This Instant Pot chicken florentine with pasta in a light creamy sauce makes the perfect weeknight dinner as it’s ready in just 30 minutes!
Give boring weeknight dinners a boost with this creamy and delicious chicken florentine pasta. If you’re wondering what florentine means, well basically, it’s just a fancy name for dishes with spinach.
This dish is made with pasta, chicken, mushrooms, vibrant spinach, and a creamy sauce. What’s there not to love?
The kids LOVE this chicken dinner, it’s always the creamy chicken recipes that win in our house. I mean this chicken florentine pasta, Instant Pot creamy chicken with mushrooms, Instant Pot chicken mac and cheese, Instant Pot chicken alfredo pasta, Instant Pot rasta pasta, Instant Pot Marsala chicken, and of course, our most favorite of all, Instant Pot Tuscan chicken! You can see a pattern here, right? Because nothing beats creamy chicken made in the Instant Pot!
Video Tutorial
How to Make Chicken Florentine with Pasta
You can either make this dish over the stovetop, or in your pressure cooker. Whichever method you choose, it will take you just 30 minutes from start to finish and honestly, it’s SO easy to make.
The Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make chicken Florentine:
Many versions of chicken florentine call for lots of cheese, especially mozzarella. This is a lightened up version without any compromises on the taste. I’m using a small amount of heavy cream, and parmigiano reggiano cheese for a savory and lovely sharp flavor.
- You can substitute the heavy cream with half and half if you like, if you end up with too much liquid, just thicken it with a cornstarch slurry (I always do this) and it works so well!
- Use homemade stock if you have time to make it. I always make my own at home, and it literally takes just 10 minutes of my time. 5 minutes just to throw the ingredients in the Instant Pot, and 5 to bottle it up and place in the fridge. It’s much healthier and cheaper than store-bought, and it allows you control the amount of sodium that goes into your food. Here’s my Instant Pot stock recipe.
- Use any pasta shape that you like, just make sure that you’re using dry pasta rather than fresh.
The Directions
You can turn this into a dump and start recipe if you’re in hurry, and it will work fine. However, I prefer to saute the mushrooms and the garlic just to intensify the flavors a little. Here’s how you make this Instant Pot chicken florentine:
- Saute the mushrooms in butter and oil.
- Add the chicken, season with salt and Italian seasoning and saute for a couple of minutes. Then add the garlic, and cook for a minute.
- Add pasta, and cover with stock. The pasta MUST be covered, so add more stock or water to top it up and gently press the pasta down with a spatula or wooden spoon to make sure that it’s covered in liquid. Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes, then do a quick release.
- Remove the lid, give the pasta and chicken a quick stir and stir in the cream and parmesan. If you’re having trouble to melt the cheese, it means that the pasta is not hot enough to melt it. So just switch on the SAUTE setting, and stir. If the sauce is too liquidy, thicken with a cornstarch slurry (I always do this!). 1 tablespoon of cornstarch + 1 tablespoon of water, add them to the sauce and stir.
- Add the baby spinach leaves and stir until they wilt.
- Dinner is ready! Garnish with extra grated parmesan cheese and serve warm!
Top Tips
- Feel free to turn this into a dump and start recipe if you’re in a hurry. The flavors will be a bit milder though.
- Never pressure cook dairy as it might curdle. I recommend that you only add the cream after pressure cooking.
- You can add more seasonings to the chicken such as smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and/or chili flakes.
- Feel free to add sundried tomatoes. Just chop them up and add them in after pressure cooking as I did in my Instant Pot Tuscan chicken recipe.
- This is a lightened-up version of the chicken florentine and the sauce is still super creamy and delicious. If you’re looking for a cheesy sauce, then check out my Instant Pot chicken mac and cheese recipe.
- I don’t recommend using whole chicken breasts in this recipe, as the cooking time won’t be enough to cook them and if you increase the cooking time then the pasta will be overcooked. Just dice the chicken into 1-inch pieces.
