When you need a shortcut comfort food meal, Instant Pot chicken and frozen dumplings is just the ticket!
You’ll love how easy it is to make Instant Pot chicken and frozen dumplings, saving you time while still serving your family a delicious, soul-warming meal!
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Homemade chicken and dumplings are the perfect comfort food! Whether it’s a rainy day, a cold evening, or just one of those days when you want to be reminded of simpler times, chicken and dumplings are the ticket!
There are a lot of different ways to make this classic comfort food, but I think the best recipes for chicken and dumplings are the ones that are easy to make, yet fill you with warm memories.
My recipe for pressure cooker chicken and dumplings is a reader favorite around here, and for good reason! Tender from-scratch dumplings and chicken cook in the Instant Pot, making a savory and hearty meal.
But one of the most common questions I’ve received regarding that recipe is, “Can I use frozen dumplings in this recipe?”
So I decided to create this pressure cooker version that uses frozen dumplings, because I know you don’t always have time to make your own dumplings from scratch!
You might also like these shortcut recipes for Instant Pot chicken and dumplings with Bisquick and Instant Pot chicken and dumplings with canned biscuits!
If you don’t have an Instant Pot and you need a stovetop version, I’ve got you covered with my chicken and dumplings recipe using frozen dumplings.
How to Cook Chicken and Frozen Dumplings in a Pressure Cooker
To start, you’ll cut some chicken breasts into 2-3 pieces each, then place those pieces in the insert pot of your Instant Pot.
Add in some broken celery ribs and a chunk of onion, followed by the chicken broth.
Next, pour in the frozen dumplings. If you see any large clumps of dumplings stuck together, try to break them apart. Then, make sure the dumplings are mostly submerged in the broth.
Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes, followed by a natural release of pressure.
Once the pressure has released and the valve has dropped, you’ll carefully open the lid of the pressure cooker. Use some tongs to remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board.
Then, remove the celery and onion pieces and discard.
Whisk together some cornstarch and water to create a slurry. Stir that into the hot broth and use the Saute setting to simmer for a few minutes. The broth will thicken while you shred or chop the chicken.
Once you have the chicken shredded, return it to the pot and stir. Press the Cancel button to turn it off once the broth has thickened to a gravy-like consistency. Then and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve and enjoy!
What are the Best Frozen Dumplings?
I like to use Reames frozen dumplings, because they are very similar to the ones I make from scratch for my copycat Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings, which are just so good!).
I also use their frozen noodles in my Instant Pot chicken and noodles recipe!
The Reames frozen dumplings can generally be found in the freezer section of the grocery store, near the frozen bread.
How to Reheat Leftover Chicken and Dumplings
To reheat leftovers, you’ll want to add a little bit of water or broth, as the dumplings will absorb some more of the liquid during refrigeration.
Simply mix in the additional liquid, then reheat the leftovers in the Instant Pot, microwave, or on the stove top.
How to Prevent Dumplings from Sticking Together
I have had a couple of readers tell me that their frozen dumplings have stuck together while making this recipe.
While that has not happened to me personally, and many people have successfully made this recipe without clumping issues, I wanted to give a few tips to help prevent clumping.
First of all, make sure your dumplings aren’t stuck together before you add them to the pot.
Sometimes frozen dumplings have a tendency to clump up in the bag, especially if they’ve partially thawed at some point and then re-frozen. So be sure to break them apart if needed.
Then, make sure you have a 12-ounce bag of frozen dumplings, not the 24-oz bag! Reames makes two sizes of bags, and you want the smaller bag.
If your dumplings are overcrowded in your Instant Pot, they will stick together.
If you are concerned about your dumplings clumping, I have an alternative method you can follow if you choose. Again, I have not had issues with the main recipe, but this is simply another way to go about cooking the dumplings.
After you’ve broken apart the dumplings, you can bring the broth, chicken, onion, and celery to a boil using the Saute function.
