It’s Pi Day! You know, the day everyone eats pie because it’s March 14, which is 3.14, which is pi. Originally, I was intending to make a lemon meringue pie but that fell by the wayside because I currently have some sort of strange version of tennis elbow which is either caused by me using my phone too much or my bad posture at the computer. Either way, my right arm is basically useless, which kind of sort of means no pie.
I’m actually really worried about my arm. I haven’t really been able to cook or do anything really. I’ve stopped using the computer, my phone, or anything that requires my arms. I’ve just been trying to rest in hopes of the pain going away. Thankfully, Mike’s been taking care of me in the best way possible – making sure I have lots of snacks and also picking up the blog slack. He made this recipe based on my verbal instructions and it came out just how I wanted.
I was really happy with how the recipe came out – it’s truly reminiscent of chicken pot pie, minus the crust, plus noodles. The bowties were Mike’s idea because bow ties rhyme with pie. (By the way, I’m writing this using dictation, so any strange typos are totally due to that LOL.)
Anyway, this really is probably the most simple chicken pot pie-ish dish that you’ll ever make. It’s a dump and start kind of situation where everything goes into the Instant Pot. After a quick five minutes at high pressure, some butter and cream and a bit of corn starch are stirred in to thicken the sauce and everything becomes glossy and saucy and delicious.
I usually like to put a pie recipe up a couple days before Pi Day, but this year I wasn’t able to because of my arm. Still, I’m happy we got to celebrate in our own little way. If you’re anything like me and you didn’t plan Pi Day at all, you can still celebrate with super simple creamy chicken pot pie bow ties.
Happy Pi Day!
Chicken Pot Pie Bow Ties: Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta Recipe
serves 4
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
- 1/2 lb bow ties
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1-2 carrots chopped
- 1 3/4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup cream whisked together with 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup frozen peas
In the Instant Pot insert, add the chicken thighs, bowties, onions, carrots, chicken stock, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
Cook on high pressure for five minutes. When done, quick release the pressure and carefully open the instant pot.
Turn on sauté mode on medium heat and stir in the cream, cornstarch, and butter. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Add in the peas, taste and season. Enjoy!
Hi Steph! Speaking as a writer with chronic tendinitis — go to the doctor, if you haven’t already. It’s important to figure out what’s going on with your arm now to prevent it from becoming a worse injury or a recurring issue. Sending good thoughts your way! :)
Hi Mara, I’ve been to the doctor, thank you so much for your caring. Hopefully gets better soon!
Check to make sure your key board if flat and when using your mouse your wrist is supported. A little ergonomic corrections can do wonders.
Thanks Myrna! I’ve been using dictation so I haven’t really been using the keyboard or mouse but I definitely need to do some ergonomic correction.
Hi Steph,
This looks delicious! How would you adjust the recipe for a slower cooker?
Thanks!!
PS. Hope you feel better
hi don, thanks for the kind words. i haven’t tried this in a slow cooker, but i don’t think it would work because the pasta will get mushy, sorry about that!
This looks amazing!! I love the creaminess of it. Also, I got something like tennis elbow (more like golfer’s elbow, from what I read; it’s all to do with which muscles/joints are hurting) after I started spending a lot more time on the computer from writing and blogging, in addition to my hour-long drive to work each day. I see you went to a doc already, which is great, but I will recommend from personal experience to do your stretches regularly. I resisted at first, but they made a world of difference. I set reminders on my phone for myself to do them about 5 times a day. Good luck, and I hope you feel better! It’s such an annoyingly painful injury.
Honestly,lift light weights, it will disappear. At least, that was my experience.
yes I’m planning too!
What is an instant pot?
it’s a pressure cooker :)
Ridiculously easy and so delicious. I even got a “that was actually good” from my picky teenager which means everything, trust me. Definitely going in the meal rotation. Putting the raw chicken in there freaked me out but it works! :-) Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi! Are the bow ties supposed to be cooked first, or is it dry pasta? Thanks!
hi sara,
they’re dry – they cook in the pot with the chicken stock. try it, it’s amazing how it comes out cooked and not mushy!
Hi Stephanie, just found you and Iiking the recipes & pics. I will be trying them out, for sure.
About your response to Dan & using a slow cooker… my sister makes spaghetti & other noodle dishes in her slow cooker, just add the noodles at the end.
So many chicken recipes call for the thighs. Is it possible to use chicken breasts? I’m on WW and there is a difference in points assigned to each.
hi leslie, feel free to use chicken breast :)
I made this and it turned out Heavenly… it’s absolutely delicious
yay! so happy you liked it janny :)
Can I use chicken broth instead of stock? And if so how much? Also, can I use heavy whipping cream for the cream? Thanks!
hi jill,
yes to both and the amounts would be exactly the same :)
Just made this tonight and it was so good. I used chicken breasts and substituted the peas for spinach and added some Parmesan cheese. This is definitely a keeper. Thanks for the recipe
Don’t have an instant pot. How would one cook it on stove-top or
in the oven? Would like to try your recipe. We like chicken pot pie,
but not pie crust. This would be perfect. Thanks.
hi connie,
i don’t have this particular recipe for stovetop but i do have a chicken pot pie stuffed shells pasta recipe coming up in the next couple of weeks! :)
So good, my son gave it an 11 out of 10!
yaaaaas! one of my fave instant pot recipes :) glad it got the thumbs up!
My noodles definitely didn’t cook, haha. Very crunchy. Would not make again.
Just wanted to say that this has been a go-to for my family for a couple years at this point! We use vegan butter and vegan cream (coconut milk, half and half, etc.) because of milk allergies and it always turns out creamy and delicious!