Dinner’s on the table in 30 minutes with this Instant Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta—and it’s delicious too! It’s an easy pasta casserole packed with chicken, ham, Swiss cheese, and more.
Love easy chicken recipes? Our Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup is a family favorite. So easy and so hearty, the perfect weeknight dinner. Or try this delicious Ham Casserole to use up that leftover ham from the holidays.
Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta
One of the things I love about using an Instant Pot is that I can have all of my favorite comfort foods on a weeknight.
No more waiting until a Sunday dinner when I can make Instant Pot Pot roast or Instant Pot Lasagna!
Using the Instant Pot not only cuts down the cook time for most recipes, but the flavors meld and infuse together as if it’s been cooking all day long! This Instant Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole is the perfect example.
Here’s why you’ll love it:
- It’s so much easier than traditional Chicken Cordon Bleu. Instead of rolling chicken breasts with the ham and cheese, we’re cooking them together in one pot. Simple!
- Because there’s pasta added to the mix, this is a Chicken Cordon Bleu you can make a meal out of! Who doesn’t love a complete dinner in a single pot?
- This is a dish that packs in loads of flavor, creaminess, and cheesiness, making it a hit with the whole family.
Important Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – I use boneless skinless chicken thighs, which stay moist without drying out. If you prefer, you can use chicken breasts.
- Pasta – I love using elbow macaroni, but I’ve also tried cavatappi and rotini noodles. Just avoid using gluten-free pasta, which turns gummy in the Instant Pot. If you need to make this gluten-free, I recommend cooking the pasta separately and removing 2 cups of the broth from the recipe.
- Ham – Whenever we have honey baked ham for the holidays, I cut the leftovers into slices and/or cubes and freeze them for dinners. (We love the leftover ham cubes in egg bites and omelettes too.) You can also buy pre-diced ham at most grocery stores.
- Seasonings – I use a combination of onion powder, garlic salt, kosher salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Liquids – Start with 3 cups of chicken broth, then at the end add in an additional 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream.
- Bacon crumbles – Cooked, crumbled bacon adds smoky flavor and crispy texture.
- Cheese – To stay with the classic flavor of Chicken Cordon Bleu, I used shredded Swiss cheese. You can swap out some or all of it for mozzarella if you prefer.
- Breadcrumb topping – Two slices of bread and some butter form a breadcrumb topping that makes this Instant Pot casserole taste like it was baked in the oven. (Like putting cracker crumbs on Mac and Cheese or cornflakes on Hashbrown Casserole!)
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta
Assemble: Add the ingredients to the Instant Pot in this order: chicken broth, chicken, pasta, ham, and seasonings.
Cook: Secure the lid and make sure the valve on top is set to “SEALING“. Select HIGH PRESSURE and a cook time of 9 minutes.
Make the Breadcrumb Topping:
- Process the bread slices in a food processor to form crumbs.
- Melt the butter in a skillet.
- Toast the breadcrumbs until they’re golden brown.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Finish:
- When the cook time ends, allow to naturally release for 10 minutes.
- After this, move the valve on top to “RELEASE” and allow any remaining pressure inside to release.
- Open the lid and stir in the heavy whipping cream, bacon, and cheese.
- Top Instant Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta with toasted breadcrumbs.
Tips and Tricks
- Make it creamier by adding 4 ounces of cream cheese with the heavy cream.
- Use rotisserie chicken instead of raw chicken and stir it in at the end with the cheese.
- Add frozen broccoli with the pasta before the cook time for a little extra veggies.
- Top the casserole with toasted stuffing mix or pork rinds instead of breadcrumbs.
Serving Suggestions
This Instant Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta has almost everything you need in one dish. Pasta, Chicken, Dairy. The only thing missing is vegetables!
We serve this dinner with a big homemade olive garden salad and my kids love dinner rolls too.
Don’t forget Instant Pot Rice Pudding for dessert!
MORE Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Hot Dogs
- Goulash
- Instant Pot Chicken Adobo
- Instant Pot Chicken Piccata
- Instant Pot Sausage Gravy
- Instant Pot Cheesecake Recipe
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Instant Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 3 cups dry elbow noodles 12 oz
- 1 ½ cups diced ham
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup cooked and crumbled bacon
- 5 oz shredded swiss cheese
- 2 slices white bread
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Add ingredients IN THIS ORDER to the Instant Pot. DO NOT STIR. Chicken broth, bite size chicken, elbow pasta, diced ham, onion powder, garlic salt, kosher salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Secure the lid and make sure the valve on top is set to “SEALING“. Select HIGH PRESSURE and a cook time of 9 minutes (this does not include the time it takes to come to pressure).
- While the chicken cordon bleu is cooking in the pressure cooker, take two slices of white bread and process them into crumbs in a food processor (or blender).
- In a skillet, melt 2 Tbsp of unsalted butter. Add bread crumbs and stir constantly, until crumbs are golden brown (about 5-6 minutes).
- Season breadcrumbs with salt and pepper (if desired) and set aside until the pasta is cooked.
- When the cook time ends, allow to naturally release for 10 minutes (this means don’t touch it). After ten minutes, move the valve on top to “RELEASE” and allow any remaining pressure inside to release.
- Open the lid and stir in the heavy whipping cream, bacon crumbles, and cheese. Stir well until everything is combined and cheese is melted! Serve with toasted breadcrumbs and enjoy!
If I add cold (refrigerated) rotisserie chicken….when would I add it? Thank you!!
Could you clarify your calculations for the nutrition facts? I don’t understand how you only got 21g of carbs per serving! When I calculated it, I got 31g just for the pasta alone!
I made this tonight with Catelli gluten-free macaroni and it turned out great!
You were 100% correct. This is a winner. I will be making this next time I have my friends over. Thanks for the goodness.
SOOO good!! Our whole family loved this!!
It looks delicious. Like Rachel, I too am wondering if you have a version of the recipe that can be done without an instant pot?
I do not yet! But it’s on my list 🙂
This was awesome! I used bowtie pasta and packaged cubed ham. I absolutely loved it! Thank you!!
So glad you loved it!
Garbage. Pasta just burns to the bottom of the pot.
Sounds like maybe you combined everything before pressure cooking?
Made this and absolutely love it! Used HoneyBaked Ham -yummy! Just hope it can be frozen since unable to share since staying home until the Coronavirus is gone. My friends and family missed a wonderful casserole!
Do you have a recipe to make this without an instant pot?