Instant Pot Braised Chicken and Potatoes is one of the easiest one dish dinners that is budget friendly and really comforting too. Juicy chicken, potatoes, carrots and onions cook together in a delicious braising liquid. Serve it with a simple salad and that's all you need for a satisfying meal.
The Instant Pot is one of my favorite kitchen appliances and one of the recipes that I always recommend for everyone to try is this one - Braised Chicken and Potatoes. I think this is one the dinners that my Mom made most often when we were growing up. We always made it on the stove, so I shared that Stovetop Recipe For Braised Potatoes, and it was one of the first that I converted to the Instant Pot method.
The chicken and the aromatics - onion, carrots, and garlic get sauteed until they are golden brown and all the brown bits on the bottom of the pot are deglazed with broth (I often just use water and it worked great too). Sauteing elevates the overall flavor immensely. Then using all the fond to braise all the ingredients in is genius for clean up and taste. I leave the potatoes on the very top, so they essentially steam. Even though they are cooked through and tender, leaving them on top keeps them from falling apart into mush too much. Serve it with a salad, like the Broccoli Cauliflower Salad and dinner is served!
Video Of How To Prepare Instant Pot Braised Chicken and Potatoes
Ingredients
- chicken - boneless skinless chicken thighs are the best option, but you can use chicken breast as well. Chicken thighs are a lot juicier and more flavorful.
- potatoes - golden/yellow potatoes work the best. The potatoes don't fall apart as much as using russet or red potatoes, although you can use those as well.
- carrots
- onion
- garlic
- chicken broth - instead of chicken broth, you can use vegetable broth or even water.
- dry herbs and spices - I always add bay leaves as well as a combination of other dry herbs and spices, such as granulated garlic/onion, chives, parsley, paprika and any other flavors that you enjoy.
- salt, ground black pepper
- fresh herbs - parsley, green onions, dill are all good options
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes
- Prep all the ingredients. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces (smaller or bigger depending on how you like it) then season with salt, pepper and any dry herbs and spices that you like. Chop the onion, julienne the carrots and cut the potatoes into about 1 ½" - 2" pieces. Mince the garlic and chop the fresh herbs. Heat up the broth or water until boiling.
- Using the "Saute" function on the Instant Pot, brown the chicken first, in multiple batches, until golden on both sides. The chicken doesn't need to be cooked through at this point. Set it aside.
- Next, add the onions to the Instant Pot, seasoning with salt and pepper. As the onions cook, they will release some liquid and that will help to lift up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. If it's not happening quickly enough and starting to get too brown, add a little water or broth to deglaze it more.
- Meanwhile, season the cut up potatoes with salt, pepper and herbs.
- Clear a little space in the center of the onions, add the garlic and saute for about a minute, just until aromatic. Then add the carrots, the browned chicken.
- Lastly add the potatoes and bay leaves, leaving them on top and not mixing with the rest of the ingredients. Pour in the hot broth/water. You need just enough liquid to cover most of the ingredients, but not cover the potatoes.
- Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes, then Quick Release.
- Add the fresh herbs and serve.
Love this dinner? Try Instant Pot Potatoes and Sausage Dinner! It's so good.
Helpful Tips and FAQs
Absolutely! Here's the stovetop recipe.
The inner chamber of the Instant Pot is made from a stainless steel material, so it can be challenging to work with, since it's not nonstick. Make sure to follow all these tips:
- Heat up the pot BEFORE adding the food.
- Use enough oil to coat the bottom of the pot.
- Blot the chicken before seasoning it so it will sear better.
- Don't try to turn the chicken over before it is ready. If you try turning it before it is seared enough, it will start to tear and rip apart. When it gets a good sear, it will release from the bottom.
TIP: If you're new to using stainless steel, you can saute the chicken separately in a nonstick skillet on the stove and just saute the veggies in the Instant Pot.
Add a little bit of water or broth to the pot, scraping down with a wooden spoon to lift up and deglaze the pot. Do this as often as you need while sauteing the chicken and vegetables.
Right before adding the potatoes and pouring in the broth, make sure the bottom of the pot doesn't have any burned on/stuck on areas. It should be smooth and clean underneath.
This is such a versatile recipe! The ingredient amounts are very flexible.
In addition, if you like more meat, add more meat. However, if you want more potatoes, add more potatoes. The amount of water that I listed is enough to cook the potatoes through and have enough to pour over each portion in the bowl. Most of it will get absorbed by the potatoes the longer it stands. If you want a more stew-like consistency, add more water, if you don't want any remaining liquid at all, add less water.
