Instant Pot Chicken and Mushroom Stew
This post may contain affiliate links. Learn more.
🧪 Developed & tested by the The Chowmi Test Kitchen for US kitchens. How we develop our recipes.
Chicken and mushroom stew (小鸡炖蘑菇, xiǎojī dùn mógu) is one of the most beloved comfort dishes of Northeastern China (Dongbei) — bone-in chicken slow-braised with earthy dried mushrooms until everything is tender and the broth is deeply savory. The Instant Pot is ideal for it: the pressure builds that long-simmered flavor in about 15 minutes, and the dried shiitake or 'tea tree' mushrooms rehydrate and infuse the broth beautifully. You brown the chicken with ginger, garlic, star anise, and dried chili, braise it with Shaoxing wine, light and dark soy, and the mushroom soaking liquid, then (traditionally) stir in slippery sweet-potato glass noodles to soak up the sauce. It's homey, rich, and forgiving — a one-pot Dongbei classic made weeknight-friendly. Bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces give the best flavor and texture.
Why you'll love this instant pot chicken and mushroom stew
- A cozy Dongbei classic — savory chicken, earthy mushrooms, slippery noodles — in one pot.
- The Instant Pot builds slow-braised depth in about 15 minutes of pressure cooking.
- Dried shiitake make the broth taste like it simmered for hours.
- Forgiving and hard to overcook, with US-grocery substitutes for every special ingredient.
Ingredients
Chicken & mushrooms
- 2.5 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken, thighs and/or drumsticks, or a cut-up chicken
- 1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms, about 8–10; or dried tea-tree mushroomshard to find
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
Braise
- 5 slices ginger
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
- 1 star anisesubstitutes →
- 2 dried red chilies, optional
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing winesubstitutes →
- 2.5 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, for colorsubstitutes →
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1.5 cups mushroom soaking liquid, topped up with water
To finish
- 3 oz sweet-potato glass noodles, soaked until pliable (粉条)hard to find
- 1 scallion, sliced
Missing an ingredient?
AITell us what you have and what you're making — get the best US-grocery swap, with ratios.
Hard-to-find ingredients, delivered
Stock the pantry once and you can cook this anytime: dried shiitake mushrooms, star anise, Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, sweet-potato glass noodles. Asian groceries deliver nationwide.
Equipment
- Instant Pot (6-qt) — Any multicooker with Sauté and high-pressure modes works.(shop →)
Instructions
Soak the mushrooms
Soak the dried shiitake in 2 cups hot water for 20–30 minutes until soft. Squeeze them out (save the soaking liquid), trim the stems, and halve any large caps. Soak the glass noodles in warm water until pliable.
💡 The mushroom soaking water is liquid gold — it's the backbone of the broth. Pour it carefully and leave any grit behind at the bottom.
Blanch the chicken
Optional but recommended: blanch the chicken in boiling water for 2–3 minutes, then drain and rinse, for a cleaner broth.
Brown & bloom
Set the Instant Pot to Sauté (High). Add the oil, then the ginger, garlic, scallions, star anise, and dried chilies; stir 1 minute. Add the chicken and sear 3–4 minutes to color the skin.
Build the braise
Add the Shaoxing wine and scrape the bottom clean. Stir in the light soy, dark soy, and sugar, add the mushrooms, then pour in the strained soaking liquid topped up to 1.5 cups.
💡 Deglaze thoroughly — stuck-on bits under pressure trigger the Burn warning.
Pressure cook
Lock the lid, set to Sealing, and Pressure Cook (Manual) on High for 13 minutes. Natural release for 10 minutes, then quick-release the rest.
Add noodles & finish
Switch to Sauté, stir in the drained glass noodles, and simmer 3–5 minutes until they turn translucent and soak up the broth. Taste and adjust soy. Top with scallion and serve.
Tips & notes
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken is essential for flavor and keeps the meat juicy under pressure; boneless breast will overcook and dry out.
