Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings

You never new a comfort food meal this delicious could come together so quickly and be so easy to make! These Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings are made all in one pot and take only a few minutes of hands-on prep time!!If you are looking for an alternative to my Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings, then today I’ve got these Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings just for you!! With all of the same great flavors, I’ve done the work of converting the recipe for those of you that prefer to use your pressure cooker for getting dinner on the table.  While both recipes take around the same amount of time, the Instant Pot requires a little less hands on time and no worries of overcooking.  The only real change I made was to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, but feel free to use whichever you prefer.  I personally prefer the flavor of the thighs, but if you are wondering which one will be a better nutritional fit for you, you can check out this article to learn more about the protein content of each.

Important notes for making chicken and dumplings in the Instant Pot:

• leave out dairy, flour and another other thickeners while pressure cooking.  If not, you could end up with a ruined recipe or worse yet, technical trouble with your Instant Pot
• you can brown the meat before using the sauté function if you would like to, but I don’t find it necessary in this recipe
• you will use the sauté function to bring the base to a boil after pressure cooking to cook the dumplings, but be careful as it does get quite hot very quickly

How do you know when your dumplings are cooked?

In this recipe, if you use the sauté function on your Instant Pot, they will cook quite quickly.  It should only take about 4-7 minutes for them to be done all of the way through.  You can tell for sure by sticking a toothpick in the center of a dumpling and if it comes out clean they should be done.  Be sure to size all your dumplings about the same so that they are all done at the same time.  It’s a fine line between undercooked and overcooked dumplings, so it is important to keep an eye on this part of the process. 

Can I customize this recipe to my own preferences?

Yes!! This is the beauty of cooking at home!  Here are a few pointers:

• make sure your meat to liquid ratio stays the same for best results
• Add or swap out veggies, just be sure that if you use veggies that cook faster than root veggies that you cut them in larger pieces
• Change out the seasoning blends to use your favorite.  I like herb and garlic seasoning, but any seasoning that goes well with savory chicken dishes should work here.
• Leave it more like a soup or add a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with equal water) when adding dumplings for a thicker finished dish

If you are a pressure cooking junkie like me, make sure to check out all of my Instant Pot recipes and learn more about Instant Pot cooking!

Step by Step video: How to Make Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings