Instant Pot Chicken Stew

This Instant Pot Chicken Stew combines tender shredded chicken thighs, vegetables, and thyme for a simple, warming, delicious dinner that comes together in under an hour, almost all of which is hands-off time in the Instant Pot.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Dish
• What You'll Need
• How to Prepare Instant Pot Chicken Stew
• Variations
• How to Store
• FAQ
• How to Serve
• Expert Tips
• Other Recipes You'll Love
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why You'll Love This Dish

There’s nothing I love more than a warm soup or stew on a cold night, and this Instant Pot chicken thigh stew can’t be beat. 

Making chicken stew in the Instant Pot allows you to create tender meat and vegetables with a depth of flavor that would only be possible in many hours on the stovetop. 

The rich chicken thigh meat, sweet carrots, earthy celery, filling and creamy potatoes, savory onions and garlic, and woodsy, floral thyme create a balanced and comforting flavor profile that the whole family will love.

Looking for more warming dishes? This Thai chicken curry and this potato stew are other delicious options!

What You'll Need

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• Chicken Thighs You could also use chicken breasts here, but I strongly prefer the flavor imparted by the darker, more tender meat of the thighs.
• Chicken Broth I used a regular, boxed chicken broth, but making your own broth or stock would be delicious here. You could also use bouillon.
• Carrots You can also use baby carrots here if you prefer.
• Celery
• Potatoes I use russet potatoes in this recipe, but you could get away with using a variety of baby potato as well.
• Onion I like using a yellow onion here. A sweet onion would work well, too.
• Garlic Fresh garlic adds a lot of flavor to this dish. If you don’t have access to fresh garlic, you could try some of this jarred garlic or use a bit of garlic powder. 
• Thyme I used dried thyme here as I always have it on hand, but you could use fresh thyme, dried or fresh rosemary, or something like Herbs de Provence.
• Salt My preference is always kosher salt. Diamond Crystal is my brand of choice. It coats food evenly and has a lower salinity per teaspoon than other brands of salts, which makes it easier to taste as you go and harder to oversalt.
• Black Pepper I recommend a few cracks of good black pepper.
• Olive Oil a nice olive oil is always great, but you won't notice the difference if you have a less expensive olive oil on hand.
• Red Wine Vinegar Just a splash of red wine vinegar livens up the whole dish.

How to Prepare Instant Pot Chicken Stew

Step One Turn Instant Pot on sauté mode. After heating for a few minutes, add the olive oil.

Step Two: Pat the chicken dry and season well with salt and pepper.

Step Three: Brown the chicken thighs on both sides and transfer to a plate.

Step Four: Add the vegetables, onion, and garlic, season with thyme and salt, and let cook for a few minutes, stirring often. Scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to remove any browned bits of chicken.

Step Five Add the chicken back into the pot. Add the broth and the flour. Whisk the flour until well combined. 

Step Six Secure the instant pot lid. Select the soup setting for 30 minutes.

Step Seven Once the Instant Pot has finished cooking, release the pressure with the instant release method. Be careful to stay away from the hot steam.

Step Eight Carefully remove the chicken from the broth, place on a cutting board, and shred using two forks. Add the chicken back to the stew.

Step Nine Stir in the red wine vinegar, top with fresh herbs if you’d like, and serve.

Variations

Stovetop You can make this stew on the stovetop as well. Brown the chicken, then sweat the vegetables, onions, and garlic, add the flour, broth, and seasonings, then bring up to a boil and down to a simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.

Creamy Replace one cup of broth with one cup of cream. 

Different Herbs Try using rosemary or Herbs de Provence in place of thyme.

Fresh Herbs Garnish the stew with soft fresh herbs like parsley or basil once it is finished.

How to Store

Fridge Pressure cooker chicken stew can be stored for about 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Freezer Place stew in an airtight container, leaving a little bit of room for it to expand. I like to use gallon storage bags. Stew can be cooled, then frozen for about 3 months.

Reheating From the fridge, reheat the stew on the stovetop over medium-low to medium heat. Bring up to a boil and then down to a simmer. You can also reheat in the microwave for a few minutes.

From frozen, defrost in the fridge overnight, then follow the directions above.

FAQ

How to Serve

This Instant Pot chicken stew with potatoes is a meal unto itself. Below are some suggestions for toppings and sides that complement the dish nicely.

Toast Try making this Air Fryer Toast recipe, which also includes instructions for crostini and croutons!

Salad Serve with a side of salad, like this tasty Kale Caesar Salad.

Pesto Serve a little dollop of this Almond Pesto on top of your soup for a delicious, fresh pop of flavor.

Hot Sauce Add a dash of hot sauce to this stew for a little heat! This Pineapple Habanero Sauce recipe is my personal favorite.

Looking for a recipe using whole chicken? Try this Instant Pot Chicken Soup. Or another warming meat and potato dish? This Aloo Gosht is a wonderful choice.

Expert Tips

• Do your chicken thighs always stick when browning? Be sure to let the Instant Pot come up to heat for several minutes before adding the oil, and let the chicken release on its own when flipping.
• You can cool down your stew quickly for storage by filling your sink with a few inches of ice water, transferring your stew to a metal or ceramic bowl, and then placing that container in the ice water, being careful not to let any water in.
• Freeze your stew in individual portions for an easy midweek meal.

Other Recipes You'll Love

If you're in the mood for more soup recipes, try these:

Chicken and Cabbage Soup

Greek Chickpea Soup

Chicken Pastina Soup

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

📖 Recipe