How To Make Instant Pot Chicken A La King

Creamy, savory and absolutely delicious, this recipe for Instant Pot Chicken a la King is a great dinner recipe! With the Instant Pot, this becomes an every night meal as the time melts away. Learn how to make Instant Pot Chicken a La King with this easy recipe.

What is Instant Pot Chicken a la King?

At its core, Chicken a la King is chicken smothered in a mushroom creamy and veggie gravy, served up over your favorite starch. I like mine over rice, but traditionalists also call for it over toast or pasta. Chef John over at Food Wishes spoons his Chicken a la king over mashed potatoes. I took some inspiration from that recipe for this one, so check his out if you're looking for a non-Instant Pot version.

Mike's Recipe Rundown

• Taste: Rich, full of chicken flavor with savory veggies mixed in. Super comforting food for cold days or when you've worked hard and deserve to treat yourself.
• Texture: Chunky with a creamy sauce. The rice really soaks up everything perfectly, making it a perfect way to enjoy this dish.
• Difficulty - Medium: There's nothing super technique driven about this, but it does take a few steps. Not novice, but nowhere near hard, either.
• Pros: Chicken a la King is one of the world's best comfort foods for a reason. The Instant Pot (affiliate) takes a lot of the work out of it for us, delivers a ton of flavor without all the added work!
• Cons: This isn't exactly a meal you want to put down before a night of ballroom dancing. It's comfort food for a reason. Filling? Yes. Slow you down? Yeah, that too.
• Would I make it again? Oh, yeah. This is definitely in the rotation of our favorite comfort foods. It's right there in the mix with Shrimp and Grits, Turkey Pot Pie or Instant Pot Gumbo.

Why you'll love it

This is A+ comfort food with a ton of flavor. I love building flavor in layers, and you definitely do that here. Begin by searing toasting your garlic to really bring the flavor out, then season everything and let the magic of pressure cooking do it's thing.

The result is a full bite (and a full belly) from an awesome meal. Plus, like I said above, the Instant Pot makes this ready in a hurry.

Check out some of our other great recipes, like cajun shrimp and grits, smoked gouda mac and cheese, chicken tikka masala, or 29-hour, super tender sous vide chuck roast. Or, try one of my wife's favorites, my Bacon Lamb Sliders which are 100% flavor-bombs. .

Top Tips

• We're going minimum times here, but you can easily leave this on the "keep warm" setting for a bit. I made mine prior to a 3:30PM basketball game I was watching, then flipped it to "Slow Cook -> Less" until the game was over. This was a good move, since my team lost the game and I wasn't in a productive mood afterward.
• For some real low maintenance options here, I suggest making your rice in a rice cooker alongside your Instant Pot (affiliate).

Let's stay in touch. Follow me on Instagram and check out what we're up to on Pinterest. Support this site, follow the link and buy stuff on Amazon (affiliate).

Equipment

Equipment wise, an Instant Pot (affiliate) and a spatula rae all you need to do the trick here.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shallots, diced
• 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup celery, sliced
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp cold water 
• 1 dash cayenne pepper
• ⅓ cup half and half
• 2 cups cooked rice

⚠ How to use an Instant Pot

Before you start this recipe, make sure you are familiar with the instructions and safety manual for your model of Instant Pot (or other pressure cooker). Instant Pot itself offers a nice set of videos on How to use an Instant Pot.

While pressure cookers are awesome tools, they have to be used correctly. Take the time to be familiar with how to use yours before you begin to avoid injury and give you the tastiest results.

Instructions

Mise en Place

Before we get started, let's get everything in its place.

• Chop carrot, red bell pepper, celery and shallots. Combine in a bowl and set aside.
• Wash mushrooms and set aside.
• Slice garlic thinly and set aside.
• Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces and season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika.

There's some other great recipes you'll love, too. Like easy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, perfect Pulled Pork or Parmesan Crusted Chicken. Right now my favorite comfort food recipe is the Kentucky Hot Brown, which goes great alongside a tasty Mint Julep.

