow, this recipe is a keeper!”. Thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      May 21, 2020 at 1:30 pm

      I’m so glad you both enjoyed it! The basil is my favorite 😊

      Reply
  10. Becky Wiloth says

    April 20, 2020 at 8:04 am

    If you were going to use chicken strips or chicken thights how many would you use.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      April 20, 2020 at 4:22 pm

      I’d use 8 strips or 4-6 thighs.

      Reply
  11. Eric says

    February 21, 2020 at 9:12 am

    How long do you cook the tortellini?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 24, 2020 at 8:55 pm

      It’s a zero minute time for the tortellini. See this article: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/zero-minute-pressure-cooking-time/

      Reply
  12. Carrie says

    January 24, 2020 at 4:21 am

    Can milk be used the sauce? Trying to be healthy and avoid the heavy cream. Thank you!!!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 24, 2020 at 2:51 pm

      Yes it can. Not as delicious but it’ll work!

      Reply
  13. TMS says

    January 20, 2020 at 2:39 pm

    Great recipe! Added a can green chilies and didnt use tomatoes for my family’s preference. So I added some fresh lemon juice for some acidity at the end. Turned out perfect. I also used fresh torts so I did “low pressure” for 0 minutes and it was just perfectly done. Thank you 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 20, 2020 at 6:00 pm

      Sounds like a great version!

      Reply
  14. Kristina says

    January 3, 2020 at 4:31 pm

    This is DELICIOUS! I am new to instant pot and this is only my first meal (alone) (so only third time using it) and my husband found this recipe. I was not too thrilled so all the ingrediants have sat on my shelf until they really should be used lol. Well let me tell ya- it is SO good! I did not have basil paste so I used basil pesto. Add the cherry tomatoes at the end- so good. Very good . Only wish I had drained the tomatoes first cos i used a big can. I don’t like trying new things but I am trying to cook more and eat out much less. Thank you for creating a great recipe I know my family will love !

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 3, 2020 at 7:00 pm

      Hi Kristina, I’m so glad you finally made the recipe and that you enjoyed it! Kudos to your husband that found the recipe. And getting into the habit of cooking can be hard but it is also cheaper (usually) and healthier (usually). So I hope you keep at it! Good job!

      Reply
  15. Cassie says

    November 29, 2019 at 7:04 pm

    This recipe is so delicious!! Tonight is the 3rd time making it!!! I forgot to add the half and half last time but it still tastes delicious!!! I’ll remeber to add the half and half this time-hehehe!! Super recipe!! Thanks so much!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 3, 2019 at 7:39 am

      Go Cassie! Glad you liked it!

      Reply
  16. Jaclyn says

    November 26, 2019 at 6:06 pm

    This was so good! I used a teeny bit cornstarch to thicken the sauce, and I added spinach instead of the basil because that is what I had. The flavor was still amazing, and this was so easy and good on a cold snowy day.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      November 28, 2019 at 11:25 am

      So glad you liked it!

      Reply
  17. alice says

    October 30, 2019 at 12:57 pm

    can you make this recipe ahead of time and then warm it up later to have for supper.will it have a different texture or taste to it.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 30, 2019 at 3:28 pm

      I would rewarm in the Instant Pot using this method: https://youtu.be/J1nO15i43-E

      Reply
  18. Carol says

    July 10, 2019 at 6:20 pm

    Just a note for individuals that are not aware of a bread making trick. If you need to ‘proof’ home made bread, you can put the beaten bread into the instant pot, put some oil on the bread (so it won’t stick to the pot) cover and put it on the yogurt function use (low) powerfor 1 hr. After that put it in the shape you want and cook it in your oven. Homemade bread would go great with this recipe😍

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 12, 2019 at 1:00 pm

      Nice! Love this idea!

      Reply
  19. Ryan says

    June 22, 2019 at 5:41 pm

    Not a fan of tortellini but I do have store bought frozen linguini. If I quarter the pasta and place in IP cross-cross, would it cook? Or, do you think placing frozen pasta and use sautee would be the way to go? Thanks, Karen!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 24, 2019 at 7:02 am

      I would use the frozen pasta personally.

      Reply
  20. Andrea says

    May 7, 2019 at 2:19 pm

    How would you cook barilla tortellini in the instant pot. This kind of tortellini you buy on the shelf with the other dry pasta. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      May 8, 2019 at 3:19 pm

      I would only pressure cook for 1-2 minutes and then a 5 minute natural pressure release.

      Reply
  21. Andrea says

    May 7, 2019 at 2:18 pm

    How would you cook barilla tortellini in the instant pot. This kind of tortellini you buy on the shelf with the other dry pasta. Thanks!

    Reply
  22. Allan Schmaltz says

    February 22, 2019 at 8:55 pm

    Turned out great! I used a can of tomato & a can of rotel because my family likes the bit of kick it adds!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 25, 2019 at 10:15 am

      Good idea!

