Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings

We’ve been experimenting with various Instant Pot Chicken Recipes, and Instant Pot Chicken & Dumplings has got to be one of the most requested recipes from our foodie readers.

So, here we go! Excited to present our final tweaked version to you!!

We invited some friends over to enjoy our big hearty pot of yummy chicken and dumplings.

And they adored those little homemade dough swimming in the sea of chicken deliciousness. To maintain peace & order, we had to fish for the dumplings and made sure everyone had their fair share. 😛

Perfectly light & fluffy with slight firm & spongy core. Love how it was soaked with fragrance & packed with flavors. So filling & satisfying to eat!!

Instant Pot Dumplings Experiment

Some of you may normally make dumplings with Bisquick biscuit dough or canned biscuits, but hey! Try to make your own dumplings from scratch – it’s easy & tasty! Plus, you can probably find the few ingredients in your kitchen. 🙂

We tested cooking the homemade dumplings with 2 methods:

Test #1: Pressure Cooked with Chicken Soup (Left Photo)

Result: light & fluffy outer layer, moist, more flavorful (with more aromatics & flavors soaked into the dough) with denser core than being simmered

Test #2: Simmered in Chicken Soup (Right Photo)

Result: light & fluffy, soft, moist, slightly gooey, slightly dense core

Conclusion: We personally enjoy Test #1‘s dumplings better because it has better mouthfeel texture & greater overall flavors & aroma.

Time for cooking Chicken and Dumplings in Instant Pot!

Step-by-Step Guide: Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Prepare Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings.

Brown Chicken Thighs

Heat up Instant Pot using Sauté More function.

*Tip: For older version, press “Saute” button, then “Adjust” button. For newer version, press “Saute” button twice.

Wait until it says HOT (takes roughly 8 minutes). This prevents chicken thighs from sticking to the pot.

While Instant Pot is preheating, mix 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour and 1 tbsp (12g) baking powder in a large mixing bowl.

*Note: Double-check you’re using Baking Powder, NOT Baking Soda for this recipe.

In a separate container, mix 3/4 cup (188ml) warm milk, 1 tsp (5g) salt, 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil, and 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter together.

Pour milk mixture into the flour mixture. Mix well to form a batter. Do not overmix.

*Tip: You can skip the above steps for making dumplings if you’re using store-bought dough.

Pat-dry chicken thighs with paper towels and season the skin side with kosher salt and black pepper.

Add 1 tbsp (15g) unsalted butter to Instant Pot, then ensure the whole bottom is coated with butter.

Place 4 chicken thighs (skin side) in Instant Pot and brown for 3.5 minutes.

Season the other side with kosher salt & black pepper. Then, flip and brown for 2 minutes.

This is the color you are looking for. Set aside the browned chicken thighs and repeat for remaining chicken thighs.

Saute Onions, Garlic, & Veggies

Add chopped onions, season with a pinch of Kosher salt & ground black pepper. Saute onions for roughly 2.5 minutes.

*Pro Tip: We diced half of the onions and sliced the other half for better texture.

Add minced garlic cloves and saute for another 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add chopped carrots & celery to Instant Pot and saute for another 2 minutes.

Add 2 bay leaves and a pinch of dried thyme and let it cook for roughly a minute until the fragrance release from the spices.

Deglaze Instant Pot

Pour in 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock and deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Give it a quick mix.

Pressure Cook Chicken and Dumplings

Add potato chunks, 4 cups (1000ml) unsalted chicken stock, 8 browned bone-in chicken thighs in Instant Pot. Don’t forget the meat juice from the browned chicken thighs!

Drop the dumplings on top with a teaspoon. They will double or triple in size after pressure cooking 🙂

With Venting Knob at Venting Position, close the lid and turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.

• Pressure Cooking Method: Pressure cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes + Natural Release for 15 minutes

After 15 minutes, do a Gradual Release by turning Venting Knob just enough to slowly release pressure.

If you don’t want to keep your hands at the Venting Knob as you do a Gradual Pressure Release, you can use a wooden spoon to hold the Venting Knob (as shown in above photo).

When the Floating Valve drops, turn Venting Knob fully to Venting Position and open the lid carefully.

Shred Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

Carefully set aside the dumplings.

In a large bowl, shred the chicken meat and discard the skins & bones.

Thicken Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Bring the soup to a simmer by pressing Cancel button, then Sauté button. Add in 1/2 – 1 cup (60 – 120g) frozen green peas.

Stir and break some of the potatoes to thicken the soup. In a mixing bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup (62.5g) all-purpose flour and a few ladles of soup until the flour is well dissolved.

Thicken the chicken and dumpling soup to the desired thickness by mixing in the flour mixture one third at a time.

Seasoning & Serve Chicken and Dumplings

Return shredded chicken and dumplings to pot. Taste and season with fish sauce or salt.

Mix well and serve with finely chopped parsley and heavy cream if desired.

Enjoy your Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings!~ 🙂

Tools for Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set
• Kitchen tongs
• Bamboo Wooden Spoons

Other Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

Instant Pot Whole Chicken

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup