Instant pot buffalo chicken pasta is the perfect easy meal solution that takes only minutes to make, but that tastes amazing. This simple Instant pot pasta meal is ready in less than 30 minutes and takes less than 10 minutes of hands-on time to prepare. The spicy flavor and creamy texture is sure to be a meal the whole family will love!
There's a trick to making pasta in the Instant Pot that I think I've finally got nailed down. Once you know how to do it, it's quite easy to make quick and easy meals without spending hours in the kitchen. Add buffalo chicken pasta to your menu this week and get ready to see big smiling faces when you serve it up!
Buffalo Chicken Pasta in the Instant Pot
This was inspired by my other Instant Pot chicken pasta recipe on Kitchen Divas, and pairs well with this amazing cucumber salad recipe.
If you like using the Instant Pot to make dinner easier to prepare, you might also like this Instant Meatloaf Recipe or this Instant Pot Cheesy Broccoli Rice.
Ingredients
An easy recipe made with simple ingredients you can gather up during a quick trip to the grocery store.
- Olive oil
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Chicken broth
- Milk
- Buffalo sauce
- Rotini
- Cream cheese
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Blue cheese crumbles
- Chopped green onion
See the recipe card further down on the page for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
Instructions
This simple recipe uses both the saute setting and high-pressure cooking settings on the Instant Pot to cook up with less than 10 minutes of hands-on time. Here's a quick overview of how to make the recipe, you will find the full instructions in the recipe card along with step by step photos.
Step 1: Saute the Chicken
Add olive oil to the Instant Pot and set the Instant Pot to the saute setting.
When heated, add the bite-size pieces of chicken and sauté until cooked through. When the chicken is cooked, turn the Instant Pot off.
Step 2: Pressure Cook the Pasta
On top of the chicken add the ingredients in this order: chicken broth, milk, buffalo sauce, pasta, and cream cheese.
Do not stir when the ingredients are added. Place lid on top of the Instant Pot and lock it into place. Check and close the pressure valve. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. When the time is done, use the quick release and remove the lid.
Step 3: Finish the Pasta
After releasing the pressure, stir the ingredients together. Add shredded cheese and stir until combined and melted.
Serve up topped with crumbled blue cheese and green onions.
Substitutions
Don't have the correct ingredients on hand? Or want to change something up? Here are some helpful tips for you to change how you make Instant Pot buffalo chicken pasta.
- Rotini pasta - Swap out the rotini for any pasta though short pastas which such as macaroni, penne or bowties work best when making this recipe.
- Cheddar cheese - Swap out the cheddar cheese with other medium flavored shredded cheeses such as muenster or monterey jack.
- Vegetarian - Replace the chicken with 1 can of drained chickpeas and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to make this a vegetarian pasta dish.
Variations
Want to personalize this buffalo chicken pasta in the Instant Pot recipe? Here are some of my tried and true tips for changing up this recipe.
- Extra Spicy - To take the spice of this pasta recipe to the next level, replace the cheddar cheese with shredded pepper jack cheese.
- Deluxe - Top the finished bowl of pasta with crispy fried onion and bacon bits to make it extra yummy.
- Kid friendly - If the kids aren't fans of spicy, you can reduce or eliminate the buffalo sauce just make sure to replace the amount you leave out with another liquid such as more broth or milk.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy making Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta.
Equipment
This recipe requires an electric pressure cooker to prepare in addition to simple kitchen tools found in most kitchens.
- Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring cup and spoons
Storage
If you have leftovers of this instant pot pasta recipe, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. For best quality, it is not recommended storing leftover buffalo chicken pasta in the freezer.
To reheat, place the amount you want to eat in a pot and add a bit of liquid, milk, water or chicken broth, to the pot and heat until the pasta is warmed all the way through. As it heats, stir the pasta until the sauce loosens and becomes creamier. Add more liquid as needed.
Tips
Making Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta is easy and takes just minutes. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when making this recipe so you get perfect results on the first try.
- Don't stir the ingredients once they are added to the pot. The layering is the key to cooking buffalo chicken pasta in the Instant Pot.
- When the five minutes of cook time are finished, it's important to release the pressure and remove the lid right away. If you don't the pasta will continue cooking until the lid is opened leading to mushy pasta.
- For best flavor add blue cheese crumbles and diced green onions to the top of the pasta when serving.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
Do you like cooking and eating spicy or savory pasta dishes? Here are some more recipes you may also like to try:
FAQ
Do you have questions about buffalo chicken pasta in the Instant Pot? Here are some of the most commonly asked questions I receive about this recipe.
Yes, in most cases you can cook a double batch of this buffalo chicken pasta using your Instant Pot. You will want to make sure you don't go over the maximum fill line in your pot which in most instances is fine, but may be an issue for smaller sized electric pressure cookers.
For best results and flavor, buffalo chicken pasta is not recommended for cooking in advance and tastes best when eaten freshly cooked. However, you can cook the chicken in advance to save some at time when you're ready to prepare this recipe.
Yes, rotisserie chicken is an easy time saving ingredient you can buy already cooked at the store. Simply remove the chicken from the bone and dice into pieces. Place it in the bottom of the Instant Pot and then layer on the other ingredients.
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- ⅓ cup buffalo sauce
- 8 ounces rotini
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- blue cheese crumbles optional
- chopped green onion optional
Instructions
- Get out and measure your ingredients.
- Add olive oil to the Instant Pot and turn on the pressure cooker to the saute setting.
- Once the Instant Pot is hot, add the chicken and sauté until chicken is fully cooked.
- Turn the Instant Pot off.
- In this order, add the chicken broth
- milk,
- buffalo sauce,
- pasta,
- and cream cheese. Do no stir.
- Place lid on Instant Pot.
- Close the pressure valve. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. When the cook time is use QUICK RELEASE right away.
- When pressure is released, open lid.
- Stir ingredients together.
- Add shredded cheese and stir until combined.
- If you choose, top with crumbled blue cheese and green onions.
- Serve.
- Enjoy every bite!
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