Instant Pot Chicken Stew

This hearty instant pot chicken stew is ready in less than 30 minutes and makes an EPIC weeknight dinner.

In each spoonful, you’ll taste perfectly cooked flavorful chicken, potatoes, and veggies in a light, creamy broth laced with rosemary and thyme. The best part? The pressure cooker or Instant Pot does all the heavy lifting.

This Instant Pot chicken stew has all the flavors and ingredients you’d expect from the classic Chicken Stew Recipe where you feel like each bowl is a meal for your soul.

Another great reason to make this recipe? Leftovers, if you have any, taste better the next day. Are you hungry yet? I know I am. Let’s make this happen!

Ingredients

In my book, carrots, potatoes, and peas are a MUST for stew. They go perfectly with stewed meat and a rich broth. 

Below is a list of the ingredients (measurements in the recipe card at the bottom) you’ll need to make this recipe plus additional veggies you can add in:

• Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breast
• Onion
• Celery 
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Chicken broth
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Bay leaves
• Green peas, canned or frozen
• Half & half- or coconut milk to make this dairy-free

Other veggies you could use or add-in to this stew: 

• Green beans, fresh, canned, or frozen
• Mushrooms, fresh or frozen
• Spinach or kale, fresh or frozen
• Or swap the chicken out and make it a Turkey Stew

Looking for new ways to serve chicken to your family? Check out the Chicken. It’s What’s for Dinner ebook. With 70+ plus recipes and a complete guide on how to cook with chicken, you won’t be getting bored anytime soon. 

How to Make Chicken Stew in the Instant Pot

Making chicken stew in the instant pot requires no browning chicken or sauteing veggies. Simply add everything to the pot and set to cook. This recipe has the same ingredients as my slow cooker chicken stew, but the cooking time is way faster. 

Here’s what to do: 

1. Prep
   Chop the veggies, potatoes, and chicken. 
2. Sauté
   Add a little oil to the pot of the Instant Pot and in sauté mode, cook the chicken for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until it’s mostly cooked through.
3. Combine
   Add all of the remaining ingredients, minus the cream and the peas, inside the pressure cooker. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, seal, and close the release valve. Cook on HIGH for 15 minutes. 
4. Release
   Once the cycle is finished, allow it to sit for 10 minutes on natural release. Carefully open the pressure valve to release the steam away from you. Remove the lid and stir in the green peas and cream. Place the lid back on and wait 3 minutes for the peas to heat through.
5. Enjoy
   Give the chicken stew a quick stir, and ladle it into a bowl. Serve it homemade rolls or thick, crusty bread. 

Watch this step-by-step recipe video to see just how simple it can be to make this chicken stew in the Instant Pot.

Which Release to Use

Once the pressure cooker comes to pressure, it will cook on high for 15 minutes. Your timer will announce that “time’s up.” At this point, wait 10 minutes; this adds time for the chicken to cook through fully and the potatoes reach tender perfection.

Then, turn the pressure release valve carefully to allow the steam to release. Once all the pressure is out, it is safe to open the lid.

How Long Does it Take to Make Chicken Stew in the Instant Pot

The Instant Pot is the quickest way to make this easy chicken stew. The total cooking time from start to finish is 30 minutes, which means you can have this ready in less than 30 if you prep the chicken and veggies ahead of time.

Below is a breakdown of the amount of time for each cycle:

• Sauté: 5 minutes
• Manual High: 15 minutes
• Natural release (wait): 10 minutes

How to Thicken Chicken Stew

A stew should have a rich broth that’s thicker in consistency compared to a soup. If you noticed yours is on the watery side you can thicken it up in 1 of 2 ways:

Thicken it with flour or cornstarch
In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon corn starch or flour with 1 tablespoon cold water. Whisk them together until smooth and add it to stew after you add in the peas and cream. As the peas heat through, the stew will also thicken.

Mash some of the potatoes
Once the stew is finished cooking, you’ve added the peas and cream, use a large spoon to remove some of the potatoes out of the chicken stew onto a bowl or plate. Using a fork or the back of the spoon, mash them up and return them into the pot. The released starches will help thicken the broth.