Pressure Cooker Chicken and Dumplings Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

Jeff B

No one said this particular recipe was necessarily "dinner in an instant". That is just the title of the book, which was drawn from the name of the device (The Instant Pot). Get over yourselves, literalists.

Bri

Dinner in an instant???? This recipe takes 45' of cooking time (10' to brown, 10' to soften veggies, 13' to pressure cook the chicken and then another 10' under pressure for the dumplings)??? You can cook this on the stovetop in that amount of time, with far less hassle, by starting with skinless chicken thighs and adding the dumplings to the last 10' of chicken cooking time.

Jen

This was tasty and I do think using the pressure cooker cut down on cooking time and made for a more relaxed experience. I did not do the dumplings under pressure - I just dropped the dough into broth simmering on the "brown" setting and loosely put the lid on until they were done - maybe 5 minutes.

mzhungry

I had the same thought after preparing this recipe. It was in true Melissa Clark fashion, delicious, but it was 2 hours. It is not an "instant" 13 minutes to cook chicken: pot has to build up right amount of pressure before timer countdown begins. Then it takes a minute or 2 to manually release steam. Which cools down gadget. Which then needs more time to reheat & build up right amount of pressure. I enjoy my instant pot but using it for this recipe felt gimmicky & unnecessary.

Melissa

Dumplings should first be cooked with lid off 10 minutes and lid on for another 10 minutes. I will take vegetables out prior to dumplings next time as it's too much cooking as written in recipe.

Adrienne

Remove vegetables along with chicken so they don't turn to mush. Even after the initial 13 minutes, diced vegetables are soggy; large chunks would hold up better. As others have helpfully said, this is not a quick recipe, nor does it look like the photo (the broth looks more like gravy), but it is delicious. To use a whole cut-up chicken, leave the white meat large (2 halves breast with wing attached) while separating leg into drum and thigh, and use stated cooking time.

s4shon

This recipe took a very busy 2 hours start to finish, and I even used a separate pan and browned both batches of chicken at the same time. Turnip was key. I added chopped kale with the dumplings. Had the Instant Pot on sauté while dropping the dumplings in. The dumplings expand quite a bit while cooking. Aim for a small quenelle. This dish was tasty, but not sure it’s worth the effort - I’m exhausted!

Alana Roberts

I used this recipe for the dumplings, combining them with a different chicken recipe. I subbed masa for cornmeal, powdered the salt and pepper w/ mortar and pestle, and subbed .25 cup buttermilk for an equal portion of milk. I cooked them for 7 minutes on Saute, with the lid co*cked over the pot but not sealed, after removing the chicken. My flour is fine unbleached bread flour.The dumplings turned out addictively good. I liked the faint corn flavor, and they were consistently fluffy inside.

shkilleb

This is the first Instant Pot recipe I've followed that caused a small explosion. When I manually released the pressure as part of step 3, the soup started spraying like a fountain from the release valve. I was apprehensive about it happening again during the dumpling phase, so I used the saute setting and left the lid off. I'm happy to report the end product was still delicious, but I'm scared to try this again. The mess alone makes me hesitant.

Mark B

I didn't have any problem with the time it took to make this dish. The pressure cooker to me made this more efficient. The saute setting on my pressure cooker isn't all that good so I browned the chicken and veggies in a separate pan before dumping them into the cooker and adding the flour. The dumplings were dense and gummy, even after sauteing them after pressure cooking them. I think I'll stick to Sean Brock's mom's recipe for chicken and dumplings though.

Charles

I wonder if it means Dinner in an "Instant", i.e., an Instant Pot but implying it's quick (or fuss free).

Catherine Roy

Unbelievably comforting and delicious. Worth it. Recipe as written: Used bone in chicken thighs and organic broth. A splash of white wine.

sara

Definitely still a weekend meal - somewhat labor intensive for all of the steps. I might try browning the chicken on the stovetop while sautéing veggies in the Instapot (will get a better brown and cut down on time)

Bob

It’s a soggy viscous mess. Triggered the burn shutdown when I cooked it.