- This chicken pasta reheats beautifully in the Instant Pot, or in the microwave. You might need to add a splash of water to thin out the sauce a little.
- This is the Instant Pot that I currently use and LOVE!
More Delicious Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
- Instant Pot Taco Pasta
- Instant Pot Chicken Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Rasta Pasta
- Instant Pot Tortellini Soup
- Instant Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese
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I hope that you love every recipe that you make! – Diana x
Instant Pot Chicken Florentine With Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 9 ounces (250g) button mushrooms white or brown
- 2 chicken breasts diced into 1-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 cloves garlic crushed
- 4 cups (12 ounces) uncooked penne pasta
- 2 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan grated
- 4 cups baby spinach leaves loosely packed
Instructions
- Press on SAUTE on the Instant Pot, add oil and melt the butter. Then add the mushrooms and saute them for a couple of minutes.
- Add the chicken, season with salt and Italian seasoning and saute for a couple of more minutes. Then add the garlic, and cook for a minute. Switch off the SAUTE setting.
- Add pasta, and cover with stock. The pasta MUST be covered, so add more stock or water to top it up and gently press the pasta down with a spatula or wooden spoon to make sure that it's covered in liquid.
- Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 4 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 6-7 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, quickly release the steam.
- Remove the lid, give the pasta and chicken a quick stir and stir in the cream and parmesan. If you're having trouble to melt the cheese, it means that the pasta is not hot enough to melt it. So just switch on the SAUTE setting, and stir. If the sauce is too liquidy, thicken with a cornstarch slurry. Just add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water, add them to the sauce and stir until the sauce thickens (you don't want it too thick, as it thickens more once it cools down).
- Add the baby spinach leaves and stir until they wilt. Garnish with extra grated parmesan cheese and serve warm!
Video
Notes
- Feel free to turn this into a dump and start recipe if you’re in a hurry. The flavors will be a bit milder though.
- Never pressure cook dairy as it might curdle. I recommend that you only add the cream after pressure cooking.
- You can add more seasonings to the chicken such as smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and/or chili flakes.
- Feel free to add sundried tomatoes. Just chop them up and add them in after pressure cooking as I did in my Instant Pot Tuscan chicken recipe.
- This is a lightened-up version of the chicken florentine and the sauce is still super creamy and delicious. If you’re looking for a cheesy sauce, then check out my Instant Pot chicken mac and cheese recipe.
- I don’t recommend using whole chicken breasts in this recipe, as the cooking time won’t be enough to cook them and if you increase the cooking time then the pasta will be overcooked. Just dice the chicken into 1-inch pieces.
- This chicken pasta reheats beautifully in the Instant Pot, or in the microwave. You might need to add a splash of water to thin out the sauce a little.
- This is the Instant Pot that I currently use and LOVE!
thriftysoul
Great taste but the pasta was not as great. Didn’t turn out “right.”
Diana
What type of pasta did you use?
hill
I absolutely love this dish and I’ve made it several times, both as written, as well as by halving the ingredients for a smaller batch. The only issue I’m encountering is that the liquid does not “cook down” fully, so I’m forced to drain the pasta and chicken once it’s done cooking, thereby losing a lot of the seasoning and flavor. In following the directions to fully cover the pasta, I’ve not yet been able to find the right amount of stock + water to both fully cook the noodles and be absorbed/cooked off by the time I do a pressure release. Can you recommend anything to help with this issue? I love the recipe and it’s become a simple, delicious dinner staple that I look forward to making and serving, but I’d like to perfect it! Thank you for any tips you can provide!
Tracy
Made this for my twins (5 year old) and hubby last night after working 10+ hour day! Was super easy and delicious! The sauce is light but very tasty! Does not need much heavy cream and it makes a Ton. I had enough for lunch the next day for 2!
Will make this one again for sure!!
Diana
That is so awesome that you all loved it, Tracy! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.