This easy Instant Pot chicken and dumplings recipe is so yummy!i Takes just 20 minutes to make the best pressure cooker chicken recipe ever. The ultimate comfort food made in no time at all and a complete meal all wrapped up in one.
This Instant Pot chicken and dumplings recipe is probably our favorite, especially when it’s chilly outside. One of our favorite Instant Pot recipes that reminds me of my childhood. (originally published 4/17, affiliate links present)
You can make it in your Ninja Foodi or any pressure cooker too if you have a different brand.
- It’s done in about 20 minutes and not only is the chicken super tender but the sauce is creamy and the biscuits are just the right consistency.
Let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then LIKE our IP Facebook page for new ideas daily.
- This is a great InstaPot cookbook to grab too.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot. It is easier to clean and will avoid the burn message too.
- For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have and use for all recipe creations.
NO need to make biscuits from scratch, we are all about easy recipes here, and ready made refrigerated style works great!
Ever since I got my Instant Pot I make everything in there because everything cooks so quickly!
How do you make chicken and dumplings?
First you’re going to need some meat, duh. You can use chicken thighs or breasts whichever you prefer really. Just choose medium sized that are the same thickness.
This pressure cooker recipe is total comfort food and doesn’t take all the time your Grandmother took to make it on the stovetop either.
She would definitely be jealous if she saw you now. 😉 Here are a few questions you might have before you get started:
Well the way we did it for this was to add small bits of refrigerated biscuit pieces in liquid on saute. Then pressure cooked for just a few minutes and they were perfect.
Set pot to saute again and take some hot liquid out and into a bowl.Whisk this and a few tablespoons of cornstarch together in a small bowl to thicken broth.
When this is smooth, add this into your pot as well as your milk. Allow to bubble. Shred your chicken and add back into your pot. Serve!
I have made a multitude of Instant Pot soup recipes which I feel this one falls into. They are all great especially during the winter months.
Instant Pot chicken and dumplings
- Pressure cooker
- I HIGHLY recommend getting this non stick pot
- Chicken breasts
- Carrots
- Celery
- Some like frozen peas too
- Chicken broth
- Milk
- Refrigerated biscuits
- if you can’t find biscuits, you could try and make biscuit dough with Bisquick.
How do you make dumplings?
- If you were making this on the stovetop you’d have to boil dumplings in a large pot 2/3 of the way with water.
- Once you covered it and brought water to a boil over high heat, you’d add as many dumplings as can fit comfortably in a single layer in the pot.
- Then you’d cook them until they floated + an additional two to three minutes.
- Once you covered it and brought water to a boil over high heat, you’d add as many dumplings as can fit comfortably in a single layer in the pot.
I prefer THIS ready made way featured below though because it’s easier. There is No baking powder or flour required.
Seasonings to use are listed below, poultry seasoning isn’t listed but is another add in option.
I have had some people outside the United States say they cannot find refrigerated biscuits at the store. To that I say you could try and make biscuit dough with Bisquick and add that at the end.
You could also just skip that portion and serve biscuits on the side. I wish I was more help with that but I have always had access to them. Just trying to think outside of the box if that’s the case.
- Yes you can make homemade dumplings and cut up the biscuit pieces. But if I can find a quicker way I’m all about it, so I used refrigerated biscuits.
Of course you want a soft consistency and these do the trick perfectly. If you’re looking for an easy way to make chicken and dumplings in your Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi you’ve got to give this one a whirl.
If you make a pressure cooker turkey this year you could easily use the leftovers instead of chicken. It’s a quick meal done in 30 minutes which we love.
Can you make chicken and dumplings in a crockpot?
- Yes! I did, here’s the recipe for slow cooker chicken and dumplings.
Here’s how you make this easy chicken and dumplings recipe
Time needed: 19 minutes.
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Add ingredients
Add the chicken breasts, vegetables, seasonings and chicken broth in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Make sure breasts are of similar sizes so they cook evenly.
- Cook
Close the lid and set at high pressure for 12 minutes. When done do a quick release and lift lid carefully.
Remove chicken and put in a bowl, cover to keep warm. - Saute
Set IP to saute and add cut up biscuits, put inside of liquid mixture.
Wait until it boils and allow to bubble for 1 full minute so it steams the biscuits. Turn pot off/cancel. - Pressure cook
Put lid back on and set to manual, pressure, low, for 4 minutes. (if you don’t have low function just use high for 1 minute)
Do a quick release when done and carefully lift lid. Set to saute again. - Thicken
Pour milk in with liquid and stir slightly. Add 1 tbsp of cornstarch + a few tbsp of your hot broth into a bowl and whisk together until smooth.
