This hearty instant pot chicken stew is a quick and simple to make one-pot dish that is comforting and nourishing. Cooked in under 30 minutes, it’s easy to make and loaded with vegetables which makes it a great choice for a simple homely meal. It’s gluten-free and dairy-free too.
If you want to try more instant pot recipes, here are some – Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup, Instant Pot Refried Beans, Instant Pot Taco Soup, Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup, and Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
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About This Recipe
Warm and rustic, Instant pot chicken stew is a delicious combination of chicken and vegetables cooked in a delicious creamy curry, perfect for those comforting weeknight dinners.
A good stew has a nicely balanced meat and vegetable ratio and is almost a complete meal loaded with proteins, vitamins, and minerals and this instant pot chicken is just that. This rustic, healthy and super delicious chicken dinner is a wholesome meal that is family-friendly and frugal too.
Traditionally stew was simmered for hours over low heat to get the perfect texture but now with the availability of instant pot, making it is a matter of minutes and that too without compromising on the taste and texture.
Why Make it in an Instant Pot when it can be done over the stovetop too, you may ask? This chicken stew can definitely be made on a stovetop but cooking it in an Instant Pot makes sure you don’t have to constantly watch it, more free time for you 🙂
Cooking it in an electric pressure cooker takes much lesser time (15 minutes of cook time and 10 minutes of building the steam) as compared to at least an hour of slow cooking on a stove top.
Make this IP stewed Chicken for a delicious winter meal and serve with crusty bread. I have posted many soup recipes that are perfect to serve during cold winter days. Do check them out as well.
This Instant Pot Chicken Stew is,
- Delicious
- Dairy Free
- Healthy
- Easy + Quick
- Loaded with vegetables
Ingredients
Chicken – I prefer using the boneless skinless chicken breast as they are low in fat but if you like your stew a little richer, use chicken thighs or even bone-in chicken. You can also choose to leave the skin on to make it even richer.
Vegetables – Along with the chicken, we will also use some vegetables such as onions, potato, carrot, and celery. You can add more vegetables such as green peas, mushroom, broccoli, water beans, etc if you like to make it wholesome and even more nutritious.
Red, yellow or white onion, all works great. Chop the carrots or use whole baby carrots.
Try to use waxy potatoes in place of starchy ones like Russet. If using baby potatoes, just cut them into half and if using regular ones, cut them into large pieces. You don’t want mushy potatoes in the stew. Leave the skin on or peel it, it’s up to you.
Chicken Stock – If you are watch your sodium intake, use low sodium broth.
Tomato Sauce – It gives a nice flavor to the stew. you can replace it with crushed tomatoes too.
Soy Sauce – To make the stew gluten free, use coconut aminos or tamari.
Cornflour – To thicken the stew a bit, I have used cornflour in this dish. Just mix the flour with a little water and add it in the end. It works as a great thickening agent in this recipe.
Other Ingredients – Other than the above ingredients, you will need bay leaf, oil, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
How to make Chicken Stew in Instant Pot?
Press SAUTE mode of Instant Pot. When it says hot, add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in the pot.
Once the oil is hot, add 1.5 pounds of boneless chicken cubes and let them brown for 6-8 minutes. Keep stirring them at regular intervals so that they brown evenly.
Add 2 cups of sliced carrots, 7 oz of halved baby potato, 2 stalks of celery (chopped), ½ cup sweet onion (sliced), and 2 tsp of chopped garlic to the pot. Fry for 5-6 minutes until onion begins to soften.
Add ¼ cup of tomato sauce, 2 tsp of soy sauce, 4 cups of chicken stock, 2 sprigs of rosemary, 2 tbsp of chopped parsley, 2 bay leaves, salt, and pepper and give everything a stir.
Cover the lid of the pot. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 10 minutes on HIGH PRESSURE. Set the valve to the sealing position.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the extra pressure by moving the valve to the venting position. Move the valve using a kitchen cloth to avoid steam burn on your fingers. Once all the pressure is released, open the lid of the pot. Mix cornstarch in water and add the flour slurry to the pot. Press SAUTE and cook until the stew thickens.
Serve hot with crusty bread.
Pro Tips by Neha
Prep the ingredients in advance to save time You can also buy chopped veggies to make it.
You can also use bone-in chicken or chicken thighs in place of chicken breast.
While we are pressure cooking the stew for 10 minutes, keep in mind that it will also take 10-12 minutes for the steam to build up.
Keep a check on the salt in the chicken broth and soy sauce before adding any additional salt.
I like to chop the onion in bulk using an electric chopper and refrigerating them for 3-4 days. It makes the cooking process quite quick.
You can add some heavy cream in the stew at the end of cooking to make it ricer.
To make it gluten free, use tamari or coconut aminos in place of soy sauce.
Make this stew in a slow cooker by just dumping all the ingredients in it and setting the timer for 5-6 hours at low.
You can easily double the recipe. I cooked it in a 6 quart Instant Pot. So if you are doubling it, use an 8 Quart cooker.
Serving Suggestions
I often make crusty baguettes at home, whenever this chicken stew is on the menu. Dip the crusty bread in the stew and eat it.
Some days when I want a little heavy meal, I serve it with Steamed White Rice, Brown Rice, or any other highly flavored rice. Check out my Instant Pot Brown Rice and Instant Pot Basmati Rice recipes.
You can also serve it along with a light salad such as Greek Salad, Caesar Salad or Brussels Sprout Salad, Dinner Rolls, or even creamy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and creamy Polenta.
You can also add some dumplings in the stew to make it filling.
Storage Suggestions
Let the chicken stew cool down completely. Once it is cooled, store it in an airtight container for about 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
You can freeze it for about 3 to 4 months in ziplock freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. Thaw it overnight before serving it again. The texture of the vegetables might change when frozen. They can become mushy while reheating.
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Recipe Card
Instant Pot Chicken Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds boneless chicken (cut into ½ inch cubes)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups peeled and sliced carrots
- 7 ounces halved baby potatoes
- 2 stalks chopped celery
- ½ cup sliced sweet onion
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 sprig rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- salt (to taste)
- black pepper powder (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Press SAUTE mode of Instant Pot. When it says hot, add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in the pot.
- Once the oil is hot, add 1.5 pounds of boneless chicken pieces and let them brown for 6-8 minutes. Keep stirring them at regular intervals so that they brown evenly.
- Add 2 cups of sliced carrots, 7 oz of halved baby potato, 2 stalks of celery (chopped), ½ cup sweet onion (sliced), and 2 tsp of chopped garlic to the pot. Fry for 5-6 minutes until onion begins to soften.
- Add ¼ cup of tomato sauce, 2 tsp of soy sauce, 4 cups of chicken stock, 2 sprigs of rosemary, 2 tbsp of chopped parsley, 2 bay leaves, salt, and pepper and give everything a stir.
- Cover the lid of the pot. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 10 minutes on HIGH PRESSURE. Set the valve to the sealing position.
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the extra pressure by moving the valve to the venting position. Move the valve using a kitchen cloth to avoid steam burn on your fingers. Once all the pressure is released, open the lid of the pot. Mix cornstarch in water and add the flour slurry to the pot. Press SAUTE and cook until the stew thickens.
- Serve hot with crusty bread.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!