Instant Pot Tomato Chicken Stew

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tomato chicken stew in a white bowl in front of blue china cabinet

I love a hearty and ridiculously simple stew recipe. Add to it that this recipe goes into the instant pot? And BAM! This is a winner for sure. This recipe has all the flavor of a traditional beef stew, but it’s decidedly lighter being made with chicken breast. Beef is expensive and not that great for you. One day I had the craving for beef stew, and I had chicken on hand and no beef, so I decided to give the chicken a try… and… a star was born. Give it a try, I’m certain that easy and delicious Instant Pot Tomato Chicken Stew will become a staple at your house.

Ingredients:

Ingredients for instant pot chicken stew including chicken, beef broth, tomato sauce, carrots, and potatoes
  • 1.5 – 2 pounds boneless chicken breast
  • 2-3 cups beef stock
  • 1 28-ounce cans tomato sauce
  • Baby carrots – 1 bag
  • Russet Potatoes – 5-6 medium potatoes
  • 2 tsp salt
  • Ground black pepper (to taste – 1 tsp-ish!)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp Italian Seasoning (optional – not pictured)

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Special Equipment

My Instant Pot is the actual Instant Pot brand. I have the Instant Pot DUO 6 Quart. I can’t say enough good things about this appliance. If you don’t have one, you need one. I use mine at least twice a week. It’s a slow cooker also, so it can definitely pull double duty. ***Safety note – I never, NOT EVER, leave my Instant Pot unattended. I never leave it running when I’m not home. I’m a safety nerd that way.

Instructions:

Step 1:

baby carrots in the bowl of an instant pot

Empty bag of carrots into the Instant Pot.

Step 2:

Peel Potatoes and cut them into 4 large pieces each and put them into Instant Pot.

Step 3:

Raw chicken breast in the bowl of an instant pot

Lay chicken breast in Instant Pot on top of veggies. Leave them whole. You don’t want them to totally fall apart during the cooking process.

Step 4:

Chicken broth pouring into an instant pot with raw chicken and tomato sauce

Pour in tomato sauce. I skipped this picture somehow. So pretend like that beef broth being poured in is tomato sauce! I used one of the 33.5 ounce boxes of tomato sauce here. The 28 ounce cans will work as well. If you like a more chunky stew — feel free to use half sauce and half whole tomatoes and let them cook in the pressure cooker. I’m an all sauce, no tomato chunks kind of gal though.

Step 5:

Chicken broth pouring into an instant pot with raw chicken and tomato sauce

Now it’s actually time for this picture! Pour in beef broth to just under the fill line on the Instant Pot. That’s usually 2ish cups for me. If your instant pot is bigger than that, I’d just add 3 total cups of beef broth. You certainly don’t have to fill it to the fill line. You just want there to be enough liquid to cover everything and make a nice stew consistency.

Note: You don’t have to use beef broth. You can use whatever broth you have on hand. But I think the beef broth lends to a “beef stew” flavor without the actual beef.

Step 6:

Add in salt, pepper, bay leaf and italian seasoning. Really, you can add whatever seasoning you like here. If you don’t have Italian Seasoning, just throw in a little parsley and thyme. Whatever you have on hand will work. And just salt and pepper will work too. If you like spicy, throw in some Texas Pete or hot sauce. It’s totally yours to play with!

Step 7:

Stir all ingredients in the Instant Pot to mix them together. Make sure the chicken is covered by the liquid.

Step 8:

An instant pot sitting on a counter

8. Put on lid and make sure it’s set to “sealing” on the vent. I use the “stew” option on my Instant Pot and it pressure cooks for around 40 minutes. By the time it comes up to pressure, it probably cooks an hour or so.

Step 9:

I let the pressure naturally release for at least 20 minutes after it’s finished cooking. I take that time to pull together some cornbread or something to go on the side of our stew. After 20 or so minutes, I use a wooden spoon to turn the vent from “Sealing” to “Venting” to make sure all the pressure is released. Stand back and let it fully release before you try to open it.

Step 10:

Open the pot and stir the stew. The chicken will have already started to come apart. I just use my tongs to gently squeeze the chicken and it falls apart and turns to shredded chicken in the pot with almost no effort at all. I’m always amazed by how tender it gets! I never even take it out of the pot to shred.

Step 11:

White bowl of Chicken tomato stew in front of a blue china cabinet

ENJOY! Serve with your favorite bread or crackers. I love a good corn muffin on the side!

Wrap Up – Instant Pot Tomato Chicken Stew

I love this recipe. It’s so flipping easy and delicious. And with the chicken, it’s actually pretty dang healthy for you! We have this at least every other week at our house. Even in the summer. It’s just SO easy to make and so yummy to eat. The Instant Pot makes it for you! You’ve just gained an extra hour in your day while dinner cooks! I hope you give this recipe a try and love it! And as always, just keep shuffling!

Bowl of chicken stew on a brown table in front of a blue cabinet

Instant Pot Tomato Chicken Stew

Print Recipe
This delicious, light and nutritious stew is an easy dinner any time of the year. Throw all the ingredients into the instant pot and let it do the work for you!
Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:40 minutes
20 minutes
Total Time:1 hour 10 minutes

Equipment

  • Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

  • pounds chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
  • 3 cups beef stock
  • 1 can tomato sauce 28 ounce can
  • 1 pound baby carrots
  • 6 medium russet potatoes
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Instructions

  • Empty bag of carrots into the Instant Pot.
  • Peel Potatoes and cut into 4 large pieces each and put into Instant Pot.
  • Lay chicken breast (whole – don't cut up!) in Instant Pot on top of veggies.
  • Pour in tomato sauce.
  • Pour in beef broth to just under the fill line on the Instant Pot. That's usually 2ish cups for me. If your instant pot is bigger than that, I'd just add 3 total cups of beef broth.
  • Add in salt, pepper, bay leaf and italian seasoning.
  • Stir all ingredients in the Instant Pot to mix.
  • Put on lid and make sure it's set to sealing on the vent.
  • I use the "stew" option on my Instant Pot and it pressure cooks for around 40 minutes.
  • I let the pressure naturally release for at least 20 minutes after it's finished cooking.
  • Use a wooden spoon to turn the vent from "sealing" to "Venting" to make sure all the pressure is released.
  • Open the Instant Pot and stir ingredients.
  • The chicken has already usually started to fall apart. I just a pair of tongs and just gently pinch the meat and it falls right apart in the Instant Pot with all the other delicious stew.
  • Serve with your favorite bread or crackers. I love a good corn muffin on the side!

Notes

*** Special Equipment – I’m using the “Instant Pot” brand of Instant Pot.
*** You could also easily adapt this recipe to be a slow cooker recipe. I’d cook on low for 8ish hours.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5cup | Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 1356mg | Potassium: 1570mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 8220IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 3mg
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chicken Stew, Instant Pot Chicken Stew, Stew
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 276kcal
Author: Sarah
Cost: $10

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Tomato chicken stew from instant pot in a white bowl infront of blue cabinet

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