Instant Pot Tuscan chicken stew is heathy comfort food at it’s best! Full of veggies, with a boost of flavor from fennel seeds, rosemary and balsamic vinegar. Quick and simple to prepare, gluten-free and clean eating.
If this Instant Pot Tuscan chicken stew looks and sounds familiar, that’s because it is! This Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Stew is one of my oldest and most popular recipes on Sweet Peas and Saffron.
It was time to adapt it to the Instant Pot, because that means that we can enjoy this delicious chicken stew on weeknights.
As much as I love my slow cooker, chicken recipes are really hard to prep when you work outside the house. 8-10 hour cook times are just not possible. That is one of (many) reasons I am loving my Instant Pot. You can have this Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Stew on your dinner table in under an hour, and most of this time is completely hands off.
Not only that, but this Tuscan chicken stew can be prepped ahead and stored in the freezer (uncooked), as a freezer Instant Pot recipe. This makes it perfect for expectant mothers, elderly people, or busy families.
Don’t forget to pin this recipe to save it for later!
NEW: looking for Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipes? Check this post out!
How to cook this Tuscan chicken stew in the Instant Pot
Just like the original recipe, this Tuscan chicken stew recipe can be prepped and portioned out in under 15 minutes.
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- chop your veggies- dice up an onion and a tomato, slice some carrots and celery, and cut some baby potatoes in half (depending on their size). Note that if you are freezing, you need to keep your potatoes whole to prevent them from browning and getting a weird texture.
- prep your chicken- you can use either chicken breast and chicken thighs in this stew recipe, however I recommend you cut off any excess fat. A little bit is OK but huge chunks = no. Also, avoid skin-on chicken as this will give you a super fatty stew. I used to cube my thighs but I don’t even bother now. You can shred it after cooking and that way you don’t have to deal with raw chicken!
- herbs & spices- fennel seeds: crush with the side of a knife to help release the flavor. Just toss a whole sprig of rosemary right into the stew. We are going rustic here!
- liquids- I use chicken stock in this recipe as well as a bit of white wine. The wine is optional and may be left out.
- cook! 10 min high pressure with a 10 minute natural pressure release. For chicken breasts you will want to reduce the cook time to 8 minutes. Remember that your pot will take time to come to pressure, around 20 minutes for this recipe. That takes the total cook time to 40 minutes.
- acid and thicken- add a splash of balsamic vinegar to brighten everything up after cooking, and some water + cornstarch to thicken. You can let it sit for a few minutes or you can put on the ‘sautee’ function to thicken. As the stew cools it will thicken even more, so don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t look thick while still steaming hot.
How to store and serve this Instant Pot chicken stew recipe
Can you believe this Instant Pot Tuscan chicken stew actually tastes even better on day 2? It makes for a fabulous lunch the next day.
I love storing this stew in these meal mugs
, because you can re-heat them right in the storage container. So convenient for packing stew in your lunch.
Can you freeze chicken stew? Yes, you can, although with this particular recipe, you are going to need to re-heat gently, ie: don’t bring it to an all-out boil. Heating and stirring gently will keep the chicken and veggies intact.
You can also freeze the uncooked recipe as Instant Pot freezer packs. Make sure you keep the potatoes whole, and you can freeze everything for up to 3 months. To cook, thaw completely and cook as directed.
We serve our Instant Pot chicken stew with a chunk of crusty bread, like a focaccia or baguette. Something hardy that you can dunk. This stew is the most perfect thing ever for bread dunking! Think rustic 😉
Tips and equipment for this Instant Pot Tuscan chicken stew:
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot; this recipe has not been tested in an 8 quart or mini
- make sure you use heavy duty freezer bags
if you are going to make freezer packs - you can swap for boneless skinless chicken breasts but will need to adjust cook time to 8 minutes
- looking for more Instant Pot chicken recipes? Try these Instant Pot Creamy Lemon Chicken Breasts or these Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken Breasts
if you are going to make freezer packs
Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 carrots sliced
- 2 celery ribs sliced
- 1 onion diced
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 12 baby potatoes halved (or left whole)
- 1 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons white wine (optional)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds crushed with the side of a knife
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 sprig rosemary
After cooking
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Add all ingredients not labelled 'after cooking' to the base of a 6 quart Instant Pot.