Step 1: Set Instant Pot (affiliate) to Saute: More.  When display reads "Hot", add Butter to bottom of pan. Allow 30 seconds to heat, then sliced garlic cloves. Cook until garlic begins to turn brown, about 1-2 minutes.

Step 2: Add in all your veggies: shallots, red pepper, celery, carrots and mushrooms. Cook until soft, about 2 minutes, then season with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Stir everything together and cook another minute.

Step 3: Add in all-purpose flour and stir everything together. Cook about a minute to brown the flour. Pour in white wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up the brown bits that have stuck to the bottom.

Step 4: Add parsley and chicken thighs. Stir everything together, then add chicken stock. Close let and make sure vent is set to sealing. Set Instant Pot (affiliate) to Manual: High for 10 minutes.

Step 5: Perform a quick release. [Note: Covering the vent by holding a paper towel over it with tongs will help keep sauce from spitting out.] While pressure is releasing, mix together cornstarch and cold water. When pressure has released, open lid and add in cayenne pepper, half and half and cornstarch slurry.

Step 6: Set Instant Pot (affiliate) to Saute: More. Saute mix for about 5 minutes, while stirring. Sauce is finished when it's as thick as a gravy. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Serve in a large, shallow bowl over cooked rice.

Video [1 minute]

Leftovers

Chicken a la King saves pretty well. Simply allow it to cool in the pan and save it in a tupperware dish. It will keep well in the fridge for about 5 days. I like to make fresh rice to serve it over, though. You could also let it cool and pour it into a freezer safe ziploc bag, and place it in the freezer for up to 6 months. Simply thaw under lukewarm water, then reheat in a pot or pan.

Side Dishes

This is a pretty full bite by itself, so something like to start is always nice. A caesar salad goes well with it. You could also go all-in on the comfort food and heat up some rolls to go along side. Then clear out a spot to take a nice, long, satisfied nap.

Related Recipes

• Instant Pot Barbacoa
• Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup
• Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches
• Instant Pot Chicken and Yellow Rice
• Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
• Instant Pot Reuben Soup
• Instant Pot Jambalaya
• Instant Pot Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs
• Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
• Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
• Instant Pot Gumbo

Instant Pot Chicken a la King

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• Author: Mike
• Total Time: 60 minutes
• Yield: 4 people 1x

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Description

A comforting bite of chicken filled flavor, packed with veggies and more!  All done in a fraction of the time using the Instant Pot!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shallots, diced
• 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup celery, sliced
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, chopped into 1 inch chunks
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp cold water 
• 1 dash cayenne pepper
• ⅓ cup half and half
• 2 cups cooked rice 

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Instructions

1. SAUTE VEGGIES: Set Instant Pot to Saute: More.  Add butter and allow to melt.  Add garlic and saute until it just turns golden brown, about a minute.  Add in shallots, red pepper, celery, carrots and mushrooms.  After about minutes, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and dust with all-purpose flour. Add sherry wine to deglaze the the pot, scraping up and brown bits that have stuck to the bottom.
2. PRESSURE COOK: Add parsley and chicken thighs.  Stir everything together before pouring in your chicken stock.  Close lid and set Instant Pot to Manual: High for 10 minutes.  When it's done, perform a quick release.  [Note: covering the vent by holding a paper towel over it with tongs will help to keep the sauce from spitting out.]  While the pressure is releasing, mix together cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry.
3. FINISHING TOUCHES: Add cayenne pepper, half and half and your cornstarch slurry. Season with a pinch more salt and pepper and stir together well. Set Instant Pot to Saute: More and simmer, while cooking, for about 5 minutes.  You're done when the sauce is about as thick as a gravy.  Taste and adjust for salt, pepper, or heat (cayenne) as needed. Reduce heat to low and serve immediately in a large bowl over cooked rice.

Equipment

Instant Pot

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• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Pressure Cooker
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: Instant Pot, Chicken Stew, Family Dinner