Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings

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Nothing is better than comfort food on cold winter days! This recipe for Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings is a quick and easy way to make a family favorite soup of tender chicken with squishy dumplings and lots of healthy vegetables. This easy homemade recipe is made with refrigerator biscuits for a one pot meal that can be ready in less than 30 minutes.

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Chicken and dumplings is one of those family recipes that has been a favorite for generations. It is the ultimate in comfort food, with its combination of meat, veggies and, of course, the squishy dumplings. It is a one pot meal that the entire family will enjoy. And by using the pressure cooker to prepare it your chicken and dumplings can be a delicious meal for a busy weeknight dinner.

Pressure Cooker Chicken and Dumplings - easy family meal

The biggest advantage of making this pressure cooker chicken and dumplings recipe instead of your grandmother’s favorite recipe is speed. With the Instant Pot you don’t have to simmer the soup for hours, the high pressure cooks the chicken, vegetables and dumplings quickly and you can have dinner on the table in about 30 minutes. And you won’t lose any flavor, because this Instant Pot chicken and dumplings will be as creamy and satisfying as ever.

Bowl of Instant Pot Chicken and dumplings - quick family meal

How to Make Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings

The first step in making the pressure cooker chicken and dumplings is to brown the chicken. I always use chicken thighs in my Instant Pot meals. I know many people use chicken breasts, I think the white meat in chicken breasts gets too dried out when it is put under high pressure. Chicken thighs stays moist and tasty. To me it is worth the small amount of extra calories that chicken thighs add to the meal. And as an added bonus chicken thighs are cheaper too!

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For this recipe I use the Saute function of the pressure cooker to brown the cubed chicken in oil for a few minutes. This is a simple step, but it does add to the flavor of the final dish. Then it is time to add in the vegetables and spices. I used onion, celery and carrots in this recipe, but you can easily make substitutions. Green peppers or mushrooms are also great veggies to add, or even broccoli and potatoes for a different taste. You are basically making a chicken soup, so really whatever vegetables you want to use up from the refrigerator make good additions!

Cooking the chicken and vegetables for chicken and dumplings in Instant Pot

Then it is time to deglaze the Instant Pot. This is done by adding the chicken broth and scraping the bottom of the inner pot to make sure there are no pieces of browned chicken stuck to the bottom. This is an important step, because failing to deglaze the pan can lead to the dreaded Burn error which can mess up your quick and easy meal.

Using Refrigerator Biscuits for the Dumplings

The final preparation step in making the pressure cooker chicken and dumplings is to add the dumplings. I used refrigerator biscuits for the dumplings because that is a quick and easy short cut. You could make homemade biscuits with flour and baking soda, but I don’t notice much taste difference, so I go for the easy refrigerator biscuits. Any brand of canned biscuits will work fine in the recipe, just make sure they are biscuits, not crescent rolls. 

Refrigerator biscuits cut to make dumplings

I opened the can of biscuits, flattened them slightly and then cut them into strips. You could also cut them again crosswise so they are more bite sized instead of long and skinny. Then the biscuits are dumped on top of the broth in the Instant Pot and you are ready to bring the Instant Pot to pressure. I only used 3 biscuits in my chicken and dumplings because that was enough to cover the ingredients in the pot.

Adding the dumplings to the pressure cooker chicken and dumplings

I set the Instant Pot on Manual mode, high pressure for 7 minutes. Once the Instant Pot was finished I let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes, and then released the remaining pressure manually. To finish off the meal I stirred in a cup of frozen peas, which cook in just a minute or two in the hot soup.

Adding peas to the instant pot chicken and dumplings

What about Adding Cream of Chicken Soup?

Many recipes for chicken and dumplings use a can of cream of chicken soup to make the dish creamy – including the recipe my grandma always used!  I think that makes it more like chicken stew not chicken soup, and prefer not to use one. The flour cooked in the oil thickens the dish enough for me. But if you like your chicken and dumplings extra creamy then just use 1/2 a cup less broth and add a can of cream of chicken soup before you bring the Instant Pot to pressure.

Ladel of Instant Pot chicken and dumplings

My entire family enjoyed this pressure cooker chicken and dumplings recipe. It was filling and packed with flavor. The tender chicken was filling and the dumplings were tasty and soaked into the rich broth. My teenage son was especially fond of this recipe and he made sure we had no leftovers left to deal with!

Easy family dinner - chicken and dumplings cooked in a pressure cooker

4.50 from 4 votes

Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Published By Anne
This easy homemade recipe is made with refrigerator biscuits for a one pot meal that can be ready in less than 30 minutes.
Prep Time13 minutes
Cook Time7 minutes
Additional Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings: 4
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Ingredients
 

  • 2 Tablespoon oil
  • 2 Tablespoon flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 3 boneless chicken thighs chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 3 ribs celery sliced
  • 3 carrots sliced
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
  • 3 refrigerator biscuits
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

  • Turn the Instant Pot to Saute, and add the oil. Let it heat for a minute or two.
    2 Tablespoon oil
  • Add the chicken, flour and salt to the pressure cooker. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.
    2 Tablespoon flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 boneless chicken thighs
  • Turn the Instant Pot off, and add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Stir.
    3 ribs celery, 1 onion, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, 3 carrots
  • Add the chicken broth to deglaze the inner pot. Stir to mix all the ingredients and scrape the bottom of the Instant with a wooden spoon to make sure there are no pieces of browned chicken stuck to the bottom.
    3 cups chicken broth
  • Flatten the refrigerator biscuits slightly and cut into strips. Add the strips to the Instant Pot but don't stir them into liquid, let them stay on top.
    3 refrigerator biscuits
  • Put the lid on the pressure cooker and make sure it is sealed correctly. Place the Instant pot into Manual mode and set it for 7 minutes on high pressure.
  • When the cook time is done let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes, and then release any remaining pressure manually and remove the lid.
  • Stir the frozen peas into the soup and replace the lid. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes so the peas can cook.
    1 cup frozen peas

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1g | Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 1528mg | Potassium: 542mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 8017IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition facts are estimates.

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Recipe Tips

  • Be careful about the salt content in your chicken broth. Some canned or boxed broths are very salty, so you might need to reduce the amount of salt in this pressure cooker recipe.
  • I make and test my recipes in a 6 quart Instant Pot. Using an 8 quart Instant Pot or a different brand of pressure cooker could affect your results. With that disclaimer this recipe should translate well to a different pressure cooker so I doubt there would need to be modifications.

This recipe for Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings is a quick and easy way to make a family favorite soup of tender chicken with squishy dumplings and lots of healthy vegetables. This easy homemade recipe is made with refrigerator biscuits for a one pot meal that can be ready in less than 30 minutes. #chicken #instantpot #dumplings #comfortfood

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This recipe for Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings is a quick and easy way to make a family favorite soup of tender chicken with squishy dumplings and lots of healthy vegetables. This easy homemade recipe is made with refrigerator biscuits for a one pot meal that can be ready in less than 30 minutes. #chicken #instantpot #dumplings #comfortfood
anne

Hi, I’m Anne!

I love to cook and I want to share my recipes with you. I believe cooking should be approachable and fun, not a chore. I want to make simple recipes using everyday ingredients that you can make again and again, whether it is for a busy weeknight, a summer cookout or a special dessert. Read more...

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