Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
This served my large brood when I had 3 teens at home, so if you have a normal household halving it is probably a good idea!
For meat and broth:
4 T butter
8 bone in skin on chicken thighs
Kosher salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup milk or half and half
2 T cornstarch
For dumplings:
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup milk or half and half
3 T melted butter
Use the saute button on the instant pot, add butter. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off excess. Once butter is sizzling, add half of chicken in one layer, brown on one side for 3-4 mins without moving, then flip and brown on the other side. Remove and repeat with the remaining chicken and set all aside.
Add the celery, carrots and onions to the pot. Saute until onion is translucent and carrots are tender, scraping the bottom of the pot frequently. Add chicken and broth. Season with salt and pepper.
Press Manual button, put on lid, and cook at high pressure for 11 mins.
While chicken is cooking, mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Add in milk/half and half and melted butter, stir just until incorporated (don't over mix or else you won't have fluffy dumplings). Set aside.
Once chicken is done, use a quick release. Remove chicken and set aside. Add the milk to the broth, mix, season with salt and pepper to taste if necessary. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of hot broth with the cornstarch and whisk well to combine. Add back to the pot and stir.
Push the saute button. Once simmering, scoop heaping Tbsp of dumpling mix and drop them into the pot. Try to keep separated and mostly submerged, without disturbing them a lot. Reduce saute heat to low and cook for 12-15 minutes, loosely covered with the top (don't put it all the way on, keep it slightly off kilter so no pressure builds up) until dumplings have doubled in size.
While the dumplings are cooking, bone the chicken, remove and discard skin, shred the meat. Once dumplings are done, add the meat back to the pot and then dish everything up in bowls.