This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This hearty Instant Pot chicken stew is a fast and flavorful meal the entire family with love! It only takes 10 minutes to prep and most of the cooking is hands off. Best of all, it’s packed with protein and great as leftovers!
This flavor-packed chicken stew has quickly become my favorite meal to make in the Instant Pot. I love using my Instant Pot to make Healthy Chicken Tikka, Chicken Enchilada Soup, and even jasmine rice. But, every time I have this hearty, comforting stew, it miraculously solves all of my problems.
That’s a slight exaggeration, however I’m confident that this is the best Instant Pot chicken stew recipe you’ll find! It’s nourishing, easy to make and packed with protein. And best of all, the entire family will love it!
This recipe also works great for meal prep and leftovers are delicious. Even though it’s a stew, it’s light enough to eat year round. Feel free to swap the veggies for your favorites or use bone broth instead of chicken broth to up the collagen!
Jump to:
Ingredient Notes
- Onions: Use a small to medium yellow or sweet onion.
- Carrots: Make sure to purchase whole carrots. I dice carrots into coins, then half coins if the carrot is thicker near the top
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: Thighs work great in the recipe because it adds flavor and the chicken remains moist. Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces and trim any excess fat off in the process.
- Garlic: 1 head of garlic provides you with about 10 cloves garlic. Use medium to large garlic cloves and use a garlic press to speed up the mincing process.
- Chicken broth: Use a simple chicken broth or you can use chicken bone broth for added flavor, protein, and collagen!
- Potatoes: Small red or yellow potatoes work best.
- Bay leaves: These are dried and can be found in the spice section at the grocery store.
- Italian seasoning: This is a seasoning blend available at most grocery stores
- Cornstarch – This helps to thicken the stew. Make sure to dissolve it in 1/4 cup water before adding it to the stew.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Vegetables – You can swap the potatoes for sweet potatoes, or use corn or peas in place of the other vegetables.
- Chicken thighs – boneless chicken breasts also work in this recipe
- Garlic – Skip the cloves and swap for 1 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder.
- Chicken broth – A turkey or beef broth is also fine to use in this recipe. If you use a vegetable broth, note that there will be much less flavor and you may need to up the spices and/or salt.
- Italian seasoning – If you don’t have Italian seasoning on hand, use 1/3 teaspoon of basil, thyme, and oregano.
- Cornstarch – Arrowroot is a corn-free thickening agent that works just as good as cornstarch.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Stew
- Sautรฉ: Turn on the Instant Pot and select the SAUTE function. Once hot, melt the butter or olive oil, then add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Press CANCEL. Add a splash of the chicken broth to deglaze the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits of food stuck to the bottom of the insert.
- Combine: Add the remaining broth, potatoes, bay leaves, sea salt, Italian seasoning, sage, and black pepper to the pot.
- Cook: Secure the lid and set the vent to sealing. Select the PRESSURE COOK or MANUAL function and cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually by switching the valve to the venting position. Remove the lid and stir.
- Thicken: Combine the cornstarch/arrowroot and water in a small dish and stir until dissolved. Remove the lid of the Instant Pot and discard the bay leaves. Select SAUTE, then stir in the cornstarch mixture. Let everything simmer for 3-4 minutes until thickened.
- Serve: Serve with freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Cooking Tips
- Prep your ingredients in advance. You can dice the chicken and vegetables up to 24 hours in advance to save time and make cooking a breeze! Just store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge.
- Dice the carrots into coins or half coins. I dice carrots into coins, then half coins if the carrot is thicker near the top. If theyโre too small, theyโll be too soft and dissolve in the stew.
- Keep the potatoes between 1 – 1 ยฝ inches thick. Any smaller, and theyโll start to fall apart in the cooking process.
- Add more salt and pepper after cooking. Test the stew after cooking, and add ยผ – ยฝ teaspoon more of salt to taste.
Recipe FAQs
Chicken stew takes about 10 minutes to cook in the Instant Pot on High Pressure. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before using the quick release method. This will allow the chicken to fully cook without becoming too dry.
Deglazing a pressure cooker is simply the process of adding liquid to the pot after sautรฉing ingredients to loosen and dissolve the flavorful browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Don’t skip this step! Deglazing helps prevent the dreaded “Burn” error message you can get during the cooking process.
Depending on the size of your Instant Pot, yes! Double the ingredients, but do NOT double the cook time. Note that it make take longer for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.
Ways to Serve
The best thing about chicken stew made with potatoes and vegetables is that it doesn’t need a side! However, soups and stews also taste fantastic with anything that can help soak up the liquid, including crackers, bread, or even a little brown jasmine rice!
This stew also pairs perfectly with salads. Try my Classic House Salad Recipe or my Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetables if you’d rather have a variety of cooked veggies.
Storage
STORE: Chicken stew made in the Instant Pot stores really well in the refrigerator and leftovers are amazing! Place any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
FREEZE: To freeze, just place the soup in an airtight storage container. I like using mason jars or Le Parfait super jars. Let the soup cool completely before storing and leave room for the liquid to expand in the jar. Here are some great tips for storing soup in glass jars. This will keep in the freezer up to 3 months.
REHEAT: Reheat in a saucepan over low to medium heat until warm.
More Chicken Recipes
- Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
- Grilled Chicken Skewers
- Healthy Chicken Tikka Masala
- Healthy Baked Orange Chicken
- How to Make Chicken Bone Broth
Instant Pot Chicken Stew
This hearty Instant Pot chicken stew is a fast and flavorful meal the entire family with love! It only takes 10 minutes to prep and most of the cooking is hands off. Best of all, it’s packed with protein and great as leftovers!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 ยฝ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 lb yellow or red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ยฝ teaspoon dried sage
- ยฝ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot (mixed with ยผ cup water)
- Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Sautรฉ: Turn on the Instant Pot and select the SAUTE function. Once hot, melt the butter or olive oil, then add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Press CANCEL. Add a splash of the chicken broth to deglaze the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits of food stuck to the bottom of the insert.
- Combine: Add the remaining broth, potatoes, bay leaves, sea salt, Italian seasoning, sage, and black pepper to the pot.ย
- Cook: Secure the lid and set the vent to sealing. Select the PRESSURE COOK or MANUAL function and cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually by switching the valve to the venting position. Remove the lid and stir.
- Thicken: Combine the cornstarch/arrowroot and water in a small dish and stir until dissolved. Remove the lid of the Instant Pot and discard the bay leaves. Select SAUTE, then stir in the cornstarch mixture. Let everything simmer for 3-4 minutes until thickened.
- Serve: Serve with freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts work great in this recipe.
- Use bone broth for added collagen, protein, and more flavor!
- Yellow potatoes can be subbed for red or sweet potatoes.
- Deglazing the pan simply removes any caramelized or brown bits that are stuck. To deglaze, just add a splash of the broth, and use a silicone or wooden spatula to remove any food stuck to the bottom of the insert. If you skip this, it can trigger a BURN message which will stop the cooking process.
- Donโt have Italian seasoning on hand? Use ยฝ teaspoon dried oregano and ยฝ teaspoon dried basil instead.
- Donโt forget to remove the bay leaves! They arenโt edible.
Recipe by: Noelle Tarr / Coconuts and Kettlebells | Photography by: Casey Colodny / The Mindful Hapa
Katie H says
Great flavor and easy to make!
Nicole says
Can your instant pot recipes be converted to slow cooker recipes? if so, how?
Noelle Tarr, NTP, CPT says
Hi Nicole! I personally haven’t tried it, but if I do I will let you know. There are some general guidelines people typically follow for conversions, but I’m not someone who has tested it personally.