Instant Pot Chicken and Homemade Dumplings (from frozen chicken)

Forget to thaw the chicken? Use the pressure cook setting on the Instant Pot to make Chicken and Dumplings from frozen to perfectly tender in less than 60 minutes!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 30

Total Time 55

Servings 8 people

Author Megan

Ingredients

Chicken Stew

1 Tablespoon Butter
2.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 3 inch chunks
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
4 1/2 cups Water
2 Tablespoons Reduced Sodium Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base
1 large onion chopped
3 Cloves garlic minced
3 medium carrots about 1 1/2 Cups, chopped
2 Celery Stalks chopped
2 Bay Leaf
1/8 teaspoon Thyme
2 teaspoons dried Parsley
6 small Russet Potatoes about 6 Cups, chopped
1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup Frozen Peas

Drop Biscuits

2 1/4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/8 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1 1/8 Cup Butter
2 1/4 Cups Buttermilk See notes

Instructions

Instant Pot Chicken Stew

Heat Instant Pot using the [Sauté] function. Once it is hot, melt butter so it fully coats the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle FROZEN chicken with salt and pepper and brown them inside the pot for about 5 minutes on each side. If needed cut large chicken breasts in half and brown the raw sides. Remove from pot and set aside.
While the chicken is browning, mix the chicken base and water until the chicken base is dissolved. Set aside broth.
Sauté onions until they are translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for just 30 seconds until fragrant. Add carrots and celery and sauté another 2 minutes. Add the bay leaf, thyme, and parsley and let it cook for one minute until fragrant.
Pour 1 cup of chicken broth into the pot of vegetables and deglaze by scraping the brown bits of the bottom of the pot as you stir a few times.
Add the potatoes, remaining broth, browned chicken breasts and meat juice. Close the lid and turn venting knob to the sealing position. Use the [Manual] or [Pressure Cook] function to pressure cook the chicken at [High Pressure] for 5 minutes.
It will take about 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to pressurize before the cooking process begins. Once the pressure cooking phase has finished, let the pressure release naturally (just let it sit) for 15 minutes. Then, turn the pressure knob to the venting position until the remaining pressure releases and you can unscrew the lid.
Scoop out the chicken and discard the bay leaves. Cut or shred the chicken and return to the pot.
Change the setting to the [Sauté] function again. Leave the lid off and mash a few of the potatoes with the back of a ladle to help thicken the soup. In a separate bowl, add two or three ladles of soup broth to 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. Use a wire whisk to stir the mixture until no clumps remain and it resembles a smooth paste. Add the paste back into the chicken soup mixture and continue stirring until you reach the desired consistency.

Drop Biscuits

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder, salt, and cream of tartar. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the kefir (or buttermilk) all at once. Use a fork to stir just until combined. It should resemble a thick, lumpy batter.
On a greased baking sheet, drop dough by spoonfuls about one inch apart. Use a lightly greased spatula to scrape the dough out of the spoon and onto the sheet.
Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. or until the tops are barely golden brown. Watch them carefully, because the bottoms will brown before the tops.
Serve the chicken soup in bowls, topped with a broken biscuit.

Notes

Make sure you chop your potatoes, carrots, celery and onions in chunks about the size of dice. If you chop them too small, they will over-cook and turn into mush in your Instant Pot. Also, I choose to use kefir in place of buttermilk, because it’s what I always have on hand. Either one will work in this recipe.