Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti
Why you’ll love this recipe
- High protein and hidden veggies make this Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti as delicious as it is nutritious.
- Quick prep and minimal cooking time.
- Makes for excellent leftovers to have all week.
- Cleanup is a breeze.
- Add or swap with protein or veggies of choice.
- Great for large families or casual dinners.
Spaghetti in an Instant Pot?
Who would think spaghetti could go in an instant pot? I sure didn’t but when I tried it, I was blown away at how good the Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti turned out. I’m used to cleaning multiple pans when I make pasta dishes so I was thrilled when this turned out as great as it did. It was so easy to make and the pasta turned out the perfect texture without having to clean multiple different pans and sauce spills everywhere. I use the Instant Pot 6qt Duo Pressure Cooker and I absolutely love it, it is a household staple at this point. Please note this recipe is written for an instant pot and has not been tested in the crockpot. If you do not have an instant pot check out my Fried Spaghetti recipe with this tomato garlic cottage cheese pasta sauce.
Can you use other meats beside chicken?
100%, in fact it’s encouraged! What makes the Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti so great is it can be Instant Pot “anything” Spaghetti. Add ground beef, egg-free beef and chicken meatballs, turkey, sausage, etc to make this entirely your own. If using a ground meat, cook the same as in this recipe and if using a pre-cooked frozen, simply add them in place of the ground chicken and omit sauteing them.
Let’s talk pasta.
Pasta has come a long way. There are so many shapes, textures, and diet-specific pastas out there. I wanted that traditional spaghetti feel for the Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti so I used Barilla Protein Plus spaghetti to get in extra protein. You can try this recipe with virtually any standard pasta shape and size. If you want to get creative and use a pasta alternative (think chickpea, quinoa, black bean “pasta”) remember that this will change the texture of the dish. I have never tried this recipe using any of these but if you do, leave a comment and let me know how it went!
How to make this gluten and dairy-free
The Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti is dairy free as long as you don’t top with parmesan cheese at the end. The only way to make this gluten free is by using a gluten free noodle. There are many options out there for gluten free noodles. Banza is a popular and very good chickpea noodle that I have used in other recipes. See above for further instructions if going this route.
Ingredients and Substitutes for chicken spaghetti:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions. See recipe card below for full ingredients list and instructions for Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti.
Chicken: I used Isernios Italian Seasoned ground chicken. Feel free to use plain ground chicken and season it yourself with Italian seasoning blends.
Sauce: I used canned tomatoes and tomato sauce to make the bulk of this sauce. If you want this extra saucy then use a 15 oz can of tomato sauce rather than the 8 oz I used.
Pasta: I used Barilla Protein Plus spaghetti. Feel free to use whatever pasta you have on hand. Remember, if using a pasta alternative, texture will change.
Broth: I highly recommend using chicken broth as it adds a depth of flavor. If needed water will work.
Herbs and Spices: garlic, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper are all it takes to make this sauce flavorful so it’s recommended to use all of them. If using plain ground chicken you will need to heavily season it with Italian seasonings to reach the flavor this dish has using pre-seasoning chicken.
Veggies: This recipe calls for zucchini but add shredded carrots to get more secret veggies. You can use frozen zucchini or zoodles for this as well. Do note that the frozen zucchini will add moisture to the pot since we’re squeezing the moisture out of the shredded veggies.
Toppings: top your instant pot chicken spaghetti with fresh chopped parsley and parmesan cheese.
How to make this Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti:
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients by dicing the onion, mincing the garlic, shredding the zucchini, and breaking the spaghetti in half. Squeeze the moisture out of the shredded zucchini with a paper towel. Turn on the Instant Pot and press the “Sauté” function. Allow the pot to heat up for a minute or two.
Step 2
Add a tablespoon of olive oil, followed by the onion and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the onions become translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Add the ground chicken to the Instant Pot, along with paprika, salt, and pepper. Sauté, breaking up the chicken into smaller pieces with a spatula, for 5-6 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.
Step 3
Turn off the “Sauté” function. Add the zucchini and stir together to combine. Pour the tomatoes and tomato sauce into the chicken and stir. Add the broken spaghetti on top to the pot, arranging it in a crisscross pattern to minimize sticking.
Step 4
Pour the chicken broth over the spaghetti. Do not stir. Press down on the spaghetti to ensure it’s submerged in the liquid as best as possible. Secure the Instant Pot lid and set the pressure release valve to “Sealing.” Select “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” and set the timer for 5 minutes on high pressure.