Pour this mixture into your pot and stir gently. Can add another tbsp of cornstarch with same whisking if you want it even thicker.
Shred cooked chicken and add back into your pressure cooker.
Allow IP to start to boil/bubble again for about 1 full minute to mix all liquids. Serve!
What is the difference between noodles and dumplings?
Noodles are stringy strips of pasta while a dumpling is a ball of dough that is cooked and may have a filling and/or additional ingredients in the dough.
If you prefer to use noodles I’d make this pressure cooker chicken noodle casserole instead.
- Do a quick pressure release.
What exactly is a dumpling?
There is a pretty broad definition for these little buggers. Typically they consist of pieces of dough made from a variety of starch sources. Kinda’ like gnocchi.
The dough can be based on bread, flour or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, fish, cheese, vegetables, fruits or sweets.
What sides go well with chicken and dumplings?
- Sauteed bell peppers are yummy
- Steamed veggies with a bit of melted butter, salt and pepper
- Creamed corn casserole has been a favorite if I am feeding a larger crowd
- Any sort of side salad is an easy thing to throw together.
- Instant Pot spinach works well
- Corn on the cob
- Broccoli salad is probably my daughter’s favorite side dish
Looking for more Instant Pot chicken recipes ??
- Instant Pot chicken noodle soup
- 3 ingredient Instant Pot teriyaki chicken
- Super easy Instant Pot whole chicken
- Hoisin chicken in your pressure cooker is a winner
- Creamy pesto chicken is a winner too
Pressure cooker chicken and dumplings
What should I serve with chicken and dumplings?
- For us it is a one pot meal.
- Could add more vegetables on the side though
Can you cook dumplings in the oven on their own?
- Of course if you’d rather just make small biscuits in the oven be my guest
- You can break them up into small pieces and put them into this dish before serving
Can I freeze chicken and dumplings?
I haven’t done that with this particular recipe but I imagine you could. Just keep in mind when reheating that the dumplings will not be the same texture and may turn gummy.
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***** If you LOVED this recipe give it 5 Stars below and let everyone know what you thought about it. 😉
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 lbs chicken breasts boneless skinless, medium size
- 3 carrots large dials
- 2 stalks celery sliced thick so they don’t get too muchy
- 1/2 onion large chunks
- 1 c chicken broth (add more if you like a lot of liquid)
- 1/2 c milk (whole is best, add a bit more if you want more liquid)
- 3 refrigerated biscuits Grands is what I used (cut into spoon size pieces)
- 1 tsp salt optional – we usually don’t add any
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1-2 tbsp cornstarch optional to thicken broth
Instructions
- Put medium size chicken breasts, vegetables, seasonings and chicken broth in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Make sure breasts are of similar sizes so they cook evenly.
- Put lid on and set at high pressure for 12 minutes.
- When done do a quick release and lift lid carefully.
- Remove chicken and put in a bowl, cover to keep warm.
- Set IP to saute and add cut up biscuits, put inside of liquid mixture.
- Wait until it boils and allow to bubble for 1 full minute so it steams the biscuits. Turn pot off/cancel.
- Put lid back on and set to manual, pressure, low, for 4 minutes. (if you don’t have low function just use high for 1 minute)
- Do a quick release when done and carefully lift lid. Set to saute again.
- Pour milk in with liquid and stir slightly. Add 1 tbsp of cornstarch + a few tbsp of your hot broth into a bowl and whisk together until smooth ( if you desire it to be thicker) pour this mixture into your pot and stir gently. Can add another tbsp of cornstarch with same whisking if you want it even thicker.
- Shred cooked chicken and add back into your pressure cooker.
- Allow IP to start to boil/bubble again for about 1 full minute to mix all liquids. Serve!
Debbie says
I’ve made this several times now and absolutely love it every time! I used rotisserie chicken because I had some already shredded and I let everyone add their own pepper. Thanks so much for this recipe. It Has become a staple meal in our home.
Pam says
First meal in my IP! It was delicious. And my husband REALLY loved it! We like dark meat more than the white so I used 1.75 lb of boneless, skinless thighs. I also added another cup chicken stock at the beginning as well as an additional cup of water with the milk at the end. I didn’t have any cornstarch so I mixed flour with cold water instead. Worked great! Thanks so much for this great recipe!
The Typical Mom says
Yay!!!
fran says
try using Red Lobster Biscuit Mix instead of Bisquick. Sublime!
Lisa Kemerly says
Made this tonight for my family and they all LOVED it! My son said it was way better than Cracker Barrel’s Chicken and Dumplings and those were his favorite. Will definitely be making these again!!!
The Typical Mom says
OH my I am so glad!!
Kim says
Delicious!
