Instant Pot “Stole My Boyfriend” Tetrazzini–the best chicken tetrazzini! It’s got the most flavorful creamy sauce (without cream of soups), spaghetti, chicken and mushrooms. Make it with your Instant Pot!
Instant Pot “Stole My Boyfriend” Tetrazzini
There is this silly Maury episode where Maury had an upset guest who said that her best friend was stealing her boyfriend by making Chicken Tetrazzini. She didn’t know what was going on but all her boyfriend could talk about was this Chicken Tetrazzini. Haha!!! Well I’m not suggesting stealing someone else’s boyfriend but you may want to learn to make this amazing chicken tetrazzini recipe before someone else steals your boyfriend.
I could also call this “cheat on your diet chicken tetrazzini” because it was so good that it even convinced Greg to break his streak of eating super healthy. And he is hard to break. Once he decides to do something he is all in. Well he said to me, “I don’t even care anymore! I am eating this!” He said it was “soooo good.” And my son who came home after hiking 3 miles, going to school and going to track practice (another 4 miles) came home to express the same sentiments. Even I, who had been snacking all day (as per usual), loved this chicken tetrazzini so much that I had two servings. Bottom line: this is a winning comfort food dinner and I know you’re going to love it. Scroll all the way down for the recipe instructions.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts–or thighs (or a combination)
- Salt–I use kosher salt
- Pepper–or white pepper
- Italian seasoning–or make your own
- Poultry seasoning–or make your own
- Garlic powder–or granulated garlic
- Smoked paprika–it’s the best! I get it in bulk section at Winco for pennies.
- Minced dried onion–I buy in a big container at Costco
- Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
- Spaghetti–I used thin, whole wheat spaghetti noodles
- Mushrooms–or jarred or canned mushrooms
- Cream cheese–or you can use cream of chicken soup, cream of mushhrom soup or sour cream
- Cheddar cheese–or another type of cheese you love (mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, pepper jack, colby, etc)
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. But this recipe can also be made in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
How to make the best chicken tetrazzini in the Instant Pot
- Season the chicken well: by using lots of seasoning on the chicken you will make sure that you start with a base of good flavor. You’ll use salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, smoked paprika and minced dry onion. Stir to coat the chicken on both sides in the seasonings.
- Pressure cook the chicken: We will cook the chicken first before adding in the other ingredients. This made the chicken super tender and delicious. After the chicken is cooked you will chop it up on a cutting board. For this recipe I prefer chopped chicken over shredded chicken.
- Cook pasta and mushrooms: You’ll add the pasta into the same liquid that is in the pot from when you cooked the chicken. I like to break the spaghetti in half and layer it in a criss-cross pattern so that it doesn’t stick together. Cover the spaghetti with the chopped chicken and the mushrooms (this also helps the spaghetti cook evenly.) Finally add the cream cheese on top. I just added it in one block right on top. It gets all soft and melty and will stir in perfectly.
- Pressure cook the pasta: the pasta cooks in just 5 minutes and the pot will come to pressure quickly because the liquid inside is already hot.
- Serve: Stir well. Stir in the cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Like the baked taste better?
If you want more of a baked spaghetti taste I suggest following the Instant Pot recipe and then scraping the spaghetti chicken mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish and sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil. Bake in the oven at 350° F for 20 minutes and remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes.
Celery lover?
When I was growing up my mom always added a cup of diced celery into her tetrazzini. You can add celery in with the mushrooms, if you’d like. For ultimate flavor you will want to sauté the celery in some melted butter before adding it in.
What if I want to use cooked chicken?
You can do that! Use cooked rotisserie chicken if you’d like. Add 2 cups of broth to the Instant Pot and follow step 4 in the recipe card below. I would also add the seasonings on top of the cooked chicken for ultimate flavor.
Can I use another type of pasta?
You can use elbow macaroni, cavatappi, bowties, small shells, rotini (3 minute pressure cook time), egg noodles (2 minute pressure cook time). You can also use fettuccine or linguine (6 minute pressure cook time).
Can I cook everything at the same time?
The way the recipe is written will achieve the best taste and texture. However you can also cut up your raw chicken into bite-size pieces and then add in the broth, spaghetti, mushrooms, cream cheese etc. and pressure cook for 5 minutes. The chicken won’t be as tender but this is a short cut version.
Can I freeze the leftovers?
Yes you can. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
More Amazing Instant Pot Chicken Recipes…
- Instant Pot Amish Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Instant Pot Christmas Confetti Pasta
- Instant Pot Cheesecake Factory Louisiana Chicken
- Instant Pot Potsticker Bowls
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.