- Set the valve to 'sealing', then cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- When the Instant Pot beeps, allow it to sit for 10 minutes (natural pressure release). After 10 minutes, release the remaining pressure in the pot.
- Stir together the water and cornstarch, then add to the pot with the balsamic vinegar.
- If stew doesn't thicken, set on 'sautee' for 5 or so minutes.
- Serve with crusty bread.
To prep ahead and freeze
- Add all ingredients not labelled 'after cooking' to a gallon sized freezer bag.
- Remove as much air as possible, and freeze flat for up to 3 months.
- To cook, thaw completely before cooking as directed above.
Sara
Another win! I have loved every single recipe that I’ve made from your site!!
For those that have a mini, I was able to get most of the ingredients in!
Xanthe Blackburn
Wonderful recipe; absolutely delicious and so easy. I like the pearl barley idea too.
Denise
Hi Xanthe! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for reporting back 🙂
Char
This recipe was absolutely amazing. I added a handful of fresh green beans and used 2 tablespoons of red wine instead of white (didn’t have white). I also used tiny red potatoes instead of white. It was soooooooo delicious. The balsamic vinegar is definitely a must. This is definitely a keeper.
Denise
Hi Char! I’m so happy you enjoyed the stew. Great idea with the green beans, and thanks for sharing your modifications with us, that’s very helpful to other readers!
Dave
Delicious! What a treat. I’m just “discovering” fennel seed and when I stumbled across this recipe I just had to try it. So glad that I did. We’ll be making this again and again. The only change I made was adding a little freshly ground black pepper. We find that most recipes contain too much salt for our taste so we automatically cut it in half but I ended up adding some salt to my serving so next time I’ll just use the recommended half tsp.
Thanks!
Denise
Hi Dave! So happy you enjoyed. Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a review!
Jenny
Stew smells and tastes amazing! The only problem I come up with is thickening it even by doubling the cornstarch water combo…
Denise
Hi Jenny! Sorry you’re having issues getting it to thicken. I have not had these issues at all, so I’m really unsure of how to advise you other than adding more cornstarch. Hope you enjoyed!
KLR
+ turnips and parsnips; + sage. Happy teens and tweens. Thanks.
Denise
Sounds delicious!
Morgan
I put 5 stars for the smell! We are still doing natural release, but as I’m pretty new to my InstantPot I wanted to comment this for other newbies. This was my first ‘dump’ recipe not using saute first, and I was worried something was wrong because of the hissing. (Thought I broke my steam valve!) Didn’t realize that it does take 30 minutes to get to pressure and the valve is a safety hatch, lol! I spent a lot of my 30 minutes on Google, so hope this saves someone stress and time. I’m addicted to this thing!
Denise
I hope it tasted as good as it smelled, Morgan! Yes, the Instant Pot takes FOREVER to come to pressure with soups and stews. If you try a low volume recipe like one of the chicken breast ones on my site, it’s much faster. Thanks for your review!
Morgan
Thanks for the new recipe ideas. It tasted even better than it smelled if possible! I’m actually making this recipe again for the 2nd time in 3 days per my husband’s request and a chicken sale at Target! My only tweaks were to add the whole box of chicken broth and a half cup of pilsner and red wine instead of white as it’s what I had. We are loving the extra sauce for dunking crusty bread!
Many thanks!
Denise
YAY! This makes me so happy! Glad it tasted as good as it smells, isn’t it so disappointing when it goes the other way?
Nats
Can I make this with chicken breasts (fresh not frozen) and would cooking times be different?
Denise
Hi Nats! I would try 5 minutes and if your potatoes are under, put it on for a few more minutes. I’m pretty sure they will be done though 🙂 Hope this helps!
Alicia
Hello,
I can’t do cornstarch- any other substitutions or ideas? I hve used arrowroot powder in the past…
Denise
Hi Alicia! I would do arrowroot starch. I find you usually need about half the amount of cornstarch. Good luck, I hope you enjoy!
