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Dairy-Free Chicken Alfredo in the Instant Pot

This dairy-free Instant Pot chicken alfredo recipe is a great weeknight dinner! It's a healthier and quicker version of traditional chicken alfredo.
5 from 13 votes
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Author:Andrea

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces dried pasta of choice
  • 1-1.5 lbs chicken breasts
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil , divided (2 tablespoon for searing chicken and 1 tablespoon for cashew cream sauce)
  • ¼ onion , diced (to sear with chicken — optional)
  • 3-4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup cashews
  • 1 cup coconut cream
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 2-3 small garlic cloves
  • Salt & pepper , to taste
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

  • Season your chicken with salt and pepper, and set the Instant Pot to Saute and add 2 tablespoon of neutral oil to heat. Once heated, saute the chicken breasts till lightly browned on each side and their juices begin to release, about 3-5 minutes per side. The chicken does not have to be cooked all the way through, we just want to get a nice sear.
  • While the chicken is searing, you can blend up the cashew cream sauce by combining the cashews, coconut cream, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper, olive oil, and garlic. Blend until smooth and creamy and set aside.
  • Remove chicken from pot and slice into thin 1-inch strips and return to the Instant Pot.
  • Add 8 ounces of dried pasta to the chicken, as well as 3-4 cups of chicken broth, enough to just cover the noodles. Press down the noodles into the chicken and broth to get it as well covered as possible.
  • Cover and seal the Instant Pot and set it to Manual high pressure and cook for 2-3 minutes; 3 minutes if you're using a thicker, more dense noodle like a fettuccine or pappardelle, and 2 minutes for smaller, more delicate noodles like rotini.
  • When cooking is complete, use a manual quick release to depressurize the Instant Pot, and open the lid. Add the cashew cream and frozen peas and mix till combined and peas are tender. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • Use Enough Liquid - There is a definite learning curve when trying to go it alone with your Instant Pot. It's why either a) reading your manual is very important, or b) read blogs and follow recipes that share helpful tips for using your Instant Pot. The one cooking tip I learned the hard way with cooking pasta in the Instant Pot, is that you have to have enough liquid to cover your noodles, or else there won't be enough steam to build up and help pressurize the pot.
  • Use Whatever Pasta You Have! - Note that in the ingredient photo above, I have a pappardelle pasta pictured, but in the final shots I used a rotini. I actually tested this recipe a couple of times to see if it would work with different pastas, and both worked well so feel free to use whichever pasta you have on hand!
  • Customize To Your Liking - What I love about this recipe is that it is highly customizable. Hate peas? No problem, skip them or add in some spinach or cooked asparagus. Or I'm sure you can come up with some other wonderful ways to make it your own, always knowing that if you stick to this creamy yummy sauce as the base, you'll be good to go.
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Nutrition

Calories: 859kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 789mg | Potassium: 1231mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 311IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 6mg
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