My instant pot lemon chicken pasta is a perfect blend of creamy pasta with lemony chicken. One-pot meals don't come better than this. Ready in around 30 minutes this is the perfect, easy midweek meal, but will also be perfect for something more special.
How to make instant pot lemon chicken
Set the pot to saute and when it's hot add the butter and oil (using the oil increases the stability of the butter when it's hot). When the butter has melted fry the onion until it is softened (around 3 minutes). Now add the garlic, basil, thyme and oregano followed by the chicken. Roughly brown the chicken. Season to taste and add the pasta, cream and stock. stir together and then put the lid on the pot. Set on high pressure for 4 minutes and when the time is up, leave under pressure for another 4 minutes before doing a quick release. When the pin drops remove the lid and set the pot to saute before removing around 5 tbsp of liquid to a bowl with 2 tbsp of cornflour. Mix together and add back to the pot along with the lemon juice/zest and parmesan. Bring to the boil whilst stirring occasionally to thicken. When the desired constancy is reached, serve and enjoy.
Can instant pot lemon chicken pasta be made vegetarian?
Although it won't be quite the same you could make this recipe vegetarian by removing the chicken and using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. You will also need to use a vegetarian version of parmesan. The result will be a delicious, creamy, lemony pasta.
What are the ingredients for instant pot lemon chicken pasta?
My instant pot lemon chicken pasta contains the following ingredients:
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Basil, thyme and oregano
- Chicken
- Salt and pepper
- Pasta shapes
- Double (heavy) cream
- Chicken stock
- Cornflour
- Lemon (juice and zest)
- Parmesan
- Parsley (to garnish)
What to serve with instant pot lemon chicken
I served my lemon chicken with a garnish of parsley and a side serving of steamed broccoli. Any leafy green vegetable would be good or maybe a green salad.
Is instant pot lemon chicken pasta healthy?
This recipe contains all-natural ingredients and has no added processed sugars. It does contain saturated fats in the butter, cream and cheese, but these are an important part of a balanced diet. I believe that instant pot lemon chicken is a healthy recipe.
Are there any substitutions I can use if I don't have all the ingredients?
You could use almost any vegetable oil instead of olive oil and also you could use more oil and omit the butter altogether. An Italian seasoning mix could be used instead of basil, thyme and oregano.
Chicken thigh would make a perfect substitution for chicken breast and pork or turkey would also work well.
Vegetable stock or even water could be used instead of chicken stock.
Most pasta shapes will work well from fusilli to rigatoni. Even spaghetti or linguine would work well. I used penne in the video below and this was perfect.
Other hard cheeses could be used instead of parmesan or you could leave it out altogether if you don't like cheese.
Instant pot lemon chicken pasta
Equipment
- Instant pot
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Butter I used salted.
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Large Onion (roughly chopped)
- 5 Cloves Garlic (roughly chopped)
- ½ tsp Basil
- ½ tsp Thyme
- ½ tsp Oregano
- 700 g Chicken breast (diced) Boneless thigh would also be good.
- Season to taste
- 500 g Pasta shapes
- 400 ml Double cream (heavy cream)
- 800 ml Chicken stock Vegetable stock would also work well.
- 2 tbsp Cornflour
- 2 Whole Lemons (juice and zest)
- 100 g Parmesan
- Parsley To garnish.
Instructions
- Set the pot to saute and add the butter and olive oil. When the oil is hot add the onion and fry until softened (around 3 minutes).
- Add the garlic, basil, oregano and thyme followed by the chicken. Fry until the chicken is roughly browned.
- Season to taste and then add the pasta, cream and stock.
- Put the lid on the instant pot and set on high pressure for 4 minutes. leave under pressure for another 4 minutes and then do a quick release.
- Remove the lid and stir everything together. Set the pot to saute. Remove around 5 tbsp of liquid and add to the cornflour in a bowl. mix well together and stir back into the pot.
- Add the lemon juice/zest and parmesan. Bring to the boil whilst stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened (around 2 minutes)
- Serve with a garnish of parsley and enjoy.
Video
Nutrition
If liquid spits out of the valve whilst doing the quick release, just do this in stages (pasta tends to bubble in the instant pot which can make liquid come out of the valve).
I made mine using an 8l (8qt) instant pot and I have also made it in the 6l (6qt) pot. I haven't made it in the 3l (3qt) pot, but I'm sure it would work well with half of the ingredients and the same timings.
Leftovers will keep well for up to 5 days in the fridge provided they are heated up correctly. You can also freeze them successfully for up to 6 months.
It is possible to change the recipe up a little. I have tried frying some bacon bits before the onion and this was really nice.
For some history of lemon chicken, please click on this link.
If you have enjoyed my recipe for lemon chicken pasta, please take a look at some of my other great chicken recipes:
- Instant pot alfredo chicken
- Instant pot white chicken chili
- Instant pot chicken tagine
- Easy instant pot butter chicken
- Instant pot firecracker chicken
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please leave them in the box below and I would be delighted to help.
This reminds me of a meal my Mom used to make when I was little. I had never thought to make it in the instant pot, but I will definitely try this weekend. The instructions don't look too complicated for a beginner cook like myself. Thanks again for the trip down memory lane!
Thanks Bogadi. I'm looking forward to finding out how you get on. Just message me if you need any help.
Hello there! This is a very appetizeing dish you have here. The instant pot lemon chicken pasta looks great and delicious. This instructions for this recipe of yours are short and the ingredients are easy to get. I would love to know if both the red and white onion can be used for preparing this dish?
Thanks Kelvin. Red onions will be great in this recipe.
Wow, I really appreciated this recipe on instant pot lemon chicken pasta, as a food lover and a chef as well I really found this article very useful. I have seen a similar dish made on the stove-top, but am keen to try it in the instant pot. Thanks again for your useful resource.
Thanks Colin. Let me know how you get on - it would be great to be chef approved!