Set and forget Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes is a savory one pot chicken stew just like my Ukrainian grandma used to make!
This stew along with Instant Pot chicken stew and Instant Pot chicken and rice is in our regular dinner rotation.
I made this Instant Pot chicken and potatoes on Sunday night after we got back from a weekend away at kids’ hockey tournament. This thick stew is a version of my Ukrainian grandma’s chicken stew and is a dinner lifesaver, just like one pan chicken and potatoes and roasted chicken thighs and potatoes.
While chicken and potatoes were cooking in an Instant Pot, I painted kids’ bathroom. Now go ahead and tell me Instant Pot recipes are not magical when it comes to one pot meals?!
Reader’s Review
This was super delicious! I made it as a quote weeknight dinner and friends came by unexpectedly. We all loved it. That broth is deeee-licious!! We had some crusty bread with it. Definitely recommended.
Bronwen
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 5 stars: Instant Pot chicken and potatoes has been rated with amazing results over 160 times.
- Balanced one pot meal: Protein, carbs and vegetables all in one pot.
- Fast: 10 minutes prep and ready in under 45 minutes including the pressure build up time!
- Hearty: Chicken infuses the vegetables with flavor and potatoes add a natural starch, making this thick stew a comforting cold weather dinner.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes
- Chicken: Chicken breasts, chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks, chicken legs or even whole chicken will work. Frozen chicken too, yes!
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes will fall apart more – use if you like more chicken stew like dish. Yellow, red and especially baby potatoes will stay whole better.
- Vegetables: Onion and carrots.
- Pantry seasonings: Dried rosemary or fresh rosemary, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
- Fresh seasonings: Garlic and fresh dill.
What Types of Chicken Can I Use?
Chicken Thighs or Drumsticks
- Cook time: Boneless skinless chicken thighs – 15 minutes, bone-in chicken thighs and chicken drumsticks – 20 minutes.
- Cut back on saturated fat: If you buy chicken thighs with skin on, I like to trim the fat and remove the skin from all or at least half of them.
- Save the bones: To make Instant Pot chicken broth.
Boneless Chicken Breast
- Cook time: Boneless chicken breasts will keep moist under pressure and need 15 minutes to cook through.
- Save money: You can go for more affordable bone in and skin on breast and cook for 20 minutes.
- Do not chop but shred after: There is no need to cut raw chicken breasts into pieces. Shred cooked chicken while gently stirring with a spoon. It’s that tender and saves washing a cutting board.
Frozen Chicken
Instant Pot frozen chicken and potatoes is a reality. Cooking meat from frozen is one of Instant Pot’s best features!
- Cook time: Same 15-20 minutes depending on type of meat cooking time. Instant Pot will take a bit longer to come to pressure thus cooking chicken longer.
- Make sure to separate chicken pieces (!): This is very important step. You can’t throw in a blob of frozen chicken breasts because they will never cook through in 20 minutes.
Whole Chicken
That’s what I used 2nd time. It’s the cheapest cut of chicken. Here is a tutorial how to cut whole chicken.
How to Make Chicken and Potatoes in Instant Pot
- Prep: In Instant Pot, add chicken, potatoes, onion, carrots, rosemary, bay leaves, salt, pepper and water. No need to stir.
- Cook for 15-20 minutes: Close the lid, turn pressure vent to Sealing position and press Pressure Cook on High pressure or Manual: boneless chicken – 15 minutes, bone-in chicken – 20 minutes.
- Release pressure: After Instant Pot has finished cooking, release pressure using Quick Release method by turning valve to Venting position and open the lid.
- Season and separate the chicken: Add garlic and fresh herbs. Stir and separate the chicken meat off the bone with a spoon (or shred boneless chicken breasts).
Tips for Best Results
- You don’t have to saute the onion or sear chicken: It’s not necessary when making chicken and potatoes in Instant Pot because food cooked under pressure comes out more flavorful.
- Add garlic at the end: 5 cloves added before cooking are way less powerful than 1 clove added after dish is ready. It makes all the difference in the world.
- If you want potatoes to stay whole: Place chicken on a trivet and potatoes on top, so they are not sitting in liquid.
