Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Pasta
Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Pasta is a fusion of Tex-Mex flavors and Italian pasta. It’s a quick, one-pot meal, perfect for a busy weeknight, and it’s one of our favorite pressure cooker chicken recipes!
❤️ Why you’ll love it: Made with ingredients you likely have on-hand, and you get classic enchilada flavors in a quick, all-in-one casserole!
One of my family’s favorite meals is Mexican Stuffed Shells. It’s a surprisingly delicious combination of Italian pasta with Mexican flavors.
However, we needed a way to enjoy this duo even on busy nights, so I developed this Instant Pot casserole recipe that’s complete with tender chicken breasts, spicy enchilada sauce, and melty cheese.
Update: This post has been updated with fresh photos and tips for perfect Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Pasta. Enjoy!
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Pasta
Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Pasta recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
This is a super-fast dump-and-go dinner. The chicken breasts and rotini cook at the same time in the pressure cooker. So after just a 4-minute cook time and a quick pressure release, you have a flavor-packed, well-balanced meal with lean protein, carbs, and spices.
If you’re short on time, you can serve the pasta straight from the pressure cooking pot. Then just top each serving with shredded cheese.
If you do have a few extra minutes, I like to melt the cheese on top with an air fryer lid or in a casserole dish in the oven. The result is a cheesy enchilada pasta recipe that my kids can’t get enough of.
Can I Use Frozen Chicken Breasts?
If you forgot to defrost the chicken, I love to use a quick defrost for this recipe!
Cook the frozen chicken on a trivet with 1 cup water for 1 minute under High Pressure. Then use a quick release, dice, and proceed with the recipe as written.
(For more tips on cooking from frozen, see this post on how to cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot.)
I’ve also made this cheesy chicken enchilada with pre-cooked chicken, and it works well. No need to change anything in the cooking time.
Can I Use Other Kinds of Protein?
My family loves the tender chicken in this recipe. However, other readers have enjoyed using *thinly* diced steak instead.
If you opt to use steak, you might want to brown the steak as a first step to the recipe. Then remove the steak, add the onion, and proceed with the recipe from there.
If you give this a try, let me know how you like it!
More Cheesy Pasta Recipes
Can’t get enough cheesy Instant Pot pasta? Then you’ll love these other comforting recipes:
- Instant Pot Tortellini is another easy, one-pot meal that’s perfect for busy nights.
- Pressure Cooker Pepperoni Pizza Pasta is covered in a thick layer of gooey mozzarella to combine two favorite Italian dishes.
- Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Lasagna with tender chicken and rosemary cream sauce is comfort in a dish.
- Instant Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta from Tidbits is an elegant, creamy pasta dish with a swiss cheese sauce.
Do you LOVE this recipe?
Leave us a review below to tell us why!
Chicken Enchilada Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic diced
- 1 can 19-ounce enchilada sauce
- 1 10-ounce can Rotel tomatoes
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1.25- ounce package taco seasoning mix
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts diced
- 3 cups dried rotini pasta
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
- Green onions olives, diced tomatoes, and cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Select Sauté and add oil to the pressure cooking pot. When oil is hot, add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for one minute.
- Add enchilada sauce, tomatoes, water, and taco seasoning to the pressure cooking pot; stir to combine. Add the diced chicken and pasta.
- Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 4-minute cook time. When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker and use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Select Sauté and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is tender, about 1 minute.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.*
- Turn off the pressure cooker and pour the pasta into an 8×8 baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
- Top with green onions, olives, diced tomatoes and cilantro to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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This has been on my try list for a couple of months and we finally got around to it last night. I normally make homemade enchilada sauce but didn’t have any on hand so bought a can, only to realize it was too small, so I tossed in some tomato sauce to make up the difference. I also replaced the water with homemade chicken stock and the taco seasoning with about a tablespoon of a homemade blend since I never buy the packets. My kid and my husband both gobbled it up and when I asked if it should make a repeat appearance, I got a resounding yes! I’m definitely going to sneak in some extra veggies since some finely chopped stuff will easily camouflage right into the sauce. Thanks for another great one!
