I really used to love those pasta side dish packets, which were super easy to make.  You know what I am talking about, empty the packet into a pot, add some water or milk, and enjoy!  Now, those tasty little packets don not fit with my dietary restrictions, so I set off to make my own with the help of my Instant Pot!  This just proves that we can indeed eat anything we want, even if we must stick with a gluten free, dairy free, or allergy friendly diet.  My Instant Pot Chicken Noodles and Sauce do not take much more effort than opening a packet, and are still ready in minutes.

These Instant Pot Chicken Noodles and Sauce are gluten free and dairy free (and free of the top 8 and 11 allergens) to fit my diet, but could be made with any sort of pasta or milk if you are just looking for a less processed alternative.  I also used chicken stock I had made previously in my Instant Pot, but whatever you have on hand works just fine.  To help me finely chop my carrots, I used my Vitamix on speed 1, but this could be done by hand or in a food processor.  The key to cooking pasta in your Instant pot is half the normal cook time, and enough liquid to cover the pasta you’re making.  I used Tinkyada Fettuccini to try to mimic the noodles in the packets I used to like, but any pasta would work.  For more on pressure cooking pasta, check out The Secret to Al Dente Pressure Cooker Pasta over at Hip Pressure Cooking.

The Instant Pot Chicken Noodles and Sauce turned out wonderful on the first try.  I generally don’t use salt in cooking, so feel free to add some to taste afterwards to make Instant Pot Chicken Noodles and Sauce taste even more like their inspiration!  No one will even notice this dish is gluten free or dairy free unless you tell them.

Yield: 4

Instant Pot Chicken Noodles and Sauce

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Creamy chicken flavored noodles and sauce made in the Instant Pot. This recipe uses gluten free pasta and dairy free milk, but any pasta or milk could be substituted.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes

Total Time 17 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 Carrots
• 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups Chicken Stock
• 1 cup Coconut Milk (So Delicious Unsweetened)
• 1 package Tinkyada Fetuccini
• Salt

Instructions

1. Turn Instant Pot to Sauté and add Oil.
2. Chop carrots finely, sauté Carrots, Oregano, and Parsley until fragrant
3. Break up Fettuccine and add to Instant Pot, you may want to use a wooden spoon to break it up more once it is in the pot.
4. Add chicken Stock and coconut milk to Instant Pot, ensuring pasta is covered. If pasta is not covered, add more liquid until it is.
5. Close the Instant Pot and set to Manual. Set the cook time to half the time of the pasta, in this case 6 minutes.
6. Manually release pressure when Instant Pot is done cooking. Stir, salt to taste, and enjoy.

Notes

This recipe uses So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk, and Tinkyada brown rice pasta to make it dairy and gluten free.  Any milk and pasta could be substituted, and no matter which ingredients you chose you will still have a healthier alternative to the original.  Be sure pasta is covered by liquid, and is cooked for half of the normal cooking time on the package.  To chop the carrots and parsley finely, I used a Vitamix on speed 1.  Salt is added after cooking to taste.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 268 Total Fat: 18g Saturated Fat: 12g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 5g Cholesterol: 5mg Sodium: 426mg Carbohydrates: 21g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 4g Protein: 8g

All I wanted for Christmas this year was an Instant Pot, and I’m so glad I got it!  In fact, I cheated and used it to make some great stuff on Christmas Eve.  If you haven’t heard of Instant Pot, it is a magical electric pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, and yogurt maker in one.  You can also use it to saute before you apply pressure or let it cook slow and low!  Being the techie I am, I of course has to get the Instant Pot Smart, complete with Bluetooth capability and app.

After the standard Instant Pot water test, I made a great sweet potato and carrot soup, and some rice.  One of the things which had me the most excited about the instant pot was the prospect of Instant Pot Chili.  Who doesn’t love chili, especially when it can be cooked in a fraction of the time?

Lately, I’ve been a huge fan of Chicken Chili., and I figured I would give it a go in my Instant Pot.  It took me a while to warm up to the idea of Chicken Chili, but once I made it, I was hooked.  As a bonus, I used my Vitamix to chop all the vegetables and make the ground chicken chunks a little smaller.  As a bonus, this Instant Pot Chicken Chili is also gluten free, dairy free, and free of the top 8 and 11 allergens.

Yield: 8

Instant Pot Chicken Chili

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Vegetable and ground chicken chili, a lighter alternative to beef chili. Also top 8/top 11 allergen free.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 58 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Ground Chicken
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 Red Bell Peppers
• 4 Carrots
• 4 Celery Stalks
• 2 heaping tbsp Chili Powder
• 1 tbsp Oregano
• 1 tbsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 28oz can Crushed or Pureed Tomatoes
• 2 cups Water

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in skillet. Once oil is heated add ground chicken to skillet to brown, chopping and stirring frequently, as ground chicken does not contain much fat and will stick much more than ground beef.
2. Dice all vegetables, by hand, food processor, or Vitamix. Set Instant Pot to sauté, and add diced vegetables and spices, stirring every few minutes.
3. Once chicken is browned, it can be added to the Instant Pot. Depending on how you like your chili, you may want to pulse the browned chicken in a food processor or Vitamix, or chop it more finely before adding to the chili, it does not break up as well as ground beef.
4. Add canned tomatoes to instant pot and stir.
5. Add an additional 2 cups of water to Instant Pot and stir.
6. Set instant pot to 8 minutes manual. Instant Pot will automatically begin to build pressure, then cook 10 seconds after setting. Instant Pot will count down time remaining once pressure has built.
7. Allow pressure to release naturally, and enjoy. Instant Pot will switch to Keep Warm once cooking is complete, keeping the chili hot until you are ready to serve it. Remember to safely switch Instant Pot from sealing to venting and ensuring pressure is released before opening.

Notes

Remember, while the total cook time is 8 minutes in the Instant Pot, it will also take time for the pot to come to pressure.  Since we used the sauté function and heated everything up, it took about 10 minutes to come to pressure.  After cooking, make sure to wait at least 10 minutes to allow some of the pressure to release naturally, before releasing the rest.  I waited until I was ready to serve the Chili, about an hour, since the Instant Pot will keep warm, and all of the pressure was released from the pot.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

8
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 322 Total Fat: 20g Saturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 14g Cholesterol: 121mg Sodium: 182mg Carbohydrates: 10g Fiber: 4g Sugar: 5g Protein: 28g