I’m deeming this dish our new “fast food”. A go-to, quick, and simple meal that leaves not only our bellies full but our hearts too. Did I mention how simple it was?

I used to be hardcore anti-instant pot.

I often thought to myself “why not just use your stove or a dutch oven like people have for years?” Which, you still can. There are no rules saying you can’t but mannnn this instant pot sure has made things easier…and faster.

I adapted this recipe from my mom’s and my grandmother-in-law’s adding a little spin of my own. If you find yourself in a pinch and wanting something so hearty and flavorful while making your dollar stretch, this is it.

To Prepare

I have a confession. I made this with frozen chicken breast tenders because I wasn’t anticipating on making this for dinner but that’s where the instant pot came in VERY handy.

If you are unlike me and are very responsible, don’t forget to thaw your chicken!

Prior to cooking, I gathered 1 can of chicken broth and 1 can of cream of chicken condensed soup from my pantry.

I have 3 jars of bone broth frozen in my freezer which I know would add a flavor punch nobody would be expecting. However, since I only have 3 at this time, I’m saving them for very special occasions.

To Cook the Chicken

All I did to cook my chicken was dump my package of chicken breast tenders (this type is smaller than regular breast ranging about 5-6 inches and length and 1 inch thick) into the instant pot with roughly 1 1/2 c of water and a tablespoon of chicken bouillon seasoning.

You could definitely use another can of broth at this point but there’s a world health pandemic going on and I didn’t want to waste a perfectly good can of broth.

Moving on…

Once my “makeshift” broth and chicken were in the pot, I put the lid on, set the valve to sealing, and pressure cooked on high for 8 minutes.

THAT’S LIKE, SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.

While the chicken is cooking, you have plenty of time to prep your homemade dumplings but you should know, you could easily use canned biscuit for this as well. If you use canned biscuits, I recommend rolling them out flat and cutting into very small pieces because they do have a rising factor.

*For canned biscuits, once they’ve been rolled and cut, lightly coat them in all purpose flour before dropping them in your mixture.

If you’re opting for very simple homemade dumplings, keep reading.

To Prepare the Dumplings

You will need:

• 1 cup of flour
• 3/4 tsp of salt
• a pinch of sugar (I like my dumplings a little sweet like canned biscuits when making from scratch)
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 c warm water

Combine your dry ingredients. Then, add oil and water and mix until smooth. If your mixture is a little dry, add little bits of water until moist all the way through. You want your dough to easily pull away from the sides of the bowl.

You also don’t want your dough so moist that it is unable to hold it’s form.

I also learned this trick from my mom, for a more flavorful dumpling, you could wait until your chicken is done cooking and use the broth from that to substitute as your water.

Now, because I hate rolling out dough I used a mini cookie scoop to make my dumpling form. Me and my husband prefer a “ball-like” dumpling where others may enjoy a flattened texture. The preference is totally yours.

Bringing It All Together

Once my chicken is done cooking, I release the valve and remove the chicken from the broth.

I use 2 forks to shred the chicken to a preferred consistency. For us, that means finely shredded.

I drain the broth from the instant pot before adding back my chicken, a new can of broth, and can of cream of chicken soup. Be sure to use a whisk to mix together your broth and condensed soup to avoid any clumping. You can do this before or after you’ve added the shredded chicken but not after you’ve added the dumplings.

Also, if you feel like the texture is too thick, you can add more broth or water to achieve your desire consistency (a thinner consistency). I did add roughly 1/2 c of water to help dilute the mixture just a little!

Once I’ve whisked the ingredients together, I use my cookie scoop to drop small, dime sized bits of dumpling into the pot.

Replace your lid and using the soup button, adjust your time to 20 minutes (it should automatically be set to cook on high).

And that’s it!

When it’s done, I give it a taste and add salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. If I’m feeling really fancy, I’ll add fresh chopped parsley.

See what I mean by simple?

Be sure to tag me in your creations on instagram @lifewithelizabethwitt__!