Think chicken and dumplings with a few of the ingredients changed. This warm, savory turkey and dumplings recipe is perfect for the fall and winter.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr45 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: drop biscuit dumplings, instant pot turkey and dumplings, turkey and dumplings
Servings: 8servings
Calories: 397kcal
Author: Whitney Reist | Sweet Cayenne
Equipment
Instant Pot
Ingredients
For the broth (optional):
Bones from a cooked bone-in turkey breast
Trimmings from 1-2 leeks
Trimmings from 3 carrots
Trimmings from 3 celery stalks
1teaspoonwhole peppercorns
2wholebay leaves
1small sprig of fresh rosemary
5-6sprigs of fresh thyme
2whole garlic cloves
1tablespoonapple cider vinegar
Water
For the stew:
1teaspoonbutter
2teaspoonsolive oil
1 ¼cupsmall-diced carrots (about 3 medium carrots)
1 ¼cupsmall-diced leeks (about 1 large or 2 small leeks)
1 ¼cupsmall-diced celery (about 3 stalks)
1teaspoonminced garlic
1teaspoonfinely chopped fresh thyme
½teaspoonfinely chopped fresh rosemary
¼cupflour
½cupwhite wine
5cupsturkey bone broth (from recipe above; or substitute with chicken or turkey stock)
4cupsshredded cooked turkey meat
Salt and pepper to taste
For the drop biscuits:
1 ¾cupsall-purpose flour (or 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup white whole wheat)
2teaspoonsbaking powder
½teaspoonbaking soda
½teaspoonsalt
4tablespoonsbutter
1cupcold low-fat buttermilk
Instructions
For the broth (optional):
Place the bones of the turkey breast in the Instant Pot insert. Add the vegetable trimmings. Fill up to 1 inch below the max fill line with water. Add the peppercorns, bay leaves, fresh herbs, garlic, and cider vinegar. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set to “sealing.” Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes and allow for a 30-minute natural pressure release.
Carefully move the knob to “venting” and release any remainder of steam in the Instant Pot. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer. Season to taste with salt. Cool completely before storing in the refrigerator. Remove 5 cups of broth for the dumpling stew. Chill the remainder and store in the fridge for when you reheat dumpling leftovers.
For the stew:
Set the Instant Pot on “saute” mode. Add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter is melted, add the carrots, leeks, and celery. Saute until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes, being careful not to let anything burn on the bottom of the pot. Add the garlic, thyme, and rosemary, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Add the wine to deglaze, scraping up any bits on the bottom and sides of the pot. Add the broth and shredded turkey, stirring until the mixture comes to a simmer, about 4 minutes. Press “cancel” on the Instant Pot to turn off the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the pot insert from the Instant Pot while you make the dumplings to ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom and the sides.
For the dumplings:
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Melt the butter, and after cooling for 2-3 minutes, add it to the buttermilk. Let it stand in the buttermilk for 2-3 minutes. Stir the mixture together until the butter forms clumps in the buttermilk. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to stir it into the flour until just combined. Use a small cookie dough scoop to scoop the drop biscuits into the turkey mixture in the Instant Pot insert. You should have 18-20 dumplings total.
Return the insert to the Instant Pot and place the lid on top. Set the knob to “sealing.” Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Carefully quick release the pressure manually, allowing all the steam to escape. Ladle the stew and dumplings into bowls and serve warm!
Reheat leftovers and add extra turkey broth as needed to get the desired consistency you like as you reheat.
Note: if for some reason you get “burn” notice on the Instant Pot, no worries! Just release the pressure, remove the lid, and turn the Instant Pot to “saute” mode. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook the dumplings, carefully stirring often with a rubber spatula, for 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Stovetop instructions:
Place a large pot over medium heat. Add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter is melted, add the carrots, leeks, and celery. Saute for 5-6 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the garlic, thyme, and rosemary, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Add the wine to deglaze, scraping up any bits on the bottom and sides of the pot. Add the broth and shredded turkey, stirring until the mixture comes to a simmer, about 4-5 minutes.
Use a small cookie dough scoop to scoop the drop biscuits into the turkey mixture. You should have 18-20 dumplings total. Place the lid on the pot and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove lid and serve.
Notes
Note: if for some reason you get “burn” notice on the Instant Pot, no worries! Just release the pressure, remove the lid, and turn the Instant Pot to “saute” mode. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook the dumplings, carefully stirring often, for 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.