This Instant Pot Chicken Penne Pasta recipe MUST be in your weeknight dinner rotation! All the yummy flavors of chicken parmesan are combined with VERY little hands on work! The Instant Pot practically makes this entire meal for you! If you have never cooked pasta in your Instant Pot, start here! You'll be addicted!
Set Instant Pot to "Sauté" setting (high) and add olive oil. Allow about 2 minutes to come to temperature, then add chicken and spices (garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper).
Stir chicken to coat in spices and brown 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally (chicken doesn't have to be cooked all the way through).
Press CANCEL on Instant Pot and add pasta, marinara, and chicken stock. Give it a few big stirs. Important: Make sure you scrape up any and ALL pieces of chicken or anything that might be stuck to the bottom of the pot. This is to avoid getting a BURN notice on your Instant Pot as it pressure cooks.
Set Instant Pot to High Pressure for 5 minutes and press Start (it will take about 10 minutes to preheat and come up to pressure).
When timer goes off and it's pressured cooked for 5 minutes, do a quick release.
After pressure is released, open lid and add cheeses. Close lid for 2-3 minutes and allow cheese to melt. Serve immediately.
Notes
Note 1: You can use any pasta with a similar shape and package cook time (9-11 minutes). Rotini and bow ties work well, too. Note 2: I use traditional "chicken parm" spices--garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning but you can switch it up however you like! Cayenne pepper, oregano and thyme also work well.