Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti is a delicious comfort meal, but cooking it in the Instant Pot is a great way to bring comfort to a new level with this simple one pot recipe!
Recipe: $10.38 | Per Serving: $1.74 | Servings: 6
Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel is a crowd-pleasing, one-pot meal that combines the zesty flavors of Rotel tomatoes with creamy, cheesy goodness—an upgrade from our Taco Mac and Cheese (with Rotel).
This cheesy chicken spaghetti is fantastic for busy weeknights or whenever you crave a comforting dinner without fuss. The Instant Pot simplifies cooking, allowing you to whip up a hearty, family-friendly meal in a fraction of the time it takes using traditional methods.
We adore simplified comfort meals in the Instant Pot, like Instant Pot Tater Tot Casserole and Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs.
This easy, all-in-one meal with a kick is perfect for family dinners or impressing guests—it's sure to become a household favorite.
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🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- Pretty basic ingredients. This recipe can use up leftover shredded chicken, and a few basic ingredients to make a flavorful dish the whole family can love.
- Even the leftovers taste great! The leftovers are still incredible (and NOT dry) the following day when you reheat them for lunch. See How to Reuse Leftover Food if you want more creative ideas.
- You may not WANT to share. I swear that if given the chance, I probably could have eaten most of this batch to myself, but unfortunately, I have to share with the hubby and kids, haha.
🥘 Ingredients
Chicken broth- This is the liquid that will help us to pressure cook our food, and because it's broth and not water, it will give us a lot more flavor too.
Spaghetti noodles- You will want to use spaghetti noodles for this recipe. I have not tested other noodle sizes/shapes.
Rotel- I love the heat and flavor of the Rotel in this recipe, and you can easily adjust it to taste by simply picking up a can of Hot, Mild, or Medium flavored Rotel. (We also use Rotel in our Walking Taco Casserole).
Shredded chicken- Have some rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken leftover from the night before? I like to use the meat from Boiled Chicken Legs.
Cream of Chicken- Use a can of cream of condensed soup as a thickener for this recipe and added flavor.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
🔪 Instructions for Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti
Step 1: Set the Instant Pot to Saute and set the timer for 5 minutes.
Step 2: In the pot, saute the butter and onion until soft (about 3 minutes). (Image 1).
Step 3: Add in the minced garlic and then press the Cancel button. (Image 2). Stir to incorporate the garlic.
Step 4: Pour in the chicken broth. (Image 3).
Step 5: Break the noodles in half so that they fit inside the Instant Pot. Place them inside the pot in a scattered manner. The more directions they go in, the less they'll stick together as they cook. (Image 4).
Step 6: Add the can of Rotel (undrained) to the top. DO NOT STIR. (Image 5).
Step 7: Scatter your shredded chicken over the top of the Rotel and sprinkle the seasonings over the chicken. DO NOT STIR. (Image 6).
Step 8: Dollop the cream of chicken over the top of the chicken. DO NOT STIR. (Image 7).
Step 9: Close the lid and then seal it shut. Set it to High Pressure for 4 minutes (Image 8), and do a 6 minute Natural Pressure Release before releasing the rest manually.
Step 10: Open the lid (Image 9) and add in the cubed cream cheese. DO NOT Stir. (Image 10).
Step 11: Close the lid again and continue resting on Keep Warm Mode for another 7-10 minutes.
Step 12: Add the cheddar cheese and sour cream (Image 11). Stir well. (Image 12).
Serve warm and enjoy.
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Simple Preparation- This recipe is easy to follow along with if you stick to the instructions. Using softened cream cheese speeds up the blending process, but cold cream cheese can also be used.
- Noodle Preparation- Break long spaghetti noodles in half or use "pot-sized" noodles to ensure they fit comfortably in the Instant Pot. This prevents issues with noodles sticking together.
- Even Distribution- When adding noodles to the pot, scatter them around in different directions to prevent them from sticking together. This ensures thorough cooking and prevents clumps.
- Optional Noodle Clumps- While clumped noodles will still cook well, they may not evenly distribute sauce.
💭 Recipe FAQs
If you plan to freeze leftover chicken spaghetti, I recommend placing it in a greased aluminum pan with foil or a lid on top. Keep it in the freezer for no more than 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in the oven at 350 degrees F, until warmed throughout and reaching at least 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
While this pasta dish has a nice kick of flavor from the Rotel it can be served alongside any Italian or Mexican inspired side dishes as well as steamed vegetables or a side salad and garlic bread.
If properly stored in an airtight container in the fridge, I recommend storing for no more than 3-5 days. Reheat before eating.
❤️ More Delicious Instant Pot Recipes
If you tried this Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter ($0.12)
- 1 small onion, diced (about ¾ cup) ($0.68)
- 1 clove minced garlic ($0.08)
- 4 cups (32oz) chicken broth ($1.00)
- 16 ounces spaghetti noodles, broken in half ($0.98)
- 1 can (10oz) Rotel, undrained ($1.36)
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded ($2.08)
- ½ teaspoon salt ($0.01)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper ($0.02)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder ($0.08)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder ($0.08)
- 1 can (10.5oz) cream of chicken soup ($0.54)
- 1 brick cream cheese, softened (8oz) ($1.86)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded ($0.99)
- ½ cup sour cream ($0.50)
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to saute mode and set the timer for 5 minutes.
- Saute your butter and onion until soft, about 3 minutes.
- Add in the minced garlic, and push the cancel button. Stir to incorporate the garlic.
- Pour in the chicken broth.
- Break your spaghetti noodles in half and lay them in the broth, going every direction. The more scattered they are, the less they'll clump together as they cook.
- Add your can of Rotel (undrained) over the noodles. DO NOT STIR.
- Scatter the shredded chicken over the top and then sprinkle the seasonings on top. DO NOT STIR.
- Lay the cream of chicken soup right over the shredded chicken. DO NOT STIR.
- Close the lid and seal it. Set it to High Pressure for 4 minutes. Do a 6 minute Natural Pressure Release before releasing the remaining pressure.
- Open the lid and add in your cubes of cream cheese. DO NOT STIR. Close the lid back up and continue to let it rest on "keep warm" mode for another 7-10 minutes.
- Stir in the cheddar cheese and sour cream. Stir the mixture together well.
- Serve warm.
FSethman says
I made this 5 months ago with raving results from DH! Making tonight using raw chicken, what time should I put to cook fully? I upped it this time to 6 minutes. Instead of totes, I used frozen fajita veggies. I doubled the shredded cheese and used 2extra c broth. Followed recipe your way other than these things.
Nicole Durham says
I think your changes sound great although I've never made this recipe using raw chicken breasts so I'm not sure how that will turn out. I do know that they'll cook faster if diced into smaller pieces though. I hope it turned out well!
Angie says
I often try a recipe and make changes on purpose. When I started this recipe I thought I had all the supplies. But, I didn’t. I used can chicken…2 cans, I with broth and one drained. I didn’t have cream of chicken soup, so used cream of mushroom and cream of celery. Otherwise it was awesome! This is a keeper!
Nicole Durham says
So glad you liked it!
Jackie says
Great recipe, but it never says WHEN to add seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder). I put it at the end once I realized it had been missed. But I bet it's best added after the broth. Thank you! I always appreciate a good IP recipe!
Nicole says
The recipe states to add the seasonings over the top of the shredded chicken. It says this both in the recipe card as well as in the post (near the image illustrating this step). I'm sorry that you missed it, but I'm glad you liked the recipe!