Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
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If you’re wondering, “Can I make Chicken and Dumplings in the Instant Pot?”, the answer is absolutely yes! Our Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings recipe is a one-pot wonder made with real food ingredients and turns out tender and mouthwatering every time.
Why This Recipe is Famous!
This Instant Pot Chicken and Dumpling recipe comes from our cookbook, From Freezer to Cooker ,and was good enough to make national television.
Seriously! Here is a segment of us cooking Chicken & Dumplings on Hallmark Home & Family! We showed America how to make it in the crock pot and in the Instant Pot on their show.
Friends, I think you are going to LOVE this homemade classic comfort dish that turns out perfectly in the Instant Pot! I make it all the time for my own family. Be sure to double the recipe and freeze a batch for later using our freezing instructions.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
You won’t find any processed ingredients in our recipe, like cream soups or store-bought biscuits. That’s because our “from scratch” recipe isn’t difficult, it tastes so much better, and is healthier. Here are the ingredients you’ll need.
Ingredients for the Chicken Stew:
- Butter
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 celery stalks
- 4 carrots
- Poultry seasoning
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (sub: chicken breasts)
- Low-sodium chicken broth
- Bay leaves
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Salt and ground black pepper
Ingredients for the Dumplings:
- Unbleached all-purpose flour (or white whole wheat flour)
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Sugar (just a little!)
- Dried parsley
- Butter
- Milk (your choice)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Sauté the Veggies
Turn on the “Saute” function, add oil to the pot, and saute the onions, carrots, and celery for 4-5 minutes. Add in garlic for the last minute and stir. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Turn off the “Saute” function.
Step 2: Season the Chicken Thighs
Then, season your chicken with salt and pepper. We use chicken thighs for the recipe because they stay incredibly tender and juicy when cooking in the slow cooker. Just make sure you cook the chicken the correct amount of time! Boneless, skinless chicken breasts will work, too.
Step 3: Pressure Cook
Add the chicken, broth, and bay leaves to the Instant Pot and stir to combine. Lock and seal the lid. Cook for 6 minutes at high pressure with a quick release of pressure when the cook time is up. (Move on to Step 4 while it cooks.)
When the stew is done, remove the bay leaves and the chicken to a wooden cutting board and set aside.
Step 4: Make the Dumpling Batter
Turn on the “Saute” function again and bring the stew to a boil. While it heats up, make the dumplings. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and dried parsley. In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave the butter and milk together until warm, about 1 minute, then whisk to melt the butter and combine. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined (do not over mix).
Step 5: Add the Dumplings to the Instant Pot
Working quickly and using a soup spoon or tablespoon, scoop out heaping tablespoons of dumpling batter, and drop into the stew. (Wet your hands to prevent sticking and use them to help slide the batter off the spoon.)
Try to spread the dumplings out so they cover the whole surface and aren’t on top of one another. Set the lid on top of the cooker, but don’t lock and seal it. Keep it cracked to let steam release. Let the dumplings cook for about 11-12 minutes or until they’ve doubled in size and a toothpick inserted into the center of a dumpling comes out clean.
Step 6: Dice or Shred the Chicken
Meanwhile, shred or chop the chicken into bite-size pieces on a wooden cutting board and set aside.
Step 7: Stir in Chicken and Frozen Peas
When the dumplings are done, gently stir the chicken and frozen peas into the stew. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Last Step: Enjoy!!
Serve warm in bowls with a little chopped fresh parsley as garnish, if you want.
How to Freeze Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
We’ve come up with a foolproof way of prepping this dish ahead of time and freezing it for later so that it TASTES LIKE A FRESH MEAL. The best part is that you can cook the meal from frozen in the Instant Pot, unlike the crock pot (which the USDA says you must thaw first).
Read our article here to learn how to freeze chicken and dumplings.
What Goes With Chicken and Dumplings?
We love that Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings are a one-pot wonder. You’ve got vegetables, protein, and bread/starch all in one delicious bowl! But, if you’d like to add in something on the side, here are a few ideas to round out this comfort meal…
- Salad: Autumn Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Side: Crock Pot Cinnamon Apples
- Dessert: Pumpkin Dump Cake
Have questions? Feedback? Leave a comment and let us know!
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Our Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings recipe is a one-pot wonder made with real food ingredients and turns out tender and mouthwatering every time.
Find the Crock Pot version here.
