Spicy Chicken Ragu (Instant Pot)

This spicy chicken ragu for two cooks in an Instant Pot making it an easy dinner for busy weeknights. There’s no browning or pre-cooking steps required – everything goes into the Instant Pot and in less than 30 minutes dinner is ready to go.

overhead photo of a bowl of spicy chicken ragu with bucatini

Spicy Chicken Ragu

And so it begins. I’d been teetering on the edge the last month between summer and fall and today, one day post-Labor Day, I’ve stuck my stake in the ground (one adorned with fall foliage, of course) and stand with both feet squarely in my most favorite season of all: fall. To celebrate, I’m sharing an easy spicy chicken ragu. In years past, I might have turned to the stove to make a ragu and regale you with a story about how chopping veggies and simmering a sauce with chicken is the ultimate therapy and well worth the time. I might have headlined the recipe as a weekend cooking project because of the time commitment hoping to convince you that all the other pressing matters in your life could be set aside in favor of an afternoon stirring sauce on the stove.

But, not this year. Now I have an Instant Pot, otherwise known as the kitchen wonder that produces a meal in the precious 30-minute window most of us allot for weeknight cooking. So, we have the best of both worlds: a cozy dinner to kick-off the start of fall without having to wait until the weekend to make it. The more I use my trusty Instant Pot, the more I love it and I can’t help but wonder if I’ll ever share another slow-cooked stovetop or oven recipe again. But, I think I’ll sort those musings out later in my journal and, for now, leave you with a super simple Instant Pot spicy chicken ragu.

Some Ingredients You’ll Need

  • A ragu is a sauce that’s heavy on the meat with just enough sauce to cling to the pasta. You can use pretty much any kind of meat, so I went a lighter route and used boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of something richer and heavier like beef or pork. It is, after all, barely the start of fall. I skipped the whole browning part and tucked them right into the sauce to cook.
  • You can also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you want to save on some calories. I’ve also tested this recipe with frozen chicken breasts and it worked great. Follow the recipe as is and just add 4 minutes of cooking time.
  • Crushed tomatoes: When you cook in an Instant Pot you don’t need as much liquid because there’s nowhere for the liquid to go except back into whatever you’re making instead of the air like it would if you made this on the stove. Plus, like I mentioned, a ragu is lighter on the sauce, so one cup of crushed tomatoes is all you need for this recipe.
  • Balsamic vinegar adds a pop of tangy acidity to the sauce.
  • The spicy part of the dish comes from red pepper flakes. I used a 1/2 teaspoon for two servings, which, depending on your tastes, you may want to reduce the amount. The first time I made it and shared it with my mom I was happy with the spice, but it was a little too much for her. For the second round, I cut the amount in half so there was just a hint of heat. So, the moral of the story: know your audience and adjust the amount of heat accordingly.
  • I added a generous amount of parsley and thyme to the sauce, saving some of the parsley for the garnish along with some grated parmesan cheese.
  • I served the sauce with bucatini which is spaghetti’s thicker and chewier cousin, but I imagine it would also be delicious served on top of rice or mashed potatoes.

Some Tips about the Instant Pot

  • I own an Instant Pot Duo Mini 3-quart, which is the smallest size and great for cooking for one to two people. I have not tested this recipe in other models.
  • Contrary to its name, an Instant Pot does not cook things instantly. Depending on what you’re making it takes time for the pot to get to the right pressure, so be sure to account for that extra time. In the case of this ragu, it took almost ten minutes for the pot to get to pressure which is still significantly less time if you made this recipe on the stovetop. Plus, there’s no need to babysit the sauce while it cooks.
  • After I developed and tested the two-serving recipe (which is what I am sharing in this post), I made a double batch of the recipe using the same size Instant Pot. It worked, but the sauce did burn a bit on the bottom of the pot probably because there were more ingredients and it took longer for the pot to get to pressure. Always follow your manufacturer’s tips and recommendations regarding how much to cook in your pot and proceed with caution if you decide to double this recipe.
photo of two bowls of spicy chicken ragu

More Instant Pot Recipes

I love to use my Instant Pot to make quick dishes that would otherwise take hours to cook in the oven or the stove top. Here are few more of my favorites…

Salsa Verde Taco Soup | This cozy soup is made with fresh tomatillos, green chile, brown rice, and ground beef. It’s a small-batch recipe for two that you can make on the stovetop or in an Instant Pot. It’s garnished just like tacos with a dollop of sour cream and a quick and easy guacamole.

