Tuscan Chicken Pasta- Ninja Foodi Recipe

As I was scrolling through Pinterest the other day, I came across an abundance of recipes for Tuscan Chicken Pasta made in the pressure cooker.  It looked so good that I just had to make it!  I’ve made several pasta dishes in the Ninja Foodi and I am still so amazed at how quickly it cooks and how awesome it turns out.  We are big fans of creamy pasta sauces so this was a big hit! I even got Kaleigh to eat some things that she would normally not eat……spinach and basil.  I think she liked the sauce so much that she forgot that she doesn’t like spinach! With a cooking time of only 4 minutes, this is a perfect weeknight recipe.  It’s super quick and turns out so creamy!  Enjoy!

Tips for this recipe:

1. You can use whatever kind of pasta that you want.  But, the thicker pastas like Farfalle will work better.  The smaller and or thinner the pasta, the more likely it is that it will get overcooked while the chicken is cooking.  As a rule of thumb, you should cook the pasta based on this calculation:  Look at the box, take the recommended time and cut it half and then subtract 2.  For example, if the suggested cook time is 10 minutes, cut that in half to 5 and then subtract 2.  This will leave you with 3.  Cook for 3 minutes.
2. Be adventurous!  This sauce is so good that you could mix it up and add in all sorts of things and it would be delicious!  Mushrooms would be really good with this sauce.
3. Don’t let all of the pressure naturally release.  If you do, your pasta will be way overcooked.  I prefer to natural release anytime that I cook meat.  I find that it makes the meat more tender and juicy.  5 minutes is just enough time for the natural release on this recipe.  If you plan to let it natural release longer, cut down the cooking time to 3 minutes instead of 4.

How to make Ninja Foodi Tuscan Chicken Pasta:

1. Add chicken broth, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to Ninja Foodi and stir.
2. Add in chicken and farfalle pasta.  Stir and make sure that everything is covered with liquid.
3. Close pressure cooker lid, set valve to “seal.
4. Turn on Ninja Foodi and choose the pressure cooker setting.  Change the time to 4 minutes.  Press start.
5. When the timer beeps, natural release pressure for 5 minutes and then quick release remaining pressure.
6. Turn off Ninja Foodi.
7. Open Ninja Foodi and add in spinach, cream cheese, parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.
8. Stir until all ingredients are well combined and spinach is wilted.
9. Add in fresh basil and stir.
10. You’re ready to eat!  Serve with garlic bread!  Yummmmm!

Ingredients for Tuscan Chicken Pasta made in the Ninja Foodi:

• 4 ¼ cups of chicken broth
• 1- 1.5 Pounds boneless skinless chicken breast- cut into 1 inch cubes- I used 1 very large chicken breast but you could use 2 small ones
• 12 Ounces farfalle pasta
• 5 Ounces fresh spinach- If using frozen spinach, be sure to drain the liquid before adding to the recipe
• 8 Ounces cream cheese- bring to room temperature and cut into small cubes
• 1 Cup shredded parmesan cheese
• ½ Cup chopped sun dried tomatoes- packed in oil- Be sure to drain the oil from the tomatoes
• ¼ Cup fresh basil- chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 Tablespoon garlic- minced
• 1 Teaspoon red pepper flakes- add more or less based on your preference
• ½ Teaspoon salt
• ½ Teaspoon pepper

Recipe