At our house, we love any type of Instant Pot smothered chicken, which is most often Instant Pot chicken and gravy over mashed potatoes – yum! Instant Pot Chicken Tenders with Gravy is a simple meal that is good ole comfort food….made fast.
Instant Pot Chicken Tenders with Cream Gravy Recipe

Howdy! Chef Alli Here. Let’s Get You Cookin’….Shall We? ?
I love my Instant Pot. It has been a dinner-changing small appliance for my family. Meals like this one, Chicken Tenders with Cream Gravy, are super simple with great flavor and easy on the food budget, too.
We are also big fans of other economical Instant Pot meals! Grandma Lucille’s Kielbasa with Potatoes and Green Beans really hits the spot (but not the wallet) as does Little Smokie Mac and Cheese – always a kid pleaser, too.
Each weekend, I like to cook up some beef roasts and pork butts so I have cooked meats in the fridge to start my work week. Having this on hand brings me great peace since I can use cooked meat in pasta, sliders, quesadillas, soups, and even salads for quick and easy meals.
Instant Pot Tender Pulled Pork is delicious in Pulled Pork Walking Tacos and Loaded BBQ Pulled Pork Sweet Potatoes.
For something a bit unusual using pulled pork, try these Mason Jar Pulled Pork Parfaits, made with mashed potatoes, baked beans, pulled pork, and coleslaw…all layered into a cute little jar. People go crazy when I serve these!
If you’re more a fan of Instant Pot beef, I bet you will enjoy Lazy-Butt Beef Subs and Big Bold Beef Carnitas….especially if Mexican flavors are your gig.
And whatever you do, please don’t forget Hot Beef Sandwiches on White Bread with Mashed Potatoes – such delicious comfort food.
What to Love About Cooking Instant Pot Chicken Tenders with Gravy and Noodles for Your Family –
- Even the pickiest of eaters love this meal.
- Gravy. Gravy. Gravy.
- Just 5 ingredients needed!
What Ingredients Will I Need to Make Instant Pot Smothered Chicken Tenders with Gravy?
- Chicken Tenders (or chicken breasts cut into strips)
- Vegetable oil
- 1 packet brown gravy mix
- Cream of chicken soup
- French onion soup
- Whipping Cream, half and half, milk, or broth
- Cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes
How to Cook Instant Pot Chicken Tenders in Country Gravy in 6 Easy Steps
1. Using the sauté setting on your Instant Pot, add a bit of oil; when the oil is hot, add the chicken tenders, just a few at a time, browning them off on both sides. Repeat until all the tenders are browned on each side, removing each batch to a plate.
2. Add the French onion soup to the drippings in the Instant Pot, then place the browned chicken tenders into the pot.
3. Secure and lock the Instant Pot lid into place and choose 5 minutes on high pressure, bringing the Instant Pot up to full pressure. When the timer sounds, use a 2 minute natural release to let the chicken rest, then perform a quick release to remove the rest of the pressure from the Instant Pot.
4. Meanwhile, combine the packet of dry brown gravy mix with the cream of chicken soup and the milk.
5. Carefully unlock and remove the Instant Pot lid; remove the chicken to a plate while you combine the liquid remaining in the pot and the cream of mushroom mixture together.
6. To serve, place warm egg noodles or mashed potatoes onto serving plates, then top with the chicken tenders and gravy.
Can I cut a chicken breast into tenders when making this recipe?
You sure can and I do it all the time. I like to purchase chicken breasts when they are on sale since they are cheaper than chicken tenders.
Lay your chicken breast out on a cutting board, trimming it with kitchen shears to remove any fats or parts that are attached that you may be uncomfortable with.
Using your favorite sharp knife, cut the breast into 4-5 strips, each one about 1-inch thick, depending on how big the breast is.
Can I make this recipe making boneless, skinless chicken thighs?
Absolutely. When using thighs, I usually don’t cut them into strips. When you place the chicken thighs into the Instant Pot, make sure that you lay them out flat so they cook in 5 minutes like the chicken strips/tenders do.
How can I vary this recipe?
You could sure use cream of mushroom soup in place of the cream of mushroom soup.