Instant Pot Braised Beef Tacos | An Instant Pot makes these tender and savory braised beef tacos totally doable on a weeknight. The beef tastes like it simmered for hours in the oven but all of it comes together in less than an hour.

Instant Pot Black Bean Soup | This Instant Pot black bean soup with bacon, green chile, and spices cooks in about an hour – no need to soak or simmer the beans for hours! It’s so easy you can make it on a weeknight. A GGG reader says, ” I have made this soup several times for my husband and me. We LOVE it!” 

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Instant Pot Spicy Chicken Ragu

overhead photo of a bowl of spicy chicken ragu

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A ragu is a sauce that’s heavy on the meat and in this version, I used flavorful boneless skinless chicken thighs that cook with a few other ingredients in the Instant Pot. It’s a spicy bowl of comfort, so be sure to dial-back the red pepper flakes if you prefer a hint of heat instead of a big bite of it. I tossed the ragu with bucatini, but you could also serve it over rice or mashed potatoes.

  • Author: April Anderson
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Instant Pot
  • Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs, seasoned with salt and pepper (see note)

Instructions

  1. Combine the olive oil, tomatoes, balsamic, garlic, onion, parsley, thyme, and red pepper flakes in a 3-quart Instant Pot. Place the chicken thighs in the sauce and push them down so they are covered by the other ingredients.
  2. Lock the lid in place, close the steam vent, and select the high-pressure setting. Set the timer for eight minutes. It will take the pot some time to get to pressure and which point the sauce will cook for eight minutes (see note about cooking frozen chicken). When the timer goes off, cover the steam vent with a towel (to protect your hand) and do a quick release. Once the steam has vented, open the pot and shred the chicken with two forks. If it’s easier, you can remove the chicken and shred it on a cutting board and place it back in the sauce.
  3. The sauce will be thin when you open the pot, but it will thicken as you shred the chicken. If you think your sauce is too thin you can turn on the saute setting and cook the sauce and chicken until some of the liquid evaporates.

Notes

  • I’ve also tested this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breasts – both frozen and fresh. If you use frozen chicken just add 4 minutes of cooking time, so instead of 8 minutes you’ll want to cook them for 12 minutes.

Some Instant Pot Tips

  • I own an Instant Pot Duo Mini 3-quart, which is the smallest size and great for cooking for one to two people. I have not tested this recipe in other models.
  • Contrary to its name, an Instant Pot does not cook things instantly. Depending on what you’re making it takes time for the pot to get to the right pressure, so be sure to account for that extra time. In the case of this ragu, it took almost ten minutes for the pot to get to pressure which is still significantly less time if you made this recipe on the stovetop. Plus, there’s no need to babysit the sauce while it cooks.
  • After I developed and tested the two-serving recipe, I made a double batch of the recipe using the same size Instant Pot. It worked, but the sauce did burn a bit on the bottom of the pot probably because there were more ingredients and it took longer for the pot to get to pressure. Always follow your manufacturer’s tips and recommendations regarding how much to cook in your pot and proceed with caution if you decide to double this recipe.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 487
  • Sugar: 11g
  • Fat: 24.2g
  • Carbohydrates: 20.1g
  • Fiber: 6.2g
  • Protein: 47.9g

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2 Comments

    1. Thanks for pointing that out – you can use either, but I updated the recipe card to make it less confusing.

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