Learn how to make Instant Pot chicken fricassee, a classic French stew of browned chicken meat cooked in heavenly, creamy mushroom sauce. Enjoy the rustic comfort of this dish in half the time with the help of your pressure cooker!
Course Main
Cuisine French
Keyword Chicken Stew, Creamy Mushroom Chicken, French Stew, Instant Pot Chicken Stew
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 40 minutesminutes
Servings 5servings
Calories 456kcal
Ingredients
5chicken thighswith skin on and bone in (can be without bone)
⅔teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonpepper
1tablespoonolive oil
2tablespoonsbutter
For the stew part
1yellow onionhalved and sliced
2garlic clovesfinely chopped
⅓cupwhite winechardonnay would be great here
8ouncesmushrooms220 grams, sliced
1teaspoondried thyme
2bay leaves
1teaspoonDijon mustard
1.5cupschicken stock
To finish
2tablespoonsflour
½cupheavy cream
2-3tablespoonschopped parsley
Instructions
Pat dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture. Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper and set aside.
Set up the Instant Pot and press the Saute button multiple times until it shows More mode (hotter setting). Add olive oil and butter and heat up.
Once hot, add 2-3 chicken thighs at a time, skin side down first and cook for 4 minutes. Turn over and cook for 1 minute on the meat side. Do the second batch and once the butter starts to get quite a golden brown color, you can press the Saute button again to switch to Normal mode as the pot will be quite hot by this stage. Cook the second batch for 3 minutes on the skin side and 1 minute on the meat side.
Remove the chicken pieces to a plate. Keep the Instant Pot on Saute on Normal mode.
Add the onions and stir for 30 seconds. Add the garlic and stir briefly. Now pour in the white wine to deglaze the pot. All those delicious, browned chicken pieces, juices and butter will incorporate into the wine. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the pot, make sure to remove anything that looks stuck to prevent the BURN error.
Add mushrooms, dried thyme, bay leaves, and mustard and pour in the chicken stock. Stir through. Press Cancel to stop the Saute.
Nestle the chicken pieces (skin side up) in the mushroom onion broth. Move the mushrooms around and on top so you can fit the chicken as deep as possible. It doesn't have to be submerged.
Secure the lid on top. Set to Pressure Cook on HIGH for 15 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 5 minutes to come to pressure and the timer will begin.
Once done, leave the pot undisturbed for 5 minutes and then manually quick release the pressure.
Remove the chicken pieces to a plate. Scoop out about ½ cup of the broth and discard. Press the Saute button and press it again to cycle through modes until you get to More (hot setting). Allow the remaining mushroom broth to come to boiling and let it bubble away for 10 minutes, stirring a few times. This will evaporate some of the liquid and thicken the broth, saturating the flavor.
Optional: Heat up a frying pan with a little oil and pan-fry the cooked chicken thighs skin side down for 2 minutes to brown the top. Set aside.
In the meantime, mix 2 tablespoons of flour with 4-5 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth, slurry-like texture. Stir this mixture into the chicken sauce after it's been simmering away and reduced slightly. The sauce should thicken further. Press Cancel to stop the Saute.
Finally, stir in the cream. Return chicken pieces to the sauce and top with parsley. Serve right away!