Instant Pot Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara

Inspired by one of our favorite Olive Garden dishes, this cream Instant Pot Carbonara with Chicken and Shrimp will be a new family favorite!  We cannot wait to hear how much you love this must-have pasta dish!

Who doesn’t love a good Olive Garden recipe dupe?

Last week we made one of our all-time favorite Olive Garden inspired recipes, Instant Pot Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup and it was such a hit!  I was able to make enough for dinner for our entire family AND have enough to freeze for the following few days. So, we had to give another one of our favorites a go.  And, what better way than in the Instant Pot.  

This dish is equally delicious as a left over as it was the day of!  It’s perfect for these cooler winter days. 

As I mention below, if you’re interested in adding the shrimp, I added mine last minute and only when I was ready to serve.  In my opinion, the shrimp doesn’t heat up as well the next day as a left over so I only add once my family is ready to eat.  If needed, you can opt out of either the chicken or the shrimp.  

Also, a number of other Carbonara recipes of this size call for 8 egg yolks.  However, for this Instant Pot Carbonara recipe, I opted for only 6 and it worked out great.  Plus, it still tastes amazing! 

Now, let’s get to the good stuff – the details on how to make this amazing and creamy Instant Pot Carboara with shrimp and chicken!  I hope you love as much as we do!  Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments below.  

If you’re looking for a few other Instant Pot recipes to try this week, here are a few of my favorites: 

• Instant Pot Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup
• Instant Pot 5 Cheese Mac & Cheese Topped With Maple Bacon
• Instant Pot Turkey Mushroom Bolognese
• Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta

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______ OUR FAVORITE INSTANT POT ACCESSORIES ______

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TIPS FOR MAKING INSTANT POT CARBONARA:

1. When you add the pasta, break it in half over and towards the pot.  This will allow and of the extra little bits of pasta that snap off will go right into the pot.
2. When adding the pasta to the pot, be sure to add in layers by making a criss-cross design.  This will help avoid the pasta from clumping together.
3. You can use cooked shrimp instead of raw shrimp, if desired.  If you so use cooked shrimp, do not stir in until just before you are ready to serve so the shrimp does not over cook.
4. If for some reason you find your pasta is not cooked fully, once you add the cream and continue to stir, it will cook more and should be good.
5. One other thing to note is that Carbonara pasta sauce is normally more ‘dry’ or ‘thick’ than it is overly creamy.  If you feel like your recipe is not thick enough, I always recommend adding a bit more Parmesan cheese.  I like to combine both grated and shredded Parmesan cheese. 🙂

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INGREDIENTS FOR INSTANT POT CARBONARA:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 strips bacon, diced
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled (about 16-20 shrimp per pound. We used pre-cooked shrimp)
• Kohser salt
• 1 tablespoon garlic pepper
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 16 ounces fettuccine pasta
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 cups heavy cream or half and half
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 1/4 pounds chicken breast, cut into one inch cubes (about 2 medium chicken breasts)
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth

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HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT CARBONARA:

1. Turn on your Instant and select the ‘Saute’ function.
2. Add olive oil and bacon and cook until crispy brown.
3. Once bacon is cooked fully, choose the ‘Cancel’ button to reset the cooking program.
4. Remove bacon and set aside on a paper towel lined plate.
5. Add cubed chicken, garlic to Instant Pot and choose the ‘Saute’ function.
6. Cook chicken until slightly browned. Do not cook the chicken fully as it will continue to cook during Pressure Cooking mode, about 5 minutes.
7. Once chicken is cooked, choose the ‘Cancel’ button to reset the cooking program.
8. Add chicken broth and pasta to the Instant Pot.  When adding the fettuccine, break the pasta in half and criss-cross the pasta in layers.
9. Place the lid on Instant Pot, turn on and select ‘Pressure Cook’ function on high.  Cook for one minute.
10. While the pasta is cooking in the Instant Pot, mix together the cream, Parmesan cheese, egg yolks, basil, garlic pepper, Italian seasoning and parsley in a mixing bowl and set aside.
11. Once pressure cook is complete, slowly move the pressure release valve and allow steam to fully release.
12. Select the ‘Cancel’ function to turn off the pressure cooking, remove lip from Instant Pot and stir pasta in the natural sauce/water to break up the pasta.
13. After pasta as been stirred, select the ‘Saute’ function on medium.
14. While on Saute, add in the cream, egg, garlic pepper, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese mixture and stir regularly until cream thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.  
15. Once cream has thickened, stir in shrimp and continue to Saute until shrimp is fully warmed.  Be sure not to over cook. Sauce will continue to reduce as shrimp cooks.
16. Serve and enjoy!
17. Top with any additional bacon, if desired.

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