Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta, creamy, cheesy and a little spicy, what’s not to like about this 30 minute weeknight dinner?
If you’re a fan of Buffalo Chicken Wings, and Mac n’ Cheese, or both, I highly recommend giving this dish a try. I will warn you, it’s spicy, and you may want to adjust the Buffalo Sauce to allow younger kids to enjoy this as well. The Jalapeno’s which I add more for the smokiness than the heat are optional and you can leave these out and sprinkle on top of the finished dish to make it more kid friendly.
Tips for a smooth creamy sauce:
After years of trying to master creamy, smooth, cheesy pasta dishes, that don’t get that odd grainy texture, I’ve learned a few things along the way.
First, don’t use low fat cheese, it just doesn’t heat and melt well. Sorry, that’s the truth folks.
Second, don’t heat the sauce over too high a heat, it will “split” and the texture changes
Third, add cream cheese, it helps make a super smooth sauce and doesn’t affect the flavour.
Fourth, use an Instant Pot, and add the milk or cream after the dish has cooked. Dairy doesn’t do that well cooked at those high pressure temps, but added at the end, the Instant Pot produces an amazing Mac n Cheese or and Creamy Pasta dish.
My Instant Pot Mac n Cheese with Bacon recipe is a household favourite, and I often make a big batch just to have on hand to feed my hungry teenagers when the mood strikes them… which seems to be OFTEN! It’s super flexible in terms of add ins, and can be made while you are cooking something else, it’s that low maintenance.
Okay, but we are here to talk about Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta! Sorry, I wandered. This one is super creamy and cheesy, with the added kick of flavour from the Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. You can also use Franks Wing Sauce which is a bit less spicy. The cream cheese, milk and added shredded cheese help counter balance the heat. This is definitely comfort food, good for an easy weeknight dinner or to serve up to a
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded Rotisserie chicken
- 7 oz Penne pasta
- 1 cup Ranch dressing
- 4 oz Cream cheese softened
- 1 1/2 cups Chicken broth
- 1 cup Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
- 2 Jalapeños diced seeds removed
- 1 1/2 cups 3 Cheese blend Mexican cheese
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tbsp Green onions chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove and shred the chicken off the bones.
- In a medium bowl mix together cream cheese, ranch dressing, sliced jalapeno's, hot sauce, and shredded cheese until creamy. Mix in shredded chicken.
- Pour uncooked pasta into the pot, add in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and place chicken mixture on top do not stir.
- Place on manual high pressure for 6 minutes. Do a quick release. Cancel pressure, remove lid and set to saute.
- Pour milk into pot, and stir well to combine chicken mixture with the cooked noodles. Let saute until sauce is creamy and and heated through. Serve garnished with green onions, a drizzle of hot sauce and extra cheese if desired.
