Instant Pot Chicken Stew

Our creamy Instant Pot chicken stew is pure comfort food packed with potatoes, carrots and celery. We have used a shredded rotisserie chicken to make this or fresh breasts. Either way it is a delicious meal for dinner my family loves. 

I know you’ve tried our Instant Pot chicken noodle soup, but this is a bit different! You are going to love them both but we just couldn’t stop with the Old Fashioned version. With potatoes and a bit of a creamier broth it’s a heartier meal we make all the time in the winter time.

Instead of sliced or diced chicken we put whole chicken breasts into this one and shred it at the end. You could add cut up rotisserie too or use any leftovers from the night before. We have done it all to prevent waste and nobody ever knew it was a “leftover chicken meal”.

Ingredient Notes

Chicken breasts, medium size boneless, skinless chicken thighs would be fine too. We have a large deep freezer at home so I try to stock up at times like these 2-3 times a year so I can make all the Instant Pot chicken recipes I want all year long.

As for the vegetables I like to add a lot but they need to be somewhat on the firmer side so they don’t fall apart. Red Potatoes and carrots in bite size chunks with thick cuts of onions, some diced tomatoes and celery are the best choices in my experience of making it over the years.

Chicken broth is best, you could use water but it won’t have as much flavor. Our Instant Pot chicken broth is the best bet but you would need to make that ahead of time and then make this when done.

The way to get a thicker stew like broth is to add some Heavy cream and if that isnt enough corn starch can thicken it more at the end if you want

Can you use frozen chicken breasts to make stew?

This one uses defrosted meat but if you really load up you can use our frozen chicken in the Instant Pot instructions first. Drain liquid in pot, then shred and continue on with instructions below where with the vegetables and gravy to cook together at that time.

Make sure your meat is not too thick or it may not cook all the way thru to the center. Medium size breasts are best. If you can only find large then slice them lengthwise so they’re half as thick. You want to ensure your meat is cooked to the right internal meat temperature for sure.

Tips for Success

First you’ll want to prep all your vegetables. Wash and dice them into bite size pieces so they’re ready. When pressure cooking this: place all ingredients into pot in the following order: chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes, rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Then pour chicken broth over the top of everything.

Allow steam to naturally release when the cook time is up. When done lift lid. Use forks to shred chicken right inside the pot itself or dice on a cutting board. If your Instant Pot shredded chicken is tough to shred it needs more time, you can do this with another 5 minutes.

To thicken the sauce set pot to saute and whisk together until smooth your 1/2 c of water or use heavy whipping cream to make creamier with a bit cornstarch added and stirred until smooth. Allow to bubble for 3-4 minutes or until it is the consistency you desire.

How do you make it thicker?

If you want to make a creamy chicken stew that is thicker almost like a casserole you can add a bit of heavy cream whisked with 1 tbsp of cornstarch, flour or arrowroot. Before dumping them in you’ll want to whisk them together until it’s smooth or it may be and remain clumpy which isn’t appealing. Dump this in and stir allowing the stew to thicken as it bubbles to 1-2 minutes. 

Can you double this recipe?

Making this Ninja Foodi stew for a large crowd? You can double the recipe without any issue if you have an 8 quart or larger pot so it doesn’t surpass the 3/4 full mark inside. Mine is just 6 and I typically cook one batch of everything at a time, other than my Instant Pot chili. I’ve doubled that.

How long can you keep chicken stew in the fridge?

Properly stored, cooked and then chilled chicken stew will last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. To make it last even longer you should freeze it. Store in covered airtight containers or heavy duty freezer bags for best results.

To reheat the best method is to allow it to defrost in the fridge or countertop. Then heat in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between. If using the stovetop, reheat on low medium heat stirring frequently.

Other one pot dinners you’ll love

After you fall in love with this meal you should try our turkey pot pie soup and Instant Pot chicken pasta next too. You can follow our Instant Pot beef stew casserole to try that one too!

I have made chicken soup in the Crockpot low and slow which we love and/or Pan Fried Chicken Legs are super crispy choices. Both are quick and easy chicken recipes we love. One just takes quite a bit longer than the other to finish.