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Instant Pot Stole My Boyfriend Tetrazzini
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
The best chicken tetrazzini! It’s got the most flavorful creamy sauce (with no cream of soups), spaghetti, chicken and mushrooms. Make it with your Instant Pot!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs (or a combination)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp minced dried onion
- 2 cups broth
- 8 ounces spaghetti (I used thin, whole wheat spaghetti)
- 8 ounces chopped mushrooms
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Add chicken into Instant Pot. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, paprika and onion. Stir to coat the chicken on both sides in the seasonings. Pour in the broth.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Place chicken on a cutting board and chop.
- Break up the spaghetti and add it into the Instant Pot in a criss cross pattern. Cover the spaghetti with the chicken and the mushrooms. Finally add the cream cheese on top.
- Cover the Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir well. Stir in the cheese. Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
*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.
I made this recipe using bow ties for pasta and it was fantastic !! This is a keeper. Everyone loved it.
★★★★★
Fun I love the idea of using bowties!
Can I ask what poultry seasoning you’d recommend? I’ve seen several different blends-some are just herbs and some have spices in as well.
I buy the mccormick’s brand: https://www.mccormick.com/spices-and-flavors/herbs-and-spices/spices/poultry-seasoning
Do you substitute recommendations for the mushrooms? This recipe sounds delish but I hate mushrooms. Also is there any liquid that should be going in?
there is 2 cups broth listed in the ingredient list. And I don’t know about the mushrooms. I would just leave them out. I can’t think of a substitute.
Any thoughts on cooking time adjustments if using Gluten Free pasta?
I honestly haven’t tried GF pasta in the IP. My bet is that you’d have to cook it less time??
Hi Karen, I made this receipt earlier this week exactly like your recipe calls for. My my wife and I loved it. A family at our church needed a meal prepared for them this week, so I made it again but substituted 2 cups of chopped broccoli for the mushrooms and added the broccoli to the Instant Pot during the last 5 minute cook cycle. I also used angel hair paste, I also added a 1/4 cup of Ceasar dressing and added that with all the other seasoning added in the first cook cycle. Simply delicious with either mushrooms or broccoli.
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Love that idea with the broccoli!
Well I got , the dreaded ‘burn’ notice, before it came to pressure, my mistake was I cut cream cheese into slices and laid on top of the mushrooms, but worked out ok as I just removed the pot set on my cutting board covered with glass lid, waited 5 minutes, then lifted the spaghetti with spatula added a bit more water, returned to IP to finish cooking, Then I sat down to read the comments to discover I was supposed to put brick in whole.. 🙂 next time I will know.
Oh shoot! Sorry about the burn notice.
Would the cooking time be the same for angel hair pasta? And linguine? Thanks!
Same for angel hair but increase it a couple minutes for linguine.
This recipe is the definition of comfort food. It worked perfectly. Karen, you were the first food blogger that I came across who puts bricks of cream cheese on top of the rest and pressure cooks it. Such an easy way to melt that cheese! Thank you…looking forward to my leftovers!
★★★★★
Yes I was so happy when I discovered that trick it is a game changer!
This had good flavor. My husband had two plates. I followed the recipe. I got a burn notice at the spaghetti time. Everything was done so it was ok. Next time, I think I will use regular paprika rather than smoked. Just my preference. And I will add some liquid when I add the spaghetti. It was a bit dry. I will make it again as it was good. Minor tweaks just for personal preference. Thanks for sharing!!
★★★★
Too bad about the burn notice! I am glad it still tasted good.
I made this and it was great, I had more than Half leftover and froze it, How do I Thaw and reheat for my next meal?
You could pour 1.5 cups water in bottom of Instant Pot and then warm it up with the pot in pot method. I would put a trivet in the bottom and put the tetrazzini in a pan and then pressure cook for 10-15 minutes
Hi, Karen
Can I use frozen boneless, skinless Chechen breast cutlets?
Thanks!
Diane
That would be “chicken”, not “Chechen.” Sheesh!
sure but I would only pressure cook the chicken for 7 minutes
If using sour cream, should I go in at the same time that the cream cheese is called for?
I would stir sour cream in after the pressure cooking time. Otherwise it will separate
Do you have a crock pot recipe for this dish?
Sorry! I don’t for this one because pasta doesn’t do great in the crockpot.
This looks so good. What would the cooking time be if I used bite-sized thigh pieces (I already have some in the freezer)??
Will be back with stars.
The way the recipe is written will achieve the best taste and texture. However you can also cut up your raw chicken into bite-size pieces and then add in the broth, spaghetti, mushrooms, cream cheese etc. and pressure cook for 5 minutes. The chicken won’t be as tender but this is a short cut version.
OK. I’ll wait until I can get to the store & do it the way you wrote it. I do NOT want to “mess with” perfection. HaHa
My boyfriend didn’t know the title of this recipe prior to me serving him. His first response after tasting was “Mmm!! This is good!!” Luckily my instant pot didn’t steal him, but this recipe was so so delicious!
★★★★★
Lol Leah! That is so great! Thanks for the 5 stars.