Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Posted: 10/28/2019
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This creamy Instant Pot buffalo chicken pasta is comfort food perfect. If you’re a buffalo chicken lover, you’ll go nuts over this pasta.
Fall has arrived in Michigan, and it has arrived with no uncertainty! As I write this (a couple weeks before you’re reading it), it’s super grey and rainy outside. The temp is still hanging on around 63, but it’s expected to drop significantly tonight.
I’m semi-okay with this. Maybe I should say I’m trying to be okay with this.
My porch is decorated with giant pots of mums and all the pumpkins and gourds you can imagine. We’re hosting a lot of friends and family over the next few weeks (this chili will be happening!), and I’m feeling kind of festive. I’m also feeling kind of tired, but that’s nothing new.
I really do love fall, in fact it’s my favorite season. It’s just the impending 5-6 months of snow that I’m not too wild about. Buuuuut I’ve lived in Michigan my entire life. I know the drill by now.
About this Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta
With the cooler temps, we’re all craving cozier meals. This buffalo chicken pasta fits the bill.
It’s ultra-creamy, filling, and has just enough spicy heat to warm you from the inside out. Plus, it’s all made in one pot. The Instant Pot! It’s so easy, you won’t believe it. My Instant Pot pasta recipe with sausage, spinach, and tomatoes has been so popular, so I’ve been bringing you more pasta recipes for your pressure cooker.
Of course we have the classics: Instant Pot macaroni and cheese (so ridiculously creamy…I’m making this one this weekend), and Instant Pot spaghetti and meat sauce. Both favorites of ours!
This one is just as delicious and perfect for game days, fall entertaining, or just chilly nights when you need a quick and easy meal.
You’ll start by sautéing the chicken, celery, and onions until the chicken is no longer pink. You’ll add garlic, and your kitchen will smell heavenly.
Next you’ll add in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and hot sauce (as little or as much as you’d like…you can always add more later, though!). Scrape the bottom of the pan – this will prevent any of those pesky burn notices. Once you’re done doing that, add the pasta and submerge it all into the liquid.
Then it’s time for the pressure cooker to work its magic. After it pressurizes, it only has to cook for 5 minutes.
It will look soupy when you remove the cover. Don’t worry! It will thicken when you add the cheese and as it rests for 10-15 minutes.
When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles and green onions.
How to make this recipe your own:
- Not crazy about blue cheese? (It’s not my fave, either, to be honest.) Substitute the blue cheese dressing with an equal amount of your favorite ranch dressing.
- Looking for more of a casserole? Toss this in a sprayed baking dish (9×13 should work well), top with a little extra cheese and bake at 350ºF or until golden brown and bubbling.
- If you’re not a fan of whole wheat pasta, this recipe will be just as delicious with regular white pasta.
How to store and reheat this buffalo chicken pasta:
This reheats really well! You can easily pop it in the microwave, but it’s also great baked (follow the directions above or in the recipe card, may take slightly longer if it’s cold). Store any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
More Great Instant Pot Recipes:
- Healthy Chicken Piccata in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pasta — cheesy ranch perfection!
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Fall Instant Pot Shakshuka
- Instant Pot Chili (Paleo, Whole30 compliant, and 100% delicious)
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
This creamy Instant Pot buffalo chicken pasta is comfort food perfect. If you're a buffalo chicken lover, you'll go nuts over this pasta.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (¾ inch)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 stalk celery, diced small
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black ground pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth (see note)
- 1 box (12 oz) whole wheat rotini
- 1 large can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
- 1/3 cup hot pepper sauce, such as Frank’s
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 3/4 cup blue cheese dressing
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Crumbled blue cheese for garnishing
- Green onions for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat Instant Pot to “Sauté.” Add oil, chicken, onion and celery; season with salt and black pepper Cook until chicken is no longer pink and onions are translucent, 6-8 minutes..
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minutes or until garlic is fragrant.
- Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes and hot sauce. Stir to combine, scraping all browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add pasta, making sure pasta is submerged in liquid.
- Set Instant Pot to “Manual” for 5 minutes. Turn valve to Seal. When the timer goes off, turn valve to Vent to Quick release the pressure.
- Keep Instant Pot on Warm and add cream cheese, blue cheese dressing, and shredded mozzarella. Stir gently until cheese is melted. With Instant Pot remaining on Warm setting, let pasta rest for 10 minutes. It will thicken slightly.
- Serve topped with blue cheese crumbles and green onions.
Notes
- If you want to amp up the vegetables a little, you could add a diced sweet bell pepper or diced carrots when you sauté the chicken, onion, and celery.
- To make ahead or turn into a freezer meal: Make as directed and then pour into a greased 9x13 pan and cover with foil. Freeze or refrigerate until ready to bake. Place cold pan in cold oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Cook for an hour, uncovering in the last 15 minutes, or until heated through. It may require slightly longer cooking time if frozen. If cooking from frozen, you can also thaw overnight in fridge before baking.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1g, Calories: 704kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 54g, Fat: 38g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 22g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 152mg, Sodium: 1122mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 5g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Mickey says
Haven’t tried this yet, concerned about the sodi. Why is the sodium so high if you use low sodium broth?
Rachel Gurk says
Our nutritional information is always an estimate, but this recipe gets sodium from broth (even low-sodium), canned tomatoes, hot sauce, cheese, and blue cheese dressing. Of course this will vary on the brands you use, which is why our nutrition information is an estimate.
Annette Crevasse says
How do you adjust this recipe if you want to leave out the pasta?
Rachel Gurk says
You could probably just leave out all the chicken broth and pasta and it might turn out still? I haven’t tried it though, so I can’t promise good results. You might want to try these buffalo chicken sandwiches: https://www.rachelcooks.com/slow-cooker-spicy-buffalo-chicken/
Tracie Basarabski says
Used your suggestion to substitute ranch, hubby doesn’t care for blue cheese. I would have preferred the blue cheese this was both easy and delicious. My favorite combination of your recipes.
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, it really means a lot!
denise says
my husband would enjoy this
Rachel Gurk says
My husband loved it too!