Skip to Content

Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy is an easy dinner recipe for those busy weeknights. Even the kids like this tender chicken with a light and creamy gravy. Serve with my favorite mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.

instant pot chicken and gravy

Easy Dinner: No Fail Chicken and Gravy Recipe

Dive into the flavorful world of homemade meals with our irresistible Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy recipe.

Guaranteed to tantalize your taste buds, this easy, time-saving recipe unlocks your Instant Pot’s magical culinary powers.

If you’re unfamiliar with an Instant Pot, it’s simply a pressure cooker that can cook food faster because it’s cooked under high pressure.

We absolutely love to serve this Chicken and Gravy recipe over a bed of mashed potatoes.

If you are in a hurry, you can use our hack to make instant mashed potatoes taste homemade.

Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy is a flavorful and easy-to-make recipe that you’ll love for its tender, juicy, and perfectly cooked chicken in a rich and creamy gravy sauce. 

This recipe is perfect for busy weeknights when you want a delicious and satisfying meal without spending hours in the kitchen. 

With just a few simple ingredients and an Instant Pot, you can have a wholesome and hearty meal in no time.

One of the best things about this recipe is that it’s incredibly versatile and adaptable to your taste preferences. 

The gravy sauce is also customizable and can be made thicker or thinner, richer or lighter, depending on your preference. 

You can serve it with mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, or bread.

Add some steamed vegetables or a salad for a complete and well-balanced meal.

If you’re looking for other Instant Pot chicken recipes, don’t miss our Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings recipe and our Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti recipe.

The Instant Pot cooking method is another reason you’ll love this recipe. 

It’s a game-changer for home cooks who want to save time and effort in the kitchen. 

With the Instant Pot, you can cook the chicken and make the gravy in one pot, which means fewer dishes to wash. 

The pressure cooking technology, which cooks food under high pressure, also ensures that the chicken is cooked evenly and retains its moisture and flavor. 

Plus, it’s a safer and more energy-efficient method compared to oven or stove-top cooking. 

Whether you’re new to cooking or an experienced cook, you’ll appreciate the ease and convenience of using an Instant Pot for this recipe.

Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy

🔑 Key to Success #1 – Use Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

This Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy recipe uses boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Be sure to trim them well to remove anything you wouldn’t want to eat.

You’ll probably need 4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts to make 3 pounds.

You can really use anywhere from 2.5 to 3.5 pounds of chicken breasts.

After your chicken cooks, you’ll remove the chicken breasts from the Instant Pot and shred it with two forks.

I like to leave some larger chunks of chicken in my Chicken and Gravy but you can shred it more if you’d prefer.

Chicken thighs or other protein sources can be substituted in Chicken and Gravy. 

Since thighs cook quicker than breasts, you’ll only need to cook on HIGH for 12 minutes if using chicken thighs.

Frozen chicken breasts can also be used in this easy Instant Pot recipe. 

Simply add 5-10 minutes to the cooking time before allowing a natural pressure release.

Chicken and Gravy in the Instant Pot - Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy

🔑 Key to Success #2 – Go Light on the Salt in the Gravy

While you do want to salt and pepper your chicken breasts when putting them into the Instant Pot, you don’t need to go overboard.

The cream of chicken soup and the gravy packets already contain some salt and that has to factor into the amount of salt you add.

If you’re concerned about the salt, you can wait to salt your chicken and gravy after it finishes cooking in the Instant Pot.

You can jazz up your chicken and gravy with other seasonings such as garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, or other spices.

This way you’ll be able to taste test and make sure your seasoning is right.

You can also amp up the flavoring in this dish by substituting chicken broth for the water in the recipe card. 

Even low-sodium chicken broth has a great deal of flavor that would complement this easy dinner very well.

Shredded Chicken and Gravy in the Instant Pot

🔑 Key to Success #3 – Natural Release for the Most Tender Chicken

Cook time for Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy is 35 minutes under pressure.

After your Chicken and Gravy finishes pressure cooking, let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes.

It could take 5-10 minutes for the pressure to fully release.

If your Instant Pot is spewing liquid from the valve, you can place a towel over it while you release the pressure.

You can use the quick-release valve after 10 minute if you’re in a hurry.

You’ll want to wait 10 minutes to ensure the chicken is fully cooked and tender.

Chicken and Gravy in the Instant Pot

When you’re cooking with the Instant Pot, the timer starts once the Instant Pot reaches pressure but the cooking process starts much earlier.

Chicken and Gravy is delicious when served over white or brown rice, wide egg noodles, or my favorite – mashed potatoes.

I served the Chicken and Gravy over brown rice this time and the gravy soaked down into the rice.

Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy

This gravy is not super-thick. It’s a thinner gravy but still very flavorful, and the tender and juicy chicken is absolutely wonderful.

If you want to make thicker gravy, simply make a cornstarch slurry by combining 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water.

Stir the cornstarch mixture until smooth, then add it to the gravy that is simmering over the saute setting in your Instant Pot.

The sauté function is great for thickening gravy, but this can also be done on the stovetop in a saucepan.

After the gravy is thickened, simply add the chicken and the gravy back together and stir to combine.

📌 Get the Printable Recipe for Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy

Save this Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy recipe to your favorite Instant Pot board or your Easy Chicken Dinners board.

Instant Pot Chicken & Gravy
Chicken and Gravy in the Instant Pot

Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy is an easy dinner recipe for those busy weeknights. Even the kids like this tender chicken with a light and creamy gravy. Serve with my favorite mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles. 

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 can (10 oz) cream of chicken soup
  • 2 pkgs chicken gravy mix, dry
  • 2 cups water
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Trim boneless skinless chicken breasts and layer in inner pot of Instant Pot. Salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Spread cream of chicken soup over chicken breasts then sprinkle chicken gravy mix on top of soup. Pour water over the top. No need to stir.
  3. Set Instant Pot to manual High Pressure cook and set timer for 35 minutes. Set steam valve to sealing. 
  4. After cooking, let steam release naturally for at least 10 minutes. Remove chicken breasts from Instant Pot and shred with two forks. Return chicken to Instant Pot and stir well.

Notes

  • Serve over Mashed Potatoes, Rice, or even Wide Egg Noodles
  • Cream of mushroom soup may be substituted for the cream of chicken soup.
  • Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 309Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 147mgSodium: 367mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 54g

Nutrition Information Provided For Educational and Informational Purposes Only.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have suggestions for improvement?

Your feedback helps us create better recipes for you. Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts!

Kristin

Thursday 9th of February 2023

Hello. I was thinking to make this ahead of time and freezing it, in order to have a meal prepped for later in the week. Can this recipe be frozen or do you not recommend freezing it?

Jennifer

Thursday 9th of February 2023

This recipe can be frozen to use later in the week. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Sunday 30th of October 2022

Any idea on conversion to crock pot?

Jennifer

Sunday 30th of October 2022

You can make this recipe in the Crockpot! Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or 3-4 hours on LOW. The ingredients will be the same either way.

Tuesday 26th of April 2022

Do I cook for less time if I’m halving the recipe?

Jennifer

Tuesday 26th of April 2022

You could probably get away with cooking for only 25 minutes if you were doing 1 1/2 pounds of chicken.

Kathy Crow

Saturday 15th of August 2020

So quick and easy!

Jennifer

Saturday 15th of August 2020

We're so glad you liked it! Thanks for rating the recipe.

Lyndsay

Monday 30th of March 2020

How long should I cook this if my chicken is frozen?

Jennifer

Monday 30th of March 2020

Try high pressure for 50 minutes if using frozen chicken breasts.

Skip to Recipe