Instant pot chicken stew is a simple and delicious and ready in under 30 minutes. Packed with chicken, carrots, and potatoes this is a hearty dinner your kids will love. Gluten-free.
Chicken Stew in the instant pot is perfect for cold winter nights when you need a warm bowl of hearty vegetables, flavorful broth, and tender chicken. It is the ultimate comfort food. Plus, it is a kid-friendly recipe that is nutritious and delicious.
Related: A Beginners Guide To Everything You Need To Know About Your Instant Pot & How To Use An Instant Pot
How to make:
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté.
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil, then sauté onions and add salt, pepper, and thyme.
- Add chopped chicken breasts and cornstarch, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add potatoes, carrots, and broth.
- Cover, make sure the valve is turning to “SEALING”. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Quick-release and serve.
Add all ingredients (except the olive oil) to the bottom of the slow cooker. Cook on high for 2-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
Start by sautéing butter and onions in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
Next, add chopped chicken and spices. I chop my chicken into 1-inch pieces because it is the perfect bite-sized piece for my kids.
Once the spices have been sprinkled into the Instant Pot, add the cornstarch and stir. The purpose of the cornstarch is to thicken the stew.
Add the potatoes. I typically peel my potatoes when making stew because my kids do not like the texture of the potato skin. But it is up to you if you want to do this step!
WHAT TYPE OF POTATOES
I like to use waxy potatoes, which include red potatoes, Yukon potatoes or Fingerling potatoes in the stew because these varieties are low in starch and high in moisture. They will hold their shape in the soup, unlike high starch potatoes.
However, if you are looking to make a creamy chicken stew, Idaho or russet potatoes are great options. These varieties are high starch, low moisture potatoes, which means they will absorb the liquid from the stew and create a creamy texture.
Add the carrots and chicken broth.
CAN I ADD OTHER VEGETABLES?
Absolutely! When considering other ingredients to add, think about the time you want to spend making the stew and the vegetables your family enjoys. For me, my go-to combination is potatoes and carrots because the ingredients are quick to chop & my kids love both. However, get adventurous and add celery, onions, tomatoes or your favorite vegetable.
Secure the lid on your Instant Pot and set the timer for 10 minutes.
INSTANT POT TIP: Keep in mind that when you turn on the Instant Pot, the machine needs time to build pressure. The time that it takes for this pressure to build does NOT count toward the cooking time.
On my machine, I know the pressure is built when the silver pin on the top is raised. At that point, the timer that I originally set will start counting down.
Once the timer goes off, use the quick release function on your Instant Pot and remove the lid.
Substitutions
I always add salt, pepper, and thyme to season my chicken stew. However, I find that new spices sneak into the recipe each time I make it. I recommend using a variety and finding the spice combination that you prefer. Here are a few different spices that you could add to create a delicious flavor:
- Rosemary
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Red chili flakes
- Fennel seeds
- Ginger
- Basil
- Oregano
FAQ
When I make stew or soup, I prefer to use the quick release so my vegetables don’t overcook. I am not a fan of mushy vegetables in my stew and I have found that using the quick release makes my potatoes and carrots the perfect texture.
Yes! Simply add all ingredients (you can skip the olive oil) to the bottom of the slow cooker. Cook on high for 2-4 hour or low 6-8 hours.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- Instant Pot Colcannon
- Chinese Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Brussels Sprout Soup
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Instant Pot Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces ✅
- 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2-3 cups sliced carrots
- 3 cups chicken broth ✅
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon thyme ✅
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- ⭐️Saute onions then add chicken. Turn instant pot to saute mode. Saute butter and onions until translucent. Add chicken, salt, pepper, and thyme.1.5 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces, 1 large onion, diced, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- ⭐️Brown the chicken then add the rest of the ingredients. Brown chicken, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in cornstarch. Add potatoes, carrots, and broth.3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed, 2-3 cups sliced carrots, 2 tablespoon cornstarch, 3 cups chicken broth
- Cook. Cover, make sure the valve is turned to sealing. Cook for 10 minutes. Quick release and serve.
Notes
Crockpot Instructions
Add all ingredients (skip the olive oil) to the bottom of the slow cooker. Cook on high for 2-4 hour or low 6-8 hours. CCK Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination. The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.Nutrition
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Geri says
I’ve been looking for an Instant Pot chicken soup. Yum!