Instant Pot Chicken Tenders is a simple, comforting recipe with smothered chicken tenderloins and a cream gravy over mashed potatoes, rice, or your favorite noodles.

Make this easy chicken dish in your Instant Pot in minutes.

A white platter loaded with chicken tenders made in the Instant Pot.

Chicken Tenders Instant Pot Recipe

My Instant Pot has been a dinner-changing small appliance for my family.

Meals like this Chicken Tenders with Cream Gravy are super simple with great flavor and easy on the food budget, too.

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I find that even the pickiest of eaters love this meal.

And you only need five ingredients to make dinner in a flash!

You could also add vegetables to this dish, such as some cooked sweet corn, green beans, or broccoli.

All the ingredients needed to make Instant Pot Chicken Tenders in Cream Gravy.

Ingredients Instant Pot Smothered Chicken Tenders with Gravy

Chicken Tenders: You’ll need about 2 lbs. If chicken tenders aren’t available in the poultry case at your grocer, you can purchase chicken breasts and cut them into strips – I do this all the time and it works just fine!
Vegetable oil: for sauteing the chicken tenders
Condensed French onion soup, canned: I prefer Campbell’s, but use the brand you prefer.
Brown gravy mix, dry: Substitute low sodium brown gravy mix or au jus mix.
Cream of chicken soup: I prefer Campbell’s, but use your favorite.
Milk: I used 2% but whole milk makes the gravy more creamy. You could also substitute half and half or even whipping cream.
Cooked rice, egg noodles or mashed potatoes, for serving as base for the chicken tenders and gravy

Instant Pot Chicken Tenders with Creamy Gravy on a bed of rice.

How to Cook Instant Pot Chicken Tenders

Using the sauté setting on your Instant Pot, add a bit of oil.

When the oil is hot, add the chicken tenders, a few at a time.

Using a metal spatula, turn the tenders in the hot oil so they can brown on the second side.

Chicken tenders in the Instant Pot browning on the first side.

Browned chicken tenders in the Instant Pot.

Don’t overcrowd the bottom when adding the chicken tenders to the Instant Pot.

You want good space around each chicken tender as it cooks so the heat can circulate.

This helps the chicken get nicely golden brown and caramelized, adding lots of flavor.

Browning the chicken tenders on the sauté setting of the Instant Pot.

Repeat until all the tenders are browned on each side, removing each batch to a plate; reserve.

A platter of chicken tenders that have been browned on both sides.

Deglaze the pot by adding the French onion soup to the remaining drippings in the Instant Pot.

Using the sauté setting, stir the soup, simmering it until all the browned bits loosen themselves from the pot and into the liquid.

Chicken tender drippings in the bottom of the Instant Pot.

French onion soup added to the drippings in the Instant Pot.

Return the browned chicken tenders to the soup in the Instant Pot, then secure and lock the Instant Pot lid into place.

Choose 5 minutes on high pressure, bringing the Instant Pot up to full pressure.

Chicken tenders with the French onion soup in the Instant Pot.

When the timer sounds, use a 5-minute natural release to let the chicken rest, then perform a quick release to remove the rest of the pressure from the Instant Pot.

Meanwhile, combine the packet of dry brown gravy mix with the cream of chicken soup and the milk; whisk until smooth.

Creamy gravy ingredients whisked until smooth.

Once all the pressure is removed from the Instant Pot, carefully unlock and remove the Instant Pot lid.

Using a large slotted spoon, carefully remove the chicken tenders from the liquid in the Instant Pot and transfer them to a plate or platter.

Fully cooked chicken tenders in the Instant Pot.

Add the prepared cream of chicken soup mixture to the liquid remaining in the Instant Pot to make the cream gravy.

Using the sauté setting, bring the gravy to a simmer, cooking until it thickens up.

The gravy will also thicken more as it cools down a bit.

Cream gravy preparing to simmer in the Instant Pot.

Return the reserved chicken tenders to the cream gravy in the Instant Pot.

Keep warm until ready to serve.

To serve, place warm cooked rice, egg noodles or mashed potatoes onto serving plates, then top with the chicken tenders and gravy. Enjoy at once!

Can I cut chicken breasts into tenders when making this recipe?

You sure can, and I do it all the time.

I like to purchase chicken breasts on sale since they are cheaper than chicken tenderloins.

Lay your chicken breast out on a cutting board, trimming it with kitchen shears to remove any attached fats or parts you may be uncomfortable with.

Using your favorite sharp knife, cut the breast into 4-5 strips, each about 1-inch thick, depending on the breast size.

Can I make this recipe using 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 as the chicken strips/tenders do.

If you use bone-in chicken thighs, you’ll need to increase the cooking time in the Instant Pot by a couple of minutes as they will take longer to cook fully.

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