Instead of chicken, you can use pork, beef, sausage or kielbasa. You can also add some fresh or dry mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and/or celery for even more great flavor.
This recipe reheats really well, so it's a great idea to make a bigger batch. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator, covered, for 5-7 days. Reheat in the microwave, or in a skillet on the stove on medium heat, covered, until warmed through.
What to Serve With this Recipe:
Since this is my ultimate "busy weeknight dinner" most of the time when I prepare it, I like pairing it with something super simple, like a salad, pickles, Sauerkraut or just cut up tomatoes/cucumbers.
Here are a few more ideas.
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad With Tomatoes and Cucumbers
- Russian Carrot Salad
- Sour Cream Spring Garden Salad
- Crisp Cucumber Salad
- Tomato Avocado Salad
Braised Chicken and Potatoes in the Instant Pot
Braised Chicken and Potatoes in the Instant Pot gives you tender chicken and potatoes, with aromatic onions, carrots and garlic. In a fraction of the time, the electric pressure cooker prepares the entire meal in one appliance.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4-6
- Category: Entree
Ingredients
- 2-3 Tablespoons oil (avocado oil, olive oil, etc.)
- 1 ½ - 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 ½” pieces
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, julienned (you can also slice the carrots or grate them on a box grater)
- 3-6 garlic cloves, minced
- salt, ground black pepper, to taste
- 1-2 Tablespoons dry herbs/spices, to season the chicken and the potatoes, each (granulated onion and/or garlic, dry chives, parsley, celery, thyme, oregano, rosemary, bay leaves, etc.)
- 2 - 3 lbs gold potatoes, cut into 1 1 /2" - 2” pieces
- 2 - 2 ½ cups HOT or boiling water
- 1-2 Tablespoons fresh herbs (parsley, dill, thyme, rosemary, etc.)
Instructions
- Prep all the ingredients. Cut the chicken into 1 ½" pieces and season them with salt, pepper and any combination of dry herbs and spices that you like. Cut the potatoes into 1 ½" - 2" pieces and season with salt, pepper and dry herbs and spices. Chop the onion, julienne the carrots, mince the garlic and chop the herbs.
- Turn on the “Saute” function on the Instant Pot on the highest setting and heat up the oil. Brown the chicken thighs in 2-3 batches, until golden on both sides, adding more oil as needed. Set the chicken aside. The chicken will not be cooked all the way through at this point. You can also use pork or beef instead of the chicken, but you will need to cover the meat and aromatics with a bit of water and cook them until tender before adding the potatoes.
- Add the onions to the Instant Pot, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook on the “Saute” function. Use a wooden spoon to scrape off all the brown bits. If needed, add a small splash of water to help deglaze the pot. Cook the onion until they are starting to soften and turn lightly golden, about 3-5 minutes.
- Clear a little room in the center of the onions and add the garlic, sauteing while stirring for about a minute, just until aromatic.
- Add the carrots, seasoning with salt and pepper again and mix to combine.
- Return the browned chicken to the pot, ad more dry herbs and spices, if you'd like. (If you are using pork or beef, pour in just enough water to cover everything and cook until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes on manual high pressure. Once the meat is tender, add the potatoes.)
- Add the potatoes to the Instant Pot. Add the bay leaf(ves). Do not mix the potatoes with the rest of the ingredients, leaving the potatoes as the top layer.
- Pour in the hot/boiling water or broth. (If you pour in cold water, the Instant Pot will take much longer to come to pressure before it starts cooking.) If you use water, add additional salt, if using broth, you don't need to use any additional salt.
- Cover the Instant Pot with the lid, make sure the sealing ring is in place, turn the sealing salve to "Sealing".
- Switch to the "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" function, High Pressure, for 6 minutes.
- Quick release right away by manually moving the sealing valve to "Venting". Do not let it sit for more than 5 minutes, because everything will continue cooking even after the 6 minutes are up unless you release the pressure. The potatoes will be completely overcooked and mushy if you let it release naturally.
- Garnish with fresh herbs. Serve hot. Store leftovers for 5-7 days in the refrigerator, covered.
Notes
- The ingredient amounts are very adjustable in this recipe. You can use more or less or any ingredient that you like. The important thing is to cover all of it almost to the top with the broth, leaving about an inch less.
- If you want to serve this more as an entree, just drain some of the liquid off before serving, or use the braising liquid and serve is more like a stew.
- Using HOT broth/water will help to bring everything to pressure much faster than if you pour in cold broth.