Drop the dumplings in, one or two at a time, on opposite sides of the pot. This will let them just start to cook on the outside, making it less likely they will stick together during pressure cooking.
Once the dumplings are in the pot, press Cancel to turn off the Saute mode, then program the pressure cooking mode.
Alternatively, you can simply pressure cook the chicken, broth, celery, and onion together, then use the Saute function to simmer the dumplings after pressure cooking, but that will take longer.
Notes and Adaptations:
- Feel free to add in veggies if you’d like! Frozen peas, carrots, or green beans make nice and easy additions to this recipe. If using vegetables, just add them with the other ingredients before cooking.
- Because the dumplings are frozen, it will take a little bit longer for the Instant Pot to achieve pressure. Mine took about 19 minutes.
Recommended Equipment:
- Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker
Instant Pot Chicken and Frozen Dumplings
This shortcut recipe uses frozen dumplings and the power of the Instant Pot to bring you flavorful, comforting chicken and dumplings in a quick and easy version!
Ingredients
- 1 large or 2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts (approx. 1 lb), cut into 2-3 pieces each
- 2 ribs of celery, broken in half
- 1/2 onion (chunk, not sliced or diced)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 12-oz frozen dumplings (I used Reames)
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch + 2 Tbsp water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In the insert pot of the Instant Pot, place chicken breast pieces. Add celery, onion, and chicken broth.
- Add frozen dumplings to the broth, making sure the dumplings are mostly submerged in the broth.
- Select a cook time of 5 minutes at high pressure, using the Manual/Pressure Cook button.
- Once cook time is complete, allow a natural release of pressure.
- After the pressure has released and the valve has dropped, press the Cancel button and carefully remove the lid. Remove the celery and onion and discard. Remove the chicken pieces to a cutting board.
- Mix cornstarch and water together to create a slurry. Add the slurry to the hot broth, stirring to combine. Use the Saute button to simmer the broth for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing it to thicken to a gravy-like consistency while you shred the chicken.
- While the broth is simmering, shred or chop the chicken as desired and return it to the pot, stirring to combine. Press Cancel.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and serve!
Notes
- I use the Reames brand of frozen dumplings, which can be found in the freezer section of the grocery store, usually near the frozen bread.
- Feel free to add frozen vegetables if desired. These can be added along with the other ingredients prior to cooking.
- Because the dumplings are frozen, it will take a little bit longer for the Instant Pot to achieve pressure. Mine took about 19 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 268Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 1500mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 20g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.
Beverly Blackwelder says
Hi, this recipe did not work for me. The brand of frozen dumplings available in my part of the country was different and that may have contributed to the failure, but the dumplings were all clumped together and it seemed overcooked. Also, I felt like it would have benefited from some poultry seasoning, thyme, salt and pepper in the pot from the beginning of the recipe.
Chrysti Benner says
Hi Beverly! I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you–I know how disappointing that can be. I wonder if the dumplings were frozen in a clump prior to cooking? If so, that might have caused them to be clumped together, or as you said, maybe the brand of dumplings was part of the issue. If the dumplings were frozen together, maybe breaking them apart prior to cooking would help them not stick together during cooking. Yes, definitely feel free to adjust the seasonings to your liking! I do add more seasonings to my chicken and Bisquick dumplings recipe, but for this recipe I keep it pretty simple. 🙂
Rebecca says
This did not work for me, either. I broke apart the frozen dumplings and spaced them throughout the pot, fully submerged. They were in a huge clump by the end.
Chrysti Benner says
I’m so sorry to hear this, Rebecca! I haven’t had this problem myself, but will work on some troubleshooting so this doesn’t happen to others as well! Thank you for letting me know.
Jessica Taylor says
Just wanted to comment that I didn’t have any issues with the dumplings. I have no idea what I did different than the other commenters but ours was delicious! I’m sorry they had trouble. Thanks for the recipe!
