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 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.
I hope you and your family are well and safe! Much love to you all the way from Nj America. Thank you for this recipe.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe and thank you.
I m not sure it’s about quick release? I’m making it now and I put in sealing still on and pop is up then says 45 ? Wait until the pin drop? Or after 45 minutes then venting?
Then it will say L.
Please reply
Thanks!
Hi Kimberly, Am trying to follow your thoughts here. You should seal it, set it to 15 min or 20 minutes, it will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure, pin will pop up, timer will start. After it is done, you will hear a beep, then quick release, pin will drop and you can open up. This recipe should not be set on the timer for 45 min.
So good! I didn’t have carrots, but I had baby Bella mushrooms, which a sauteed separately because I forgot I had them!
I added a little heavy whipping cream and used broth. It was so good I need to make it again. Maybe with some kale.
So happy it turned out so well Christine! Adding a pop of green with kale sounds lovely!
This was delicious! I love the simplicity and we always have these items on hand. This was the 2nd time we’ve made it this month. Even my two picky eaters love it! I used my trivet so the potatoes wouldn’t fall apart and it worked perfectly. Chopped up the chicken, added a little butter, garlic and parsley then stirred it all together. Perfection! Thank you!!
Awesome to hear! Always a great feel when you have another recipe that the whole family loves!
Surpassed my expectations with this one, for such a simple recipe! SO delicious! We used bone in skin on chicken thighs and sadly had no potatoes but added extra carrots and celery and served with rice, whole family loved! Next time will try with potatoes!
Thanks for reviewing, so glad you made it work with what you had on hand 🙂 You will have to try our Instant Pot Chicken and Rice, too!
Super easy and really good!
Although I have not made all of your recipes, I love them all. They all sound so delicious that I can’t wait to make them.
Not only that, but you explain things very well where even I can understand. You explain why to do this and why not to do that, and the reason for it. Your Great!!!
I made this for the first time today. It took only15 minutes and tasted very good, everyone was pleased. Thank you again, Olena, this is the 5th one of yours that are in my regular list.
You are very welcome!
Have you ever tried replacing the water with white wine?
I’m trying this now ::crosses fingers::
I’ve never ruined a recipe with wine, it should enhance all the flavors 😅
Yes, I cooked with wine in IP, it’s good. Hopefully not too much in here. 🙂 Wine makes everything better like cheese. 🙂
I really enjoy all of your recipes! Every one is so delicious & flavourful. I love how you share stories about your ‘baba’ & her recipes.
Keep up the amazing work
Thanks, Joanne!!!