*I listed the "Cooking Time" as 30 minutes, to include the sauteing, then the time that it takes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure and finally the last 6 minutes of cooking after all the ingredients are in the pot and it is actively cooking.
Love this recipe. I make it over and over. Vert tender and much quicker than stove top braised potatoes.
So glad you're "back!" And thank you for this recipe, I've been looking for this exact one (specifically how to tailor to the Instant Pot and came up short. Today, I popped by your site just to see if you had any gems for us and discovered this. it's on the menu for Saturday. Best to you and thank you!
Thank you for the kind words, Inga! I hope you enjoy this recipe.
If I want to cook it in a Pot instead what would I change if I have to change anything even.
Here's a similar recipe for Braised Potatoes to cook on the stovetop, Olga. I used pork, but you can easily use chicken instead. Braised Potatoes Recipe.
Absolutely loved this recipe! When you have such simple ingrideints, you worry if there will be flavor. Well, let me tell you this dish didn’t lack in flavor. Perfect combination of spices and ingrideints,
Thank you for taking the time to write, Olga. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the Braised Potatoes. Simple ingredients make the best and most comforting food, in my opinion.
Love to hear your news & see your delicious recipes but taking care of yourself & your beautiful family is more important. Wishing you well.
Hi Olga, My mom bought me an Instant Pot for Christmas. I want to make beef plov in it. Have you ever tried making plov in it?
Olga, thank you for this recipe! I just made this in my Instant Pot. I actually tried it with white potatoes and set it at 5 minutes rather than the 6 minutes you recommend for yellow potatoes. (Thank you for the warning about using different potatoes) Anyways, it was perfect!! The potatoes still held their shape without turning into mush. 🙂 Super easy recipe -- and I would love to see more Instant Pot recipes, if you are up for it.
And girl, anyone who has kids will totally understand why your activity has gone down on the blog. Family comes first and we will be here for you every time you get the rare opportunity to post one of your tasty recipes! Don't you worry about us!
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, Lana. Thank you so much for taking the time to write and let me know how it turned out and for your kind, thoughtful words of encouragement. It means a lot to me.
Ooooh this post is such great timing for me! My husband came home with a half a cow a couple of days ago, and then I went online and saw your post this morning with this great idea for lunch today:)
I made braised potatoes with beef and my family loved it! Of course I had to cook the beef separately for 20 minutes but the potatoes and everything else just came out so flavorful and delicious that I plan on making some again this week! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Your blog is one of my favorites and I refer to it each week when planning my menu. Take good care of yourself and don’t stress over posting often because we would rather have new recipes from you occasionally than not at all!
God bless you!
Thank you for the kind words, Marina. I really appreciate that you took the time to write. It means a lot for me to hear your encouraging words, especially since I've been feeling very DIScouraged because I can't post even half as much as I would like to.
Hi Olga! The less frequent posting is comletely understandable given your situation, I still enjoy the ones you get to post and recently loved your Q&A on Instastories. I would love more info on the Instant Pot. It seems to be a trend that has exploded the past year and I never looked into it because I try to be minimalist in the kitchen (because I cant seem to be minimalist in other areas.) Doing a quick Amazon search upon your recommendation of this, I am a bit overwhelmed and would love to know what you think, or if you know, concerning the different brands and types of pressure cookers. Thanks in advance!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed the Q&A on Instagram. Thank you so much for the support and understanding.
I completely agree with you about trying to be a minimalist in the kitchen. I try to limit appliances as much as I can because I don't want to clutter up my kitchen with useless things or something that I don't get a good use out of.
I have had the Instant Pot for more than a year now, and I am so happy I bought it. I actually use it several times every week for many different things. Since I've only used this one, I don't know anything about any other brands of electric pressure cookers, but I highly recommend the one I have. It's a 6 quart, 7 in 1 electric pressure Instant Pot.
This looks delicious! I also own that same exact pressure cooker and I love using it. Last time I made chicken noodle soup in it with homemade noodles, ohhh it's our favorite. I just throw a whole chicken in there add few peppercorn, bay leaves and salt and cover with water to the max line and set it on 20 min. After it's done, I take out chicken, strain the broth and throw in homemade noodles and cook for another 5 mix. Then you add chicken to your soup how much you want. It's the most comforting soup ever! I also do plov in it, and when making soup with beef I like to speed the process by cooking beef meat in it.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe, Nataliya! I will have to try it, because it sounds delicious. If you have any other recipe suggestions, I would love to hear them too. I also love how quickly it cooks beef. I use it all the time now for Plov, Borsch, goulash and other recipes like that.