We loved it. I did add more broth and since I didn’t have whole milk on hand I did 1/2 2%milk and 1/2 heavy cream. Which I did up in proportion with the broth. Didn’t need the cornstarch to thicken. Making a 2nd batch with the chicken that I didn’t cook. I also used homemade dumplings with some garlic powder addded in. I’m going to after. A little bit of garlic since we all love garlic.
Great recipe. Thank you
The Typical Mom says
Glad you loved it!!
Ryan Nunley says
Great recipe. I didn’t use 3 Grands, but Kroger jumbo, so I doubled the milk/cream as well as the chicken stock before last step. But I’ll cut back on the pepper next time.
The Typical Mom says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Alicia says
I have made this twice now and love it. Both times I used the Instant Pot to sauté the diced veggies + garlic (all sprinkled with poultry seasoning) for 5 minutes before adding the chicken & broth. The only other thing I do differently is, instead of milk, I use low sodium cream of chicken soup. So tasty! Thanks for sharing.
Misty says
It says sodium is 1,114 how is this?
The Typical Mom says
I don’t calculate that, the recipe card does and I don’t know how accurate that is.
K says
I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong here. I’m following the recipe exactly – 1 cup water, 13 min low pressure, and it burns every item in the pot. I’ve tried adding more water- what am I missing?
Lisa S. says
Could you use crescent rolls as a substitute for the biscuits? If so, how many triangles would you recommend?
The Typical Mom says
I don’t think those would work well.
Niki says
Your recipe doesn’t specify when to add the seasonings.
Care to throw in on that?
The Typical Mom says
sorry about that, added.
Pam says
I have some chicken that is already cooked and shredded. Can I cook the veggies by themselves and add the chicken later, and if so should I reduce the cook time?
Thanks!
The Typical Mom says
Yes you could do it that way and see how it turns out. I probably wouldn’t change the time. Let me know how that works out for you!
Felicia says
Hi, was wondering what setting to use if you don’t have a “manual” button on your instant pot? Probably a silly question as I’m brand new to the IP. Any info is greatly appreciated, thanks!!!!
Pam says
Hi Felecia,
My IP doesn’t have a manual button either. I just push the pressure cook button then adjust the time and that seems to work.
Hope this helps!
Pam
The Typical Mom says
Some models don’t have manual, you just press pressure and skip that step then. Hit pressure again to adjust from low to high.
Kim says
Just made this and it was delish.. my husband ate three bowls .. this is how it ended up
we had twice the chicken so I used it .. thighleg quarters and breasts
I added one can chicken soup and then added one can of milk
I used one can of chicken broth
Then I ended up using one whole can of biscuits cut up
had to use about 1 heaping tablespoon of corn starch to thicken
This instant pot has changed my life ?
Thank you
The Typical Mom says
So glad!!
Char says
Very tasty but too much pepper for me. Will use less.
Bobbi Wrenn says
I agree, the only problem I had was too much pepper
Michelle says
I followed this recipe exactly but the biscuits didn’t really turn out in the instant pot. They were doughy and not really cooked. Other than that, the stew itself was fantastic!
Teresa says
I make real dumplings with 1/2 cup flour, 2 eggs, 1/2 tsp oil of choice, seasonings. And about 1T milk. At the end on sauté when boiling!
The Typical Mom says
Awesome!!
Andrea says
Teresa, when you make your own dumplings, which seasonings do you add, and how much? Thanks!
Julianna Shields says
If I can’t have milk, can I use Coconut milk, or would it be better to just use 1%?
Kim says
Try coffee mate original non dairy creamer. I use that quite often in place of milk. It will give you the creamy flavor without the dairy.
Az says
Non-dairy creamer still has dairy. I haven’t figured that one out yet.
The Typical Mom says
Almond milk??
K says
When do you add spices?
Mandy says
I am guessing with the chicken and broth. Did you make it? How was it if so?
Jessica says
What is the serving size?
The Typical Mom says
Hard to say, I put how many it typically feeds in the recipe card. You could split it into that amt. and that is one serving. Recipe card calculates info.
Crystal says
Can you substitute chicken broth for milk? My hubby has a dairy allergy.
Danny Pierce says
Is the sodium correct in the nutrition facts.if so why is it so high?
The Typical Mom says
Had the widget recalculate it, check now.
Lisa O'Hare says
Could you thicken it with cornstarch to make more of a gravy than a broth? Also, 3 cans of biscuits?! That seems like too much.
The Typical Mom says
3 biscuits not 3 cans, yes thicken that way if desired.
Alyssa Mosher says
This looks savory and succulent! I love that there are biscuit in this recipe 🙂
megunprocessed says
Looks wonderfully flavorful and one pot makes clean up so much easier!