Italian Instant Pot Chicken Stew Recipe
Short on time but want to make a nutritious and comforting stew? This Instant Pot chicken stew recipe needs to happen! Italian chicken stew takes just 10 minutes to prep and combines simple, everyday ingredients like mirepoix (onions, celery, and carrots), tender chunks of chicken thighs, crushed tomatoes, garbanzo beans, and Italian seasoning. Let the pressure cooker do its work and you’ll have a Instant Pot chicken thigh stew that’s full of flavor (and it’s even better the next day!).
Serve this simple chicken stew recipe with a slice of garlic bread and a simple green salad or air fryer broccoli and cauliflower to round it out as the calories are a little low for a full meal. It’s a must for colder months when you need a hearty stew!
When you make this hearty chicken stew recipe, share a picture and tag me, I love to see your creations! And if you’ve made it, will you please leave it a ⭐️ rating below? It helps me out a ton!❤️
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Table of Contents
- What You’ll Love about this Italian Chicken Thigh Stew
- Easy Chicken Stew Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Stew
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storage Instructions
- How to Serve Chicken Stew to the Whole Family
- More Chicken Thigh Recipes
- Helpful Tools to Make Instant Pot Chicken Thigh Stew Recipe
- Pin this Instant Pot chicken stew recipe for later!
What You’ll Love about this Italian Chicken Thigh Stew
- Delicious stew with classic Italian flavors
- Healthy dinner or make-ahead lunch
- Made with basic ingredients
- Takes less than 45 minutes, mostly hands off
Easy Chicken Stew Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients to make this chicken thigh stew are simple and basic:
- White onion – Yellow onion will also work.
- Celery – Look for green celery, not white.
- Carrots – Use traditional orange or any type of carrots.
- Garlic – Use fresh or jarred garlic.
- Vegetable oil – You can also use olive oil.
- Boneless chicken thighs – Whole thighs are best, but if you want to skip the Instant Pot, you can use a rotisserie chicken and make this on the stove top.
- Italian seasoning – Dried is fine and a great option so that you don’t need to buy a bunch of fresh herbs.
- Crushed tomatoes – This gives the delicious stew a better consistency, but you can also use tomato paste with some chicken or vegetable broth.
- Garbanzo beans – If you want to switch up the starch, you could also use baby potatoes, but you’ll need to adjust the cooking time.
- Heavy cream – Optional, but stir it in after cooking for a creamy, comforting meal. It’s a great addition!
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Stew
This Instant Pot chicken thigh stew comes together with just 10 minutes to prep, then you can let the pressure cooker do the rest of the work. Here’s how to make it:
- Prep ingredients. Dice onion, slice celery and carrots, and mince garlic.
TIP: Many stores have chopped mirepoix mixture in the produce section if you want to take advantage of a short cut!
- Saute veggies. Heat oil on the saute function on pressure cooker and saute onion, carrots, and celery. Add garlic and cook for another minute, stirring with a wooden spoon, or until fragrant.
- Add ingredients. Add chicken thighs, Italian seasoning, sea salt, crushed tomatoes, and garbanzo beans into pressure cooker.
- Cook chicken stew in Instant Pot. Cover pressure cooker and lock lid. Select manual setting and cook for 10 minutes on High pressure.
- Release pressure. Let sit for 5 minutes after cooking is complete, then release pressure.
- Shred chicken. Shred chicken with forks and season with sea salt and black pepper to taste.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you put raw chicken in the Instant Pot?
Yes, you can put raw chicken in the Instant Pot, and it’s one of the fastest ways to cook it!
Can you use chicken breasts?
You could use chicken breasts, but the dark meat adds so much good flavor that I think it’s far superior!
How long should I cook chicken thighs in the Instant Pot?
The cooking time will vary based on cut, but a general rule of thumb is 10 minutes. The time it takes to reach pressure will vary, depending on how much chicken/other ingredients are in the Instant Pot.
For this particular recipe, it took about 15 minutes to reach pressure and then 10 minutes to cook. The chicken thighs were tender and shredded easily, but aren’t mushy.