Chrysti Benner says
Thank you for your comment, Jessica! I’m so happy to hear that it worked out fine for you and that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Lori says
I’ve tried this recipe twice and both times I’m getting the burn notice. When I can finally get pressure released there’s plenty of liquid but the dumplings are stuck to the bottom. I do put my chicken in first but I’m not using enough chicken to cover the bottom so therefore my dumplings seep through and stick. Any suggestions?
Chrysti Benner says
Oh dear, I’m so sorry to hear this, Lori! I’m a little puzzled as to why it could be happening. Are you using a 12-oz size bag of dumplings or the 24-oz size bag? I’m wondering if they are too crowded and that’s why they are sinking? If that isn’t the case, another tactic you could try is to bring the broth to a boil (using the Saute button) before adding the frozen dumplings, then press cancel and switch it over to the pressure cook setting and put the lid on. Adding them to broth that’s already boiling might help to get them cooking a little bit faster, so they are more likely to stay afloat and less likely to sink to the bottom. I hope that helps if you decide to give it a try again! 🙂
tatiana says
i tried this from a different way i usually make chicken and dumplings and it had a soapy, bitter taste. i’m not quite sure what from but it was horrible.
Chrysti Benner says
Hi Tatiana! I’m so sorry to hear this! Normally, a metallic or bitter taste could come from too much baking powder (or sometimes baking soda) in the dumplings, but if you were using frozen dumplings, I’d say that decreases the likelihood of that being the case here, unless there was an issue in manufacturing them, which is a slight possibility. Out of curiosity, did you use Reames dumplings or another brand? I’ve only tested this recipe with Reames, so I’m not familiar with the taste of other brands, though I would assume they’d be fairly similar. Otherwise, It could also be that your celery was bitter (some stalks grow to be more bitter than others sometimes). But I’m inclined to think it was something to do with the dumplings, as the other ingredients are pretty straight-forward. Either way, I hate hearing that it didn’t turn out well for you!
Bekki says
Can I double this recipe?
Chrysti Benner says
Hi Bekki! I haven’t personally tried doubling this recipe. Doubling the frozen dumplings may cause the pot to be too full, and could also cause the contents to scorch since it would take even longer to come to pressure. Sorry I can’t say for sure!
Amy says
I’m wondering how long the natural release should be?
Chrysti Benner says
Hi Amy! I’d allow for about 15-20 minutes for a natural release, since there’s quite a bit in the pot with this recipe. Hope that helps! 🙂
Shea says
Dumplings were over cooked and mushy. Very disappointed.
Chrysti Benner says
I’m sorry to hear that, Shea! I haven’t had that happen before, and they shouldn’t be overcooked after just a 5 minute cook time. I’m curious if it was a different brand than Reames that might’ve been thinner?
Angie says
Hopping on here to leave a review.! (Which I do not usually take the time to do.) But my sister is a wonderful cook- always has been- Me on the other hand, I’m a 50/50 cook! She sent me this recipe and of course I wanted to try.. Im writing to share that this recipe was great for this 50/50 cook! Of course I read the reviews on the dumpling prior and was wondering how it was going to go, but I followed recipe exact and it came out perfect! My cooking skills prevailed haha. My family loved it! Thank you for a keeper recipe is what I want to say most! Oh and my My sister better watch out! 🙂 thank you!
Chrysti Benner says
Hi Angie! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review! I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed it and that you are now giving your sister a run for her money, haha! 🙂
Desi says
Hi, I love this recipe for Chicken & Dumplings in my pressure cooker! I want to make and serve with Christmas dinner but will need to use 3 bags of dumplings instead of 1 (and of course additional liquid). Does a you have any insight for how to adjust the cooking time?
Chrysti Benner says
Hi Desi! I haven’t tried this with three bags of dumplings–my concern is that it will exceed the maximum fill line on the Instant Pot (particularly with starchy dumplings!), and the dumplings would be more likely to stick together with less space to spread out. You may need to cook it in batches and combine them all in one big pot for serving. I hope that helps!