You could also add vegetables to this dish, as well, such as some cooked sweet corn, green beans or broccoli. The vegetables add beautiful color as well as some texture, too.
More Favorite Recipes to Enjoy –
- Loaded Bubble-Up Chicken Pot Pie
- 4-Ingredient Air Fryer Honey-Glazed Salmon
- Air Fryer 20-Minute Brats with Peppers and Onions
- Southwest Pork Cutlets with Calico Rice
- Easy Ham and Corn Chowder
- Honey-Thyme Sausage and Veggie Sheet Pan Meal
- Beef Patty-Melt Sliders with Secret Sauce
- Grandma’s Creamed Chicken and Biscuits
Printable Instant Pot Chicken Tenders with Cream Gravy Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Tenders with Cream Gravy and Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. chicken tenders or chicken breasts cut into 1-inch strips
- 1 10.5 can Campbell's French onion soup
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 10.5 can Campbell's cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 packet brown gravy mix (.87 oz)
- 1 cup milk (may substitute water, if preferred)
Instructions
- Using the sauté setting on your Instant Pot, add a bit of oil; when the oil is hot, add the chicken tenders, just a few at a time, browning them off on both sides. Repeat until all the tenders are all browned on each side, removing each batch to a plate as you work.
- Add the French onion soup and water to the drippings in the Instant Pot, then return the browned chicken tenders to the pot. **Please note: Do not add the cream of chicken soup at this point in the recipe, just the French onion soup.
- Secure and lock the Instant Pot lid into place, choosing 5 minutes on high pressure, bringing the Instant Pot up to full pressure. When the timer sounds, use a 5-minute natural release to let the chicken rest, then perform a quick release to remove the remaining pressure from the Instant Pot.
- Meanwhile, combine the 1/2 packet of dry brown gravy mix with the milk (or water) and the cream of chicken soup.
- Carefully unlock and remove the Instant Pot lid; remove the chicken to a plate while you combine the liquid remaining in the pot and the prepared cream of chicken soup mixture together, stirring until smooth.
- To serve, place warm egg noodles or mashed potatoes onto serving plates, then top with the chicken tenders and gravy.
Nutrition
Thanks for visiting! I hope you return soon for more yummy recipes for your family.
We love hearing from our readers and followers, so leave us a comment if you’d like. If you don’t hear back from us shortly, know that we may not have seen your comment. Feel free to reach out to us by email: [email protected].
Let’s Get You Cookin’,
Chef Alli
- Please Note: We do use referral and affiliate links here for products and services that are recommended.
I love this recipie! My family loved it!!!
Hi Kellie –
I’m so glad your fam enjoyed the Instant Pot Chicken Tender with Cream Gravy. I think it’s a keeper recipe for when we need a speedy meal!
Thanks a bunch for your comment and thoughts on this – I appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Chef Alli
I tried cooking this two nights ago and it was very tasty comfort food. I added green beans that I cut in half and cooked them the same time I cooked with chicken. I added the chicken over homemade mashed potatoes.
Hi Gary –
Thanks for letting me know you made the Instant Pot Chicken Tenders with Cream Gravy. Love your idea of the addition of green beans and I will definitely try that! I bet the color and texture is a great addition.
Let’s Keep Cookin’,
Chef Alli
I got the dreaded burn notice during the initial heating. I sort of expected it due to the density of the base ingredients – soup but no additional liquid. So I ended up cooking in a pan. It was okay, but salty more mushroom and onion flavors rather than reality. On the 2nd day, I sautéed mushrooms & onions then added red wine and let it reduce. It was still pretty salty from the undliuted soup so I tempered it with more cream, sour cream and water. We gave it a 5 with the revisions.
Hi Judi –
I just went back and reviewed this recipe to see if I had missed something. I added some water to the recipe, but also wanted to make sure that you noticed that cream of chicken soup doesn’t get stirred in until the end of the recipe. If you use just the French onion soup (and the 1/2 cup of water), you shouldn’t get the burn notice.
I’m so glad you could revise it to your tastes! Thank you for letting me know what you experienced so I can make recipe adjustments.
Sincerely,
Chef Alli