I seem to have found a trend in taking some of my popular chicken dishes and turning them into pastas.
So after the resounding success of my Chicken Marsala and a spin-off smash I created called Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta, I decided to focus on making a pasta dish inspired by my to-die-for Chicken Piccata!
Yes! We’re talking Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta here, folks! Like so many of my other recipes, it’s CRAZY EASY to make with a creamy, cheesy, lemony pay off so out-of-this-world, it is sure to go right into the rotation!
So get ready to make one of the finest pastas your Instant Pot will ever meet!
Here’s How I Made It!:
Let’s start with some light prep. Take a large shallot…
…and dice it up.
Take some lemons…
…and juice ’em up.
Take a can of artichoke hearts…
…and drain ’em and rip ’em up.
And then take some chicken breasts…
…and cut ’em into bite-sized chunks.
Now take some butter, add it to the pot and give it some heat.
Once melted, add in the shallots…
…stir them around so they’re nice and coated in the butter…
…and allow them to simmer for a few minutes.
Then, add in the chicken…
…along with some garlic…
…and stir around until the chicken is pinkish-white in color.
Add in some garlic and chicken broth (or just chicken broth if you can’t get the garlic broth)…
…and the lemon juice.
If you wish to have very soft, mushy artichokes, add them in now too…
…BUT, if you wish to have more substantial artichokes, add them AFTER pressure cooking.
Stir everything together very well.
Now take some pasta (I strongly suggest using a mezze penne which is a mini penne/rigatoni)…
…and add it to the pot BUT DO NOT STIR IT IN!
Just take a wooden spoon and smooth out the pasta so all of it’s submerged in the liquid. Secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
When done, it’s gonna look like this! Isn’t it crazy how the pasta absorbs so much of the liquid leaving just the right amount over to make our sauce? Give everything a good stir.
Now add in some heavy cream or half & half…
…some grated parmesan cheese
…and the artichokes (IF you didn’t add them before cooking. Add them now if you want them to be more full of life and texture).
Give everything a real good stir as that sauce thickens up and everything comes together!
Lastly, take some capers…
…and stir them into the pot (or don’t if people are opposed to them and just top them off when serving in individual bowls). In case you didn’t know, capers taste a bit like mini olives with no pit.
Spoon a nice serving to a bowl, stick a fork in it…
…bring it to your mouth…
…and revel in the food ecstasy.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE PASTA DISHES YET!
A perfect compliment to my revered Chicken Piccata!
Instant Pot Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
Since I'm a lemon and pasta lover, I felt it only fitting for the two to have a love affair with each other.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) of salted butter
- 1 large (or 2 small) shallot(s), diced
- 1.5 lbs of chicken breast, diced into chunks
- 1 tbsp of crushed garlic
- 2 cups of chicken broth (I used 2 tsp of Chicken Better Than Bouillon + 2 cups of water)
- 2 cups of garlic broth (I used 2 tsp of Garlic Better Than Bouillon + 2 cups of water but you can just use 4 cups of chicken broth total if you don’t have this)
- Juice of 2 fresh lemons
- 1 lb (1 box) of mezze penne (this is like a mini penne and cooks GREAT in the Instant Pot but you can use regular penne too)
- 1/3 cup of heavy cream or half & half
- 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping if desired
- 14 oz can of artichoke hearts, drained and ripped up (you can even use 2 cans if you want a lot of them in there)
- 1/4 cup of capers, drained (try to use the smaller ones than larger ones)
Instructions
- Add the butter to the Instant Pot. Hit “Sauté” and “Adjust” so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting and wait until the butter has melted and it bubbles
- Add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes and then add the chicken and the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes until the chicken is lightly pinkish-white in color (but not fully cooked). (Note: You can also add in the artichoke hearts now but they will cook into virtually nothing once pressure cooked so add them after pressure cooking if you want them more substantial. OR, simply use 2 cans and add in one can now for soft hearts and add the other one after pressure cooking for meatier hearts)
- Add in the broth and lemon juice and stir together well
- Pour in the pasta so it’s laying on top of the broth, gently smoothing and pushing it down with a spatula so it’s submerged, but DO NOT stir it with the rest of the broth. (It’s okay if some of the pasta is peaking above the water)
- Secure the lid and hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 6 minutes. Quick release when done and give it all a good stir
- Stir in the heavy cream, parmesan, artichoke hearts (if you didn’t before pressure cooking OR even if you did and are using a second can) and capers until nice and combined (you can leave the capers out and just top them off in individual bowls when serving if some people aren’t into them for whatever reason)
- Transfer to a serving bowl, plate it up and sprinkle any extra parmesan cheese and/or capers if desired
- Enjoy!
Jeffrey's Tips
If you want it vegetarian, use only garlic broth and leave out the chicken!
For meatier, more substantial artichokes, add them in AFTER pressure cooking when mixing in the cream, parmesan and capers!
Matthew
I love your recipes and YouTube channel! Quickie question: Since there’s only two of us (my husband and myself) – which ingredients do I need to reduce if I’m making the recipe just for two people – there’s no way in gay hell we could consume an entire box of pasta (that much food). Much thanks!
Erin
Looks amazing. What if I have cooked chicken meat. Add it at the end with the Artichokes?
Rebecka
I made this tonight, tasted great, but the sauce was a little runnier than I would have liked. Is this normal? Or did I do something wrong?? Still a delicious meal 😋
Renee
I thought the same. Any suggestions Jeffrey?
Denise
I had the same problem, sauce was very thin and soupy. Pasta was cooked perfectly, so I think I’ll just decrease the chicken broth to 3 cups instead of 4 next time.
Jeffrey
Be a bit patient! The pasta will thicken after resting for a few minutes as pasta ALWAYS continues to absorb the sauce around it!
Anna
We had this for dinner tonight. The whole family loved it. It’s a great recipe with wonderful flavor! Thanks!
Tonia
If I was going to make this gluten free, would the cook time be the same.
Katie
if I double the recipe in my 8 qt pot, would the cook time be the same?
Jeffrey
Indeed!