Instant Pot Heritage Chicken & Dumplings

Prep time: 15 minutes Pressure Cook: 25 minutes Sauté/Simmer: 25 minutes Serves: 10?

Ingredients

The Pressure Cooker Base

• 1 whole young chicken (3-4 pounds), giblets removed
• 10 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• 1 onion, halved
• 2 celery stalks, halved
• 1 carrot, halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• two large pinches MSG

The "Double Noodle" Add-ins

• 2 cups dried egg noodles
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• one half onion, finely diced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn

The Fluffy Drop Dumplings

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup whole milk

Thickening Slurry (Optional but Recommended)

• one half cup all-purpose flour
• one half cup whole milk

Directions

1. Pressure Cook the Chicken

1. Place the whole chicken in the Instant Pot liner.
2. Surround it with the halved onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves, black pepper, and MSG.
3. Pour in the chicken stock and water.
4. Close the lid and set the valve to Sealing.
5. Select Pressure Cook (High) for 25 minutes.
6. When finished, allow a 15-minute Natural Pressure Release before venting remaining steam.

2. Shred and Strain

1. Carefully lift the chicken out and place it on a tray to cool.
2. Strain the broth through a mesh sieve into a large bowl.
3. Discard the boiled solids.
4. Wipe out the Instant Pot liner.
5. Return the strained broth to the pot.

3. The Sauté Phase

1. Press the Sauté button and set it to Normal or Medium.
2. Add the diced carrots, celery, and onion.
3. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the dried egg noodles.
5. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, discarding skin and bones.

4. Mix and Drop the Dumplings

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Add the melted butter and the full cup of milk.
3. Stir gently until just combined.
4. The dough should be loose, sticky, and shaggy.
5. Drop rounded tablespoon-sized mounds of dough onto the gently simmering broth.

5. Dumpling Cook (No Pressure)

1. Simmer uncovered on Sauté (Low) for 10 minutes.
2. Cover with a glass lid or plate and steam for another 10 minutes.
3. Do not use the pressure lid.

6. Final Enrichment

1. Whisk the flour and milk together until smooth.
2. Slowly stir the slurry into the pot, working around the dumplings.
3. Gently stir in shredded chicken, peas, and corn.
4. Simmer for 3-5 minutes until thickened and cohesive.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.