Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta
Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta is an easy and simple one pot pasta dinner so apt for busy weeknights. This one pot penne is loaded with flavors. You’ll have smoked andouille sausage & juicy chicken all coated in a super creamy Cajun garlic sauce. You’ll love this easy creamy Cajun chicken pasta, it’s irresistible.
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Servings: 4 people
Calories: 667kcal
Cost: $5
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounce Penne Pasta **uncooked.
- 8 ounce Andouille Sausage **smoked andouille sausage. You can also use spicy smoked Cajun or Creole sausage. Diced into circles.
- 1 pound Chicken Breast **boneless skinless chicken breats diced into ½ inch cubes. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- 1 cup onion **yellow onion roughly chopped.
- ½ tbsp garlic **minced.
- ½ cup red bell pepper **roughly chopped.
- 15 ounce diced tomatoes **diced tomatoes with jalapenos from the can or use fire roasted diced tomatoes from the can.
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil **extra light or light olive oil.
- Salt (to taste) **add according to your own personal taste preference.
Seasonings
- 2 tbsp Cajun Seasoning **our homemade salt-free Cajun seasoning is the best.
- 1 tsp Paprika **sweet paprika.
Dairy
- ½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream **slightly warmed in the microwave oven.
- 2 ounce cream cheese **at room temperature.
Liquid
- ½ tbsp Better Than Bouillon **chicken base.
- 2 cups Water **warm water. Stir the better than bouillon in this water to make an instant homemade flavorful stock.
Instructions
Saute Sausage and Chicken
- Set the instant pot on Saute mode set at NORMal heat. Add oil, when the oil becomes moderately hot gently release the diced smoked sausage and saute the sausage until both sides turn golden brown. Set them aside once done.
- Coat the diced chicken with 1 tablespoon homemade salt-free cajun seasoning, paprika and a dash of salt. Gently release the seasoned chicken cubes into the instant pot and saute until they turn lightly golden around the edges. Once done set them aside in a separate plate.
Saute aromatics
- Throw in the chopped onion, bell pepper and garlic into the instant pot and saute until the onion turns soft. Add salt according to your own personal taste preference to quicken the process of sauteing. Add the rest of the 1.5 tbsp Cajun seasoning and saute for 30 seconds. Cancel the SAUTE mode.
Deglaze pot, Layer Pasta
- Add the stock into the pot and deglaze by scraping the sides and the bottom of the pot with the help of a spatula. This will help loosen any stuck food particles and prevent the BURN error. DO NOT rush this step.
- Throw in the penne pasta and spreas them out into a single layer with the help of your spatula. Gently press down the pasta with the help of your spatula so that all the pasta are coated with the liquid. Do not stir or mix. Throw in the sauteed sausage and chicken on top of the pasta. Spread them out into single layer. Do not stir or mix. Add the diced tomatoes on top of the sausage and chicken. Do not stir or mix.
Pressure Cook
- Secure the lid, seal the valve and PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for just 4 mins. Once the cooking cycle is over the instant pot will begin to beep. Immediately perform a quick pressure release by manually moving the valve from the sealing to the venting position. Open the lid carefully when the metal floating pin on top of the lid drops. Give everything in the pot a good stir and cancel the Pressure cook mode.
Make creamy sauce
- Add the softened cream cheese and the warm heavy whipping cream into the instant pot. Stir well until the cream cheese melts and fuly incorporates to form a creamy sauce. Now, for a rich creamy cheesy Cajun chicken pasta add about ¼ or ½ cups grated parmesan cheese and stir well until the cheese completely melts. We skipped adding parmesan cheese and kept the recipe comratively lighter. Serve the Cajun chicken pasta garnished with chopped green onion and enjoy! Read Notes below for more variations. This post also contains incredible expert tips, ingredient subs and steps photos, just SCROLL UP to view them all.
Video
Notes
- Sausage: You can use your favorite smoked sausage like - Andouille, Cajun, Creole or Kielbasa.
- Pasta: Penne, rotini, Fuseli would work well in this recipe. No need to change the cook time.
- Parmesan Cheese: You can add about ¼ or ½ cups grated parm cheese at the end along with the heavy cream to make the sauce even more creamy and cheesy. We did not add any parmesan cheese.
- Pasta consistency: The more the pasta is allowed to sit in the sauce the more it'll suck up the sauce. You have to add splashes of stock, water, milk or cream just before reheating the Cajun pasta to bring back the right creamy saucy consistency.
- Cajun seasoning: Use our homemade salt-free Cajun seasoning for the best flavor. It stores well and tastes amazing! However, if you already have some store bought Cajun seasoning and want to use that up in this recipe than do skip adding any extra salt as store bought Cajun seasoning contains a lot of salt already.
Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta
Amount Per Serving
Calories 667
Calories from Fat 378
% Daily Value*
Fat 42g65%
Saturated Fat 17g106%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g
Monounsaturated Fat 17g
Cholesterol 169mg56%
Sodium 668mg29%
Potassium 1078mg31%
Carbohydrates 32g11%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 42g84%
Vitamin A 3364IU67%
Vitamin C 39mg47%
Calcium 106mg11%
Iron 4mg22%
* Read our privacy policy - Calorie information is provided as a courtesy only and should be leveraged as an estimate rather than a guarantee.Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition
Calories: 667kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 169mg | Sodium: 668mg | Potassium: 1078mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3364IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 4mg