Diane

My quick-and-dirty version: Skinless bone-in thighs, no marinating. Sear thighs while chopping veg (no turnip). Remove meat, add veg, stir till fragrant, add thyme and white pepper. Add 4c water, seal, manual for 15 min, QR. Stir in Better than Bouillon to taste. Serve with rolls. Next time will bake biscuits; if dumplings, will do on Saute, not pressure. Check out Instant Kid's C&D on youtube. Not true to recipe, but good and done in an hour total.

Kate

Can't you just cook the dumplings and chicken at the same time? There's a 3 minute difference of cooking time (under pressure). Reading some of the comments, it seems like this might be easier just doing it in a casserole in the oven, chopping the veg while searing the chicken and then getting it started cooking while you make the dumplings and then just put them on top and finish it all together, no? Either in the oven or stove top or under pressure at that point?

Graham

Veggies were super mushy despite cutting them chunkier as suggested by others. Ended up throwing them away and sautéing up a new batch to add back.

Danny

This was the chickeniest thing I have ever tasted and I don't really mean that as a compliment. To add stock to a roux and then pressure cook bone-in chicken is going to make a super-concentrated, really thick, gravy-like soup. It took a while to make, but the steps were nicely sequential and not that hard. Just don't expect a fresh, summery soup like what you see in the picture. This is a meal to make before going cross-country skiing in Northern Poland or something.

L. Allen

Honestly, there are much fast and equally as good IP recipes for chicken soup. It took me over two hours and I can’t say it was worth it. It had good, rich flavors and the dough balls were OK, but eggs noodles are better. If you do cook this, absolute take the advice from the comments and remove the veggies before you pressure cook the dumplings. The ones I left in, vanished.

stella

This recipe was really crazy. There’s no reason to make this in an instant pot. It took just as long and was more work than just making a stove top version. It was delicious! But two hours very hands on work…vs a stove top version that would have taken as long but maybe only requires 30 min active work. Anyway it was good but just skip the instant pot. Don’t skip the turnip.

Maddy

Followed as written and it’s excellent. I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was! It does take some time but you could make ahead up to the dumpling stage and either freeze it or finish the next day.

Zaza C

This was delicious. I didn’t have fine corn meal but I used some semolina instead. Full fat buttermilk instead of whole milk. Dill was the garnish. Fabulous as usual for Ms Clark’s recipes.

Diana

I have made this, and it is delicious! Having read the comments before making, I noticed several people saying their broth needed flour because it was dark-colored. Not true. My broth is clear, because I made homemade bone broth, with fresh chicken bones from the market (rotisserie chicken bones do not work). I put the veggies and a few herbs in large chunks with the bones, skim the fat and reserve as schmaltz, and strain it 3 times so only liquid remains. My broth is always clear.

RJH

This was good. If I make it again I’ll add peas, thyme, a bit more salt, and maybe a bit of lemon juice. It was a little bland, but still a comforting dish on a rainy Sunday evening.

Sharo

This turned out tasty, though the broth was definitely more like a gravy, even with only half the flour added (2 tablespoons). If I cook it again, I'd follow some of the recommendations to omit the flour added to the stock. Also, I'd put double the veggies in next time.

jessica

I followed the recipe, except that I didn’t have chicken broth, so I added 1quart of water and 4 tblsp of salted butter instead. I also used more veggies—a potato, carrots, onion, rutabaga, and mushrooms, and fresh herbs. Unfortunately, the liquid was too thick and I got a burn message on the instant pot before it got to pressure. I’m wondering if all extra vegetables was the reason why it burned. I wound up cooking it on the stove instead. It was pretty good, though the veggies were mushy.

OceanBeachSF

Really nice flavors but the dumplings completely disintegrated once I pressure cooked them. When I opened the pot I found a thick, creamy soup instead. Still tasty, but I am not sure what happened there.

RDCollins

I had half a box of Cremini mushrooms left over from another dish. Quartered them and added with the veggies. Nice!

RDCollins

While I agree with others that this dish takes about 3 hours to prepare, it's actually pretty simple — most of that time is spent waiting. Well worth the effort if you have the time. BTW, I made it in a traditional stove-top pressure cooker, which worked very well.

Dcp

Excellent! Followed recipe exactly. It was my first Instant Pot try. Chicken is very tender, flavorful and dumplings were done in time noted.