      Reply
  23. Linda says

    February 19, 2019 at 7:48 pm

    Made this for supper tonight. A keeper!! I used two cans of tomatoes and didn’t find it too soupy at all. I also used basil paste. Yummy!! Will definitely make again! Thanks for another great recipe!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 19, 2019 at 10:21 pm

      So glad to hear this Linda!

      Reply
    • Jen says

      March 27, 2019 at 4:38 pm

      We just finished dinner and I am SO impressed! Next time, I’ll definitely drain the tomatoes because I found it kinda soupy. But the flavor…WOW! We’ll definitely be making this again!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  24. Carlene says

    January 12, 2019 at 5:02 pm

    This recipe was amazing. I used 2 cans of tomatoes. Not much liquid in the tomatoes. Didn’t have half and half, so I used heavy cream. Will definitely make again. Thanks for this delicious recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 12, 2019 at 8:55 pm

      So glad you liked it!

      Reply
  25. Chris says

    January 2, 2019 at 7:35 pm

    This was easy to make & very good. It smelled delicious while cooking. It was quite soupy though – should I have drained the tomatoes? I used a qt of my home canned tomatoes – perhaps they contained more liquid than store bought?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 3, 2019 at 9:36 pm

      That’s what I’m thinking

      Reply
  26. Judy says

    December 22, 2018 at 5:51 pm

    Can i use coconut milk instead of half and half?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 22, 2018 at 6:41 pm

      Sure it might change the flavor profile a bit but I bet it would be fine.

      Reply
  27. [email protected] says

    September 21, 2018 at 5:11 pm

    Great recipe! Turned out a little soupy but that was fine, it was delicious, though I used fresh garden tomatoes! Yum!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 22, 2018 at 7:32 pm

      There’s truly nothing better than fresh garden tomatoes!

      Reply
  28. Becky says

    September 19, 2018 at 10:09 pm

    Made this tonight & it was delicious! So easy & yummy! Thanks for a winner IP recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 20, 2018 at 11:09 am

      You’re welcome! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂

      Reply
  29. Eva says

    September 16, 2018 at 2:58 pm

    Instalot says that all reviles should have 2 cups liquid in them or its not good , this only has 1/ cup broth and 1/2 cup halfnhalf

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 17, 2018 at 1:38 pm

      Do you have an 8 quart? This recipe worked with my 6 quart fine. Usually chicken has a lot of liquid that comes off of it so that helps too.

      Reply
      • Eva says

        September 27, 2018 at 6:39 pm

        It came oit awesome !! Thank you !

        ★★★★★

        Reply
        • Karen says

          September 28, 2018 at 7:55 pm

          GREAT!

          Reply
  30. Sarah McQueen says

    August 14, 2018 at 12:50 pm

    I am a complete newbie so this maybe a dumb question. You state “Add the tortellini to the pot. Put the lid on the pot and move valve to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 0 (zero) minutes. While the pot cooks the tortellini, cut the chicken into bite size pieces.
    When the timer beeps perform a quick release by moving the valve to venting. Remove the lid.” If the time is set at zero minutes, how does it know when to beep? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 20, 2018 at 2:55 pm

      So the pot will take a while to come to pressure. Once it reaches pressure it usually switches to the time that you set. Since you only set it to 0 minutes it will just beep once it reaches pressure. It usually take a pot 10 minutes to come to pressure.

      Reply
      • Marlena says

        January 4, 2019 at 8:24 pm

        Karen, I’m with the newbie…and I’m not a newbie 🙂 This recipe is awesome – soooo good. But I did notice that since my pot was already hot, when I got to the zero time, it beeped quickly. I cooked the tortellini for 10 minutes (about the time it takes to bring it up to pressure) and it was perfect. A little side note, I was out of basil paste, so I used basil pesto paste – fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing this, it really is good.

        ★★★★★

        Reply
  31. Susana says

    July 10, 2018 at 12:02 pm

    Hello! If I wanted to double this recipe would I just double the time and every ingredient?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 11, 2018 at 3:46 pm

      Double ingredients but not the time!

      Reply
  32. Gerard McSweeney says

    April 4, 2018 at 10:37 pm

    This was so good I sent the SC version to my son but I noticed that the IP recipe has chicken broth in the list of ingredients but the SC one does not! Is this an omission from the SC recipe?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      April 7, 2018 at 9:34 pm

      The slow cooker doesn’t need liquid but the instant pot does so it can come to pressure.

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Karen. I know that dinner time can be less than relaxing. Busy schedules and cranky kids and a hundred other things can lead to weariness when it comes to putting dinner on the table. I can help! I make homemade, family-friendly slow cooker and Instant Pot dinners and share the recipes with you.

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