Instant Pot Chicken Stew
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Instant Pot Chicken Stew is the perfect one-pot recipe when you’re looking for a meal to warm you up. It’s healthy comfort food at its best!
If you’re looking for more ways to prepare chicken and potatoes in your Instant Pot, check out my Lemon Garlic Chicken and Potatoes or my Chicken Pot Pie!
I crave this meal on dreary, cold days and I love that it’s a filling, balanced meal made in one pot. This version of chicken stew is fantastic for those that need a dairy-free option (no cream here!) and it also doesn’t use a thickener like cornstarch.
Another reason we love this Instant Pot Chicken Stew recipe: it freezes and reheats beautifully so it’s perfect for meal prep!
Ingredients and Variations
Here’s an overview of the steps and ingredients to make pressure cooker chicken stew. See the recipe card below for all the details!
- Chicken breast – boneless, skinless
- Mini potatoes – you can also substitute regular yellow potatoes, chopped to a similar size
- Carrots and peas – classic additions to chicken stew
- Onion, celery and garlic – for deeper flavour
- Chicken broth – or use water + Chicken Better Than Bouillon
- Fresh rosemary and thyme – we prefer fresh herbs in the stew, but it’s also delicious made with a dried poultry seasoning blend
- Bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce – adding more layers to that flavour!
- White wine vinegar – a small amount to brighten the flavour after cooking
How to make it
First, use the Sauté function to sauté the onion and celery in a bit of olive oil. Once they’re softened and fragrant, turn off the sauté function, then add the minced garlic and cook for about a minute in the residual heat.
Next, deglaze the pot by adding a small amount of broth. Use flat-bottomed spatula to scrape up any bits of food stuck to the bottom of the insert.
Pour in the remaining broth, then add the rosemary, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Add the diced carrot in an even layer, then layer the chicken breasts on top.
Finally, add the baby potatoes and peas. Do not stir.
Pressure cook on High for 10 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before quick releasing the remaining pressure.
Transfer the chicken breasts to a clean cutting board and shred or chop into bite-size pieces. Find and discard the bay leaves. To thicken the stew, transfer about 2 ladlefuls of the stew (liquid and vegetables) to a medium bowl. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth and creamy like a soup.
Stir the blended portion back into the stew, along with the teaspoon of white wine vinegar, then mix in the chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste, garnish with parsley and serve!
Tips for Success
How to freeze
Transfer the stew to a storage container, leaving about half an inch at the top to account for expansion. Cool the stew completely, then place the lid on the container. Freeze for up to three months.
How to thaw
Place in the refrigerator overnight or defrost in the microwave.
How to reheat
Stovetop: Reheat in a sauce pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 °F. Add more broth as necessary to reach your desired consistency.
Microwave: Heat individual portions on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring partway for even heating. Ensure it reaches an internal temperature of 165 °F.
More Instant Pot chicken recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
- Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice
- Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai
- Instant Pot Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
- Instant Pot Pesto Chicken Pasta
- Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas
- Instant Pot Chicken Salad
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Instant Pot Chicken Stew
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth (or 2 teaspoons Chicken Better Than Bouillon + 2 cups water)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (see note 1)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste after cooking)
- 4 carrots, sliced into thick rounds
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (three 8-ounce breasts )
- 1.5 lbs baby yellow potatoes (can sub regular yellow potatoes, 1- to 1.5-inch dice)
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- freshly ground black pepper
- optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Turn on the Sauté function on your Instant Pot and wait until the screen says "hot". Add the olive oil, then sauté the onion and celery until softened and fragrant. Add the garlic, turn off the Sauté function and continue to sauté for about a minute in the residual heat. To deglaze, pour in a small amount of broth and use a spatula to scrape up any bits of food stuck to the bottom of the insert.
- Pour in the remaining broth, then add the Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and kosher salt. Add the sliced carrot in an even layer.
- Season both sides of each chicken breast with salt and pepper, then place them in an even layer on top of the carrots. Layer the baby potatoes on top, then the peas. Do not stir.
- Close the lid and set the vent to sealing. Pressure Cook on Manual High pressure for 10 minutes (your Instant Pot model may have a "Pressure Cook" button rather than a "Manual" button). It will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure.
