Instant Pot Chicken Stew

Name: Instant Pot Chicken Stew Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (700 g, cut into ½ inch cubes.); 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 2 cups peeled and sliced carrots (¼-inch thick rounds); 7 ounces halved baby potatoes (200 g, or regular potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes.); 2 stalks chopped celery; ½ cup sliced onions; 2 teaspoons chopped garlic; ¼ cup tomato puree (or ½ cup crushed tomatoes or 2 tbsp tomato paste); 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free); 4 cups chicken stock; 2 sprig fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried rosemary); 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tsp dried parsley); 2 whole bay leaves; ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste); ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder (or to taste); 2 tablespoons cornstarch; ¼ cup water

By Neha Mathur

5 from 3 votes

on Jan 11, 2021, Updated Dec 13, 2023

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This hearty Instant Pot Chicken Stew is a quick, one-pot, comforting dish. Cooked in under 40 minutes, it’s easy to make and loaded with vegetables, making it an excellent choice for a simple homely meal.

If you want to try more Instant Pot recipes, here are some: Instant Pot Cuban Chicken Soup, Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and One-Pot Instant Pot Dal Makhani.

Instant Pot Chicken Stew served in a pan.

About Instant Pot Chicken Stew

Warm and rustic, Chicken Stew (Pressure Cooker Chicken Stew) combines 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 stew recipe is just that.

This healthy, low-carb, and super delicious chicken dinner is a wholesome one-pot, family-friendly, and frugal meal.

If you have tried my Jamaican Brown Chicken Stew, you will love this version, too.

This pressure cooker chicken stew recipe is not at all bland. It is loaded with flavors and makes for a healthy and filling dinner idea. It can be made any time of the year and is perfect for feeding a crowd.

You may ask why you should make it in an Instant Pot when it can be done over the stovetop.

This easy chicken stew can be made on a stovetop, but cooking it in an Instant Pot ensures you don’t have to watch it constantly, which means more free time.
Cooking it in an electric pressure cooker takes much less time than cooking on a stovetop.

This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. I used a 3-quart instant pot. If you are scaling the recipe, use a bigger pot. The cooking time will remain the same.

Ingredients

Chicken – I prefer using boneless skinless chicken breasts as they are low in fat, but if you like your stew a little richer, use boneless skinless chicken thighs or even bone-in chicken. You can also leave the skin on to make it even richer.

Vegetables – Along with the chicken, you will need onions, potatoes, carrots, and celery.

You can add more vegetables, such as green peas, mushrooms, broccoli, and green beans, to make the stew wholesome and even more nutritious.

Red, yellow, or white onion all works excellently. Chop the regular carrots or use whole baby carrots.

Try using waxy potatoes like New Potatoes, French Fingerlings, or Red Bliss instead of starchy ones like Russet potatoes. Waxy potatoes hold their shape well and will not become mushy after cooking.

If using baby potatoes, cut them in half; if using regular ones, cut them into 1-inch cubes. You can leave the skin on or peel it; it’s up to you.

You can also use sweet potatoes in place of regular ones. The stew will be slightly sweeter in this case.

Chicken Stock – If you are watching your sodium intake, use low-sodium broth.

Tomato Puree adds a nice flavor to the stew. You can replace it with crushed tomatoes or tomato paste.

Dark Soy Sauce – To make the stew gluten-free, use coconut aminos or tamari.

Cornstarch – I have used cornstarch to thicken the stew a bit. Mix it with a little water and add the slurry at the end of the recipe.

You can also use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch or skip it if you are OK with a thinner stew.

Other Ingredients – You will also need bay leaves, extra virgin olive oil, fresh parsley, rosemary, salt, and black pepper powder.

If fresh herbs are not available, replace them with dried ones. You can also use an Italian seasoning mix.

Add a splash of white wine for a deeper flavor.

How To Make Chicken Stew In Instant Pot

Press the SAUTE button on the Instant Pot.

Add 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil to the pot when it says hot.

Once the oil is hot, add 1.5 pounds (700 g) of boneless chicken (cut into ½-inch cubes) and let them brown for 6-8 minutes. Stir them at regular intervals so that they brown evenly.

Boneless chicken added to the instant pot.

Once the chicken is browned, add the following ingredients to the pot. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the onions begin to soften. Stir a few times.

2 cups of sliced carrots
7 oz (200 g) of halved baby potatoes
2 stalks of celery (chopped)
½ cup sliced onions
2 teaspoon chopped garlic

Add the following ingredients and mix well.

¼ cup of tomato puree
2 teaspoon of dark soy sauce
4 cups of chicken stock
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 tablespoon of chopped parsley
2 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper powder

Soy sauce, chicken stock, herbs, tomato puree, salt and pepper added to the pot.

Close 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.

Timer set to 10 minutes at high pressure.

Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.

Release the remaining pressure by moving the valve to the venting position. Move the valve using a kitchen cloth or a spoon to avoid steam burns on your fingers. Once all the pressure is released, open the lid of the pot.

Mix 2 tablespoon cornstarch in ¼ cup water and add the slurry to the pot.

Press the SAUTE button and cook until the stew thickens (3-4 minutes), stirring frequently.

Check for salt and pepper and add more if needed.

Serve hot with crusty bread.

Pro Tips By Neha

Prep the ingredients in advance to save time. You can also buy pre-chopped veggies to make it.

You can also use bone-in chicken or chicken thighs instead of chicken breast.

While we are pressure cooking the stew for 10 minutes, remember that it will also take 10-12 minutes for the steam to build up.

Check the additional salt, as chicken broth and soy sauce already have a lot of salt.

You can add some heavy cream to the stew at the end of cooking to make it richer.

This stew tastes best the next day, so if you have time for preplanning, I highly suggest making it a day before serving. Make sure to refrigerate the ready stew and heat it well before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to make creamy chicken stew?

To make a creamy version of this stew, cook the stew with 1 cup of chicken stock instead of 4 cups. Once the stew is cooked and the lid of the instant pot is opened, stir in 2 cups of cream of chicken soup, 1 cup of sour cream, and ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Press SAUTE and cook for 5-8 minutes until the cheese melts. Serve hot.

How to make stovetop chicken stew?

To make this recipe over a stovetop, saute the chicken in oil in a large pot until it is browned. Add the remaining ingredients (except cornstarch). Reduce the heat to low and cook covered for 30-35 minutes. Add cornstarch slurry for 5 minutes.