Instant Pot Chicken Stew. A straightforward comfort food recipe from the Instant Pot, with chicken thighs and baby potatoes in a one pot meal.
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There are two finesse points to this chicken stew, which is one of my favorite comfort foods.
- Browning bone-in chicken thighs: It takes about twenty minutes to brown the chicken thighs - it takes two batches - but the extra time is worth it. Searing the chicken thighs adds roasted flavors to the stew, from the browned bits of chicken around the edges; also, it renders a lot of fat out of the chicken skin, so we can pour it off before continuing. Also, the bones add depth to the liquid - they give up some of their goodness, just like making broth. After the stew is cooked, I lift the chicken out with a slotted spoon, peel off the skin, remove the bone, and rough chop the meat before stirring it back in.
- Floating the carrots and potatoes above the stew in a steamer basket: The steamer basket keeps them above the liquid; they steam gently, instead of boiling (and overcooking) in the stew liquid.
Both of these finesse points can be skipped if you’re in a hurry - but if you don’t brown the chicken thighs, peel the skin off before adding them to the pot, so the stew doesn’t wind up too fatty.
Equipment
- 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I use an Instant Pot Duo electric pressure cooker)
- Steamer basket (I use a collapsible basket)
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil
- Chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
- Fine sea salt
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrot
- Tomato paste
- Dried thyme
- White wine
- Chicken broth
- Diced tomatoes
- Baby carrots
- Baby red potatoes
- Fresh ground black pepper
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Stew
Heat the vegetable oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode. Season the chicken with salt, then brown the chicken thighs in two batches, about 4 minutes a side. (Don't crowd the pot.) Move the browned thighs to a bowl.
Add the onions, carrot, celery, tomato paste, and thyme to the pot. Sauté until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Pour in the white wine, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 3 minutes, scraping any stuck bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add in the chicken broth, salt, and browned thighs (plus any chicken juices in the bowl.), and stir to combine. Pour the diced tomatoes on top, but don't stir.
Set the steamer basket on top of everything, and add the baby carrots and baby potatoes.
Pressure cook on High Pressure for 30 minutes with a 15 minute Natural Release.
Lift the basket of potatoes and carrots out of the pot, and cut the potatoes in half. Scoop the chicken thighs out with a slotted spoon and shred the chicken. (Discard the skin, bones, and any gristle). Stir the carrots, sliced potatoes, shredded chicken, and fresh ground black pepper back into the pot.
Substitutions
- I do not drink...wine: Replace the wine with extra chicken broth.
- Swap sweet potatoes for the baby potatoes: Peel a couple of sweet potatoes and cut them into large chunks, about 2 inches thick. Add them to the basket with the baby carrots.
Serve With
- This stew goes great with a starchy side dish to soak up the juices, like mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles. I served this stew over baked potatoes, and it was fantastic.
- A green vegetable (like green beans) helps balance out the hearty stew.
Tips and Tricks
- Cornstarch slurry: if you want to thicken up the pot liquid, make a cornstarch slurry by whisking together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water. Stir it into the pot after removing the chicken thighs.
Easy Instant Pot Chicken Stew
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
Instant Pot Chicken Stew recipe. Straightforward comfort food from the Instant Pot, with chicken thighs and baby potatoes in a one pot meal.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 6 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on (about 3½ pounds) or a cut-up whole chicken
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 rib celery, diced
- ¼ pound baby carrots, cut into ½ inch slices
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade or low-sodium store bought
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth)
- 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- ¾ pound baby carrots
- 1½ pounds baby potatoes (aka new potatoes)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Sear the chicken in batches: Season the chicken with 2 teaspoons salt. Heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil sauté mode in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker until shimmering. (Use medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker.) Brown the chicken in 2 batches, three pieces in each batch. (Don’t crowd the pot, or the chicken will steam instead of browning.) Sear the chicken for 4 minutes per side, or until well browned, then remove to a bowl and sear the next batch. Once all the chicken is browned, pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the cooker. (The chicken skin will release a lot of oil into the pot.)
- Sauté the aromatics: Add the onion, celery, sliced carrots, tomato paste, and thyme to the pot. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté for five minutes, or until the onions are softened. Add the white wine to the pot, bring to a simmer, and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. Simmer the wine until reduced by half - about 3 minutes.
