Our easy Instant Pot chicken and dumplings with biscuits recipe is so yummy!i Takes just 20 minutes to make in any pressure cooker, Crockpot Express or Ninja Foodi. The ultimate one pot comfort food made in no time at all.
Jump To
- Ninja Foodi Chicken and Dumplings
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings with Canned Biscuits
- Ingredient Notes
- What can you substitute for canned biscuits?
- How do you thicken chicken and dumplings?
- Homemade Dumplings Option
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings with Noodles
- How to Make Chicken and Dumplings in a Pressure Cooker
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
- FAQ
- What exactly is a dumpling?
- What sides go well with chicken and dumplings?
- What should I serve with chicken and dumplings?
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.
Ninja Foodi Chicken and Dumplings
You can make this as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe using the lid that is not attached. All instructions below work for any brand of pressure cooker, done in about 20 minutes in a creamy sauce and tender meat.
We make things easier this is made with refrigerated biscuits but you could use gnocchi or Bisquick if you’d rather. With vegetables, meat and sauce all together in one this will remind you of your childhood for sure.
If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should know how to deglaze a pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the model I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings with Canned Biscuits
NO need to make Bisquick 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!
There are frozen versions you can use too. Just defrost the dough just enough to slice them into small bits and use that instead for an easy one pot meal.
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. You don’t want the skin or bones so boneless is best but you could save money by removing all of that yourself too.
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:
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.
Ingredient Notes
In regards to the meat I will almost always use diced (bite sized) cut boneless skinless Chicken breasts, medium sizes are best and we prefer the texture and flavor of organic free range.
As for vegetables we insist on Carrots peeled and sliced into dials, thicker will not fall apart as much. Celery sliced is nice, some like frozen peas, and onions are a given.
- Chicken broth for the liquid is best, better than water
- Milk to make it creamier like you’d expect
- Cornstarch to thicken the soup to the consistency you want
- Refrigerated biscuits, if you can’t find biscuits, you could try and make biscuit dough with Bisquick.
If you needed to make this dairy free I would use plain cashew milk because it is thicker than almond but either works. Feel free to double the veggies if you prefer or just use one of them.
If you make a turkey this year you could easily use the leftovers instead of chicken. It’s a quick meal done in 30 minutes which we love but can be made as slow cooker chicken and dumplings too.
What can you substitute for canned biscuits?
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 our fluffy Bisquick biscuits recipe, portion out into bite sizes and add that at the end.
How do you thicken chicken and dumplings?
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!
Homemade Dumplings Option
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.
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings with Noodles
If you prefer to use pasta instead of dough dollops on top I’d make this pressure cooker chicken noodle casserole instead. Alternatively you could submerge about 1 cup of uncooked elbow macaroni at the very top without stirring before you seal the lid with this same recipe.
I have seen frozen versions in some stores. If you’re able to get your hands on some those are great choices as well. Only difference is they will emit a bit of liquid while cooking and thin your soup just a bit. Here’s how you make this easy chicken and dumplings recipe
How to Make Chicken and Dumplings in a Pressure Cooker
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 pressure 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.
- Serve
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!
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
Equipment
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)
- 1 tsp salt, optional – we usually don’t add any
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp pepper
- 3 refrigerated biscuits, Grands is what I used (cut into spoon size pieces)
- 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. Cut each refrigerated biscuit into 4-6 pieces.
- 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 pot with liquid and stir slightly. In a small dish whisk together 1 tbsp of cornstarch + a few tbsp of your hot broth whisking 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!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQ
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.
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. You could make either one though if you wanted.
Yes, you can cook dumplings in the oven on their own, but they will turn out more like baked or crispy dumplings rather than the traditional steamed or boiled versions. Preheat to 375, set on sheet pan in one layer, bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through for even crispiness.
I haven’t done that with with our easy pressure cooker chicken and dumplings recipe here but I imagine you could. Just keep in mind when reheating, the dumplings will not be the same texture and may turn gummy which wouldn’t be great. You would freeze like any other, when cooled, in a sealed container with some room at the top to account for expansion.
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 what we use in our gnocchi soup. 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.
- Spinach works well
What should I serve with chicken and dumplings?
For us it is a one pot meal. Could add more vegetables on the side though For dessert make air fryer dumplings with apple inside
Looking for more Instant Pot chicken recipes ?? After you love this one you should try our easy Instant Pot chicken noodle soup after that with the same main ingredients as this.
Very tasty but too much pepper for me. Will use less.
I agree, the only problem I had was too much pepper
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!
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!
Awesome!!
Teresa, when you make your own dumplings, which seasonings do you add, and how much? Thanks!
If I can’t have milk, can I use Coconut milk, or would it be better to just use 1%?
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.
Non-dairy creamer still has dairy. I haven’t figured that one out yet.
Almond milk??
When do you add spices?
I am guessing with the chicken and broth. Did you make it? How was it if so?
What is the serving size?
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.
Can you substitute chicken broth for milk? My hubby has a dairy allergy.
Is the sodium correct in the nutrition facts.if so why is it so high?
Had the widget recalculate it, check now.
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.
3 biscuits not 3 cans, yes thicken that way if desired.
This looks savory and succulent! I love that there are biscuit in this recipe 🙂
Looks wonderfully flavorful and one pot makes clean up so much easier!