Why you’ll love this recipe:
Moist and tender chicken thighs are caramelized, then thrown into the instant pot with sauteed vegetables, chicken broth, and plenty of herbs to create a rich and hearty stew. The pressure cooker is one of my favorite kitchen appliances for busy weeknights. It creates a depth of flavor a long simmer achieves, but in a fraction of the time!
- Pressure cooker chicken stew
- Quick & healthy weeknight dinner
- A kid-friendly meal the whole family loves
- Only 20 minutes of total cook time
Instant pot chicken stew is comfort food at its best. It’s kid-friendly, nutritious, and satisfying. Unlike the stove top, chicken is hard to mess up in the instant pot. It comes out tender, juicy, and fork-tender every time. And you can make more than just stew! Try Instant Pot BBQ chicken, Instant Pot Beef Ribs, or Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs!
Key Ingredient Notes:
This instant pot chicken stew recipe requires simple ingredients and pantry staples.

- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs – Chicken thighs are very forgiving. They have a higher fat percentage than chicken breasts, but they are still considered lean. They cook up tender and moist, never dry or tough. If you’d rather use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, that works too. They still taste great, but are slightly less tender.
- Veggies – Carrots, celery, and onion are a killer combo. They create depth of flavor, provide plenty of nutrients, and add texture to the soup. For a simple shortcut, swap chopped carrots for baby cut carrots. You can find prechopped onion and celery in the refrigerated area of the produce section.
- Garlic – Garlic mellows and sweetens as it cooks, so don’t worry about the stew tasting too garlicky.
- Chicken stock – Chicken stock is a robust broth made from chicken bones, veggies, and herbs. Since it makes the base of the soup, I like to purchase a high-quality broth or make my own.
- All-purpose flour – Flour is almost 70 percent starch, which makes it an effective thickener. You can also use cornstarch.
- Russet potatoes – While I love the creaminess of a russet, any type of potato works well in stews. Yukon gold potatoes are a great option. They have a medium starch content, so they hold their shape well.
- Herbs – Bay leaves and fresh thyme enhance the aroma and overall flavor of the soup! If you don’t have fresh thyme, substitute 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme. Dried herbs are stronger than fresh herbs, so you only need a third as much.
How to make this chicken stew recipe:
1. Cook the chicken & veggies
- Season the diced chicken with salt and pepper.
- Heat the instant pot to the sauté function, then add the butter. Once the butters melted, add the chicken and cook until lightly caramelized.
- Use tongs to transfer the chicken to a plate. Add the carrots, celery, and onion to the instant pot and sauté until softened – about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant.

2. Pressure cook the chicken stew
- Add the potatoes and chicken into the instant pot.
- Whisk two cups of the chicken stock with the flour and pour into the pot.
- Add the remaining chicken stock, fresh thyme, and bay leaves, then stir well.
- Secure the lid and pressure valve, then cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, allow a natural release of 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure naturally.
- Remove the lid, and stir in the fresh parsley. Enjoy!

Time-Saving Tips:
- Use Yukon gold potatoes. The skins are thin and don’t need to be peeled.
- Buy prechopped veggies. You can find prechopped onions and celery in the refrigerated section near the produce. Swap the chopped carrots with already peeled baby-cut carrots.
- If you don’t want to pay the extra dollar for pre-chopped veggies, cut and peel the veggies ahead of time. Cut the chicken into chunks ahead of time too. Refrigerate everything until ready to use, then follow the recipe as directed.
Storing Tips:
- Store leftover chicken stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Chicken stew is a freezer friendly meal too! Transfer the stew to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To thaw the chicken stew, place it into the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat in the microwave until hot throughout, or in a large pot on the stovetop over medium heat.

FAQs:
This chicken stew is nutritious and filling. Chicken thighs are high in protein, low in fat, and full of essential nutrients like iron and zinc. Carrots provide plenty of beta-carotene, and celery provides vitamins A, K, and C. It has no cream or milk in it, and each serving has 30 grams of protein with only 11 grams of fat.
This pressure cooker chicken stew tastes delicious with a side of crusty bread, cornbread, or garlic bread. You could also serve it over brown or white rice.
Feel free to use whatever veggies you have on hand! Peas, corn, green beans, sweet potatoes, kale, spinach, cabbage, parsnips, turnips, diced tomatoes, or sweet bell peppers all taste great. Just add them to the pot before you secure the lid. Be sure to cut up any large vegetables like sweet potatoes, parsnips, or cabbage.

More Instant Pot Recipes:
Love the ease and simplicity of your instant pot? So do I! Try more of my flavor-packed pressure cooker recipes.

Instant Pot Chicken Stew
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
- spatula
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch chunks, Note 1
- 3 carrots peeled & sliced into ½-inch pieces
- 3 celery stalks sliced into ½-inch pieces
- ½ cup diced white onion
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour Note 2
- 1 pound russet potatoes peeled & cut into 1-inch cubes, Note 3
- 3 bay leaves
- 8 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season the diced chicken with salt and pepper, then set aside.
- Heat the Instant Pot to the sauté function and add butter. Cook until melted.
- Add the chicken and cook until it is nicely browned on the outside, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, remove the chicken. Add the celery, carrots, and onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken and the potatoes into the instant pot, in a small bowl whisk together 2 cups of the chicken stock with the flour and add into the pot. Add the other 3 cups of chicken stock, bay leaves, fresh thyme and stir.
- Secure the instant pot lid and pressure valve. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes and allow a natural release of 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually.
- Remove the lid and stir in the fresh parsley.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
– Store leftover chicken stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
– Chicken stew is a freezer friendly meal too! Transfer the stew to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
– To thaw the chicken stew, place it into the refrigerator overnight.
– Reheat in the microwave until hot throughout, or in a large pot on the stovetop over medium heat.
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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