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Pressure Cooker Chicken and Dumplings Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to my chicken and dumplings to make it thicker? ›

How can I thicken stove top chicken and dumplings? You can thicken this dish by adding more flour, or even cornstarch. Create a slurry with either of these ingredients and milk or water, then stir into your broth base until you get your desired consistency.

Why are my chicken and dumplings hard? ›

There are two main reasons that the dumplings in chicken and dumplings turn out hard. One is the cooking; the dumplings will be hard if they are cooked too long or if they are cooked with the lid off so they simmer rather than steam and do not get the moisture from the stew as they cook.

What can I add to the dumplings to make them taste better? ›

A teaspoon of sugar adds an extremely subtle hint of sweetness. It also helps the dumplings retain their moisture through the cooking process and slows gluten development, which ensures tender dumplings. A pinch of salt seasons the dumplings and enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.

How long does it take chicken and dumplings to thicken up? ›

Slowly add the hot chicken broth, stirring constantly, and simmer over low heat until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in the heavy cream, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves. Adjust the heat to maintain a slow simmer while you prepare the dumplings.

Can you pressure cook instead of steam? ›

They both do. The point of the pressure cooker is that, when you raise the pressure, you can also raise the HEAT of the water/ steam. At sea level, water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. That's as hot as the water or steam can get.

How long should you steam dumplings? ›

Steam dumplings for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender and cooked through. Combine ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and coriander in a bowl.

What happens if you over steam dumplings? ›

You'll know you've overcooked the dumplings when the wrapper is disintegrated. If you overcook your dumplings in the steamer or when boiling, the dough of the wrappers will have a gummy texture that isn't very pleasant, and your filling might get dry and tough.

How do you tell if dumplings are done in chicken and dumplings? ›

Set a timer for 15 minutes, don't lift the lid during this time, the dumplings need to steam. Open the lid and insert a toothpick into the middle of a dumpling to check for doneness. If it comes out clean, it's ready. If not, cover and simmer for a few more minutes.

Why are my chicken and dumplings not fluffy? ›

If it's boiling too hard, the dumpling dough can fall apart. Simmering broth might not be hot enough to raise the dumpling dough. Remove or tilt the lid after they've cooked so the dumplings don't over-steam and get soggy and dense. At least, that's the way I was taught and dumplings come out fluffy and delicious.

Do you cook dumplings with lid on or lid off? ›

The second secret to making really good dumplings is to keep the lid closed while the dumplings cook. With the soup simmering over a low flame and the dumpling dough ready, you'll drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the surface of the simmering broth, then cover the pot with a lid.

Do dumplings float when done? ›

Cover and bring to a vigorous boil. Add roughly one cup of cold water and return to boil while covered. Repeat this step again. The dumplings will be completely cooked and ready when they float on the surface of the boiling water.

What are the 3 components of dumplings? ›

What are dumplings made of? The dumpling dough is made of three main ingredients: flour, water and salt. But which flour you use depends on which dumpling you want to make.

What are the two methods of cooking dumplings? ›

There are three basic ways: steaming, boiling, and steam-frying. There is also deep-frying or serving with a crispy lacy “skirt.” While the cooking method depends heavily upon your mood and what you are craving, it also depends on the shape of your dumpling.

How do you make dumplings less watery? ›

If you find that your filling has too much liquid, I recommend draining the entire mixture in a colander. Another trick that I learned from my mother is to add a teaspoon of cornstarch or breadcrumbs to help soak up the liquid.

How do you make dumpling filling less watery? ›

Adding a touch of cornstarch, breadcrumbs, or even oats in the mixture can help absorb any excess liquid and make forming a tightly knit filling easier. While those ingredients can dry out the filling, they should not alter, change, or overpower the flavor in any way.

How can I thicken my chicken and noodles? ›

Flour or Cornstarch: Flour (or cornstarch) thickens the liquid, taking this soup from brothy to creamy.

How do you thicken chicken broth? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool. Add a few tablespoons of flour or cornstarch to the bowl and whisk until it's blended smooth. Next, bring the soup to a simmer and add the mixture back to the pot. Pro tip: Don't dump in the entire mixture at once.

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