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Instant Pot Chicken Stew comes together with simple ingredients for a warm, flavorful meal the whole family will love. Easy stovetop method included.
If you’re looking for another Instant Pot meal, then this chicken stew is for you! And if you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can prepare this stew on the stovetop. Either way, create a meal that is warm, comforting and delicious.
It’s the kind of hearty stew that’s perfect for busy chilly nights and tastes even better as leftovers the next day. The tender chunks of potatoes soak up the savory broth, creating a hearty, comforting stew that’s satisfying in every bite. It’s the kind of meal that brings everyone around the table with warm bread for dipping.
Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Chicken Stew
- Hearty and comforting: A delicious stew loaded with tender chicken, baby potatoes, russet potatoes, and fresh vegetables that warms you up on colder months.
- Quick and easy: Thanks to the Instant Pot, this recipe cooks in a fraction of the time of traditional stew without sacrificing flavor.
- Family-friendly: Loved by kids and adults alike. Perfect with bread for dipping or served over rice for extra heartiness.
- Versatile: Swap in sweet potatoes, green beans, or chicken thighs for easy variations to suit your family’s taste.
- Meal-prep friendly: Stores well in an airtight container, making it a great option for leftovers or next-day lunches.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Vegetables – This recipe calls for onion, celery and potatoes. You can substitute the red potatoes with sweet potatoes or use green beans, peas or corn, if desired.
- Chicken – Boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs work in this recipe.
- Spices – If you don’t have Italian seasoning, you can use 1/4 teaspoon each of rosemary, basil, thyme and oregano.
- Broth – You can use vegetable broth for this recipe, but the flavor may be different.
- Cornstarch – You can use use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch. You can also omit the cornstarch completely, but the stew will be thinner.
How to Cook Chicken Stew in the Instant Pot
- Sauté the aromatics: Turn on the Instant Pot and select the Sauté function. Melt the butter, then add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for 4–5 minutes until softened. Stir occasionally and scrape the bottom so nothing sticks. This builds flavor and prevents a burn notice.
- Layer in flavor: Add garlic and seasonings, cooking for about 30 seconds until fragrant. This step wakes up the spices and gives depth to your stew.
- Add the main ingredients: Stir in the chicken, potatoes, broth, and bay leaves. Make sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Those add rich flavor and help avoid the burn error.
- Seal and cook under pressure: Secure the lid and set the valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come up to pressure before the timer starts.
- Natural release for tenderness: When the cook time is done, allow a 10-minute natural release. This means you just let the Instant Pot sit. Steam will release slowly, which keeps the chicken juicy and potatoes tender.
- Finish and thicken: After 10 minutes, carefully switch the valve to Venting for a quick release of the remaining pressure. Open the lid and stir in a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with water). Switch back to Sauté mode and simmer for 4–5 minutes until the stew thickens to your liking.
- Serve and enjoy: Remove bay leaves, stir in fresh parsley, and ladle the stew into bowls. It should be hearty, creamy, and full of tender chicken and vegetables.
Stovetop Instructions:
- Brown the chicken in a large pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and cook until vegetables are tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and spices. Add the potatoes, browned chicken and chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes.
- Mix together the cornstarch and water. Add to the pot and simmer for an additional 10 minutes uncovered.
Tips & Substitutions for Chicken Stew
- Save time: Prep and chop your ingredients in advance.
- Flavor: Add more or less seasoning to fit your taste. You can even add a fresh squeeze of lemon at the end to elevate the flavor. Using boneless chicken thighs also helps create more flavor.
- Vegetables: Swap red potatoes with baby potatoes, russet potatoes, or sweet potatoes. Green beans, peas, or corn can also be added for extra color and texture.
- Chicken: Use boneless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or even leftover rotisserie chicken. Dark meat adds more depth of flavor.
- Broth: Vegetable broth works for a vegetarian-style base, though chicken broth gives a richer taste.
- Seasoning: Mix in fresh herbs like parsley or thyme at the end for brightness. A pinch of smoked paprika or chili flakes can add warmth.
- Diet-friendly: For a paleo-friendly option, use sweet potatoes and skip the cornstarch; for gluten-free, ensure your thickener is compliant.
- Thickening: Replace cornstarch with arrowroot powder, or leave it out for a thinner, broth-style stew.
STORAGE & MAKE AHEAD
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Freeze cooled stew in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of chicken broth if needed.
- Meal Prep: Easily double this recipe in a larger Instant Pot to feed a crowd or portion out for busy weeknights.
FAQs
Can I make Instant Pot chicken stew with frozen chicken?
