Instant Pot Chicken Stew

Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Stew is hearty, homey comfort food, made quickly in the instant pot. Your family is going to love this flavorful, savory stew that’s perfect for cooler days.

The Instant Pot is the perfect tool for making soups and stews! When you make chicken stew in the instant pot, it tastes like you’ve been slowly simmering it all day long, but it only took you about 30 minutes from start to finish!

Instant Pot Beef Stew is a popular recipe here, and maybe a more popular choice when it comes to stews, but I promise that you’ll fall in love with the rich, comforting flavors of this pressure cooker chicken stew too.

If you’re looking for more instant pot comfort food, be sure to try my Instant Pot Butter Chicken recipe, Instant Pot Chili, and Instant Pot Taco Pasta.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. The Instant Pot Makes it Fast – Cooking time for chicken stew in the instant pot is less than 15 minutes, including the time that the machine takes to build up pressure. In the oven or on the stovetop, a recipe like this would need to simmer for an hour or more!
2. Traditional Flavors – Rich, savory chicken in a creamy thick sauce with lots of veggies and herbs is such amazing comfort food. It’s very similar to chicken a la king or chicken pot pie soup.
3. Inexpensive Meal – Chicken thighs stew is a budget-friendly meal because chicken thighs are generally cheaper than chicken breast. The good news is that they’re tastier too!
4. Versatile Recipe – You can add extra ingredients to this instant pot chicken stew to give it more nutrition and flavor. Almost any veggies can be tossed in. You can adjust the seasonings to your preference, or even make this with turkey, pork, or a different type of protein. Instant Pot recipes like this one are very forgiving.

Ingredients In Instant Pot Chicken Stew

Here’s what you need to make this quick and easy comforting meal:

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

• Chicken: You’ll need boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Chicken Stock: Use chicken stock or broth, either one will work just fine.
• Oil and Butter: Use olive oil and a bit of butter to sautee the veggies in the instant pot before pressure cooking the stew.
• Onion, celery, carrots, garlic: Aromatic vegetables are a must for a comfort food pressure cooker chicken stew. Chop the veggies into small pieces, but not so small that they’ll when cooked.
• Potatoes: Diced potatoes add bulk to this dish. Regular white potatoes work well here, but you can use any type of potatoes that you have. Baby red potatoes are another great option.
• Dried Herbs: 1 bay leaf, and a blend of thyme, rosemary, and sage give this stew a wonderful savory flavor.
• Frozen Peas: I add these at the end so that they don’t get mushy. You can also use frozen cut green beans if you prefer.
• Heavy Cream: A little bit of heavy cream gives instant pot chicken stew a delicious texture, but you can leave it out if you don’t want the extra calories or creaminess.
• Cornstarch: Make a slurry of cornstarch and water to add to the stew to thicken the broth.

How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Stew

1. Saute Veggies: Choose the SAUTE medium setting on the Instant Pot, then heat the olive oil and melt the butter. Add onion, celery, and carrots, and saute until the onion is soft and translucent.
2. Then Chicken and Garlic: Add the chicken and cook for 1-2 minutes (this is totally optional, but I think it helps with the texture of the meat), then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Switch off the saute setting.
3. Fill the Instant Pot: Add the potatoes, chicken stock, herbs, and salt and pepper to the pot.
4. Cook: Secure the Instant Pot lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 4 minutes at high pressure. The instant pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure, and then will start cooking. When finished, quickly release the steam.

1. Add Cream: Carefully remove the lid. Find and discard the bay leaf, give everything a stir, and add the peas and heavy cream.
2. Thicken: Add the cornstarch slurry and stir. The cornstarch will thicken the stew in a few minutes.
3. Serve: Serve right away, with a garnish of fresh parsley and freshly cracked pepper.

Recipe Tips

• Don’t forget about the bay leaf: It’s not edible and should be removed from the stew before you serve it.
• If you don’t want creamy stew, just leave out the heavy cream. You can also use half and half to reduce the calories.
• Try fresh herbs: If you have them, fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage will be delicious in this recipe!
• If you don’t have all of the herbs, use 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning instead. The herbs in that blend are slightly different, but will still make your stew taste great.
• Prep Ahead: You can chop the veggies and chicken the night before and store them in the fridge so that you can just toss everything in the Instant Pot at dinner time.

Storing Tips

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy within 3-4 days. You can reheat chicken stew in the microwave, or in a small saucepan over low heat.

What To Serve With Instant Pot Chicken Stew

The nice thing about a hearty stew with chicken, potatoes, and vegetables is that it’s already a full meal without the need for side dishes! But, I highly suggest that you serve this with crusty bread, rolls, or breadsticks.

If you’d like to add extra veggies to this stew, you can sautee or steam your favorites, and stir them in after pressure cooking. Asparagus, bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, or broccoli will all be delicious!

Don’t forget dessert! You’ll have time to make a sweet treat since dinner will be so simple. Try my recipes for Pear Crisp or Pecan Pie Cheesecake.

FAQs

This hearty, creamy Instant Pot Chicken Stew is packed with big flavor and so simple to make! You can make this homestyle meal even on a busy weeknight because it cooks so quickly. Be sure to Pin the recipe!