John
Hi! I’m currently in the middle of making this. Someone asked earlier how to make it with frozen chicken breasts. I have an answer (or, at least, this is how I’ve done it):
Take the frozen breasts, separate them, put them with some salt and pepper (and any other seasonings, if you want to get creative) and a cup of chicken stock in the Instant Pot. Manual for 11 minutes (brings them to 160F) or 10 minutes (~150F), then slow release for 10 minutes. Prepare everything else for the stew (note: the 1 cup of chicken stock will now be roughly two cups surrounding the breasts when you open the Instant Pot). Fully release the pressure (quick release), remove the breasts, let them sit for 10 minutes while you sauté the onion and garlic with the sauté function, then throw in the wine, let it cook off for a bit, then place everything else (including the now 2 cups of chicken stock, but NOT including the water, balsamic vinegar and corn starch) into the pot. Select manual high pressure for 10 minutes, and while it’s coming up to pressure, cut the breasts into chunks, place them in a bowl, hit them with salt and pepper (I used a bit of Old Bay, too), toss, and hit them again.
When the pot beeps, let it sit (natural release) for 10 minutes or so, then quick release. Open the Instant Pot, stir and taste the liquid. Season if necessary. Mix the water (or some of the liquid in the pot) in a small bowl with the corn starch ’til the lumps are gone, mix that slurry into the pot, put the chicken chunks into the pot with the balsamic vinegar. Stir. If it’s not sufficiently thick, press ‘Sauté’ and stir occasionally ’til you’re happy with the result. By now, the earlier-cooked chicken is the same temp as the rest of the stew. Ladle into serving bowls. Yum!
Denise
Thank you so much for sharing your method, John! So happy you enjoyed!
Lindsay
hey john so you cooked them first seperately? hmm I wonder if you could just do it all together..
John
Hi, Lindsay —
I cooked them separately because they were frozen; I’d probably have followed Denise’s method had they been thawed or fresh. Mind you, I’ve made this again since I wrote that reply (again, from frozen) and I’m clearly a creature of habit 🙂
LBT
Someone asked for a SLOW COOKER or CROCKPOT adaptation. What would you recommend? You sent her your IP recipe again.
Denise
Here’s the link. It’s also linked in the text above https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/slow-cooker-tuscan-chicken-stew/
Tandi
Hi. I’m confused! Your recipe says the cook time is 10 minutes, although in the header of the recipe it says 40 minutes. Which one is wrong? Thanks
Denise
Hi Tandi! The Instant Pot will take 20 minutes to come to pressure, and then with a 10-min natural pressure release the total time is 40 minutes. I just don’t want anyone to think this recipe actually cooks in 10 minutes. Hope that makes sense!
Avis
I made this tonight, and it was fabulous! I halved the recipe as I have a 3qt mini Instant Pot, and it was great. I think I kept the celery and tomatoes the same but everything else I halved. Not sure if I needed to, but I did! I might try and make a full recipe as it didn’t come anywhere near the top fill line on the insert. So tasty, and as I’m alone I think it will provide 2-3 meals or a bit more… depending on if I have seconds! Will definitely make it again and again. The Balsamic vinegar is the secret ingredient that makes it pop!
Denise
Yay! So happy you enjoyed. THank you for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Peggy
Made the stew for the first time tonight. It was delicious! I added barley to the recipe. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes on your website. I had never done any meal prep ever, but now I am able to meal prep most of my meals each week. Thanks again Denise!
Denise
I LOVE the idea of adding barley to this! I must try. Thanks so much for your review, Peggy!
Lori
My husband is not a fan of carrots and celery. What other veggies would you recommend? Green beans? Mushrooms? Corn? Or would those defeat the “Tuscan”?
Denise
That’s so tough! You could just leave them out. I think green beans would work in this recipe but I’d add them closer to the end of cooking.
Emily
I have chicken breast but it’s not defrosted. How you you adjust the cook time?
Denise
Hi Emily! That’s a great question and I haven’t tried. I would try adding 2 minutes onto the cook time, and check if it’s cooked through. If not, you can add a few extra min…the pot will come back to pressure quickly second time around!
Ace
HI. I accidentally purchased bone-in thighs. Will you help with the cooking time difference? Thank you!
Denise
Hi Ace! I think the cook time should be pretty similar. You can get away with cooking bone-in a bit longer than boneless. Just be careful there isn’t too much fat on your thighs or you could end up with an unappetizing stew.