Step 5
When the cooking time is up, perform a quick pressure release by carefully turning the pressure release valve to “Venting.” Once the pressure has been released, carefully remove the Instant Pot lid.
Step 6
Stir the spaghetti to separate the noodles. The sauce will thicken as you stir. If needed, turn on the “Sauté” function for a couple of minutes to reduce the sauce to your desired consistency but note it will continue to thicken as it cools. Top with fresh chopped parsley, and parmesan cheese, and enjoy your instant pot chicken spaghetti.
What to serve with this recipe?
This Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti is great on it’s own but a side salad and garlic bread make it a perfect and complete meal.
What is the serving size for this spaghetti?
Nutrition facts are an estimate. As always, for the most accurate measurement per serving weigh your final dish (minus the pan!) and divide by the serving amount.
The serving size is approximately 290 grams for this Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti.
If you like this Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti recipe be sure to check out some of our other easy recipes!
Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti
📱 MyFitnessPal & MacrosFirst App Users
You can find this recipe and many others on MyFitnessPal and MacrosFirst by searching: Ohsnapmacros – Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Italian seasoned ground chicken
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 8 oz Barilla Protein Plus spaghetti uncooked, broken in half
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 medium zucchini shredded
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained 14.5 oz.
- 1 can tomato sauce 8 oz.
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients by dicing the onion, mincing the garlic, shredded the zuchinni and breaking the spaghetti in half. Squeeze the moisture out of the shredded zucchini with a paper towel. Turn on the Instant Pot and press the “Sauté” function. Allow the pot to heat up for a minute or two.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil, followed by the onion and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the onions become translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the ground chicken to the Instant Pot, along with paprika, salt, and pepper. Sauté, breaking up the chicken into smaller pieces with a spatula, for 5-6 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.
- Turn off the “Sauté” function. Add the zucchini and stir together to combine. Pour the tomatoes and tomato sauce into the chicken and stir. Add the broken spaghetti on top to the pot, arranging it in a crisscross pattern to minimize sticking.
- Pour the chicken broth over the spaghetti. Do not stir. Press down on the spaghetti to ensure it’s submerged in the liquid as best as possible. Secure the Instant Pot lid and set the pressure release valve to “Sealing.” Select “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” and set the timer for 5 minutes on high pressure.
- When the cooking time is up, perform a quick pressure release by carefully turning the pressure release valve to “Venting.” Once the pressure has been released, carefully remove the Instant Pot lid.
- Stir the spaghetti to separate the noodles. The sauce will thicken as you stir. If needed, turn on the “Sauté” function for a couple of minutes to reduce the sauce to your desired consistency but note it will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Top with fresh chopped parsley, parmesan cheese and enjoy your instant pot chicken spaghetti.
Notes
- Use ground turkey, chicken, beef or pork. For frozen meatballs, add directly to the pot and cook per directions.
- Be sure to break the spaghetti in half prior to adding to the pot in a crisscross pattern. Crisscrossing the noodles helps the spaghetti not clump together in one giant clump.
- Add shredded carrots along with zucchini.
- Add in some fat-free half and half when it’s done cooking to make a creamy chicken spaghetti or add cheese and stir it in to melt.
- All nutrition facts are an estimate.
Tasty! Would this freeze okay?
This was amazing! Thank you!
Crowd pleaser over here!!!!!
Easy and delicious! I meal prep this one at the beginning of the week and it saves so well. Paired with some sautéed veggie, makes the perfect well-rounded meal!
Thank you!! So glad you love it!
Is there a sub for crock pot or pan? If we don’t have an instant pot?
Super easy and very tasty! I added marinara and crushed tomato because I did not have tomato sauce, and turned out perfect! Made a very large portion too.
Yum! Love the substitutions!
My first time trying this one. Like all of these recipes they are simple delicious and perfect for meal prep. Don’t think I’d be so successful with my weight loss training and helping others without ohsnapmacros!!
This recipe was AMAZING! I had ground turkey on hand so I used that along with a bag of frozen broccoli. I used protein pasta as well. I loved how it was all in one pot and so simple. My 2.5 year old ate it up! Definitely will be making this again and again!
Easy & Yummy! My two favorite things when meal prepping. Was even a hit with my toddler
Do you have directions for making this not using an Instant Pot?
I have not personally tried this recipe in the crockpot.
Can you convert this to a crockpot?
I have not personally tried this recipe in the crockpot.