- Liquids: You can add 1 cup water. You can also use chicken broth or Instant Pot chicken broth instead but I like to save money. Chicken cooked with water turns it into a broth.
Variations
- Fresh dill substitute: Any fresh herbs like Italian parsley (I don’t love curly parsley), green onion or even basil adds amazing layer of flavor. Don’t use dried dill weed, completely different taste.
- Substitute rosemary with: Dried oregano, thyme or Italian seasoning substitute.
- No fresh herbs? Still make this Instant Pot chicken recipe. It will be good without them as well.
- Creamy: Some readers have added heavy cream at the end after cooking.
- Fresh greens: Kale or spinach not only add nutritional value but a pop of color.
- Splash of white wine: Reader tested and as the saying goes; I like to cook with wine, sometimes it ends up in the food. 🙂
- Additional vegetables: Add frozen peas or cauliflower rice at the end of cooking time. Frozen green beans would be lovely too.
- Finishers: In addition to dill and garlic, a squeeze of lemon juice to enhance flavors or hot sauce if you like a little heat.
- Sweet potatoes: Pressure cook 8-10 minutes and be sure to use boneless chicken as your protein option.
Serving Recommendations
Instant Pot chicken and potatoes really is a one pot meal, but if you are like me and have very hungry boys at your table (all those sports!) here are some additional side dish options:
- Fresh salads: Spinach salad or lettuce salad are two easy salads that would pair perfectly.
- Keep this dish authentic Ukrainian and serve with cucumber and tomato salad or vinegar coleslaw.
- Roasted vegetables: Roasted cauliflower or roasted asparagus recipe are delicious.
- Sautéed sides: Sauteed zucchini for something light or brussels with bacon for some added decadence!
- Bread: A loaf of crusty bread or high protein bread like Greek yogurt bread or Greek yogurt biscuits.
How to Store
Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I do not recommend to freeze potatoes as they change colour and texture. It is my personal preference and I know some people do not mind. So, if you freeze other potato dishes, then you can freeze this one as well.
Reheat: To reheat, add desired amount in a pot, cover and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes or until warmed through. A little more fresh dill would bring more freshness.
FAQs
Yes, I go into detail above how to use frozen chicken but to recap, be sure your chicken pieces are not touching and cooking time will be the same, but your Instant Pot will take longer to come to pressure.
Yes. You can make chicken stew in slow cooker. It should take about 3-4 hours on high heat and 6-8 hours on low setting.
Use boiling water (or warm broth/wine) to bring your pot to pressure faster.
More Chicken and Potatoes Recipes
More Instant Pot Recipes to Try
- Instant Pot chicken breast
- Instant Pot whole chicken
- Instant Pot Italian chicken
- Instant Pot chicken pasta
- Instant Pot pot roast
Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs, breasts, drumsticks or cut up whole chicken
- 3 pounds potatoes, cubed (see notes)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, sliced
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig, or 1 tablespoon dried
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup water, or chicken broth
- 1 medium garlic clove, grated
- 1 small bunch dill, Italian parsley or green onion, finely chopped
Instructions
- In Instant Pot, add chicken, potatoes, onion, carrots, rosemary, bay leaves, salt, pepper and water. Do not stir.
- Close the lid, turn pressure vent to Sealing and press Pressure Cook on High or Manual for 15 minutes for boneless chicken and 20 minutes for bone-in chicken pieces.
- After Instant Pot has finished cooking, release pressure using Quick Release method by turning valve to Venting and open the lid.
- Add garlic and fresh herbs. Stir gently. I like to separate meat off the bone at same time. It helps to divide meat more evenly.
- Serve hot with a green salad and crusty bread.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes or until warmed through.
- Freeze: I do not recommend to freeze potatoes as they change colour and texture. It is my personal preference and I know some people do not mind.
- What are best potatoes to use? Russet potatoes will fall apart more – use if you like more chicken stew like dish. Yellow, red and especially baby potatoes will stay whole better.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
An absolute hit with my family, and I am thrilled that I can throw frozen boneless chicken breasts in the bottom of the pot with perfect results. Thank you so much!
You are very welcome.:) Cooking meat from frozen is second best feature of Instant Pot, after hands off method.
