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This Instant Pot chicken and gravy recipe has tender chicken breasts smothered in gravy. It’s easy to make and ready in just over 30 minutes!

Try my Easy 3-Ingredient Shredded Chicken and Gravy for a super easy alternative to this one.

Instant Pot chicken and gravy with mashed potatoes in two white bowls

So, I had this idea to do a Crockpot Chicken and Gravy recipe, and I knew I also had to try it out in my Instant Pot. It took a couple of tests of each to ensure that they were blog-ready, and I am glad to now have both recipes published. Update: you may also like my Skillet Chicken and Gravy recipe.

I didn’t want to use a “cream of” soup in this recipe. I don’t know… something about them I’m just not a fan of. Also, there are already plenty of chicken and gravy recipes out there with cream of chicken soup, so I wanted to try something a little different. It seems like Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning has been on my brain lately, so it was the first thing that came to mind for what else I could add to this recipe to get some extra flavor without a lot of extra work. I just love the subtle herby buttermilk flavor it adds to the gravy. I don’t think you’d guess that ranch seasoning was in here if you didn’t know! 

One thing I prefer about the Instant Pot vs. the slow cooker is that the IP has the sauté function. It’s so handy to quickly thicken the gravy at the end! 

prep for Instant Pot chicken and gravy!

How to make Instant Pot chicken and gravy

  1. Add the chicken broth, ranch seasoning, garlic powder, and pepper to your Instant Pot and whisk until the powders have dissolved;
  2. Add the chicken and spoon some liquid over top if it’s not entirely submerged;
  3. Seal it up and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes; once the countdown has finished, do a quick release after 5 minutes;
  4. Take the chicken out of the Instant Pot and cut it up/shred it; meanwhile, add the gravy mix and cornstarch slurry to your Instant Pot (hit the sauté button to help the sauce thicken faster);
  5. Add the cut-up chicken back in and combine with the sauce. 

(Full ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below)

Recipe notes, tips, and tricks:

  • The gravy mix and ranch seasoning both have salt, so use low-sodium chicken broth if you’re concerned about the salt content.
  • You can make your own ranch seasoning mix if you prefer.
  • Make sure you don’t add the gravy mix in at the beginning – it contains cornstarch, and that is not a good thing for the electric pressure cooker – it can cause scorching and goes weirdly gloopy (yes, I tested it).
  • Packets of ranch seasoning and gravy mix can vary from brand to brand, so that’s why I don’t list sizes, but the ones I used were each around 1 ounce.

the BEST Instant Pot chicken and gravy!

More Instant Pot chicken recipes to try:

close-up of Instant Pot chicken and gravy served with mashed potatoes

Made this recipe? Questions? Talk to me in the comments below!

As always, if you’ve made one of my recipes, tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram. 🙂

Instant Pot chicken and gravy with mashed potatoes in two white bowls
4.67 from 36 votes

Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy

This Instant Pot chicken and gravy recipe has tender chicken breasts smothered in gravy. It's easy to make and ready in just over 30 minutes!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 13 minutes
Inactive time: 15 minutes
Total: 33 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 2 pounds chicken breasts boneless skinless
  • 1.5 cups chicken broth
  • 1 packet ranch seasoning mix (I used Hidden Valley)
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch + 1 teaspoon cold water
  • 1 packet chicken gravy mix

Instructions 

  • Add the chicken broth, ranch seasoning mix, garlic powder, and pepper to your Instant Pot. Whisk until the powders have dissolved.
  • Add the chicken and ensure it's mostly submerged (spoon some liquid over top if it's not). Close the lid, ensure the valve is on "sealing", and then set the timer to cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
  • Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure.
  • Take the chicken out of the Instant Pot. Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Pour it into your Instant Pot, along with the chicken gravy mix. Press the "sauté" button and whisk until the gravy mix has dissolved. The sauce will thicken within a few minutes, so turn the sauté function off (press the "keep warm" button) once it's about as thick as you want it. Meanwhile, cut the chicken up, and then add it back into the Instant Pot.
  • Serve immediately. It's delicious with mashed potatoes (or baked potatoes), pasta/egg noodles, or rice.

Notes

  • 4 medium-to-large chicken breasts total about 2 pounds. Anything in that ballpark works. If the chicken breasts are very large, add another minute or two to the cook time.
  • Use low-sodium chicken broth if salt is a concern for you. Keep in mind ranch and gravy mixes both contain salt as well.
  • Here's the Crockpot version of this recipe.
  • This is the 6-quart Instant Pot I used to make this recipe.
  • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 305kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 50g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 145mg, Sodium: 1501mg, Potassium: 910mg, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 68IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 17mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.

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Hi! I’m Natasha.

Salt & Lavender is a recipe blog with a focus on delicious comfort food using everyday ingredients. Beat the weekday grind with hundreds of easy-to-follow and hassle-free recipes!

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124 Comments

  1. 4 stars
    This is a staple in our meal rotation! My family loves it. I have 2 toddlers and they eat every bite. I usually make it in the crockpot instead of instant pot. IMO, the ranch seasoning makes it! Absolutely delicious. It is a bit salty so I use low sodium chicken broth. We love it with mashed potatoes and peas.

    1. Hi! I haven’t tested that, but I think it could work. Obviously the flavor will be a bit different, though… like I included the ranch because of its tanginess.

    2. 3 stars
      It was very easy to make. Very very salty. Would recommend not putting extra gravy over the potatoes. You will get plenty of flavor from gravy that sticks to the chicken. Overall not bad at all!

  2. 3 stars
    This was iffy for me. I didn’t have a ranch packet so I omitted that, but used everything else. I cooked/naturally released the pressure for the recommended time, and the chicken was tough. The gravy isn’t as much of a standard gravy consistency as I like it, and I let it sauté for 2-3 minutes. Even without the ranch packet, it’s still very salty with the regular broth and regular chicken gravy. It’s alright, just not a hit for me.

    1. Well, without the ranch packet you’re not actually making the recipe. Since this recipe has minimal ingredients, it is a big flavor component. Sorry you didn’t like the consistency either, though.

      1. The flavor wasn’t the major issue with me, it was the salt content but I know I can use lower sodium ingredients next time. But I’m not hearing any solutions about how the chicken was tough? I followed the cooking instruction and it still turned out tough. Is it because I have an 8 quart instant pot and not a 6 quart like you used?

        1. Hi! So, sometimes you just get a bad batch of chicken (has happened to me more than once in multiple recipes), or perhaps they were smaller chicken breasts than I used, and they ended up overcooked. You could definitely reduce cook time for a minute or two and see if that helps… just ensure the chicken is fully cooked. The IP isn’t really my favorite appliance as you can’t test as you go, and unfortunately it can easily lead to overcooked chicken. Yes, using lower sodium ingredients can help too.

  3. 5 stars
    Loved this as an alternative to the overused cream of soup recipes! It was so fast and easy and I feel like only required about five minutes of hands on time. Me and my wife loved it with mashed potatoes. I will say if you are sensitive to salt, listen to the recommendation to use low sodium chicken stock. I used regular and with the ranch seasoning and gravy packet, it was ALMOST too salty for me (and I love salty).