Mother-in-Law Chicken

Mother-in-Law Chicken–mushroom tarragon chicken in a creamy sauce made in the Instant Pot or Crockpot.

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Mother-in-Law Chicken

Today’s recipe comes from Just a Pinch. The author states, “This is a great chicken dish. Rich in flavor, the tarragon puts it over the top. I acquired the recipe from my mother-in-law.” I changed up the recipe a bit and made it into a Instant Pot/Crockpot recipe instead of an oven recipe. I was super pleased with the results. The chicken was tender, the sauce was ultra flavorful, the mushrooms added an earthy, savory flavor. I do have to agree with the original author that the tarragon is a fun addition and adds a unique flavor. I just used dried tarragon but using fresh would probably make it even better.

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Butter–or olive oil
• Onion–or shallot
• Mushrooms–I used white button
• Dried parsley–or fresh
• Dried tarragon–or fresh
• Garlic powder–or granulated garlic
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
• Chicken tenderloins–or chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
• Cornstarch–or flour
• Heavy cream–or half and half
• White vinegar–or white wine vinegar

Steps

Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the butter and let it melt. Add in the onions and mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes.

Add in the parsley, tarragon, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir to coat the mushrooms.

Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot. 

Add in the chicken evenly (I used frozen chicken tenderloins from Costco).

Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting and remove the lid. 

In a small bowl stir together 3 Tbsp of cornstarch with equal parts cold water until smooth. Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. Stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken mixture. Turn off pot.

Stir a cup of the hot liquid from the Instant Pot into the cream to temper it then stir it into the pot along with the vinegar. 

Serve chicken, mushrooms and sauce over mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.

Notes/Tips

• We served the chicken, sauce and mushrooms over creamy red mashed potatoes that I made in a separate Instant Pot. This would also taste good over rice, noodles or with bread.
• I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Other recipes you can make with mushrooms are weight loss casserole and beef stroganoff.
• Can I make mashed potatoes at the same time? I haven’t tried this yet but if I did I would cut the potatoes into small cubes and place them in a steamer basket. Then I would place the steamer basket on top of the chicken in the pot. The potatoes will steam alongside the chicken and then you can mash them in a separate bowl.
• Can I use fresh tarragon and parsley? Yes. Stir them in after the pressure cooking time is up. Use 1 tablespoon of each.
• Can I use chicken breasts? Yes, however I would slice them into the size of chicken tenderloins first or else they won’t cook properly with the short 4 minute pressure cooking time.
• I love halving the mushrooms. I like how the pieces are big enough for my mushroom-hating son to pick out and then he can give them all to me, a mushroom lover!

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More Instant Pot “Mom” Recipes…

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.