Yes, but you’ll need to increase the cooking time by about 3–4 minutes. Make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Can I substitute chicken thighs for chicken breasts?
Absolutely. Boneless chicken thighs add extra depth of flavor and stay tender after pressure cooking.
Can I make this in a slow cooker instead of an Instant Pot?
Yes! Cook on low for 6–7 hours or high for 3–4 hours until the chicken and potatoes are tender.
How do I thicken my chicken stew?
Use a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with water) and simmer on saute mode until the stew reaches your desired consistency.
Can I use different types of potatoes in this stew?
Yes! Red or baby potatoes hold their shape well, russet potatoes break down for a creamier texture, and sweet potatoes add a hint of natural sweetness.
Can I freeze Instant Pot chicken stew?
Yes, store cooled stew in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Other Instant Pot Recipes
If you loved this stew, here are a few more comforting Instant Pot recipes to try next:
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs
- Instant Pot Shredded Beef
- Instant Pot Turkey, Sweet Potato and Quinoa Chili
Enjoyed this Instant Pot Chicken Stew? Leave a review and let us know how it turned out!
Best Instant Pot Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 3 red potatoes , peeled and cubed
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat your Instant Pot by using the Saute function.
- Melt butter, then add the onion, carrot and celery. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and allow to cook 4 to 5 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Press cancel, then add chicken, potatoes, broth, seasoning, bay leaf and remaining salt and pepper.
- Stir well, then secure lid and pressure valve. Cook on Manual High pressure for 10 minutes, allowing a 10 minute natural release. Release the remaining pressure via manual release.
- Combine cornstarch and water and stir until dissolved, then remove the Instant Pot lid. Press Saute, stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until thickened. Remove the bay leaves and add fresh chopped parsley before serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Vegetables – You can substitute the red potatoes with sweet potatoes or use green beans, peas or corn, if desired.
- Chicken – Boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs work in this recipe.
- Spices – If you don’t have Italian seasoning, you can use 1/4 teaspoon each of rosemary, basil, thyme and oregano.
- Broth – You can use vegetable broth for this recipe, but the flavor may be different.
- Cornstarch – You can use use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch. You can also omit the cornstarch completely, but the stew will be thinner.
Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. You can also freeze the soup in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop before serving. MORE TIPS
For additional cooking tips, variations, and FAQs, scroll up to the full post above.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe originally appeared on Yellow Bliss Road.
Killer recipe and it reminds me of Cafe Zupas from Phoenix (just missing noodles and I’ll make some to pour the soup onto next time). I followed everything except added a few more potatoes and this recipe made a little less than 4 bowls worth. Next time I’m doubling the recipe so we all get a full bowl and have leftovers.
OMG !! I am over the moon!! Added turnip and peas with a shake or 2 of cayenne pepper! The flavour is packed! Tomorrow will be even better!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Epic recipe, thank you for sharing! The edits I made were adding cayenne pepper, subbing milk for water, and added power greens (kale, spinach, and chard) during the thickening process to get my boys to eat some greens. Even my kiddo liked it and earlier in the day he said he hates soup and I should definitely not make this… lol
WOW!! This recipe is unbelievable! Everything about recipe was perfect. From the instructions, to the end results. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into cubes. My only addition was adding about a 1/4 tsp of cyanine pepper, to add a little pop. That may seem a lot, however, I also doubled the recipe.
I can’t say enough good things about this recipe. I highly recommend everyone to try it soon.
We make this stew all the time and my family loves it ! I sometimes add green beans and use a few more potatoes and it always turns out perfect. A great healthy meal and perfect for the autumn weather !! Thanks for the great recipe !!
Is the nutriition list for the entire amount of ingredients in this recipe?
Nutritional information is provided per serving. This recipe yields 4 servings. Enjoy!
how long do you cook this for if using frozen chicken thighs?
I didn’t have enough cornstarch in the house, so I went ahead and made it with about half the cornstarch called for. It came out more like chicken soup than chicken stew, but it was absolutely delicious. The only other change I made was to add some peas.
Came across this recipe because I needed to know what settings I needed to set my stew for. I ended up following the rest of the recipe, and it was delicious! Only thing I changed, was the addition of a few other spices. Without them, it’s bland. That being said, it still tastes good, but as someone who needs a little more flavour, don’t be afraid to add a little something.
Ran across this recipe by accident, looking for an easy instant pot stew recipe. Flavors were spot-on, and cook time was perfect. We subbed a bag of mixed frozed veggies for fresh, because that’s all we had. Still delicious. Thank you!