Can I make Italian chicken stew in the slow cooker?
If you would rather make this recipe in the slow cooker, you can!
- Saute onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in a saute pan and add to bottom of a crock pot slow cooker. Make sure to add all of the browned bits to the slow cooker, it’s major flavor!
- Top veggies with chicken thighs and season with Italian seasoning and sea salt. Pour crushed tomatoes and garbanzo beans over the top and cook for 3 hours on High and 6 hours on Low or until chicken is cooked through and tender.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover Instant Pot chicken vegetable stew in glass storage containers the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This stew is the perfect meal prep meal to make ahead for quick lunches that just need to be reheated.
How to reheat
Reheat chicken thigh stew in a sauce pan over large dutch oven until hot. You can also microwave individual bowls of stew on medium-high heat.
Can you freeze chicken thigh stew?
Yes, you can freeze the stew for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
How to Serve Chicken Stew to the Whole Family
I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in. 😉
Serve this healthy dinner with a few sides for the kids as soups and mixed foods don’t always go over well. I would serve it with a side of fruit, milk, and bread with butter.
Also, chicken soups like this can be difficult for kids to eat, so serve more chunks, less broth so that it’s easier to get on a spoon.
More Chicken Thigh Recipes
If you love tender chicken stew recipes like this one, you might also like some of these other chicken thigh recipes:
- Orange Chicken Stir Fry – This 30-minute dinner is a family favorite. It’s got sweet and bright flavor that’s just like the take-out version.
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Potatoes – Just 10 minutes to prep this satisfying meal that’s made simple in the slow cooker.
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs – Just a few minutes to prep, a few hours to cook, and you’re on your way to eating a flavorful, nutritious meal.
- Slow Cooker Butter Chicken – Made with simple ingredients and just 10 minutes to prep this take-out favorite.
Helpful Tools to Make Instant Pot Chicken Thigh Stew Recipe
- Instant Pot – You’ll obviously need an Instant Pot to make this Italian chicken stew recipe!
- Glass Storage Containers – Store any leftovers from this Instant Pot chicken stew recipe in these containers and they can go straight in to the microwave. I LOVE the lids on these as they lock really tightly.
Italian Instant Pot Chicken Stew Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Stew
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Instant pot chicken stew recipe takes just 10 min to prep! Italian chicken stew is a nutritious + satisfying meal and perfect for meal prep.
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium white onion
- 3 stalks celery
- 3 medium carrots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 lb. chicken thighs (skinless, boneless)
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 2 15-oz. cans garbanzo beans
Instructions
- Prep ingredients:
Dice onion.
Slice celery.
Slice carrots.
Mince garlic. -
Turn on ‘Saute’ function and heat oil in Instant Pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery to pot and stir, cooking for about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
-
Add chicken thighs, Italian seasoning, sea salt, crushed tomatoes, and garbanzo beans into Instant Pot.
-
Cover and lock lid. Select manual setting and cook for 10 minutes on ‘High Pressure.’
-
Once cooking is complete, let sit for 5 minutes, then release pressure.
-
Shred chicken with forks. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Shortcut: buy pre-cut mirepoix mix, you’ll need about 5 cups.
- Cooking time: Stew takes about 15 minutes to reach pressure.
- If you want it more of a soup, add in 2 cups chicken broth.
- Serving size: 1 1/2 cups of Italian Instant Pot Chicken Stew
Pin this Instant Pot chicken stew recipe for later!
Yum! Leftovers made an awesome lunch.
It’s my winter lunch staple!
This recipe has become a winter staple. Usually get two meals out of it. I typically use 6 bone in thighs with skin removed. I increased the Italian seasoning to 1 tablespoon. Once assembled I toss it in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes. When it is all cooked I add in some defrosted chopped spinach. I’ve used different beans depending on what I have on hand. I have used cannellini, navy and great northern. I rinse the beans then add half a cup of either water or chicken broth. Delicious every time!