This Instant Pot Olive Garden Chicken Pasta copycat is so creamy and delicious, made with the original Olive Garden salad dressing, cream cheese and sun dried tomatoes.
» You might also like Instant Pot Spaghetti and Instant Pot Creamy Sausage Rigatoni.
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I’m not sure you can get any more decadent than this pasta. It’s so rich and luscious. You won’t believe how perfect it turns out in the Instant Pot and it’s almost completely hands off, which is always a good thing.
There’s no need to precook the chicken or the pasta. You just layer all the ingredients in the Instant Pot and set to cook for 8 minutes, plus a 5 minute natural pressure release. Voila. It’s done!
Ingredients You Need
I love a good dump recipe. That sounds bad, but it’s really a good thing. It just means that you don’t need to do any prep to the ingredients. You just dump them all in the Instant Pot and cook. This recipe requires 9 ingredients, 6 of which go into the pot before cooking, and 3 to add at the end.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – To save time, you can purchase cubed chicken pieces which you can just dump directly into the Instant Pot. You can also add the cubed chicken from frozen, if you don’t have time to thaw it. It will just take a few more minutes to cook. If you want, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this as well.
- Penne pasta – I like the way the penne gets coated in the sauce, so I prefer it to other pastas, but you can definitely use ziti, bowties or fusilli, if that’s what you have on hand.
- Olive Garden Italian Salad Dressing – There’s really no substitute for the real thing in this dish, but if you can’t find this dressing, you can make your own version with this recipe. It is available to order on Amazon.
- Ground black pepper
- Chicken broth – You can use a boxed chicken broth, or mix water with a cube of chicken bouillon.
- Cream cheese – Always use full-fat cream cheese for this recipe. It adds the wonderful rich creaminess that you won’t get with low-fat versions.
- Sundried tomatoes – You need these for an acidity element to break up the creaminess and add some zest.
- Fresh basil
- Shredded parmesan cheese
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How to Make Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces, if they aren’t already cut. Add the chicken to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Top it with the dried pasta, pour on the salad dressing, black pepper, cream cheese and broth. There’s no need to stir. Just put it all in and you’re good to go.
Secure the lid onto the Instant Pot and make sure the valve is sealed. Press the pressure cook, or manual, button and set the time for 8 minutes. It will take about 5 minutes to come up to pressure and start cooking.
When time is up, let the steam naturally release for 5 minutes and then manually release the rest. You don’t want it to continue cooking past the 5 minute mark, so make sure you’re watching closely.
Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and basil. Let it sit for about 5 minutes on Keep Warm, then stir it again. In this time, some of the liquid will be soaked up and the sauce will be set well.
Garnish with more Parmesan cheese if you want. I also think a spritz of lemon juice gives a brightness to the sauce.
Why Use An Instant Pot?
The Instant Pot is one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can buy, because it drastically cuts down on the cooking time for developing flavors in soups and stews, getting tough cuts of meat tender, and even baking a cheesecake. And there are many accessories that will help you get more out of your Instant Pot.
If you don’t have one yet, check out our guide on which one to buy. Also see our guide to How to Use an Instant Pot for more information.
- Don’t Have an Instant Pot Yet? This guide can help you choose the right one.
- See reviews and prices for Instant Pots on Amazon.
- Learn some great Instant Pot Tips & Tricks.
- Click to find more recipes to make in your Instant Pot.
Optional Ingredients
Although this pasta is great just as it is, there’s always more flavor combinations to be explored. These are some additional ingredients you could add.
- Fresh tomatoes – Consider replacing the sun-dried tomatoes with fresh tomatoes.
- Spinach – Add fresh chopped spinach right before you close the lid for something fresh.
- Artichoke hearts – Add a can of non-marinated artichokes before you close the lid.
Super Useful Instant Pot Accessories
Once you’ve started using your Instant Pot more regularly, you’ll find there are so many other ways you *could* be using it, if you had a few extra useful accessories. Here are a few favorites that we use almost every day.
- All-In Instant Pot Kit – a kit, like this 27-piece set, will get you just about everything you will ever need to make whatever you want in the Instant Pot. It includes steamer baskets, a springform pan, a steamer rack, egg rack, egg cutter, egg ring, egg whisk, egg bites mold, dish plate clip, spatula, kitchen tong, silicone pad, scrubber, and oven mitts, magnetic sheets and a recipe book.
- Stackable Steamer Insert Pans – Using stacking containers allows you to cook different foods in separate containers. If you’re making a complete dinner, you will be able to cook all the components at the same time, rather than one at a time.
