Instant Pot Ranch Chicken & Potatoes – An Easy Weeknight Meal Recipe

Now that school is starting back up and extra curricular activities are resuming, it is time to start sharing our easy to make, weeknight dinner meals like this Instant Pot Ranch Chicken & Potatoes recipe.

Ranch flavored chicken and potatoes that the everyone in the family loves. But best of all it requires only 6 basic ingredients.

No crazy trips to the grocery store to find an ingredient that you will use only one time. Instead, with less than 5 minutes of prep time, dinner will be on the table in about 30 minutes!

And another bonus, this recipe requires very little hands on time. And that means you have time to do other things while dinner is safely cooking in the pressure cooker.

Instant Pot Ranch Chicken & Potatoes Recipe

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Breasts – It is best to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. If you have large chicken breasts, slice them down in smaller pieces so that they cook given the time provided.

And yes, you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of the chicken breasts if you prefer. Chicken thighs provide a lot of flavor and is sometimes preferred when cooking in an Instant Pot.

Baby Potatoes – Sometimes called ‘new’ potatoes these little potatoes are commonly found at grocery stores and Farmer’s markets. You can find them in yellow, red, and even sometimes purple varieties.

Just be sure that the potatoes are all about the same size. If not, cut larger potatoes in half or quarters before cooking.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Although we don’t consider this an extra ingredient in recipes, extra virgin olive oil is a necessity when making this Instant Pot Ranch Chicken & Potatoes recipe.

The oil will help the seasonings adhere to both the chicken and potatoes which gives this meal the majority of its flavor.

Dry Ranch Dressing Mix – You can purchase packets of dry ranch dressing mix in the dressing aisle at the grocery store. You can sometimes find it in bigger, bulk sizes as well.

Homemade Dry Ranch Dressing Mix

However, it is also easy to make Homemade Dry Ranch Dressing Mix with just a few spices. Here is how I make our own: Dry Ranch Dressing Mix Recipe.

If you do make your own or use bulk dry dressing you will need 1 1/2 Tablespoons for this recipe.

Italian Seasoning – The dry Italian seasoning provides another depth of flavor that compliments the Ranch dressing perfectly. I use this seasoning in many recipes so be sure to buy enough to last a few months.

Chicken Broth – Homemade chicken broth is easy to make in an Instant Pot. However, good, store-bought chicken broth will work as well. Just be sure to purchase the low-sodium variety.

Cream Cheese – You will need a partial block of cream cheese to make the cream sauce. Most varieties will have markings on the foil packet so measuring the amount needed is a breeze.

INSTRUCTIONS

As stated above, this Instant Pot Ranch Chicken & Potatoes recipe takes only 5 minutes of prep time. Start by lightly scrubbing the potatoes to remove any dirt or eyes that have emerged on the skin.

Then make sure that the potatoes are all about uniform in size. Do this by leaving the small potatoes whole and cut the larger ones in half or quarter so that all the pieces are approximately 2 inches in size.

Next, place the potatoes in a medium bowl and drizzle one tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil on top. Lightly toss the potatoes to make sure the oil coats the potatoes on all sides.

Then add one tablespoon of the dry ranch dressing over top of the potatoes and toss again until well coated.

Place the seasoned potatoes in the bottom of the Instant Pot or whatever brand pressure cooker that you have.

Then add the thin chicken breasts or thighs to the same bowl and drizzle the remaining oil on top. Next, sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with the remaining dry ranch seasoning and the dried Italian seasoning.

Then place the chicken directly on top of the potatoes. Now pour the chicken broth down the side of the Instant Pot.

Lock the lid in place and move the valve to the SEALING position (if required). Press Pressure Cook/Manual on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes.

As with all pressure cooker recipes, it will take time for the pot to come up to pressure before the actual cooking time begins.

When I cook this Ranch Chicken & Potatoes in my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo it takes approximately 6-7 minutes for the pin to rise and the cook time to begin.

Natural Pressure Release

Once the cook time has ended, allow the pot to naturally release pressure for 8 minutes. Then carefully release the remaining pressure by moving slowly moving the valve to the venting position.

Once the pin drops, carefully remove the lid away from your face. Then remove the chicken and potatoes to a serving platter.

Now press cancel and then press the Sauté button. Add the cream cheese to the liquid mixture and stir until melted.

Let it come to a simmer and continue to sauté for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to your preference. Pour the cream cheese sauce over the chicken and potatoes before serving.

However, if you are going to be serving the Instant Pot Ranch Chicken & Potatoes at a later time press cancel to stop the Sauté mode. Then press Keep Warm and place the chicken and potatoes back in the pot.

Stir to coat the chicken and potatoes in the cream sauce. Then close the lid, leaving the valve in the Venting position until ready to be served.

Enjoy! Mary

To receive our 3 Recipe Articles in your inbox each week, sign up for our free email list located in the middle of each recipe or email me at contact@makeyourmeals.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and Pinterest. This article may contain affiliate links where a small commission is paid if you purchase a product at no additional cost to you.