This was so good! I didn’t have onion so I substituted onion powder. I topped with olives& ended up mixing in sour cream for my toddlers & myself to make it a little less spicy & I just liked it better that way personally. Considering my toddlers actually ate a decent amount this is huge win! Will be making it more often for sure.
I thought I had all of the ingredients on hand to make this recipe. Unfortunately, such was not the case. That being said, I believe the outcome was probably close to the original recipe. Start to finish, this meal couldn’t have been easier to make. Plus, I now have a quick, easy, recipe that could easily be transformed by substituting other meat or seafood along with the perfect blend of seasoning and other flavors.
Thanks for sharing Barbara – it’s definitely an easy, versatile recipe.
Do you have a recommendation for time and temperature using the IP Air Fryer Lid rather than the oven for the last step?
Yes! We do this often! Lock the air fryer lid in place. Select Air Fry and set the temperature to 400ºF and set time to 5 minutes. Select Start to begin. Check halfway through to make sure it’s not browning too quickly. Ours is generally done between 3 and 5 minutes.
The recipe says to put under the broiler, and the ad below the recipe is for a Pyrex dish. You cannot put Pyrex under the broiler:
https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/how-to/article/how-to-broil#:~:text=Do%20not%20put%20glass%20under,that%20can%20stand%20the%20heat.
“Do not put glass under the broiler, even if it’s strong and enforced, like Pyrex. It could break and that is just a mess you do not want to deal with. Instead, use a sturdy metal pan that can stand the heat.”
Thanks Julie – I haven’t had a problem because it’s under the broiler so briefly, but you’re correct, technically, you would be better off using a metal pan or using a 450 degree oven instead of the broiler. I’ve updated the recipe.
Hello! I made this dish last night in my 3 qt instant pot (halved all ingredients) and the chicken seemed quite overcooked, almost hard actually. Do I need to adjust the cook time by half as well for a 3 qt cooker?
Hi Melissa – if your chicken was overcooked, I would cut it into large pieces next time. If the pasta was overcooked as well, then you would want to reduce the time a little.
Oh that makes good sense! Many thanks for your insight and the wonderful recipe. Hubby said he liked it despite my novice skills at instant potting. I look forward to trying more of your recipes, they all look great!
Great – thanks!
I’m go I’ll ng to be making this in a few hours and I’ve just realized we only took out one chicken breast, not two. Is it possible to do this with frozen breasts or am I stuck with less meat?
Hi Katie – I suggest using the technique I talk about in this post https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/how-to-pressure-cook-frozen-chicken-breasts/ and pressure cooking the frozen breast for 1 minute and then dicing it and proceeding with the recipe as written. Enjoy!
Thanks so much!
Barbara, this recipe is a winner! I was a little concerned that it was just a little too spicy for my grandsons, so I stirred in most of the cheese and reserved a small portion to sprinkle over the pasta before broiling it. It did tone down the spiciness just enough. Then it was perfect for the boys. And everyone else.
For the 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, I used 1 pound, which would provide 4 ounces of protein per each of 6 servings. Judging on how full my 6-quart Instant Pot was, I think I could scale the recipe up to use 1 pound of rotini, allowing for sufficient head space.
Thank you for yet another delicious recipe.
Edit for ” I used 1 pound, which would provide 4 ounces of protein per each of 6 servings.”
Correction: I used 1 pound, which, along with the cheese, would provide 4 ounces of protein per each of 6 servings.
So glad you and the grandsons loved the recipe. Thanks for the tips Rita!
I think rather than dieting another dish I would just mix the cheese in at the end.
That’s a good option as well.
What a surprise how good this recipe turned out. Add extra cumin, chili peppers and corn. Husband loved it. Will make agian soon.
Sounds like a great way to change it up. Glad it was a big hit with you and your husband. Thanks Mae!
How would this work using already cooked diced fajita chicken strips ?
Hi Todd – I’ve used cooked diced chicken in it before and it works well. The chicken strips should work great.
I have been gifted an Instant Pot 8qt and I have never ysed one before. This recipe sounds amazing. I wondered what I would need to do to leave the chicken breasts whole and just serve them on top, sort of like chicken and ruce dishes. Thoughts? I’m dying to use it but al a little nervous.
