Instant Pot Chicken and (Rolled) Dumplings

 Rolled Cracker Barrel style Chicken and Dumplings. We had it at night for dinner, and the girls asked me to make more for their school lunches. So the lighting in these pictures of the process is a bit off. Because it was 0 dark hundred. Not really, but six in the morning seems early to me. Making this in the Instant Pot really helps the morning go smoothly, I'm not constantly stirring or checking a pot for one. Second the cook time is reduced quite a bit! For my stove top Chicken and Dumplings please follow this link.

Just about every time I make a soup, I use aromatics and I throw them in this spice ball.  Garlic, peppercorns, cilantro stems, parsley stems, celery leaves, shallots. Whatever I have on hand that sounds good. This is what sounded good today. I didn't have fresh shallot so I used freeze dried, a half a small onion would work also.

I decided at the last minute to make this. That meant frozen chicken. Like frozen and stuck together. I couldn't get apart so I just put them in the Instant Pot that way. If your chicken is thawed cook it for the same amount of time.

 That time is 15 minutes on high pressure. No lie. Fifteen. I cook my chicken for way less time now, like 4-6 minutes, then let it sit for about 20 minutes. Now it will take time for the pot to come up to pressure. There are many factors on how long it takes. Frozen chicken? Longer time. Cold stock? Longer time. Warm or hot stock? Less time. All in all it was only about 10 minutes to come to pressure. 

The soup is ready! Skim off the fat that's risen to the top.

Oh the gorgeous schmaltz. Skim off this gorgeous chicken fat and save it for Matzo balls. Or you can put it in the fridge or freezer to harden for the dumplings, and use it in place of the butter. You can put it in a jar for proper disposal also. Just please don't put it down the drain.

Roll out the dough between parchment paper for easy clean up.

The dumplings are easy to make, the dough is simple. Just flour your work surface well when rolling and cutting the soft dough out. This dough shouldn't be elastic like bread dough. It will be light and a tiny bit sticky. Drop the strips of dumplings into the pot, and cook it for another minutes.

Use a wooden spoon to slowly release pressure on the Instant Pot.

Because this is soup, you don't want to do a quick release. Even after waiting five to ten minutes for some of the pressure to release it is a good idea to slowly release any remaining pressure. Unless you want soup sprayed all over your kitchen. The easiest way to slowly release pressure is a tip I picked up from the Instant Pot Community on Facebook. Place a wooden spoon or a spatula handle under the lid handle and thread it under the vent knob. This will lift it up a little to release pressure slowly as opposed to opening the vent fully.

Cracker Barrel style Chicken and Dumplings.

That's it! Stir and season to taste. Cracker Barrel style Chicken and Dumplings.

Instant Pot Chicken and (Rolled) Dumplings

Soup:

3 chicken leg quarters, or two bone in chicken breasts

1 bay leaf

3 cloves garlic

1/2 shallot, or 1 tablespoons freeze dried shallots

2 teaspoons black peppercorns

2 bullion cubes, or better than bouillon equivalent* 

8-10 cups of water, or unsalted broth, or stock

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Dumplings:

3 cups flour, 360 grams

1 teaspoon salt, 2 grams (kosher style salt, use less if you have table salt, it's a smaller cut)
2 tsp baking powder, 8 grams
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1 gram

3 tablespoons cold butter or cold solid schmaltz/chicken fat, 43 grams

1-1/4 cup milk, 300 grams

If using stock or broth, use salt free and season to taste.

Carrots, celery, onions: If you would like to add these slice the carrots thinly, along with the celery and onions. Add them when you add the dumplings and cook during the second cooking.

Soup:

1. Place the chicken into the pot. 
2. Put all the whole spices into a spice ball. Or put them into a cheese cloth and secure well with butchers twine.
3. Add remaining soup ingredients.
4. Close the lid of the pot and cook on MANUAL, HIGH pressure, for 4 minutes for breasts and 6 minutes for thighs, both bone in.
5. Once the soup is done, let it naturally release pressure while you make the dumplings.
6. After the soup has naturally released for about 25 minutes carefully release remaining pressure.
7. Open the lid and skim off the fat.
8. Remove the spice ball, and chicken. 
9. Shred the chicken and reserve the meat for the soup. Discard skin and bones.

Dumplings:

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, poultry seasoning, and salt.
2. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is coarse crumbly. I use my hands quickly to work it in.
3. Add one cup of milk and stir it into the flour mixture.
4. Slowly add more milk until the dough comes together and is no longer very wet and sticky.
5. Liberally flour a sheet of parchment paper or your work surface. (For pictures of the rolling process click here.)
6. Transfer dough to the parchment, and sprinkle with more flour, and top with another piece of flour.
7. Roll the dough out until it is approximately 1/4 inch thick. 
8. Cut into approximately 1x3 inch pieces, or into squares.

To cook the dumplings and serve the soup:

1. Turn the Instant Pot on to SAUTE mode, MEDIUM.
2. Drop the dumplings in one at a time, not stacking them. Some will start to float up.
3. Stir the pot gently, scraping off any stuck on food at the bottom.
4. Close the lid of the Instant Pot and cook on MANUAL pressure, HIGH, 15 minutes.
5. Once the cooking cycle is over, let this naturally release for 15 minutes, then slowly release remaining pressure. 
6. Stir in shredded chicken.
7. Season to taste.

If dumplings are not cooked through you can turn on the SAUTE mode to cook further.

Thanks for reading Give Peas A Chance!

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