On days when you crave comfort, make chicken ‘n dumplins in your Instant Pot. A whole chicken, water, salt, pepper, and a bay leaf make a magic elixer when mixed with buttery, thick dumplins.

Here are a few notes on my current state of affairs. Also, I realize some of you care not for my banter and just want me to get to the recipe. I forgive you if you scroll ahead.

For those of you that like to check in on me and the fam, let me fill you in with my charming witticisms.

Actually, there is nothing charming about the 99 problems I am about to lay on you. Christmas and the boys’ birthday season is my favorite time of year. I love the cozy, let’s stay in, watch Christmas movies while Mom secretly shops on Amazon for 20 days straight kind of vibes.

This year I definitely bit off a little more than I can chew. BIG NEWS AHEAD… I am currently working on a second Instant Pot cookbook. It is a collaboration with 2 other authors.

The deadline for the book is December 15th. Smack dab in between the boys’ birthdays and Christmas. Let me also tell you that this time of year, somebody in this house is always sick. This year it happens to be ye olde team captain, me.

I want to crawl under my covers and have everybody do all the things for the party and for the book for me. If only my lungs would stop trying to catapult themselves free of my body through this annoying cough, maybe I could get some semblance of control back over my to do list.

The top priority aside from typing out 60 recipes is getting some new content for you guys on the blog. Now that you know about my 99 problems, you can get why I would want all the comfort food.

First up was chicken n’ dumplins from my friend Christina’s book Comfort and Joy. My Instant Pot and I are back to being life partners, so why not see if I can double her recipe and chuck it all in there?

It worked and was so buttery and cozy and comforting. I have been eating it all week. My little Chef Andy even got in on the dumplin’ making with me.

He did tell me to stop coughing on him, so don’t think this was some Hallmark moment.

I promise, next time you hear from me, I will be in better spirits and will be done with the boys’ birthday party and hopefully at least 10% done with the manuscript for book two.

Instant Pot Chicken 'n Dumplins

Yield: Serves 4-6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Creamy and thick chicken soup with the butteriest dumplins.

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Ingredients

• for the soup:
• 1 whole raw chicken, backbone removed and cut in half down the breast bones
• 10 cups of water
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
• for the dumplins:
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup milk

Instructions

1. Add the chicken halves, water, salt, pepper, and bay leaves to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid with the steam vent in the sealed position.
2. Press "Pressure Cook" until the display light is beneath "High Pressure." Adjust the time until the display reads 25 minutes.
3. While the chicken slightly cools, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Work the flour, baking powder, salt, and butter together using a pastry blender or your hands, until a shaggy biscuit-like dough forms.
4. Flour a work surface, dump the shaggy dough on to the floured surface. Use your hands to work the dough into a flat circular disc. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough out into a large 1/8 inch thick oval.
5. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 1/2 inch wide noodle like strips.
6. Once the timer sounds, quick release the pressure. Skim off any fat or gunk from the top of the soup and remove the bay leaves. Remove the chicken and transfer it to a large cutting board.
7. Mash the butter and flour together in a small bowl until a paste forms. Whisk the paste into the soup in the Instant Pot. The soup will thicken up a bit.
8. Remove the skin from the chicken and then shred the chicken off the bones using a fork.
9. Press "saute" on the Instant Pot. Once the broth starts to simmer, add the dumplins to the pot in batches. Give them a mix so they don't stick together. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Once they float, they are pretty much done.
10. Shred the chicken and add it back to the pot. Stir to combine. press "Cancel" so the soup stops cooking. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Serve.