- Instant Pot Ceramic Inner Cooking Pot – I can’t express enough how nice it is to have two inner pots. Having an extra will allow you to cook two parts of a meal without transferring and cleaning the original pot after the first step.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Can I Get Olive Garden Salad Dressing?
If you live in the United States, you can generally find this salad dressing in most grocery stores. It’s being sold everywhere now. You can get it at Costco, as well as on Amazon.
If you can’t find it, you can make your own version with this recipe. You can also substitute it with regular Italian dressing or a Dijon vinaigrette, in a pinch.
Can I Cook This in the Slow Cooker?
Yes, you can alter the recipe a bit to make it in the slow cooker. You can find the instructions here. The process will be the same except you will add the pasta after the chicken sauce has cooked.
Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker, as you would to the Instant Pot, except for the basil, Parmesan cheese, and pasta. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 4 hours until the chicken is cooked through. Then add the cooked pasta to the crockpot and stir.
Can I Add Cooked Chicken Instead?
You can add cooked chicken instead of raw chicken, if that’s what you have on hand. The chicken will cook again in the Instant Pot, but it won’t become overly dry, so no need to worry. This is a good way to use up leftover chicken or to use a rotisserie chicken instead.
Why Is The Sauce Still Runny When I Open The Lid?
The sauce will need a few minutes to thicken up after cooking. When you remove the lid, stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and parmesan and let the mixture set with the keep warm function for 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it sets.
What About a Whole Chicken Breast?
If you need to add a whole chicken breast, you might find that it doesn’t cook in the amount of time the dish is under pressure. It will only cook through if the breast is not super thick, and definitely it must be thawed entirely. A frozen chicken breast whole will not cook through in this time. If you increase the time to cook the chicken, you will overcook the pasta.
Try These Other Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
- Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
- Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta
- Easy Instant Pot Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo
- Instant Pot Spaghetti
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Instant Pot Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
Note: Made in a 6-qt Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 16 ounce box penne pasta uncooked
- 3/4 cup Olive Garden Italian Salad Dressing https://amzn.to/3CWf49l
- 3 1/2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounce package cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes drained and chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and add to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Top with dry pasta, salad dressing, black pepper, cream cheese and broth. No stirring necessary.
- Secure the lid, make sure the valve is closed. Set to manual pressure cook for 8 minutes. When time is up let the steam naturally release for 5 minutes and then manually release the rest.
- Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and basil.
Nutrition
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Laura is a passionate home cook and the owner of A Pressure Cooker Kitchen. She is dedicated to helping people create delicious Instant Pot meals with ease. Laura is an expert at developing recipes that can be prepared quickly and easily using a pressure cooker.
Do I add the spinach with the chicken and pasta or with the sun dried tomatoes?
Hi Gipsy, I would add it with the chicken and pasta so it has a chance to wilt. I hope you like it!
Hi Laura! This recipe sounds amazing and definitely want to give it a try. I have a quick question about the nutrition information posted with it. I noticed it said 11g of carbs which I thought seemed super low for a pasta dish (I’m diabetic so I tend to watch my carb intake). I ran the recipe though My Fitness Pal and the macros are all much higher based on the listed 6 servings. I get 550 calories, 28g fat, 11g saturated fat, 60g carbs, 3g fiber, 6g sugar, and 63g of protein based on 6 servings. The only way I can get it close to the listed numbers for the macros is making it 12 servings instead of 6, but the ingredient amounts don’t really make sense for that many servings. I’m just curious if you would share what tool you use for calculating the nutrition information for your recipes so I can try to figure out where the difference lies. Thanks!
Hi Melissa. I have checked the nutritional information and it was calculated improperly. It was calculating it as 1 16 oz box, which threw it off. I am very sorry for the mistake and I have fixed it now. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. If you want to make it low carb, I would use a pasta substitute like palmini noodles or Low Carb Bread Company pasta.
Thanks for the reply, Laura, and for the substitution recommendations. I appreciate it!
Hey ma’am! What is the temperature for the insta pot when set on manual? Mine automatically went to 250 and after the time was up the pasta was still uncooked and there was loaded of broth still in the pot.
It’s either high or low pressure. What brand machine are you using? We cook this on high pressure in the Instant Pot. Most Instant Pots don’t have a temperature gauge.
This looks yummy. Thanks for sharing.
very good
Mine came out really soupy still
I’m sorry that your pasta came out soupy. We have enjoyed this recipe many times and haven’t had this problem. It will usually thicken up once you stir in the rest of the ingredients and let it sit for 5 minutes.