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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.
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!
How to make Instant Pot chicken and gravy
- Add the chicken broth, ranch seasoning, garlic powder, and pepper to your Instant Pot and whisk until the powders have dissolved;
- Add the chicken and spoon some liquid over top if it’s not entirely submerged;
- Seal it up and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes; once the countdown has finished, do a quick release after 5 minutes;
- 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);
- 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.
More Instant Pot chicken recipes to try:
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken (Chicken Breasts and Thighs)
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This looks fantastic. If I was to double the recipe, how long do I set the time for? I do have a 8qt instant pot. Thank you!
Hi Mike! In general, when you double recipes in the Instant Pot, timing should be kept the same. It’ll take longer to get up to pressure, so that should account for any extra time needed. As with any chicken recipe, make sure it’s fully cooked before eating. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
I just got my instant pot and this is the third thing I cooked in it. I did not have the gravy packet so I did as another poster suggested using bullion and seasoning etc. After I got the chicken back in the pot and off of the keep warm I also added a little cream. It was a hit with the hubby.
Fantastic!!
This was fantastic, I put a bit extra broth & compensates the rest of the ingredients for the extra I put but mmm it was so yummy, served over rice. Can’t wait to try it on potatoes!!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed it, Valerie!! 😀
Can you use frozen chicken?
Hi! I haven’t ever tried this with frozen chicken. If that’s something you’ve done in the IP before, you could give it a try, but I can’t advise on timing unfortunately. Just make sure it’s cooked through.
Big hit with my family! Easy and delicious.
Excellent! Thank you!
This recipe was amazing! Quick, easy and delicious! It would be so easy to change up if you wanted to…. I love that. Thanks so much for sharing!
Fantastic!! I’m so glad you liked it, Laura! Appreciate your review.
This was yummy and so easy to make. My husband said he loved the gravy. This one is a keeper!
Fantastic!! Thank you!!
We all loved this dish. I should have gotten the low sodium chicken broth though. I didn’t read that until it was too late. Tasted a little salty with those dry mixes added.
I had to use tenders and the cook time was perfect.
I’m so glad you guys all enjoyed it!!
Very good flavor. I realized that I didn’t have any chicken gravy so I googled a homemade recipe and most just used chicken bouillon plus some spiced. So I added in some extra better than bouillon and spices to the pot and upped the cornstarch at the end to make sure it was thick. I also added a little lemon juice for brightness like I do for most crockpot/instant pot recipes. Great weeknight recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it!! 🙂
We all enjoyed this quick and very easy chicken dish! Thank you, it was delicious!
I will look to make it alittle less salty.
Best of all, the whole dinner was ready in less than an hour!❣️
You’re welcome, Sharon! We’re so glad you found it quick and delicious. 🙂
I’ve made this a number of times and it’s always a hit. This is the perfect meal for when you don’t really feel like making dinner but everyone wants a homemade meal. And it’s virtually fool-proof. I use the McCormick’s Country Gravy packet, which I now just automatically add to my grocery list so I always have it on hand for nights when I need an easy, delicious dinner solution.
I love that!! 😀 Thanks for your review!