Instant Pot Tim McGraw’s Chicken and Dumplings–Tim McGraw made his grandmother’s chicken and dumplings for Faith Hill when they were dating and they won her heart. This is my Instant Pot and slow cooker version of Tim’s recipe.
Note: the SLOW COOKER instructions are listed in the recipe card below
Instant Pot Tim McGraw’s Chicken and Dumplings
Greg and I are big country music fans and one of our favorite performers is Tim McGraw. I came across this recipe that Tim shared with Oprah and watched the cute video that went along with it. As I watched the video I was surprised at how basic the ingredients were that he used. And there are just a few ingredients in total. How would this basic recipe be good enough to nab Faith Hill’s heart?
As I made the recipe (with just a few tweaks) I was excited to try it. The words that came out of Greg’s mouth were something like, “this is the best thing you’ve ever made.” Now maybe he was over-hungry or something but he really, truly loved the chicken and dumplings. I do have to agree that the chicken and dumplings were super tasty and I couldn’t get enough. COMFORT FOOD in all its glory. My daughter wolfed down a huge portion after going to school and working until 8 pm.
I think one of the reasons this Instant Pot Tim McGraw’s Chicken and Dumplings tastes so good is because it starts with a whole chicken. The meat is pulled from the chicken bones and it’s so tender and juicy. Making a whole chicken in the Instant Pot couldn’t be easier. You add liquid and a trivet into the pot and plop the chicken in there. Then you pressure cook the chicken for 6 minutes per pound with a natural release. I had a medium/small chicken that was 4 pounds 4 ounces (after all the giblets and innards were removed) and I cooked the chicken for 25 minutes.
If you’re somewhere cold and dreary I want you to have a big bowl of this chicken and dumplings for dinner tonight. Mmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!
More Dumplings Instant Pot Recipes…
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings–this is more of a soup version
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings Casserole–tender bites of chicken and vegetables covered in a creamy sauce and then topped with pillowy dumplings.
Instant Pot Turkey and Dumplings—a fast and easy recipe of leftover turkey, creamy sauce, vegetables and biscuit dumplings.
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Instant Pot Tim McGraw’s Chicken and Dumplings
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 small whole chicken
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp shortening
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2–3 tsp Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Pour water into bottom of Instant Pot. Place a trivet in bottom of Instant Pot.
- Remove the giblets and innards from the inside of the chicken cavity. Rinse off the chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Weigh the chicken (this will let you know how long to cook it). Sprinkle the chicken with poultry seasoning, ½ tsp kosher salt and several grinds of fresh cracked pepper.
- Place the chicken, breast side down, on top of the trivet. Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 6 minutes per pound of your chicken. My chicken was just over 4 pounds so I set the time for 25 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 10-15 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Place the chicken on a cutting board and let rest and cool down. Keep the water in the pot, you’ll use it later.
- Prepare dumplings by combining flour and shortening in a mixing bowl. Cut the shortening in well with a pastry blender. Add in buttermilk and stir with a spoon or your hands just until it comes together. Don’t overmix.
- Place the dough on the counter and press flat with the palms of your hands. Use a butter knife or a pizza cutter to slice dough into 1 inch squares.
- Turn Instant Pot to saute (LESS) setting. Drop one square at a time into the water. Continue this until all of the dough is used. Let the dumplings simmer in the liquid for 10-15 minutes.
- While dumplings are simmering remove the chicken from the bones. Add the chicken into the Instant Pot. Stir the Better than Bouillon, to taste, into the pot. This gives a lot of yummy flavor! Salt and pepper to taste.
- Scoop into bowls and serve.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Pour water into bottom of slow cooker.
- Remove the giblets and neck from the inside of the chicken cavity. Rinse off the chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle the chicken with poultry seasoning, ½ tsp kosher salt and several grinds of fresh cracked pepper.
- Place the chicken, breast side down, into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or until thickest part of chicken reads 165° F.
- Place the chicken on a cutting board and let rest and cool down. Keep the water in the slow cooker, you’ll use it later.
- Prepare dumplings by combining flour and shortening in a mixing bowl. Cut the shortening in well with a pastry blender. Add in buttermilk and stir with a spoon or your hands just until it comes together. Don’t overmix.
- Place the dough on the counter and press flat with the palms of your hands. Use a butter knife or a pizza cutter to slice dough into 1 inch squares.
- Drop one square at a time into the water. Continue this until all of the dough is used. Turn slow cooker to high.
- Remove the chicken from the bones. Add the chicken into the slow cooker. Stir the Better than Bouillon, to taste, into the pot. This gives a lot of yummy flavor! Cover and cook on high for 90 minutes to 2 hours.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Scoop into bowls and serve.
Notes
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
Instant Pot Tim McGraw’s Chicken And Dumplings by 365dayscrockpot on Jumprope.
*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.
Can you use canned biscuits instead of homemade dumplings?
yes you could totally do that
I am going to try this for my husband, but I may be taking on more than I should! I have never had this and he tells me his mother made it all the time and her dumplings where as big as softballs! Is that possible?!? She is gone so I can’t ask her. He was small so maybe he only thinks they were! LOL
Lol! They would be so doughy in the middle if they were that big!
Allergy problems with shortening, would butter substitute?
Yes I believe it would!
How thick should the rolled out dough be?
I would say about a half inch
Even as Southern Dumplings, the recipe needed more liquid (1 cup). The chicken was delicious. The dumplings, not so much.
★★
Seems there is something missing from dumplings recipe.
I followed and mine turned out semi-hard and doughy instead of light/fluffy(?).
Are these supposed to be more like cooked noodles versus consistency of drop type dumplings?
Mine weren’t hard at all…I’m not sure what the difference was! That is strange.
Southern dumplings are flat, usually rolled out and cut. These are not drop dumplings, which are from other regions of the country. Those are more like fluffy blobs of biscuit dough. Both are good, but two entirely different things!
I am from NC and my mother always made drop dumplings and everyone I knew did that as well. So both ways are done in the South. I always preferred the drop dumplings, probably because I was raised on them.