Ingredients
Stew
- 1 to 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 celery stalks, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 4 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 1 1/2 cups)
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth (Note: If using an 8 qt, you may need 6 cups.)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup frozen peas
Dumplings
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (You can sub white whole wheat flour, but we do not recommend subbing whole wheat flour.)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
- 3/4 cup milk (your choice)
*Note from 3/18/22: We updated the amount of broth from 4 cups to 5 cups.
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
NOTE: This recipe was tested in a 6 quart Instant Pot.
Make It Now:
- For the stew: Set the Instant Pot to “Saute”. Melt the butter in the pot. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring, until they just begin to soften, 4 to 5 minutes, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper and stirring in the poultry seasoning and garlic during the last 30 to 60 seconds of cooking. Press “Cancel”. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Lightly season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and place in the Instant Pot. Add the broth and bay leaves and stir to combine.
- Lock and seal the lid. Cook for 6 minutes at high pressure, then quick release the pressure. (The chicken is done when it registers 165°F internally.) Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and set aside. Remove and discard the bay leaves .
- For the dumplings: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and parsley. In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave the butter and milk together until warm, about 1 minute, then whisk to melt the butter and combine. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined (do not over mix).
- Set the Instant Pot to “Saute” and bring to a boil. Using a soup spoon or tablespoon, scoop out heaping tablespoons of dumpling batter, and drop into the stew. (Wet your hands to prevent sticking and use them to help slide the batter off the spoon.) Try to spread the dumplings out so they cover the whole surface and aren’t on top of one another. Cover the IP loosely with the lid, leaving a crack. Cook for about 11-12 minutes or until the dumplings have doubled in size and a toothpick inserted into the center of a dumpling comes out clean. Press “Cancel”.
- Meanwhile, shred or chop the chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside.
- When the dumplings are done, gently stir the chicken and peas into the stew. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Freeze for Later:
Follow step 1. Let the veggies cool. Season both sides of the chicken lightly with salt and pepper and place the chicken in a gallon-size freezer bag or round container (do not stack the chicken but try to place side by side). Add the broth, bay leaves, and cooled veggies. Seal and freeze (if using a freezer bag, place in a round container that’s the shape of the Instant Pot until frozen). Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and parsley in a quart-size freezer bag or container. Seal and freeze alongside the stew.
Prepare From Frozen:
Note: You will need to have butter, milk, and frozen peas on hand to complete this meal. Set the Instant Pot to “Saute”. Saute the frozen meal for 5 minutes to release some liquid. Press “Cancel”. Follow step 3, but cook at high pressure for 15-20 minutes. Follow Steps 4-7, using the bag of dry mix to make the dumplings in step 4.
Notes/Tips
Crock Pot Instructions: Try making this same meal using our Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings recipe.
Where We Get Our Chicken: We get our chicken from ButcherBox. The chicken is organic and curated from trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, grass-fed beef, and wild salmon–and have used it for years ourselves.
This recipe is so delicious. Everyone in my family ate every bit in their bowl. I used seven bone in thighs (a little over five pounds), and increased the broth to six cups. The chicken was very tender. It is a very special treat. Thank you for sharing it with me.
★★★★★
Hi Barbara. Thanks for sharing your specific alterations so that others can use your experience. So glad you found a treat that your whole family loves!
Failsafe easy to prepare & cook plus delicious
Thanks Marc!
OMG what an amazing dish! This is officially on the meal rotation in our house. Easy to make as well, bonus!!
★★★★★
Yay! I love when we make a family meal rotation. This one is in ours, too!
I love how simple and delicious this recipe is!
★★★★★
Simple AND delicious! We try hard to hit those two adjectives in our recipes. Thank you for the review Kerilyn!
So yummy! Didn’t have celery so I threw in some frozen corn.
★★★★★
Awesome Trista! Love the substitution. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and let other readers what worked for you.
This recipe is INCREDIBLE! We’ve been making home made chicken and dumplings for years but not only was this much faster but it even tastes better. Instapot version rocks, great recipe!
★★★★★
I’m glad you like it as much as we do. It really is easy! Thanks for the review, Josh.
I used this as my base recipe and it was very comforting and healing for my sick family. I used my instant pot to make the chicken stock from a whole chicken and then made the chicken and dumplings on the stove. Thank you for another great recipe, Rachel.
★★★★★
This was so easy and delicious! Definitely a weeknight winner!
★★★★★
Awesome! Love hearing that it was a hit, Tracie.
I made the Instant Pot version. Delicious and simple!
★★★★
While I love the Crockpot version we have, this is my go-to recipe. Glad you liked it too!