LBT
I dd not change a thing using bone in chicken thighs and it worked perfectly.
Denise
Glad to hear it! Thanks for sharing!
Denise Britt
I like your recipe a lot. I tweaked it a bit though. I used the sauted the onion, carrots and celery til translucent and added garlic for 1 more minute. I also added oregano to the seasonings. At the end of the cooking time I added a can of red kidney beans and white kidney beans (cannoloni) and fresh spinach to make it a bit heartier and the pop of green made it look amazing. Thanks!
Denise
Sounds delicious! I like to skip the sautee step because this way I can assemble everything ahead and store in the fridge/freezer until I’m ready to cook. But sauteeing does add a bit more flavor.
Denise
Am I doing something wrong. I just put this recipe together and it’s my first time using my instant pot. I can only program it for four minutes at a time. Does that make sense?
Denise
Hi Denise! If you push the + or – buttons, it should adjust the cook time! Although if you have a different model than me it might be different. Are you using the 7-in-1 DUO?
Kathy
This was fantastic! I used chicken tenders, and cooked it for a little too long (15 minutes) but the chicken was melt in your mouth wonderful. I also used some home made roasted tomato sauce rather than the chicken broth and tomatoes. I also used thyme instead of fennel. Will keep this in my rotation. Loved it!
Denise
Hi Kathy! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed! I will have to try thyme next time! Thanks so much for your review.
Roxanne
Can you use just s regular pressure cooker?
Denise
Hi Roxanne! I have only ever used an Instant Pot, so I can’t say with 100% certainty, but I do believe it would work fine in a normal pressure cooker as well.
Jennifer Payne
I can’t wait to make this tomorrow night! How much boneless chicken breast should I use? One pound or two?
Denise
Hi Jennifer! I’d use 1.5 lbs, roughly 3 large chicken breasts. Hope you enjoy!
Kimberly
Hi Denise!
We don’t have many cold snaps in Texas, but we had a big one this week. This soup was perfect to make and fill our bellies! My teenage son LOVED it so much that he has warmed it in the mornings and taken it in a thermos for lunch the past two days. When I asked him this morning if he wanted the soup for lunch, I received a resounding “YES!” Thank you so much for sharing it!
Denise
Wow, kid approval is the BEST approval! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, Kimberly!
eva a
Please convert to 8 & 10 qt pots please
Denise
Hi Eva! This should work fine in a 8 quart instant pot! Same cook time etc. Hope you enjoy!
Kelen
Hello, this sounds and looks like a very yummy recipe. I have a question though. The prep + cooking time says 55 minutes in total but when reading the recipe it says 10 cooking + 10 minutes before releasing the valve… Can you tell me which one is correct?
Thank you very much!
Denise
Hi Kelen! The Instant Pot will take quite a bit of time to come to pressure, I’m estimating around 30 minutes for this recipe.
Robyn
I’m currently expecting a baby in 2 months and have been trialing new recipes for freezing and dumping. This one was super delicious and quick to make. I love the balsamic at the end which really brings the stew to life!
Denise
I’m so happy to hear that! Good luck with the baby, Robyn!
Lisa
Can you make this in the crockpot? If so can you send instructions for using a crockpot ? Thanks!
Denise
Hi Lisa! Here’s the IP instructions: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/instant-pot-tuscan-chicken-stew/
Chanelle
Just made this stew but substituted the potatoes with sweet potatoes. Super good recipe, can’t wait to make it again!
Denise
Love that swap idea! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, Chanelle 🙂
Michelle
Hi, there, I want to make this recipe but not sure, do I the carrots, celery and other ingredients first or put it straight in the pressure cooker? Never used my pressure cooker before an electric one so want to try this recipe using it for the first time.
Thanks you!
Denise
Hi Michelle, is your question do you need to cook the carrots etc first? If so, no you do not. Hope you enjoy!
Amanda
Hi Denise, I made this recipe , and it was so delicious and bursting with flavor. Thank you so much for sharing and I am looking forward to trying your other recipes. I’m making this one my all time favorite!
Denise
I’m so happy to hear that, Amanda! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
Marissa
Great recipe! Made it last week and everyone loved it! Will definitely add it to the recipe book to make again!
Denise
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it, Marissa! Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to leave such a nice review 🙂