Hi Mary – that would work if you use chicken tenders or sliced the chicken breasts into strips like chicken tenders. No need to be nervous, you can practice with water in the pot the first time or two until you feel comfortable. Here’s my tips https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/getting-started-with-your-new-electric-pressure-cooker-or-instant-pot/ Have fun!
Hello, I’m wondering why there is no video to click on, when you say you have included one? I have found this several times and with no video. Could it be I’m missing it somewhere or doing something wrong. Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes, thoughts and hints. Love your sight!
Thanks Elizabeth! It’s always nice to hear people are loving my site. The video will generally load at the top of the post on desktop, although sometimes it does take a little patience for it to load. If you’re visiting on desktop and scroll down, the video should move to the right hand side and follow as you scroll. On mobile it’s just below the update on my phone. I also post the videos on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PressureCookingToday/videos/1675891652507212/ and all my other videos if you’d like to check them out https://www.facebook.com/pg/PressureCookingToday/videos/?ref=page_internal
First time user. It pressurized for 16 min, started to let steam out and then burn sign came up. Cancelled it, no steam to release, food cooked and nothing was burnt. The 4 min never came up. I used more enchilada sauce then recipe called for,could that be it?
Hi Yvonne – sorry you had problems with the recipe. It’s possible using extra enchilada sauce caused the problem if the sauce you used had thickeners in the sauce. My guess however, is that you didn’t have a proper seal. Did you see a lot of steam escaping around the sides of the lid?
Make sure not to stir the pasta in. Barely push it down into liquid.
Like others I made this and it was a hit. Everyone loved it. I was wondering about doing it with sirloin steak diced. Would I have to cook the steak first?
Thanks Ken! I think subbing steak is a fun idea. I’d probably brown the steak first, remove it and then saute the onion.
Thanks Barbara
Made this recipe last night. It is another winner from your site! Thank you!
This was Excellent!! The flavor was OUTSTANDING!! I did cook on the chicken setting instead of the 4 minutes.
Great! Thanks for sharing Angie 🙂
Turned out amazing! Added some peppers to onion at the beginning and had a bit of leftover kielbasa that got added along with the chicken. Got lazy and added the cheese about a 1/4 cup at a time after the pressure cooker was done and just on the keep warm setting to make it a single pot dinner.
So nice to hear to hear you loved it! Thanks for sharing your changes. Sounds delicious 🙂
Ok, it’s done, I added some cottage cheese for extra creaminess. This is probably one of the best pasta dishes I have EVER eaten! I’m really not a fan of Mexican dishes, the spices are very hard on me, but the flavors in this dish are incredible.
Thanks Susanne – so glad you loved it. You can’t go wrong with extra creamy.
I’m making this now! I added rinsed and drained black beans, a 15 oz can, and a 15 oz can of whole kernel corn. It smells so good, I can hardly wait for it to get done! Thank you so much for such a yummy recipe.
Made this today. The pin never popped up but the pot started counting down. Opened it up after 4 min and the chicken was not cooked and the bottom of the pot was scorched! Any idea what I did wrong??
Hi Valerie – sorry you had problems with the recipe. A couple of things could have gone wrong. First, perhaps your gasket wasn’t seated properly and you didn’t get a good seal. Or, perhaps the enchilada sauce or taco seasoning had more thickeners in them than typical, or weren’t mixed with the water well. Is it possible you forgot the water?
Next time, if you notice it is counting down and the pin isn’t up, you should open it and assess what is wrong and not wait for the time to finish.
Thanks for your thoughts. I put the water in but maybe I needed to add more water. I think I may have put too much pasta in. I put 16 oz (one box) of rotini. And it filled a 9×13 in pan not 8×8. Maybe next time I will add more water and another can of tomatoes. Even though it was scorched on the bottom the dish wasn’t ruined. It had lots of flavor and lots of good comments tonight at a pot luck. Thank you!
Well that’s good news. Thanks!
I had same problem lol. First time using it besides eggs!
So the chicken is raw puting it in? Typically I have to cook chicken for 20 min in the pressure cooker. I don’t want to overcook the pasta though. Did u cook your chicken in 4 min?
