Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe is adapted from a slow-cooker one in Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution by America's Test Kitchen. I love the taste of the slow-cooker version, but (like many chicken recipes for the slow-cooker), it has a cook time of about 4 hours. But I'm rarely home in the afternoon to start the crock-pot! I need my slow-cooker recipes to go for 8 hours so I can start them before I leave in the morning. Instant Pot to the rescue! For my Instant Pot version, I swapped chicken thighs for breasts, replaced cream with ordinary milk, and waited to add the flour until after pressure cooking.

Ingredients

Stew:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
8 oz cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
4 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, & cut 1/4 inch thick
1 onion, chopped fine
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp minced fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp dried)
2 C chicken broth, plus extra as needed
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
salt and pepper
4-5 bone-in chicken thighs, skins removed, trimmed of excess fat
1 C frozen peas
1/2 C milk
1/3 C flour

Topping:
1 3/4 C flour
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated fine (1/2 C)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2/3 C buttermilk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°.

Make the stew:
On the sauté setting, melt 2 Tbsp butter. Add mushrooms, carrots, and onions and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and thyme and cook until fragrant and a fond starts to form on the bottom of the pot, about 2 minutes. Slowly stir in broth, soy sauce, and 1/2 tsp salt, scraping up browned bits. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into liquid. Close and seal the lid, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release.

Meanwhile, make the crumble topping:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, Parmesan, baking powder, baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper together. In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk and melted butter together. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and gently stir until just combined and no pockets of dry flour remain. Do not over-mix. Crumble mixture into irregularly shaped pieces ranging from 1/2 to 3/4 inch and spread evenly on parchment-lined baking pan. Bake until fragrant and golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool on baking sheet.

Finish the stew:
After 10 minutes of natural pressure release, turn the valve to venting and allow any remaining pressure to escape, then open the lid. Remove the chicken pieces to a plate and let cool slightly. Meanwhile, stir the flour into the milk, then stir this mixture into the liquid in the pot. Use the lowest sauté setting to bring the pot back to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently until smooth and thickened. Stir in the peas, turn off the pot, and let the residual heat gently cook the peas. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces with two forks and discard the bones. Stir shredded chicken back into the pot. Adjust consistency of stew with hot broth if needed, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve in bowls, topped with crumble topping.

Makes 4 to 6 servings,  total time about 40 minutes