Pennsylvania Chicken Casserole–a creamy chicken penne pasta dinner with sneaky veggies. Make it fast in the Instant Pot!
Pennsylvania Chicken Casserole
This was an easy, yummy chicken pasta dinner. The creamy sour cream sauce has so much flavor without being heavy. The vegetables are kind of sneaky because they just melt right into the sauce and give it a nice little boost without taking over. The chicken thighs stay so tender. The original recipe calls for a can of cream of chicken soup but I chose to make this without it for a more “from scratch” version. Make this satisifying dinner soon!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Butter–or oil
- Onion–or shallot
- Celery
- Mushrooms
- Green bell pepper
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Poultry seasoning
- Nutmeg
- Smoked paprika
- Water
- Better than Bouillon chicken base
- Penne pasta–or another short cut pasta
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs–or chicken tenderloins, or chicken breasts
- Sour cream–or plain greek yogurt
- Pimentos
- Cheddar–I use sharp
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the butter and let it melt. Add in the onion, celery, mushrooms and green pepper and saute for 4 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, nutmeg and smoked paprika.
Pour in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Stir in the boullion. Turn off Instant Pot.
Sprinkle in the pasta. Lay the chicken on top of the pasta. Sprinkle the chicken lightly with salt.
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 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
Stir some of hot liquid from the pot into the sour cream to temper it. Then stir the sour cream into the pot.
Stir in the pimentos and cheese.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve this with a side salad, roasted green beans, or some garlic bread to soak up the creamy sauce. Steamed broccoli or asparagus would also pair perfectly if you want extra veggies.
- Make sure to stir a little hot liquid into the sour cream before adding it to the pot. This keeps it from curdling.
- You can swap the green pepper for red or orange if you prefer something sweeter, or leave out the mushrooms if your crew isn’t a fan.
- Chicken thighs stay tender, but you can sub chicken breasts if that’s what you have.
- After releasing pressure, stir well and let the pasta sit for a few minutes to soak up the sauce if it looks thin.
- Pimentos add a pop of color and a mild tang, but you can leave them out if you want.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with pimentos are Arkansas Casserole and Instant Pot Snow on the Mountain.
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.
Pennsylvania Chicken Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
A creamy chicken penne pasta dinner with sneaky veggies. Make it fast in the Instant Pot!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 rib celery, sliced or diced
- 4 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 cups water
- 1 Tbsp Better than Bouillon chicken base
- 8 oz penne pasta
- 16–20 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into chunks
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp pimentos
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the butter and let it melt. Add in the onion, celery, mushrooms and green pepper and saute for 4 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, nutmeg and smoked paprika.
- Pour in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Stir in the boullion. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle in the pasta. Lay the chicken on top of the pasta. Sprinkle the chicken lightly with salt.
- 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 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir some of hot liquid from the pot into the sour cream to temper it. Then stir the sour cream into the pot. Stir in the pimentos and cheese.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
More Instant Pot chicken pasta recipes…
Aunt Betty’s Casserole
A Tex-Mex–inspired Instant Pot pasta with tender chicken thighs, black beans, corn, and enchilada sauce all cooked together with bowtie pasta for an easy one-pot meal.
Hungry Romance Casserole
Cavatappi pasta with chicken, ham, swiss cheese and a crispy panko topping. It’s like chicken cordon bleu in a pasta form!
Yankee Doodle Casserole
A creamy, cheesy Instant Pot chicken and noodle dish with tangy tomatoes and artichokes (or mushrooms) for a quick and easy meal.
Amish Savior Sunday Supper
A creamy chicken and noodle dish made in your Instant Pot or slow cooker. It’s the kind of easy dinner that makes 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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