This creamy Instant Pot chicken stew is delicious any time of the year but is an especially perfect recipe for spring as it takes advantage of seasonal produce like leeks, young carrots, and baby peas. Great for a hearty family dinner, this stew can be served on its own with bread or rolls or over rice or noodles.
Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Stew
Are you looking for a comforting and flavorful meal that celebrates the fresh produce of the season? Look no further than this Instant Pot Chicken Stew with Leek, Carrots, and Peas.
This creamy stew is bursting with the sweet and earthy flavors of springtime vegetables, making it the perfect recipe to welcome the warmer weather.
Using an Instant Pot means that you can have this hearty stew on the table in no time, without sacrificing any of the rich and complex flavors that come from slow-cooking.
So, grab your pressure and get ready to savor the tastes of the season in this delicious and easy-to-make Instant Pot chicken stew.
Ingredients For Chicken Stew
Chicken – you can use chicken breast or skinless chicken thighs or both, cut into bite-size pieces.
Vegetables – we’re using leeks instead of onion, baby carrots (you can use regular mature carrots), and baby peas (fresh or frozen can be used), as well as some white potatoes. Any white potatoes can be used in this stew. Don’t discard the green parts of the leeks! We will use some of them to make green leek gremolata to garnish the stew.
For the sauce – meat and most vegetables are cooked in a simple chicken broth with garlic, onion powder, dried thyme, salt and pepper; it’s simple yet delicious.To finish – the starch in the potatoes will give some body to the stew but we’re adding cream to give that velvety, rich finish. Don’t worry, it doesn’t feel heavy when you eat it. To thicken the stew further, you can use flour and water to make a slurry to stir into the broth. A touch of lemon juice will give a little sparkle to the creamy sauce.
You will find the full recipe with ingredients and nutritional breakdown in the recipe card below.
There are three stages to making this mushroom stew recipe in the pressure cooker. The first stage is to saute the leeks and chicken meat to brown it briefly. The second stage is to pressure cook the stew with added vegetables (but not peas!). The third stage is to finish the stew with cream and baby peas. Oh, and you have to make a little leek gremolata on the side.
Let’s break it down with step-by-step photos and video. You can use a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot.
Step 1. Wash and slice the leeks, prepare chicken, potatoes and vegetables.
Step 2. Turn the Instant Pot on and set to Saute on Normal. Add olive oil and butter and once hot, add the leeks and cook for 1-2 minutes to soften. Then add the diced chicken and cook together for 2-3 more minutes, stirring a few times. Cancel to stop the Saute function.
Step 3. Add all remaining ingredients for the cooking part and stir through. Secure and lock the lid. Set to 5 minutes on HIGH pressure. Once the timer goes off, allow 5 minutes of natural pressure release and then quick release and open the lid.
Step 4. While the stew is cooking, prepare the gremolata with leek. Finely chop the green leek to yield about ¼ cup. It should be very finely chopped like you would chives or parsley. Combine it with lemon zest and set aside for garnish.
Step 5. If using fresh baby peas, add them to a bowl and cover with boiling hot water. Let them sit and steam while the stew is cooking. If using frozen baby peas, defrost in boiling hot water and strain, then set aside.
Step 6. To finish the stew, add a cup of defrosted or freshly steamed baby peas and stir through the hot stew. Pour in a cup of heavy cream and drizzle with lemon juice, about ½ lemon. Stir through.
Serve in bowls with leek gremolata sprinkled over the top and a side of crusty bread roll or rice or mashed potatoes.
Recipe Tips
We’re using spring vegetables like leek, baby carrots (these are slightly sweeter than mature carrots) and baby peas (also sweeter than mature green peas). You can use a whole onion in place of leek and this will work well. The more tender, spring vegetables give a little sweetness to the stew.
Gremolata is a traditional Italian condiment made with finely chopped fresh herbs, garlic, and lemon zest. It is typically used to add a bright, fresh flavor to savory dishes (when served), particularly braised meats, stews, and soups. Green parts of the leek have a little hint of garlic to them and with their bright color, they make a fun alternative to parsley and garlic. Make sure to chop them as little as possible.
What To Serve With Instant Pot Chicken Stew
This creamy chicken stew is hearty and satiating and can be served solo with a side of crusty bread or dinner rolls. It can also be accompanied with rice, quinoa, cooked noodles or pasta.
For extra tang, you can add a dollop of sour cream or yogurt to the bowls. Grated cheese will make this even more comforting and delicious.
Storing The Stew
The stew will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
It can be frozen, too, but we recommend leaving the cream out and adding it to the stew once it’s been defrosted and reheated.
More Instant Pot Chicken Stew Recipes
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Instant Pot Chicken Stew With Leeks Carrots & PeasInsta
Ingredients
For the stew
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 leek large, washed really well and sliced into circle. Use white and pale green parts, reserve the green parts.
- 1 lb. chicken meat breast and/or skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces. (500 g)
- 2 potatoes white large, peel and cut into pieces.
- 3 baby carrots or 1 large mature carrot
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or diced.
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups chicken stock
To finish
- 1 cup baby peas defrosted or fresh.
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
For green leek gremolata
- 1/3 green part of the leek washed and chopped very finely, you will need about ¼ cup.
- 1 lemon zest
Instructions
- Wash and slice the leeks, prepare chicken, potatoes and vegetables.
- Turn the Instant Pot on and set to Saute on Normal. Add olive oil and butter and once hot, add the leeks and cook for 1-2 minutes to soften. Then add the diced chicken and cook together for 2-3 more minutes, stirring a few times. Cancel to stop the Saute function.
- Add all remaining ingredients for the cooking part and stir through. Secure and lock the lid. Set to 5 minutes on HIGH pressure. Once the timer goes off, allow 5 minutes of natural pressure release and then quick release and open the lid.
- While the stew is cooking, prepare the gremolata with leek. Finely chop the green leek to yield about ¼ cup. It should be very finely chopped, like you would chives or parsley. Combine it with lemon zest and set aside for garnish.
- If using fresh baby peas, add them to a bowl and cover with boiling hot water. Let them sit and steam while the stew is cooking. If using frozen baby peas, defrost in boiling hot water and strain, then set aside.
- To finish the stew, add a cup of defrosted or freshly steamed baby peas and stir through the hot stew. Pour in a cup of heavy cream and drizzle with lemon juice, about ½ lemon. Stir through.
- Serve in bowls with leek gremolata sprinkled over the top and a side of crusty bread roll or rice or mashed potatoes.
Nutrition
MORE INSTANT POT STEW RECIPES
- Instant Pot Mushroom Stew
- Instant Pot Vegetable Stew
- Instant Pot Ground Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Lentil Stew
Such a great combination of spring flavours and I love the gremolata garnish too. So pretty.
This was such an easy stew and it turned out to be so flavorful thanks to the Instant Pot! Made for a perfect weeknight dinner for our family!
Loved all the veggies in this easy dish. Really nice to be able to make it in the Instant Pot!
Love that you are taking advantage of seasonal produce! This dish is dreamy! Will be a hit for our family!