- Everything into the pot: Stir in the chicken broth and 1 teaspoon of salt (if using homemade broth), then add the chicken thighs and any chicken juices from the bowl. Pour the tomatoes on top, but don’t stir. Put a steamer basket on top of everything in the pot - don't worry if it's a little submerged, it will be fine - and put the potatoes and carrots in the steamer basket.
- Pressure cook for 30 minutes with a 15 minute natural release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, or for 25 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure to come down naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release any pressure left in the pot.
- Shred and serve: Carefully lift the steamer basket of potatoes and carrots out of the pot, then scoop the chicken pieces out with a slotted spoon. Cut the potatoes in half, and then stir the carrots and potatoes back into the stew. Shred the chicken, discarding the skin, bones, and gristle, and stir the shredded chicken meat back into the stew. Stir in the fresh ground black pepper. Serve and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Sunday dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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My other pressure cooker recipes
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Charlie DeSando says
Mike, very nicely done, looks great!
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you!
Mike from Austin says
Didn't know what to make for dinner this evening, and have some great friends who raise chicken, so I searched your recipes and found this. Had a freezer failure recently, which depleted my stockpile of stock, and the store bought stock that I brought home had been violated by someone opening the container and puncturing the seal. (Who does that type of thing at a food coop?) So I made it with just water. Made the recipe with full size cooking carrots sliced 1/4 inch added all at the beginning. Did the steamer thing with the potatoes. Used Rose wine, because it was what was open. Did some improvisational seasoning at the end to balance the flavors. This is a solid recipe in terms of proportions and our meal was excellent. I think that I have told you that I canceled my subscription to Cooks Illustrated. Your recipes are more consistent and less fussy than theirs. You are my go to guy for pressure cooker recipes!
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks!
Linda Garber says
Served this chicken stew, minus the potatoes, along with a tradionally cooked beef daube and half my guests preferred the chicken.
Anne says
We love this. I’ve made it at least 4 times already. I save time by browning the chicken on the stove in at big pan (saves a few batches but it does dirty an extra pan) and I cut the veggies while the chicken browns. Thanks!
Judy says
Very yummy. I had to make it with a couple of chicken breasts for purist hubby, but he licked the plate and the thighs were wonderful.
Penelope says
Does this have to be thighs? My husband doesn't like dark meat. Would you suggest bone in chicken breast?
Mike Vrobel says
It's much better with dark meat - the white meat will probably overcook. You can try it if you want - cut the time back to 20 minutes at high pressure, with a 15 minute natural pressure release. If you try it, let me know how it goes?
Jessica Elliott says
Yes you can make it with white meat. Just cut it the same way. Good luck
Eileen says
This recipe is EXCELLENT! I made it twice in a row because it was so good. Total winner. Thanks, Mike!
Robin says
Just a few questions. The ingredients and picture would suggest you saute some of the carrots with the onions and celery? Also, garlic isn't listed as an ingredient but you mention to saute it with the onions and celery?
Mike V says
The text of the recipe should have said "sliced carrots" where it said "garlic". Fixed.
Lynd says
Recipe looks great! I'm trying to understand how you put the steamer basket 'on top' like that - what did you set it on? I too have an IP and several different racks & baskets, but am not sure how this works. Is the metal steamer floating? I'd think it would just sink if doing that - please explain. 🙂
Mike V says
It sits on top of the other ingredients. It's not a precise method, but that's OK - it holds the potatoes and carrots out of the liquid enough to keep them from overcooking.
Jackie says
I have to say Mike but I think this is one of my favs! I love reheating this for lunch at work. Keep these great recipes coming.
Mike V says
Thank you!
Steve Coppage says
Great! We didn't have the carrots in the refrigerator but it tasted great. Will definitely come back to this recipe! Your homemade stock always makes a BIG difference in the resulting taste. Thanks!
Will says
The steamer basket technique is really interesting- I am not quite sure I get it. The bottom of the basket is in contact with the liquid below?
I'm new to the instant pot and i'm looking for new recipes- this one looks awesome.
Mike V says
The steamer basket raises the carrots and potatoes out of the liquid, so they steam, and don't cook as quickly. The carrots in particular will turn to mush if they boil in the liquid.