Hi Olena,
Just wanted to let you know I made the IP Chicken and Potato recipe, VERY Delicious! First time ever using my new Instant Pot and the recipe turned out beyond perfect. Thank you for a great informative site and sharing your wonderful food ideas. You put so much time into all of this and it is so much appreciated! Thank you again.
You are very welcome, Kate! Feeling all the work appreciated makes me keep going on hard days.:) Enjoy!
Oh my goodness! This was my first time using my instant pot, and I love how this dish turned out! It’s so flavorful, so tender, and just mouthwatering! I love the garlic flavor, I was a little skeptical about the grated raw garlic, but it’s great! Thank you so much!
You are so welcome! I’m so happy you trusted me on that one. Raw and cooked garlic are like two different foods almost lol.
Excellent, easy and healthy. I walked my Mom through this recipe because I broke my arm. First time made it and it was perfect comfort food. Thanks.
Excellent! Sorry about your arm. Hope you feel better soon!
This is some damn good stew!! I made a couple of changes though: I used 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning in place of the fresh rosemary, 1 bag of baby carrots in place of the 2 large carrots, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder in place of the grated clove, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of dill weed in place of the fresh dill, though I think next time I might just get the fresh dill.
Hi Rebecca. Sounds great! I recommend to add fresh garlic and fresh dill at the end next time and your level of amazement will skyrocket even further.:)
This is one of the best recipes I have made in the instant pot. So tasty and healthy. I have made it several times trying different herbs. The trick is adding the garlic at the end!
Happy to hear, Gail, you love my Instant Pot chicken and potatoes that much! I will share my little secret with you: I add fresh garlic at the end to A LOT of my recipes. 🙂
Delish! I used russet and they did fall apart, but it made it almost like a stew. Flavors are excellent and chicken was moist. My boneless skinless thighs were frozen solid and came out perfect!!
Yay! I am like you and do not mind any kind of potatoes either. Potatoes are potatoes to me. Glad you enjoyed!
Made this tonight! Used thighs that were still semi frozen. Question, my potatoes were really soft and mushed easily. They didn’t hold form like in your photos. Any idea why? Flavour is delicious!!
Hi Rachel. Sorry this is so late. I was away on vacation. I can only think because of the type of your potatoes. There are so many. Which ones did you use? I used yellow potatoes. Russet tend to fall apart more. Try red or yellow in colour, or baby potatoes next time.
So, so good! This is true comfort food. Absolutely delicious, the chicken is so soft and moist, the potatoes are so tasty. I can’t believe this recipe is so easy and quick, it tastes like something that takes all day to make. Thanks Olena 🙂
🙂 You are welcome, Elisa! Perfect for a winter night.:)
I’ve been making this recipe a lot, can I give it 10 stars? My daughter is a pretty serious figure skater and one of her coaches is from the Ukraine. I made this last night when the coach and her husband came over, they said it was the best meal they’ve had in Canada (they’ve been here for a year so far!) 🙂
LOL a true Ukrainian can appreciate a recipe from another Ukrainian. I’m so happy for you!
Yes, Russia and Ukraine do have strong figure skating presence. It’s just our thing. I always love watching it during the Olympics.:) Too funny. Thanks for sharing this. Made my day.:)
Olean, I have a silly question about the potatoes I should use. Seeing your bag set on table is Yellow Skin Potatoes so, my question is, would
Yukon Gold Potatoes work & are they the same as the ones you use?
LOL believe it or not it is not a silly question. Someone on Instagram told me last night flavor was so good but their potatoes looked pale compared to mine.:) I never even paid attention to what kind of potatoes I used. Yes, you can use Yukon gold potatoes. I don’t know if they are the same but they are similar yellow. All my package says “yellow flash” and that’s it. These are local ones.
Red potatoes are good too. Any potatoes. Some are tastier than others maybe by tiny bit but potatoes are potatoes.:)
Thanks, Olena! However, I think the Yukon Potatoes are slightly sweeter than Russet (my opinion). I’m wanting to make this dish soon. I appreciate quick response back… I think Yukon will be what I’ll be using. I told my ex daughter-in-law whose a vegetarian about your website… suppose she’ll be taking a look soon.
Keep the recipes coming!!