- Dried tea-tree mushrooms (茶树菇) are the most traditional choice and hold a pleasant chew; dried shiitake are the easy, widely available stand-in.
- Sweet-potato glass noodles (粉条) are classic and slurpy. No glass noodles? Serve over rice instead and skip that step.
- Add the noodles only at the end on Sauté — pressure-cooking them turns them to mush.
- Gluten-free as written if you use tamari for the soy sauces; sweet-potato glass noodles are naturally wheat-free.
Recipe wording too vague?
AIPaste any fuzzy step (少许, 火候正好, 焯水) and get exact amounts, temps and times.
Instant Pot Chicken and Mushroom Stew
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Beginner
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken, thighs and/or drumsticks, or a cut-up chicken
- 1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms, about 8–10; or dried tea-tree mushrooms
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 5 slices ginger
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
- 1 star anise
- 2 dried red chilies, optional
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 2.5 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, for color
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1.5 cups mushroom soaking liquid, topped up with water
- 3 oz sweet-potato glass noodles, soaked until pliable (粉条)
- 1 scallion, sliced
Instructions
- Soak the dried shiitake in 2 cups hot water for 20–30 minutes until soft. Squeeze them out (save the soaking liquid), trim the stems, and halve any large caps. Soak the glass noodles in warm water until pliable.
- Optional but recommended: blanch the chicken in boiling water for 2–3 minutes, then drain and rinse, for a cleaner broth.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté (High). Add the oil, then the ginger, garlic, scallions, star anise, and dried chilies; stir 1 minute. Add the chicken and sear 3–4 minutes to color the skin.
- Add the Shaoxing wine and scrape the bottom clean. Stir in the light soy, dark soy, and sugar, add the mushrooms, then pour in the strained soaking liquid topped up to 1.5 cups.
- Lock the lid, set to Sealing, and Pressure Cook (Manual) on High for 13 minutes. Natural release for 10 minutes, then quick-release the rest.
- Switch to Sauté, stir in the drained glass noodles, and simmer 3–5 minutes until they turn translucent and soak up the broth. Taste and adjust soy. Top with scallion and serve.
Nutrition (est., per serving): 420 cal · 34 g protein · 22 g carbs · 21 g fat
Instant Pot Chicken and Mushroom Stew FAQ
What is 小鸡炖蘑菇?
It's a signature comfort dish of Northeastern China (Dongbei): bone-in chicken braised with dried mushrooms — traditionally tea-tree or hazel mushrooms — and often finished with sweet-potato glass noodles. The broth is savory and deeply mushroomy, and the whole thing is homey one-pot food made for sharing over rice.
What mushrooms are best for chicken and mushroom stew?
Dried mushrooms beat fresh here, because they bring concentrated umami and their soaking liquid flavors the broth. Dried tea-tree mushrooms (茶树菇) are the most authentic; dried shiitake are the easiest US-grocery substitute and work wonderfully. Avoid fresh button mushrooms, which add water without much flavor.
How long does bone-in chicken take in the Instant Pot?
Bone-in chicken pieces become tender and pull-apart in about 13 minutes at high pressure, plus a 10-minute natural release. Browning and adding noodles bring the total to roughly 45 minutes. Bone-in cuts hold up far better under pressure than boneless breast.
Can I skip the glass noodles?
Yes. The sweet-potato glass noodles (粉条) are traditional and soak up the broth beautifully, but the stew is excellent on its own served over steamed rice. If you skip them, you may want to reduce the broth a little on Sauté for a thicker sauce.
Is this dish gluten-free?
It can be. Use tamari or certified gluten-free soy sauce in place of regular soy, and you're set — sweet-potato glass noodles are naturally wheat-free. As always, double-check any packaged sauces, since formulations vary by brand.
You might also like
Get our free Chinese Kitchen Starter Guide
The 12 pantry staples, the 5 techniques, and a week of beginner-friendly dinners — plus a new decoded recipe each week.