Hi Rebecca – since the chicken is diced, it cooks very quickly. It’s also cooking as the pressure cooker is coming to pressure and releasing pressure, so the chicken is cooked more than 4 minutes. Enjoy!
I’ve got some shredded chicken I need to use up and was thinking about adding it after pressure cooking. Do you think that would work? Would I need to reduce the amount of water?
Hi Becci – yes, I would add it in step 4 and not make any changes. Enjoy!
Is there enough room in a 6 qt instant pot to make 1.5 of this recipe? Like using 3 chicken breast, 4.5 cups pasta, etc… Thank you in advance!
Hi Melody – maybe, but don’t fill the pot more than half full, and reduce the cook time to 3 minutes and double the oil. If foam starts to come out of the valve, close it and wait a minute then try again. Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Ii want to use gluten free pasta, would I need to change the cooking time for that?
Hi January – use half the cook time listed on the box minus one minute. Enjoy!
Question – is the 10 Oz. Can of Rotel Tomatoes listed in this recipe the same as the “can (10 oz.) diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel Original)” I found in your Taco Filling recipe?
I am trying this tonight and will use the Original and see how it goes.
Thanks in advance!!
Dave
Hi Dave – yes, they are the same although they do sell a mild version if the original is too spicy. Hope you love it. It’s pretty popular.
Thank you for these great recipes, so looking forward to cook more of your dishes. The chicken enchilada pasta is soooo good.
I am new to pressure cooking, retired, and love to give the family new and exciting dishes .
Looking forward to more of your wonderful, easy to follow directions cooking with a pressure cooker .
Thanks
Jim Mascioli
Thanks so much Jim! Glad you loved it 🙂
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes! My family loved this dish. It has all tge flavor of enchiladas with the simplicity of a pasta bake. It came out perfect 🙂
That’s so nice – thanks Faye! Glad you loved it.
This recipe is a keeper! I’m so excited that I found your website. I was unsure how it would be with cooking pasta in the pressure cooker but it was perfect and my whole family loved it. Even my picky son had 2 helpings! You have a new fan in me. Thanks for the great ideas!!
Thanks so much Tracy! I’m glad you found me too.
Wow, yet another incredible recipe! We just made this…so yummy and quick. Are your recipes all this amazing, I’m thinking so! Thank you!
Awwww thanks Sara! I like to think they all are. They’re the recipes I’m feeding my family too.
I have a presser cooker xl and when you say high setting, which one would you be referring to on the presser cooker xl?
Hi Sonya – if it doesn’t have a button to change it to low pressure, then all of the buttons cook a high pressure, so just adjust the time to match the recipe you’re using. Enjoy!
Can I say that this is the first thing that I ever cooked in my Instant Pot and it was one of the best things I have ever made in the kitchen! I am someone who tries a lot of new recipes and RARELY will I make something twice. This recipe I will make AGAIN and AGAIN. I did use another recipe for homemade enchilada sauce and just threw the sauce ingredients in with everything else. I also used homemade taco seasoning. This was just so freaking delicious!
Thanks Kristin! So great that you made homemade enchilada sauce and taco seasoning. I’m sure it was even better that way. So happy to be part of your first recipe. Have fun cooking!
There are may kinds of Mexican cheese. I really want to make it and I would appreciate knowing what kind of Mexican cheese to get. Thank you. Love the site!
Hi Elsie – I often buy different brands, but Sargento is one of my favorites and it is a blend of Monterey Jack, Mild Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero cheeses
Came out really good. I didn’t have chicken breast so used ground chicken instead and used Organic Gluten Free pasta. Thank You so much.
Did you change the cooking time for the gluten free pasta?
This will be the first recipe I try in my new electric pressure cooker. Do I need to increase the cooking time of I put the chicken in frozen?
Hi Kelsey – I would not use frozen chicken in this recipe. It will change the cook time and pasta is so easy to over cook. You need to use diced chicken in this recipe, which should thaw really quickly in a sink of cold water.
