Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Redolent with chicken, vegetables, herbs, white wine enhanced creamy sauce, and plump chive dumplings, Instant Pot chicken and dumplings is homemade comfort, warming you from the inside out.
How long it takes: about an hour
Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot, small mixing bowl
Servings: 4
Easy Homestyle Chicken And Dumplings
Chicken and dumplings has to be one of my favorite meals. Whenever I came home from college for the weekend, my mom was sure to make this homey comfort food. A far cry from dorm food, or normal college student fare, I felt the love she conveyed by serving this classic Southern style soup.
I think serving food like chicken and dumplings is a good way to show how much you care about someone, don’t you? Whether you make it for your family for a weeknight dinner, or for a few friends on Saturday or Sunday, the time and effort you take to make a special homemade meal shows just how much you love them.
Bring chicken and dumplings to a family with a new baby, a family that has foster children or a newly adopted child, or to someone who has suffered a loss, injury, or illness, and they’ll feel blessed to know that you took the time to make them something special. Bring it with a smile and a hug.
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
A classic dish in your Instant Pot. I like to use lots of classic ingredients like onions, carrots, celery, and peas, and boneless skinless chicken breasts. Chicken and dumplings can be made in approximately one hour in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker. It’s easy and turns out beautifully.
Creamy, flavorful broth. Enhanced by white wine, the broth is flavored by lots of herbs: rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and parsley. Thickened with heavy cream (not too much, just a half cup!) and cornstarch, this soup is heavenly even without the dumplings!
How to make dumplings: Stir together a simple dough consisting of flour, baking powder, salt, and chopped chives, with milk and melted butter mixed in with a spoon. That’s it! So easy.
Drop the dumpling dough by tablespoonfuls into the soup. Just plop it in, keeping a little space between each one. You don’t want one massive dumpling floating on top!
Put the lid back on your Instant Pot, set the pressure for 2 minutes, quick release, and your chicken and dumplings are ready to serve.
Recipe Variations
- Dumpling shortcut: You could use a small can of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits in place of homemade dumpling dough. Cut biscuits in quarters, toss lightly with ¼ cup flour, and drop into soup. Voila! Instant dumplings.
- Make it on the stovetop. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, chicken and dumplings can be made on the stovetop. The recipe card has instructions, or try my chicken dumpling soup recipe.
- Chicken alternatives: Use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. If you happen to have leftover cooked chicken on hand, you can use that instead of raw chicken. Add it with the peas since it’s already cooked.
Refrigerate/Freeze: Chicken and dumpling soup is great leftover. Store leftovers in a covered dish or plastic container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If desired, store soup separately from dumplings so they don’t get too soggy. To freeze, cool the soup, then place in freezer containers for 3 to 4 months. For best results, thaw frozen soup overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat: Gently reheat on the stove or in the microwave. Try not to boil the soup; it’s best if you bring it to a simmer over medium low heat until it’s steaming hot.
More Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Equipment
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ cups diced carrots (2 to 3 carrots)
- 1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
- ½ cup diced yellow onion (1 small onion)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 3 cups no-salt-added chicken broth (or low sodium)
- 1 ½ to 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon crushed rosemary
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Dumplings:
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons chopped chives
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Add oil, carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper to a 6-quart Instant Pot on the Sauté setting. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 ½ cups diced carrots, 1 cup diced celery, ½ cup diced yellow onion, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Add wine to the Instant Pot, cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until reduced by about half. Turn off Instant Pot.½ cup dry white wine
- Add broth, chicken, thyme, bay leaf, and rosemary. Secure lid and turn valve to seal, if necessary. Set Instant Pot to Pressure Cook (or Manual, high pressure, depending on your model) for 10 minutes. It will take about 15 minutes for it to come to pressure.3 cups no-salt-added chicken broth, 1 ½ to 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, 1 bay leaf, ¼ teaspoon crushed rosemary
- Toward the end of the cooking time, make the dough for the dumplings by combining the flour, baking powder, chives, and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk and melted butter; stir gently to combine.¾ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons chopped chives, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup whole milk, at room temperature, 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Quick release pressure when timer goes off. Remove chicken to a plate, and discard bay leaf.
- Use two forks to shred chicken into bite size pieces. Stir peas, parsley, and shredded chicken into soup.1 cup frozen peas, ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
- Combine cream and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir mixture into hot broth.½ cup heavy cream, 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Add dumpling dough to soup by tablespoon-sized scoops (to make 8 to 10 dumplings). Cover Instant Pot, secure lid, turning valve to seal, if necessary. Set Instant Pot to Pressure Cook (or Manual, high pressure, depending on your model) for 2 minutes. After two minutes, quick release pressure.
- Taste and adjust seasoning for salt and pepper. Serve in shallow bowls, dividing the dumplings evenly.
Notes
- Shortcut: Use 1 small can (7.5 oz.) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits in place of dumpling dough. Cut biscuits in quarters, toss lightly with ¼ cup flour, and drop into soup. Continue to cook dumplings as directed.
- Herbs: If you prefer, you can substitute chopped parsley for the chives in the dumplings, or omit them.
- Stovetop instructions: In a large pot or Dutch oven with a lid, simmer chicken and vegetables 30 minutes or until tender. Stir in cream and cornstarch mixture, simmer until slightly thickened. Add dumplings and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes, or until dumplings are cooked through.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
I made this yesterday, and it was awesome! The seasonings and everything was on point. I was having a craving for this, and I went to my trusted site Pinterest and found this recipe. Thank you for such a delicious dish.
So happy to hear it was a success! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
I’ve made it twice and my friends loved it. Its a keeper!
So glad to hear it! Thanks for leaving a review!
sounds delicious and easy peasy
Thanks Denise!