Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo

As much as we’re obsessed with Fish Sauce & our Umami Bolognese Sauce, we’ve been meaning to share our Easy Creamy Chicken Alfredo Recipe with you!

Cheesy . Creamy . Rich . Alfredo Sauce .

If you knew how easy it is to make this fragrant buttery garlicky Alfredo Sauce from scratch, you’d ask yourself why have you been buying jar Alfredo Sauce!

Say goodbye to your store-bought Alfredo Sauce…

All you need is 6 simple ingredients from your pantry to make this delicate & creamy white sauce.

But wait a minute, Instant Pot Alfredo Sauce? Wouldn’t it scorch in the Instant Pot?

Instead of risking scorching problems, cooking the Alfredo Sauce in the pasta after pressure cooking, or using jar Alfredo Sauce, we came up with an easy workaround.

Pot . in . Pot . Alfredo Sauce!

You’ll Enjoy Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Because:

• Simple ingredients from your pantry – no need for store-bought Alfredo sauce!
• Easy & quick pasta meal with little prep work – great for quick lunch or busy weeknight meals
• Rich & comforting butter garlic Alfredo Sauce
• Kid-friendly meal

Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Step-by-Step Cooking Guide

Prepare Ingredients for Chicken Alfredo in Instant Pot:

*Pro Tip: Use freshly grated real Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese instead of pre-shredded cheese to avoid graininess in the Alfredo Sauce.

Tools for Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Stainless steel bowl (for Pot-in-Pot Alfredo Sauce)

Preheat Instant Pot

First, heat up your Instant Pot by pressing Sauté button and click Adjust button to go to Sauté More function (as shown in photo below).

Wait until the indicator says HOT.

*Pro Tip #1: You can mince the garlic while the pressure cooker is heating up.

Sauté Chicken Breast

Time for seasoning!

Season one side of chicken breasts with kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Then, add 1 tbsp olive oil in the inner pot.

Place chicken breasts in Instant Pot (seasoned side down) and season the other side with kosher salt and black pepper.

Brown each side for about 1.5 minutes. Set aside the chicken breasts.

Add minced garlic cloves and sauté until fragrant, it takes about a minute.

Then, pour the sauteed minced garlic into a stainless steel bowl.

*Note: this stainless steel bowl along with the sauteed minced garlic will be used in the Instant Pot for cooking the Alfredo Sauce, so make sure it fits inside your inner pot!

Deglaze Instant Pot

Pour 1/2 cup (125ml) unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot.

Deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot and mix them into the stock mixture.

Pressure Cook Pasta & Chicken Breasts

Add 1lb (454g) penne pasta and chicken breasts in Instant Pot.

Pour in the remaining chicken stock (as shown in left photo below).

*Pro Tip #1: Try to submerge all the penne pasta in the chicken stock.

Layer the stainless steel bowl with Alfredo sauce ingredients (sauteed minced garlic, heavy cream & unsalted butter) on top of the pasta in the Instant Pot (as shown in right above photo).

Close lid and pressure cook at

• Pressure Cooking Method: High Pressure for 4 minutes (use Manual/Pressure Cook button) + 4 minutes Quick Release (wait 4 minutes before turning the venting knob to release pressure)

Release the remaining pressure. Open the lid carefully.

*Pro Tip #2: You can grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese & wash the spinach while the pressure cooker is cooking the chicken pasta.

*Pro Tip #3: Be sure to use the finest size of cheese grater to grate the cheese.

Make Alfredo Sauce

Remove stainless steel bowl and chicken breasts from the Instant Pot.

Melt 1 oz (32g) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into the Alfredo sauce 1/3 at a time while mixing with a fork.

Taste & season with kosher salt (about 3 pinches) and ground black pepper.

*Pro Tip #1: be sure to constantly stir the Alfredo Sauce as you melt the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (1/3 at a time!)

*Pro Tip #2: very critical to taste & season the white sauce in this step!!

Mix in Spinach & Alfredo Sauce

Heat up the Instant Pot by pressing Cancel button, then Sauté button.

Mix baby spinach and ¾ of the Alfredo sauce with the cooked penne pasta.

Taste and season with kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Serve Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo

Cut chicken breasts into slices and add them on top of the Alfredo pasta. Then, drizzle the remaining white sauce onto the chicken pasta.

Garnish with more Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese if desired.

Serve immediately & enjoy!~

Cooking Tips for Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo

1. Taste, Season and Repeat!

Unless you like bland Instant Pot Pasta, be sure to taste & season the Alfredo Sauce! The seasonings are critical in opening up the flavors of the sauce, so taste & adjust according to your taste.

2. Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce

For a garlicky flavor-aroma boost, you can roast the garlic in the oven beforehand.

3. Use Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese to Avoid Graininess in the Alfredo Sauce

Use freshly grated cheese instead of pre-shredded cheese. Yes, it’ll be more work – but it’ll be worth it ? Pre-shredded cheese contains cellulose powder that doesn’t break down nor allows smooth melting.

Also, be sure to use the finest cheese grater to grate the cheese for optimal results!

Watch: How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo

Can’t see the cooking video? Watch it here.

Enjoy your Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo~

Other Instant Pot Pasta Recipes

Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta

Dreamy Mac & Cheese: Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

Make-ahead & Freeze for later Umami Meat Sauce: Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce