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Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings is a comforting, delicious homestyle meal that you can make in about an hour. I think you will enjoy this pressure cooker chicken and dumplings recipe. I have included instructions for both biscuit and homemade dumplings!
Originally published on 1/25/18
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Growing up at my house, one of the best things we ate was our mom’s Chicken and Dumplings. She made hers in a cast iron dutch oven. And sometimes I do, too.
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings are so much faster to make, and taste so good! This recipe makes a fantastic one-pot meal.
This is a recipe that has been in my family forever. I did bump up the flavors a little though. I’m sure that most cultures have a version of this that someone’s mom, nana, or even a dad or grandpa made for them.
Meals like this bring back warm and happy memories of spending time with those we care about, even when they are not right here with us. Food can do that.
Start with getting all of your ingredients gathered together and prepared. Or as the French say. “Mise en place” (everything in place).
Decide which style of dumplings you want to use, and prepare them, too. I was asked which are my favorite. I like the homemade fluffy dumplings. My husband likes the flattened biscuits (he thinks they are more like noodles).
Whichever style you choose will be easy to make, and will taste great!
Now that I’m a Nana I will hopefully be remembered for my pressure cooker chicken and dumplings recipe, among other things!
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings is a pretty quick meal, considering how delicious and hearty it comes out. Much faster than my mom’s. Thanks to my Instant Pot. Love you Mom!
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Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 small Onion, diced
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 cup Carrots, chopped (about 2 or 3 carrots)
- 1 cup Celery, chopped (2 stalks)
- 3 large Garlic Cloves, pressed or minced (about 1 Tbsp)
- 1 teaspoon Salt (more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Sage, dried
- 4 sprigs Fresh Thyme, 2 tsp leaves (or ½ tsp dried)
- 1 4" sprig Fresh Rosemary, 2 tsp leaves, minced (or 1 tsp dried & crushed)
- 4 cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
- 1 large Potato, chopped
- 1 ½ lbs Chicken Thighs, and/or Breasts, cubed
To Finish
- 1 cup Frozen Peas (or mixed vegetables)
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
Quick Dumplings
- 6 jumbo Canned Buttermilk Refrigerator Biscuits* (16 oz pkg contains 8)
Homemade Dumplings
- 1 ½ cups Flour
- ¾ tsp Salt
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 3 Tablespoons Shortening (such as Crisco®) or Cold Butter
- ¾ cup Whole Milk (or buttermilk)
- ¼ cup Chives, finely chopped (fresh or dried) - Optional
Instructions
Choose the Type of Dumplings You Want to Make, and Prepare Them
Prepare Canned Dumplings
- For the canned biscuits, roll each one flat and cut into 6 equal slices. Do this to all 6 and set aside in a bowl. You can also just cut them and not roll them flat.6 jumbo Canned Buttermilk Refrigerator Biscuits*
Prepare Homemade Dumplings
- Put all ingredients except milk and chives in a bowl and use a pastry cutter or a fork to mix well and incorporate the shortening into the dry ingredients.1 ½ cups Flour, ¾ tsp Salt, 2 teaspoons Baking Powder, 3 Tablespoons Shortening
- Stir the milk (and chives, if using) in and combine, until just moistened. Set aside.¾ cup Whole Milk, ¼ cup Chives,
Prepare the Chicken and Sauce
- Turn the pressure cooker on to the Sauté setting. When the pot is hot, add the olive oil and the butter. Then add the onion and bay leaf. Stir.2 teaspoons Olive Oil, 1 Tablespoon Butter, 1 small Onion,, 1 Bay Leaf
- Add the carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to get up any brown bits (deglaze).1 cup Carrots,, 1 cup Celery,, 3 large Garlic Cloves,
- Add the salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, and rosemary. Cook for a few seconds to let the herbs & spices become fragrant.1 teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Black Pepper, ¼ teaspoon Poultry Seasoning, ½ teaspoon Sage,, 4 sprigs Fresh Thyme,, 1 4" sprig Fresh Rosemary,
- Add the chicken broth. Put a glass lid on the pot and let the contents warm up to barely a simmer.4 cups Chicken Broth,
- Add the potato and chicken and stir.1 large Potato,, 1 ½ lbs Chicken Thighs, and/or Breasts,
- Add the dumplings.Homemade: Drop heaping teaspoonfulls into the broth (not too large as they need to cook through, and they expand).Biscuits: Add the sliced biscuits into the broth and gently stir to distribute them.
- Cancel the Sauté function.
- Place the lid on the pot and lock in place. Turn the steam release knob to the sealing position.
- Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button (or dial) and then the + or - button (or dial) to select 7 minutes.
- When the cooking cycle has finished, do a Controlled Quick Release of the steam/pressure. Start by using a wooden spoon or other long handled utensil to turn the steam release knob towards Venting, and start letting the steam out gradually.Do this several times, and back off if any of the sauce starts to spew out with the steam. Then open it all the way when you feel certain only steam will be coming out. It will take a couple of minutes to fully vent.
- When the pin in the lid drops down, open the lid carefully, and stir in the frozen peas or mixed vegetables. You may need to push the dumplings aside if you made the fluffy kind.1 cup Frozen Peas
- Stir in the heavy cream (if using) and put the glass lid on to let it sit and heat through for 3-5 minutes.½ cup Heavy Cream
- Taste and adjust salt, if needed.
- Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Resources to Make Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
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This was pretty good for the first try. I left out the potato, and my dumplings were crescent dough sheets… they sliced okay but perhaps were less flavorful than buttermilk biscuits. I made a half recipe but folded in a whole can of peas at the end, which was too much. I think the sweetness also undercut the savory flavor of the rest of the dish.
I’ll try again with a few adjustments, maybe a splash of Worcestershire or balsamic vinegar.
We cleaned the entire pot! I added some pepper, chicken bouillon (tiny tiny amount!) and slap yo mama seasoning to the biscuit recipe for a savory biscuit…the tiniest amounts of each made al the difference!
My family loves this! I’m wanting to fix this for a party I’m having. Can this be made on the stove? My instapot isn’t big enough to double everything in my instapot.
It can be made on the stove, and in a crockpot.
My 15-year-old son is a very picky eater and I’m always looking for dishes that he will like. The first time I made this one a year ago, it became his favorite food. He always asks me to make it and when I do and he has leftovers, he eats all the leftovers. I also really like the dishes, It’s delicious, and I recommend using chicken thighs.
So delicious! Could this be made in the slow cooker? I saw your slow cooker recipe, but it uses canned soup that we tend to stay away from. Thanks!
Yes it can. And I have a homemade cream of chicken soup you can try!
I just set my instant pot for pressure and it smells amazing in my house. I can’t wait to try this delicious dish!
Sandy I made this chicken and dumplings as my first recipe with my new insta pot!!! I am absolutely blown away at how eat and delicious it came out. Will be checking out the rest of your recipes and sharing this with everyone I know
Thank you!
That’s great! Welcome to the IP family!
My family loves this recipe! Even my picky kids eat it. 🙂 thanks
There’s a lot of recipes now that show up before this one because of their google score and all that… but this is hands down the best… been using it for almost 3 years… THANK YOU!
Thank you!
Could I just to use some pre cooked shredded chicken? Vs raw? How would you suggest cooking time?
Yes, that is a great shortcut!
This turned out delicious. I’m not usually a huge fan of chicken, but this is one of my favorite meals. Can this be frozen?
Thanks! Yes, you can freeze it, though the dumpling texture may be a little different.