- At the end of cooking time, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure. Carefully transfer the chicken breasts to a clean cutting board and remove the bay leaves. To thicken the stew, ladle about 2 cups of the vegetables and broth into a medium bowl and use an immersion blender to blend it until smooth. Stir the blended portion into the stew, along with the teaspoon of white wine vinegar.
- Dice the cooked chicken into bite-size pieces, or use two forks to shred them. Stir the chicken back into the stew. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with biscuits or crusty bread. Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator and eat within 4 days.
Notes
- If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can substitute 2 teaspoons of poultry seasoning.
- Inactive time indicates the time it takes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure and release pressure.
- See post for freezing and reheating instructions.
- This recipe was tested in both 6-quart and 8-quart Instant Pot models.
Nutrition Estimate
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a review below and share your results!
Love this stew! I used 2 teaspoons of poultry seasoning instead of fresh herbs and it turned out perfect. Great stew to warm up to. Husband loved it and asked to add it to the rotation. Making again tonight less than 3 weeks later! Thank you!
Love hearing this, Sarah! So happy you both love it!
Loved by all!
Thrilled to hear this, Nettie!
Quick, easy, turned out great! I used what I had on hand: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts vs 3; three large Russet potatoes vs small potatoes; a bag of mini carrots vs 4 sliced carrots; marjoram and oregano vs thyme; dried herbs vs fresh. Everything worked out perfectly except the potatoes are a bit mushy. Also, I don’t have an immersion blender so I used the regular blender which is fine, just a bit more cleanup. Will make this again!
This is a fantastic tasting, easy to execute meal! It tastes just like chicken pot pie without the pastry and without needing to use dairy. I had a rotisserie chicken already in the house, so I used the pre-cooked chicken breast, making it completely fall-apart and shreddable after the 2nd cooking in the IP.
This is definitely going into our family’s rotation. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing how it went using rotisserie! So glad you enjoy the recipe!
Me and all family loved this recipe. We will be having this again and again.
It was easy to do.
It was very tasty.
I thought it was gonna be hard to do but even I could do it.
Thank you for this recipe.
This is wonderful to hear! So glad your family enjoyed the stew!
Great recipe, add 1/4 cup red wine before pressure cooking for more taste
So glad you enjoyed it!
I didn’t have fresh rosemary, so I opted for the poultry seasoning. Overall it was a bit bland so I added mustard, rice vinegar, smoked paprika, fish sauce, and Korean red pepper flakes (sweet and hot). The Fam liked the additions. But will try with the rosemary soon.
Man, this was some kind of good! I wasn’t expecting to be amazed, but I was! I followed the recipe exactly, except I sautéed all the veggies together for about 20 minutes until the carrots were good and tender, then I placed the chicken over top. I also added 1/2 cup canned, drained pigeon peas at the end. The chicken was so tender, it literally fell apart. The seasonings were spot on. I’m in love with this stew!!
This is wonderful to hear! So glad you love it!
Ooops, I forgot an essential ingredient, also add 1+ cup of chopped red kale!
Thanks for posting this! I’m an instantpot newbie (Cosori version) and this provided a great framework/template for experimenting with it.
I made a stoup version (somewhere between soup & stew in consistency) with changes: no potatoes or Worcestershire; sub two bone-in thighs for the breasts; sub cut green beans for the peas; 3+ cups of water with bullion; add two tablespoons of NM red chili powder (one hot, one mild). Really excellent! Serve with a dab of sour cream.
This is delicious! I ended up adding a cornstarch/ water mix after it was done since I like my stew thick and it wasn’t quite thick enough from blending the broth and veggies, as suggested. Served it with rolls.
Delightfully easy, wonderfully flavorful!
Thanks!
Made this stew today for Packers and Cowboys game!! It was a hit, delicious and nutritious!!
Thrilled to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a review!
Can I double the recipe in one batch?
Hi Susan, I think it would be fine in an 8-quart pot, but might be too much for a 6-quart. I’ll test a double batch soon and update the post with results!
Incredible meal! Definitely going on our regular rotation. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Brenda! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!