OMGoodness! I made this with 1 lb of lean ground beef (My chicken breasts were frozen.) and it was fabulous!!!! Had to add a few minutes because I live in a high altitude state,. I didn’t put it in the oven either. I made sure my Instant Pot was off and unplugged and just added the cheese into my electric pressure cooker and put the lid on. Heavenly. Thank you for another fabulous recipe!!!!!
This was the first time I made pasta in the pressure cooker and I’m so glad I tried it! This one is a keeper.
Thanks Tiana – we love this one too. So quick and easy.
How do you adjust the cooking time and/or temp if you are using whole wheat pasta instead of white?
I will be using the Instant Pot DUO 60.
Thanks!
Hi PJ – I haven’t tried it with whole wheat pasta because whole wheat pastas cook so differently depending on who makes them and what else they put in them. But if you want to give it a try, here’s what I would try – cook the pasta for 1 minute less than half the time recommended on the box. Then cook the pasta until it’s tender. Also, you may need to increase the water because whole wheat pasta usually absorbs more. I would try adding 1/2 cup extra water for pressure cooking and then add more if you need to so it stays saucy. Let me know how it goes if you try it.
This was really very good!
If you freeze leftovers, when ready do you just thaw and bake in oven to reheat? Just made chicken enchilada pasta and it turned out great.
Hi Casey – so glad you enjoyed it. We just used the microwave to reheat it.
My family loved this recipe, thanks! It was my first try at pressure-cooking and I think I’m a convert.
Hi Mel – what a great pick for a first recipe to try. So glad your family loved it. Have fun!
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thanks for all the recipes and ideas I just got my pressure cooker and I’m a little afraid of it but I think with all your recipes and help I’ll be able to do it just fine thanks a lot Dawn
Great recipe with lots of flavor. It was very easy to throw together and the family loved it. They asked me to keep the recipe so I would be sure to make it again. As a side note, I made the mistake of assuming that I was suppose to use cooked chicken in the recipe so I used diced precooked chicken breast. It still turned out great but I’m guessing it will turn out even better when cooking the chicken with the pasta the next time.
Thanks Kristina! I updated the recipe to say uncooked chicken because I’ve had a couple of questions about that. I’m glad your family loved it.
I have a Fagor Rapida Pressure Cooker (not electric). A lot of your recipes sound SO GOOD! Do you know if I can follow the same cook time for a non-electric pressure cooker?
Thanks Jean! Yes, the timing should be about the same for a 6 qt. stove top pressure cooker. Just be sure and use the minimum liquid requirement for your pressure cooker, and be careful not to have your heat too high after your pressure cooker comes to pressure or you might scorch the sauce on a recipe like this one. Enjoy!
is the chicken raw or cooked chicken?
Hi Brenda – the chicken is raw.
We just ate it. Like your son, my own gobbled it right up. I’ll bet it’ll taste even better tomorrow. The rest, will be frozen for a quick meal later on. Oh, and the black beans and corn were a nice addition, too! This took about 15 minutes to make. Great recipe!
Hi Debby – thanks for letting me know how much you enjoyed it. Black beans and corn are a great addition.
Mexican and Italian? Two of our favorite food flavors…..plus quick and easy? Perfect! We’ll love this, Barbara. 🙂
Thanks Carol! I hope you enjoy it.
Since I’m still recovering from knee surgery, I can’t stand for long periods of time. I have used my pressure cooker every single day, and it’s been such a blessing! You got my attention on this recipe, Barbara, because I absolutely adore Mexican food (my heritage….well half of it). I love the chicken idea, but am tempted to convert this to use ground beef (just a personal preference). Either way, this recipe definitely looks like a winner. As a bonus, don’t you love it when your son digs in to something we’ve made? It makes me feel like June Cleaver. 🙂
I thought about using ground beef too, but since I didn’t have to brown the chicken and drain the fat liked you want to do when using ground beef, it’s actually faster and easier using chicken than ground beef. But I’m sure ground beef would be delicious as well.
an edit note: “more pasta into baking dish” should be “pour”.
Thanks, Fran. I was just getting ready to make this and I scratched my head what “more” pasta meant! I’m sure Barbara will fix that. 🙂
Thanks Fran – I’ve updated the recipe.